American Girl Magazine

Recommended grades 4-6.  American Girl magazine mimics women's magazines in style, though offers developmentally appropriate reading material for young girls.  Adult authors pack the glossy pages with crafts, life tips (like how to avoid stress), exercises to be enjoyed with friends, and complementary quizzes (where no answer is a wrong answer).  American Girl makes room for reader contributions featuring art and short stories submitted by readers, empowering girls to create and contribute.  Other than a couple plugs for the American Girl franchise, including their dolls and books, there are no advertisements in this magazine, which will be welcomed by parents.  For girls who want to start reading magazine, this is a good alternative to teen magazines, and celebrates tweens where they are, without pushing them to grow up, but still respecting their individuality.  Recommended, ***.

A Doll's Life

Recommended grades 7-10.  Tanya Lee Stone dives into the life of American Sweetheart, Barbie with her unauthorized 'biography, ' The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Viking, 2011).  Stone covers a variety of aspects about the doll everyone loves to hate and hates to love, from the story of her creator, Ruth Handler, to her own development in the last fifty years.  Stone also approaches many of the criticisms Barbie has faced over the years, from her impossible-to-achieve figure, to her Euro-centric hair texture, Stone does not shy away from controversy.  Stone makes her voice quite clear as a researcher, openly explains her interpretations of her sources, and offers the final decision up to her readers; is Barbie to blame for anorexia or to celebrate for encouraging professional women?  In addition to her open tone, Stone includes a detailed list of source notes at the end of the text as well has a brimming bibliography.  The book is filled with black and white photos illustrating Stone's many points and showing Barbie over time.  Additionally, Stone includes a color insert of photos that benefit from full color.  This book is not only informative, it also serves as an excellent conversation starter and a model of good research.  Highly recommended, ****.

Rainbow Magic

Recommended grades 4-5.  Daisy Meadows brings us another Rainbow Magic story with Destiny the Rockstar Fairy (Scholastic, 2011).  The five authors who write under the pen name Daisy Meadows have written over one hundred books featuring best friends Rachel and Kirsty and their fairy pals.  In the series, Kirsty and Rachel team up with the a variety of fairies from the kingdom of Fairyland to defeat the evil Jack Frost and his mischievous goblin henchmen.  In this installment, Frost has stolen Destiny's magical objects that she uses to protect all of the rockstars in the world.  Rachel and Kirsty must help her recover the items before their favorite band takes the stage for a special Christmas performance!  Lovers of the series will appreciate the similar plot, the attention to details when it comes to the girls' fashion accessories, and the length-- Destiny the Rockstar Fairy is a special edition volume four times the length of the average fairy book.  The text is accompanied by ink sketches of the scenes that contribute to the goblin's comedic mayhem.  Though adults may not always understand the appeal, there seems to be a very soft spot in young readers' bookshelves.  The text is familiar enough to build young readers' confidence.  As the most one of the most borrowed books of 2010, it is sure to see a great deal of circulation.  Recommended, ***.

Pinkalicious on Ice

Recommended grades K-2.  In Pinkalicious: Pink around the Rink (HarperCollins, 2010), Pinkalicious, the perky brunette who simply cannot get enough pink in her life, is slightly disappointed when her parents give her boring white ice skates.  Luckily, she knows just what to do!  She paints her shoes pink and creates quite the impression on the ice rink!  Creator Victoria Kann writes and illustrates her Pinkalicious series for HarperCollins I Can Read! Series for developing readers.  As a level 1 book, Pink around the Rink is specially written to include, "short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts for children eager to read on their own."  Though these books were designed for independent readers, adults will appreciate Kann's subtle humor in the characters of Pinkalicious' parents who try to encourage their daughter's unique stylistic preferences.  Kann's illustrations in bright shades of pink and orange capture Pinkalicious's ideal world, where she is most comfortable.  Kann leaves the "boring colors" (white) for places where Pinkalicious feels the least comfortable.  Kann based the character of Pinkalicious on her own daughters, and the book is genuinely tender while still conforming to the design of an easy reader.  Recommended, ***