Golem  •  David Wisniewski  •  Lee Salsberry LITERATURE •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A retelling of a Jewish legend, set in Prague in the 16th century, a dark time for the city's Jewish residents. A rabbi builds a clay giant to protect his people from persecution; the golem, in this version, speaks with a child's simplicity. The remarkable paper-cutout illustrations brilliantly evoke the Prague of old, and the author includes a helpful historical note. It's suitable for 9 to 12 year-olds. (CZH38, $17.00)
Hippocrene Children's Illustrated Czech Dictionary, English-Czech/Czech-English  •  Hippocrene REFERENCE •  2001 •  PAPER • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A visual dictionary geared for middle schoolers and useful for the whole family. (CZH63, $11.95)
Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles (Austria-Hungary, 1769)  •  Kathryn Lasky LITERATURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 238 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The ill-fated future queen of France records life at the Habsburg palace in Austria in this novel-in-diary-format, written by the reliably excellent children's author Kathryn Lasky. The teenaged Marie is almost of marrying age, and the future is full of possibility. An entry in Scholastic's "Princess Diaries" series, for ages 9 to 12. The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding. (FRN342, $10.95)
The Star of Kazan  •  Eva Ibbotson  •  Kevin Hawkes LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A delightful young adult adventure that twists and turns through fin-de-siecle Vienna. Annika is a foundling taken in by a household of eccentic professors and kind hearted servants, is enchanted by the spectacle of Vienna and the simple pleasures of domestic chores. Her life is turned upsidedown when her aristocratic mother unexpectedly reappears in her life and sweeps her off to live in a castle in Germany. Ibbotson, a favorite writer for children, spent her early years in Vienna. (CEU24, $7.99)
The Three Golden Keys  •  Peter Sis LITERATURE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • FAMILY Either by magic or trick of memory, author/illustrator Peter Sis is transported to the Prague of his childhood. As in all of Sis's books, the imaginary gets mixed up with the real -- in this book, he meets characters from Czech folklore, including the Golem and Hanus the Clockmaker. Prague, so often called a "fairy tale city," is at its most fairy tale-ish in this sophisticated, entrancing picture book. Intended for grade-school children, the book will appeal equally (or more) to parents. (CZH39, $23.00)