Digging Deep

Following up on the winning format of the bestselling Dragonology, Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris by Emily Sands, illus. by Nick Harris, Ian Andrew and Helen Ward, takes readers from Cairo on the 1st of November, 1926, to the Sphinx on the Giza plateau, through the Valley of the Kings where Tutankhamen's tomb lies, and finally to the completion of the mission in January 1927: the tomb of Osiris. A golden cover bearing a Horus hawk with "three gems" opens to the journal entries of Emily Sands, complete with detailed sketches of various tombs, modes of transport, etc., as well as full-color paintings, plus postcards to lift and envelopes to open. Sands's clever quips and fascinating facts will hold the rapt attention of novices to the topic and Egyptian fanatics alike. (Candlewick, $19.99 32p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7636-2638-4; Nov.)

And Then What Happened?

Highly anticipated sequels hit the shelves this month. In the new installment in Lemony Snicket's bestselling series, A Series of Unfortunate Events #11: The Grim Grotto, illus. by Brett Helquist, the Baudelaire siblings find themselves aboard the submarine Queequeg, under the command of Captain Widdershins. Their search for the inexplicably important "sugar bowl" leads them to the Gorgonian Grotto, an undersea cave filled with malevolent mushrooms, only to face capture by Count Olaf. (HarperCollins, $11.99 352p ages 10-up ISBN 0-06-441014-5; Oct.)

It's back to Genovia in The Princess Present: A Princess Diaries Book by Meg Cabot, the sixth title in the series. Meg's friend, Lilly, and beau, Michael, are coming to visit her in Genovia for Christmas, and Mia wants to make sure everything is perfect. Lilly's aversion to the wealth around her and a disastrous gala ball add to the craziness, before all is resolved in an O'Henry-esque denouement. (HarperCollins, $8.99 96p ages 12-up ISBN 0-06-075433-8; Oct.)

The paper-over-board The Artemis Fowl Files supplements Eoin Colfer's bestselling series, taking readers back to Holly Short's early days in the agency, where she works in Traffic and helps Captain Root defeat his villainous brother, Turnball. "The Seventh Dwarf" details LEPrecon's pursuit of Mulch Diggums and Artemis Fowl, who seek the Fei Fei Tiara. Sandwiched between the stories are pages describing Fairy Code and the Gnommish alphabet, interviews (including Colfer), a crossword and more. (Hyperion/Miramax, $12.95 208p ages 10-up ISBN 0-7868-5639-4; Oct.)

The Mack family from The Giggler Treatment returns in The Meanwhile Adventures by Roddy Doyle, illus. by Brian Ajhar. This time the Slugs of Dublin don crash helmets in their attempt to take over the world ("No legs good! Two legs bad!"), Mister Mack inadvertently robs a bank and Billie Jean Fleetwood-Mack attempts to break a world record. (Scholastic/Levine, $16.95 160p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-439-66210-9; Oct.)

Third in the Arthur trilogy, King of the Middle March by Kevin Crossley-Holland begins amidst attempts to launch a European crusade against the Saracens. Young Arthur—who views the actions of the legendary king through the magic stone of the launch title, The Seeing Stone—struggles to understand why Saracens are sworn enemies and to deal with his tempestuous father. In a starred review of the series debut, PW called Arthur a "clever, ethical and passionate hero." (Scholastic/Levine, $17.95 432p ages 9-14 ISBN 0-439-26600-9; Oct.)

In Burying the Sun by Gloria Whelan, the third title in the series that began with Angel on the Square, 14-year-old Georgi (the younger brother of Marya who narrated The Impossible Journey) and his family face a German invasion in the midst of WWII. Starvation, icy temperatures and death plague Leningrad, as the Russians struggle to survive. (HarperCollins, $15.99 224p ages 10-up ISBN 0-06-054112-1; Oct.)

A follow-up to The Sterkarm Handshake (which PW called "a gripping time-travel adventure"), A Sterkarm Kiss by Susan Price finds Andrea Mitchell returning to "16th side" (aka 16th-century)—albeit to a slightly different dimension where familiar people (namely her beloved Per, introduced in the first book as the only son of a Sterkarm lord) have never met her. Andrea leaps at the chance to return to the present, but soon becomes embroiled in a feud between the Sterkarm and Grannam families. (HarperCollins, $16.99 288p ages 12-up ISBN 0-06-072197-9; Oct.)

Food and fashion collide in My Scrumptious Scottish Dumplings: The Life of Angelica Cookson Potts, Cherry Whytock's sequel to My Cup Runneth Over. Angel takes an embarrassing trip to Scotland with her parents and gets caught up in her father's dispute with Harrods department store over haggis of dubious repute. (S&S, $14.95 176p ages 12-up ISBN 0-689-86549-X; Oct.)

Advice for Teens

New titles help teens better understand themselves and their world. With advice and real-world examples, It's Your World—If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers by Mikki Halpin is aimed at teens trying to combat intolerance and injustice in such areas as animal rights, racism, environmental issues and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning youth) acceptance. Halpin's guide suggests Internet and print resources and contains firsthand accounts from involved high school students. (Simon Pulse, $8.99 paper 304p ages 12-up ISBN 0-689-87448-0; Sept.)

The paperback Sex, Puberty and AllThatStuff: A Guide to Growing Up by Jacqui Bailey helps demystify the changes that occur during the teen years. In a reassuring, assertive tone, Bailey describes the bodily and hormonal aspects of puberty and dispels myths such as the perils of too much masturbation. Also covered are same-sex attraction, managing a good relationship and contraception. Cartoon scenarios, lists and slang add to the book's accessibility and appeal. (Barron's, $12.95 paper 112p ages 11-16 ISBN 0-7641-2992-9; Sept.)

In hip, pseudo tarot—style, The TeenOracle: The Magical Way for Teens to Answer Questions About Love, Style, Friends, and Futures by Emrys is packaged with 25 "oracle" cards and 25 "Help!" cards within a hardcover shell, and a full-color paperback that describes how the cards can help teens make decisions regarding dates/love, style/image and home life. Emrys explains the meanings of the oracle cards while encouraging teens to open their minds. (Barron's, $16.95 96p 50 cards ages 12-up ISBN 0-7641-7770-2; Aug.)