Neville

Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2011:Neville puts an inspired twist on the age-old challenge of making new friends.  Author Norton Juster, best known for The Phantom Tollbooth, uses a minimum of text to great effect, melding beautifully with G. Brian Karas's mixed media illustrations to tell the story. Neville begins with a boy sent by his mother out into their new neighborhood to "take a little walk down the block."  He’s not at all happy about the situation, but comes up with a brilliant idea that soon has all the neighborhood children rallied around him.  The enthusiasm and joy of their undertaking and the ease in which a unified effort can forge childhood friendships are spot-on.  The surprise ending invites gales of laughter and--fortunately--Neville is a book that can be read over and over again without losing the fun. --Seira Wilson