On Shelves Now: TRUTH AND SALSA by Linda Lowery

176 p.
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Ages: 8 to 12

Mexico is a long way from home, and not just in terms of miles. Hayley is spending six months with her eccentric grandmother - her father recently deserted the family and Hayley's mom needs time to, as she puts it, "work things through." Down in Mexico, life is surprisingly exciting...Hayley and her new friend Lili even win parts as extras in a Hollywood movie being filmed in the town. But there are also difficult lessons to be learned. Meanwhile Hayley is on the lookout for the ghost that is said to haunt her grandma's house. With Lili's help she solves the mystery - and prepares for a new life with her mom back in the States.

On Shelves Now: THE DIARY OF MA YAN: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl by Ma Yan

192 p
Publisher: HarperCollins
Ages: 8 to 12

I'm so hungry, I could eat anything. Anything at all.

In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But for Ma Yan, money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees . . . or even to provide enough food for herself and her family.

Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. Its publication was an international sensation, creating an outpouring of support for this courageous teenager and others like her . . . all due to one ordinary girl's extraordinary diary.