Books by Alison McGhee
Countdown to Kindergarten
It's just ten days before kindergarten, and this little girl has heard all there is to know--from a first grader--about what it's going to be like. You can't bring your cat, you can't bring a stuffed animal, and the number one rule? You can't ask anyone for help. Ever. So what do you do when your shoes come untied, if you're the only one in the class who doesn't know how to tie them up again?
Told with gentle humor by Alison McGhee and brought to exuberant life by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, this lighthearted take on pre-kindergarten anxiety will bring a smile to the face of every child--and parent--having first-day jitters.
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Countdown to Kindergarten
This lighthearted take on pre-kindergarten anxiety will bring a smile to the face of every child—and parent—having first-day jitters.
It's just ten days before kindergarten, and this little girl has heard all there is to know—from a first grader—about what it's going to be like.
You can't bring your cat, you can't bring a stuffed animal, and the number one rule? You can't ask anyone for help. Ever.
So what do you do when your shoes come untied, if you're the only one in the class who doesn't know how to tie them up again?
Told with gentle humor by Alison McGhee and brought to exuberant life by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, this picture book helps turn worry to smiles.
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Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth
Sure, first-grade teacher Mrs. Watson may look human, but it is a known and proven fact that she is actually a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.
Thank goodness for a second grader's warning, because this little first grader has a secret: She has a loose tooth! Her first! How will she make it through an entire year without opening her mouth?
Told with the same gentle wit as in their first irresistible collaboration, Countdown to Kindergarten, this lighthearted take on losing one's first tooth will have children and parents laughing aloud.
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Shadow Baby (Today Show Book Club #14)
Eleven-year-old Clara is struggling to find the truth about her missing father and grandfather and her dead twin sister, but her mother refuses to talk. When Clara begins interviewing Georg Kominsky--her elderly neighbor--she finds that he is equally reticent about his own concealed history. Precocious and imaginative, Clara invents versions of Mr. Kominsky's past, just as she invents lives for the people missing from her own shadowy history. Her journey of discovery is at the heart of this beautiful story about unlikely friendship and communion, about discovering what matters most in life, and about the search to find the missing pieces of ourselves.
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Only a Witch Can Fly
Only a witch can fly.
But one little girl wants to fly―more than anything. So on a special night, with the moon shining bright and her cat by her side, she gathers herself up, she grips her broom tight, and she tries. And she fails. And she's brave. And she tries again. Until . . .
Utterly enchanting, New York Times best-selling author Alison McGhee's lyrical language and Taeeun Yoo's transcendent linoleum block prints create a bewitching tale about finding one's own path that will send your heart soaring.
Only a Witch Can Fly is a 2010 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
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Only a Witch Can Fly
Only a witch can fly.
But one little girl wants to fly―more than anything. So on a special night, with the moon shining bright and her cat by her side, she gathers herself up, she grips her broom tight, and she tries. And she fails. And she's brave. And she tries again. Until . . .
Utterly enchanting, New York Times–bestselling author Alison McGhee's lyrical language and Taeeun Yoo's transcendent linoleum block prints create a bewitching tale about finding one's own path that will send your heart soaring.
Only a Witch Can Fly is a 2010 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.
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Falling Boy: A Novel
"Did you really rescue your mother from a fate worse than death on a cliff overlooking the sea?"
After a mysterious accident left him paralyzed, sixteen-year-old Joseph finds himself living with his father in Minneapolis and working hot summer days in a bakery. What happened to the life he used to live? How did he come to be here? Although they approach the mystery in different ways, two people in Joseph's new life--seventeen-year-old Zap, who also works in the bakery, and Enzo, a fierce and funny nine-year-old girl--both want to find out.
"Are you really a superhero?" whispers Enzo, who secretly longs for her world to be transformed. "Please be a superhero."
Stoically quiet, Joseph has never thought of himself as a superhero, especially now that he is in a wheelchair and can't feel his legs. But others disagree. Who is the hero? Who is the enemy? Is redemption possible, and if so, where is it to be found? In Alison McGhee's strange and powerful Falling Boy, a small band of tough kids turn the myth of the superhero inside out as they face down the shadows of childhood.
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Julia Gillian (And the Dream of the Dog)
In this stunning conclusion to the JULIA GILLIAN trilogy, Julia Gillian discovers the hardest part of being human: to love what is mortal.
Sixth grade is proving to be less than dreamy: Julia Gillian's new homeroom teacher is serious about school work and has the class "controlling for variables." Julia Gillian has been paired for the Reading Extravaganza with Fergus Cannon, whose distaste for reading rivals her own. Worst of all, her beloved dog, Bigfoot, is getting old. Soon, Julia Gillian will learn that no matter how hard she tries to control for variables and keep her lifelong companion safe, she cannot prevent the inevitable. Luckily, her bounty of steadfast friends and family see her through the toughest time of her life.
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Julia Gillian (and The Art Of Knowing)
A new middle-grade heroine is born! The first story in an extraordinary new series by a New York Times best-selling author.
Ten-year-old Julia Gillian knows everything about her quirky neighbors, her Minneapolis neighborhood, even the inscrutable "claw machine" in the back of the corner hardware store. The one thing Julia Gillian doesn't know is how the book she's reading is going to end. It doesn't seem as if it's going to have a happy ending, and that scares her. But Julia learns a little something about fear: sometimes you just have to work through it. And though bad things do happen sometimes, having good friends and family around you makes life a bit less scary - and much more fun.
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Julia Gillian (And the Quest for Joy)
The irresistible second story in the charming JULIA GILLIAN trilogy is now available in paperback!
So far, fifth grade at Lake Harriet Elementary School is not exactly a thing of joy. Julia Gillian's best friend, Bonwit Keller, is keeping a secret from her. Trumpet lessons with Mr. Mixler, her favorite teacher, are much harder than expected. And most upsetting of all, the kind lunch lady has been replaced by a tyrant known as the Dumpling Man. Where is the joy? Amidst all this, Julia Gillian starts keeping secrets of her own--secrets that feel an awful lot like lies. To set things right, she will have to learn a little bit about friendship and honesty.
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Telephone of the Tree
An unforgettable story of grief and the support of community as a young girl, faced with aching loss, begins to understand that what we love will always be with us.
Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. They each have their own special tree, and neighbors and family know that they are most likely to be found within the branches. But after an accident on their street, Kiri has gone somewhere so far away that Ayla can only wait and wait in her birch, longing to be able to talk with Kiri again.
Then a mysterious, old-fashioned telephone appears one morning, nestled in the limbs of Ayla's birch tree. Where did it come from? she wonders. And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their loved ones? Especially loved ones who have passed on.
All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until that day comes, she will keep Kiri's things safe. She'll keep her nightmares to herself. And she will not make a call on that telephone.
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A Very Brave Witch
On the far side of town in a big dark house lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about that very human holiday Halloween, and even though she thinks she knows what humans are like, she has never, ever seen Halloween for herself.
On the far side of town in a big dark house lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about that very human holiday Halloween, and even though she thinks she knows what humans are like, she has never, ever seen Halloween for herself.
Until one very special Halloween comes along . . .
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All Rivers Flow to the Sea
When a car accident leaves a teenage girl in a coma, her surviving sister struggles with grief and guilt as she faces the inevitability of moving on — and letting go.
To seventeen-year-old Rose, it seems it keeps happening — that car crash on a mountain road, her older sister, Ivy, behind the wheel, the same Ivy who is now in a coma with only the WISHHH of a respirator keeping her alive. Mom refuses to believe that Ivy is gone and won't even visit, spending her days at the brewing factory and her nights in the mindless weaving of potholders or folding of paper cranes. It's up to Rose and family friend William T. to make the daily vigil to Ivy's bedside, where Rose reads aloud from a book on the sudden destruction of ancient Pompeii. More and more, she has the frightening sense that there are rivers inside her threatening to overflow their banks. In an effort to feel something — anything — else, she takes to meeting a series of boys at the gorge while her mind drifts away like a hovering bird, watching her actions below.
Heart-rending, honest, and ultimately hopeful, this first young adult novel from the acclaimed author of Shadow Babyand Snap is the poetically told story of a teenager overwhelmed by trauma and loss yet steadied by loyal friendships and, finally, the solace of first love.
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Song of Middle C
From the duo of Alison McGhee and Scott Menchin comes a hilarious tale of a first recital — and a charming ode to chutzpah and creative flair.
Practice makes perfect. And for a little girl facing her first recital of "Dance of the Wood Elves," so do artistry, imagination (those wood elves sure love to dance!), and lucky underwear for good measure. Is she nervous as she waits and waits for her turn on stage? Hoo boy, no! She’s as cool as a cucumber! Every child who has felt the pressure of the spotlight will smile at this comical tale of bravado that turns a onenote performance into an improvisation worthy of a standing ovation. Splendissimo!
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Bink and Gollie
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
Winner of the 2011 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award! In a brilliant collaboration, best-selling authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, along with acclaimed illustrator Tony Fucile, introduce an outrageously funny pair of friends.
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. No matter where their roller skates take them, at the end of the day they will always be the very best of friends. Full of quick-witted repartee, this brainchild of Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and award-winning author Alison McGhee is a hilarious ode to exuberance and camaraderie, imagination and adventure, brought to life through the delightfully kinetic images of Tony Fucile.
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Bink and Gollie
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
“If James Marshall's George and Martha were not hippos and were both girls, they would be much like best friends Bink and Gollie. . . . More, please!” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Meet Bink and Gollie, two precocious little girls — one tiny, one tall, and both utterly irrepressible. Setting out from their super-deluxe tree house and powered by plenty of peanut butter (for Bink) and pancakes (for Gollie), they share three comical adventures involving painfully bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion. Full of quick-witted repartee, this brainchild of Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo and award-winning author Alison McGhee is a hilarious ode to exuberance and camaraderie, imagination and adventure, brought to life through the delightfully kinetic images of Tony Fucile.
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Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
All righty, then! Celebrate the tall and short of a marvelous friendship with this Bink and Gollie adventure.
Gollie is quite sure she has royal blood in her veins, but can Bink survive her friend’s queenly airs — especially if pancakes are not part of the deal? Bink wonders what it would be like to be as tall as her friend, but how far will she stretch her luck to find out? And when Bink and Gollie long to get their picture into a book of record holders, where will they find the kudos they seek? Slapstick and sweetness, drollery and delight abound in this follow-up to the Geisel Award–winning, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Bink and Gollie, written by the beloved and best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and brought to hilarious life by Tony Fucile.
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Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
"Fresh, wry dialogue and witty cartooning are as dynamic a pairing as Bink and Gollie themselves." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
All righty, then! Celebrate the tall and short of a marvelous friendship with a new Bink and Gollie adventure. Slapstick and sweetness, drollery and delight abound in this follow-up to the Geisel Award–winning, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Bink and Gollie, written by the beloved and best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and brought to hilarious life by Tony Fucile.
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Snap
by Alison McGhee, Damian Harvey
A sensitive girl comes to terms with loss and learns something about lasting ties in this genuine, gracefully told story.
Name: Edwina Stiles Beckey.
Nickname: Eddie.
Age: Eleven.
Hometown: North Sterns, New York, in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.
Best Friend: Sally Hobart.
Favorite Activity: Making lists.
Eddie Beckey makes lists for just about everything and everyone in her life. And for matters of real importance, she wears (and snaps) an array of colored rubber bands on her wrist. Unfortunately, the world is not always so orderly and knowable. No list can help her cope with what’s happening to her best friend, Sally — or change the course of things for Sally’s grandmother, whom Eddie has grown to love and depend on as well. With subtlety and insight, novelist Alison McGhee tells the story of a young girl’s first encounter with grief, and of the enduring power of friendship.
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Snap
by Alison McGhee, Damian Harvey
When Mother Duck finds a lost egg, she decides to take it under her wing and raise it as her own. One by one, all her eggs hatch, and Mother Duck loves all her little ducklings, no matter how different they may be. But Snap, who came from the lost egg, doesn't look like any of his brothers or sisters. Snap begins to feel left out, but he soon finds that he really is just a very different and very special kind of duckling.
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Bink and Gollie: Two for One
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
Your favorite marvelous companions are back! Meet them at the fair in this delightfully droll sequel to the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning Bink and Gollie.
The state fair is in town, and now Bink and Gollie — utter opposites and best friends extraordinaire — must use teamwork and their gray matter while navigating its many wonders. Will the energetic Bink win the world's largest donut in the Whack-a-Duck game? Will the artistic Gollie wow the crowd in the talent show? As the undaunted duo steps into the mysterious tent of fortune-teller Madame Prunely, one prediction is crystal clear: this unlikely pair will always be the closest of pals. Get ready for more laughs in this wry, warmhearted sequel to the New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book Bink and Gollie, written by the award-winning, best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and featuring the exuberant visual humor of illustrator Tony Fucile.
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Bink and Gollie: Two for One
by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee
"Utterly chuckle-worthy, charming, and (thank goodness) still refreshing." — Kirkus Reviews
The state fair is in town, and now Bink and Gollie — utter opposites and best friends extraordinaire — must use teamwork and their gray matter while navigating its many wonders. Will the energetic Bink win the world's largest donut in the Whack-a-Duck game? Will the artistic Gollie wow the crowd in the talent show? As the undaunted duo steps into the mysterious tent of fortune-teller Madame Prunely, one prediction is crystal clear: this unlikely pair will always be the closest of pals. Get ready for more laughs in this wry, warmhearted sequel to the New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book Bink and Gollie, written by the award-winning, best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and featuring the exuberant visual humor of illustrator Tony Fucile.
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Was It Beautiful?: A Novel
“Alison McGhee’s is a novel of simple explanations, simple movement, and Faulkner’s favorite, most ferocious question: Can we ever really know one another?”—Los Angeles Times
“McGhee has written a lovely and successful third novel. She brilliantly captures the close but guarded ties between residents of a grieving small town, and delivers dialogue with the uncommon and impressive mix of precision, poignancy, and believability.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“McGhee is a beautiful writer, especially in her sense of place and her precision in describing characters.” —Twin Cities Pioneer Press
“McGhee, author of the critically acclaimed novel Shadow Baby, portrays in spare and beautiful prose a setting and community that recall the cold, hard landscapes of Richard Russo’s fiction.” —Book Page
Was It Beautiful? is a powerful and tender portrayal of loss and renewal at midlife. With singular grace and humor, Alison McGhee pays loving attention to the details of life in the Adirondacks and to the small kindnesses and idiosyncrasies that make each member of a community precious and unique.
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Bye-bye, Crib
There it is.
Over there.
The big bed...
Am I ready?
#1 New York Times best-selling author Alison McGhee tells the tale of a child's first rite of passage - from the crib to the big bed. Ross MacDonald's glowing illustrations will comfort, amuse, and inspire toddlers and even their parents as they take this first big step together.
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Someday
by Eileen Spinelli, Alison McGhee
Someday
I am going to be
a great artist.
Today
I am off to help my dad
paint the shed.
Its hard to be content with the present moment when you are little. The future has infinitely more possibilities!
Here, the prolific and poetic Eileen Spinelli offers us the opportunity to truly enter the mind and heart of a little girl whose dreams reach well beyond today. With Spinellis gift for capturing the authentic experience of a child and Rosie Winsteads utterly accessible and adorable artwork, this is sure to be a book that will inspire kids to think about what their own plans are for someday.
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Someday
by Eileen Spinelli, Alison McGhee
A mother's love leads to a mother's dream -- every mother's dream -- for her child to live life to its fullest.
A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the book you'll want to share with someone else...today. The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Graduation Day or Any Day - share a copy with every special person in your life.
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$18.99
Someday
by Eileen Spinelli, Alison McGhee
Alison McGhee and Peter H. Reynolds’s #1 New York Times bestselling and beloved story of a mother’s love and dreams for her child is now available in a beautiful keepsake edition.
One day I counted your fingers and kissed each one...
Sometimes, when you sleep, I watch you dream, and I dream too—
That someday you will dive into the cool clear water of a lake...
Someday I will watch you brushing your child’s hair...
Someday...
A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the story of what every mother wishes for her child: a chance to live life at its fullest—to experience great joys, to stretch, to grow, to understand sorrow, to have a future…to have a someday. This shimmering, achingly beautiful, and poignant tale—created by two great talents—takes this idea and turns it into something that will touch every reader. Someday, now available in a gorgeous keepsake edition, is a story you’ll want to share with a special someone today and every day.
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Always
Children everywhere will be comforted by this universal tale, in which a young boy is assured that his mother loves him — no matter what he does.
"Do you love me when I finger-paint with toothpaste on the bathroom mirror?"
As he goes through a day, a child asks his mother for reassurance with a series of questions. Does she love him when he's gentle? Does she love him when he's not? Does she love him when he jumps in puddles wearing his new sneakers? Simple, charming, and disarming, Ann Stott's story will resonate with little listeners and adults alike. Matt Phelan's funny, poignant drawings capture the child's behavior, both good and bad, and the mother's unconditional love.
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Always
How deep is the bond between a child and a beloved pet? And how far will a pet go to protect his dear friend? To the ends of the earth . . . always. Alison McGhee, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Someday, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, gives voice to the love that knows no bounds in this gentle and poignant picture book about friendship, loyalty, and most of all, love.
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A Very Brave Witch (Paula Wiseman Books)
On the far side of town, in a big, dark house, lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about those scary humans and a holiday they call Halloween, but she has never ever seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along. Perfect for trick-or-treaters of all ages, A Very Brave Witch makes for a playful read-aloud that takes the scariness out of the holiday.
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Making a Friend
Clean, cold, white snow! Snow for sledding. Snow for catching on your tongue. Snow for making a SNOWMAN! Is there anything as wonderful as SNOW? Is there any better friend than a SNOWMAN? Snow isn’t forever, though. The wind shifts, the weather warms and snow melts into spring. The Snowman has become something else—the fog, the rain. But, how can this boy forget his good friend? He doesn’t…and he doesn’t have to.
Bestselling author, Alison McGhee reminds us all that nothing that has been cared for can ever disappear for good, for, “What you love will always be with you.” And, this tender story about the power of friendship will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.
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Making a Friend
A clever picture book about the fun of making new friends and building unlikely relationships—and playing in the snow! From the bestselling author of Nugget and Fang.
Beaver is good at making just about everything...but not friends. One winter day, Beaver sees some snowflakes in the sky and gets a great idea: he’ll make a friend. Yes! A snowman will be a great friend!
Raccoon passes by as Beaver sets to work and offers a helping hand. The two work side by side to give their snowman everything a friend needs.
But when the snowman proves to be a little cold, Beaver discovers that he may have unknowingly “made” another buddy instead.
Perfect for snuggling together for a read-aloud, this sweet snowy friendship story from Tammi Sauer and Alison Friend will warm the hearts of young readers.
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Star Bright: A Christmas Story
This perfectly angelic—and perfectly charming—Christmas story offers a creative twist on the classic tale of the nativity, from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of Someday.
The angels are aflutter: a baby is soon to be born! One small angel can tell this baby is especially special by the way the other angels are dashing and fussing about. And holy moly, are their presents extraordinary. The little angel wants to give a present too, but, what could she possibly offer that is as worthy as the others’ gifts?
At a loss for original ideas, she peeks over the side of her platform and spies something going on in the desert—a caravan of kings on camels, lost in the dark. And suddenly she knows she most do something, and does the only thing she can. Because the greatest gift of all? It can’t be wrapped. It can’t be bought. It can only be selflessly, joyfully given. And it ends up being the perfect gift for that little baby…the shiningest gift at all.
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Little Boy
The simple playthings, the everyday moments, picking up that hundredth rock -- all of these are brimming with possibility...if you slow down and let the future begin with the small moments of today. Because everything depends on letting a little boy...be a little boy.
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Maybe a Fox
by Kathi Appelt, Alison McGhee
Worlds collide in a spectacular way when Newbery and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt and Pulitzer Prize nominee and #1 New York Times bestseller Alison McGhee team up to create a fantastical, heartbreaking, and gorgeous tale about two sisters, a fox cub, and what happens when one of the sisters disappears forever.
Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, better than best friends, they’d be identical twins if only they’d been born in the same year. And if only Sylvie wasn’t such a fast—faster than fast—runner. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the river they’re not supposed to go anywhere near to throw a wish rock just before the school bus comes on a snowy morning, she runs so fast that no one sees what happens…and no one ever sees her again. Jules is devastated, but she refuses to believe what all the others believe, that—like their mother—her sister is gone forever.
At the very same time, in the shadow world, a shadow fox is born—half of the spirit world, half of the animal world. She too is fast—faster than fast—and she senses danger. She’s too young to know exactly what she senses, but she knows something is very wrong. And when Jules believes one last wish rock for Sylvie needs to be thrown into the river, the human and shadow worlds collide.
Writing in alternate voices—one Jules’s, the other the fox’s—Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee tell the searingly beautiful tale of one small family’s moment of heartbreak, a moment that unfolds into one that is epic, mythic, shimmering, and most of all, hopeful.
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Maybe a Fox
by Kathi Appelt, Alison McGhee
Worlds collide in a spectacular way when Newbery and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt and Pulitzer Prize nominee and #1 New York Times bestseller Alison McGhee team up to create a fantastical, heartbreaking, and gorgeous tale about two sisters, a fox cub, and what happens when one of the sisters disappears forever.
Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, more than best friends, they’d be identical twins if only they’d been born in the same year. And if only Sylvie wasn’t such a fast—faster than fast—runner. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the river they’re not supposed to go anywhere near to throw a wish rock just before the school bus comes on a snowy morning, she runs so fast that no one sees what happens…and no one ever sees her again. Jules is devastated, but she refuses to believe what all the others believe, that—like their mother—her sister is gone forever.
At the very same time, in the shadow world, a shadow fox is born—half of the spirit world, half of the animal world. She too is fast—faster than fast—and she senses danger. She’s too young to know exactly what she senses, but she knows something is very wrong. And when Jules believes one last wish rock for Sylvie needs to be thrown into the river, the human and shadow worlds collide.
Writing in alternate voices—one Jules’s, the other the fox’s—Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee tell the searingly beautiful tale of one small family’s moment of heartbreak, a moment that unfolds into one that is epic, mythic, shimmering, and most of all, hopeful.
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The Sweetest Witch Around
A young witch’s sweet tooth leads to Halloween mischief in this companion to the New York Times bestselling A Very Brave Witch, which School Library Journal called “a humorous, not-scary-at-all read-aloud.”
It’s Halloween night, and one very brave witch has decided to teach her little sister all about humans and what they enjoy, including some yucky stuff called “candy.” But when it seems the little Witchling thinks candy is yum, her big sister flies off to set her straight—and then she gets stuck in a tree! Good thing the little Witchling isn’t afraid to be brave!
This delightful Halloween tale perfectly pairs with A Very Brave Witch.
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Firefly Hollow
Firefly. Cricket. Vole. Peter. Can four creatures from four very different Nations help one another find their ways in a world that can feel oh-so-big? Delve into this “wise and lovely reading adventure” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) in the tradition of Charlotte’s Web and The Rats of NIMH, from the author of the New York Times bestselling Someday.
“Firefly Hollow will set your heart aglow” (ALA Booklist, starred review).
Firefly doesn’t merely want to fly, she wants to touch the moon. Cricket doesn’t merely want to sing about baseball, he wants to catch. When these two little creatures with big dreams wander out of Firefly Hollow, refusing to listen to their elders, they find themselves face-to-face with the one creature they were always told to stay away from…a giant.
But Peter is a Miniature Giant. They’ve always been told that a Miniature Giant is nothing but a Future Giant, but this one just isn’t quite as big or as scary as the other Giants. Peter has a dream of his own, as well as memories to escape. He is overwhelmed with sadness, and a summer with his new unlikely friends Firefly and Cricket might be just what he needs. Can these friends’ dreams help them overcome the past?
Firefly Hollow is nothing short of enchanting, reminding us all that the very best friend is the one who encourages you to achieve your dreams. Full-color tip-in illustrations and dozens of black-and-white drawings provide added glow.
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Dear Sister
What do you do when you have an incredibly annoying little sister? Write her letters telling her so, of course! From New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee comes a wickedly funny, illustrated, heartwarming, and deeply honest collection of letters from an older brother to his little sister.
Whininess, annoyingness, afraid of the darkness, refusal to eat lima beans, and pulling brother’s hair. This is the criteria on which little sisters are graded. Inspired by the notes Alison McGhee’s own kids would write each other, this heavily illustrated collection of letters and messages from an older brother to his little sister reveal the special love—or, at the very least, tolerance—siblings have for each other.
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Dear Sister
“While books on sibling rivalry abound, [Dear Sister] brings freshness to the topic with McGhee's gentle humor and poignant scenarios…Dear indeed.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A meaningful look at…siblinghood and all its foibles.” —Publishers Weekly
What do you do when you have an incredibly annoying little sister? Write her letters telling her so, of course! From New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee comes a wickedly funny, illustrated, heartwarming, and searingly honest collection of letters from an older brother to his little sister.
Whininess, annoyingness, afraid of the darkness, refusal to eat lima beans, and pulling brother’s hair. These are the criteria on which little sisters are graded. Inspired by the notes Alison McGhee’s own kids would write each other, this heavily illustrated collection of letters and messages from an older brother to his little sister reveal the special love—or, at the very least, tolerance—siblings have for each other.
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Pablo and Birdy
A Parent’s Choice Award Gold Member Winner
A boy who drifted into the seaside town of Isla as a baby searches for answers about where he and his parrot came from in this “memorable, fantastical tale” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee.
The seaside town of Isla has many stories, the most notable being the legend of the Seafaring Parrot. Locals claim that the Seafarer remembers every sound, every whisper, cry, laugh, or snort ever uttered. But, though there have been rumored Seafarer sightings, no one has actually seen the bird before. Other stories surround a boy named Pablo, who had washed up on shore in a blow-up swimming pool as an infant with only a lavender parrot as a companion. Now, on the eve of his tenth birthday, the stories are repeated.
“At first I thought it was a huge fish,” Emmanuel, the man who found and took Pablo in, says. Pierre, the baker’s guess was a good one: Perhaps Pablo has come from an undiscovered country, one unknown to the rest of the world. Maybe the inhabitants there lived in tree houses, or underground. Or maybe he’s a pirate baby. But Pablo wants the truth, and the only one who might know it is Birdy, his parrot. After all, she was there, holding onto the raft. But unlike most birds who live in Isla, Birdy can neither talk or fly. Or, at least, she never has. Until…one day, when strong winds begin to blow—winds similar to the ones that brought Pablo to shore—Birdy begins to mutter. Could Birdy be a Seafaring parrot? If she is, then she will be able to tell Pablo the true story of where he came from—of who tied him so lovingly and safely to that raft? But, if she is, that also means the second part of the Seafarer myth is true…that Seafaring Parrots will, eventually, fly away.
As Pablo is buzzing with questions, hopes, and fears, an old saying echoes in his mind: winds of change mean fortune lost or fortune gained. And while the winds rise in Isla, Pablo holds tight to Birdy. Would losing his companion, his dearest link to his past, be that loss?
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Pablo and Birdy
A boy who drifted into the seaside town of Isla as a baby searches for answers about where he and his parrot came from in this charmer of a tale laced with magical realism from New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee.
The seaside town of Isla has many stories, the most notable being the legend of the Seafaring Parrot. Locals claim that the Seafarer remembers every sound, every whisper, cry, laugh, or snort ever uttered. But, though there have been rumored Seafarer sightings, no one has actually seen the bird before. Other stories surround a boy named Pablo, who had washed up on shore in a blow-up swimming pool as an infant with only a lavender parrot as a companion. Now, on the eve of his tenth birthday, the stories are repeated.
“At first I thought it was a huge fish,” Emmanuel, the man who found and took Pablo in, says. Pierre, the baker’s guess was a good one: Perhaps Pablo has come from an undiscovered country, one unknown to the rest of the world. Maybe the inhabitants there lived in tree houses, or underground. Or maybe he’s a pirate baby. But Pablo wants the truth, and the only one who might know it is Birdy, his parrot. After all, she was there, holding onto the raft. But unlike most birds who live in Isla, Birdy can neither talk or fly. Or, at least, she never has. Until…one day, when strong winds begin to blow—winds similar to the ones that brought Pablo to shore—Birdy begins to mutter. Could Birdy be a Seafaring parrot? If she is, then she will be able to tell Pablo the true story of where he came from—of who tied him so lovingly and safely to that raft? But, if she is, that also means the second part of the Seafarer myth is true…that Seafaring Parrots will, eventually, fly away.
As Pablo is buzzing with questions, hopes, and fears, an old saying echoes in his mind: winds of change mean fortune lost or fortune gained. And while the winds rise in Isla, Pablo holds tight to Birdy. Would losing his companion, his dearest link to his past, be that loss?
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What I Leave Behind
“An artful exercise in melancholy…Every reader will love openhearted Will.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Haunting, introspective.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Emotionally raw…[A] piercing narrative.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“McGhee artfully illustrates the tangled web wherein grief intertwines with the mundane.” —BCCB
After his dad dies of suicide, Will tries to overcome his own misery by secretly helping the people around him in this exquisitely crafted story made up of one hundred chapters of one hundred words each, by award-winning and bestselling author Alison McGhee.
Sixteen-year-old Will spends most of his days the same way: Working at the Dollar Only store, trying to replicate his late father’s famous cornbread recipe, and walking the streets of Los Angeles. Will started walking after his father committed suicide, and three years later he hasn’t stopped. But there are some places Will can’t walk by: The blessings store with the chest of 100 Chinese blessings in the back, the bridge on Fourth Street where his father died, and his childhood friend Playa’s house.
When Will learns Playa was raped at a party—a party he was at, where he saw Playa, and where he believes he could have stopped the worst from happening if he hadn’t left early—it spurs Will to stop being complacent in his own sadness and do some good in the world. He begins to leave small gifts for everyone in his life, from Superman the homeless guy he passes on his way to work, to the Little Butterfly Dude he walks by on the way home, to Playa herself. And it is through those acts of kindness that Will is finally able to push past his own trauma and truly begin to live his life again. Oh, and discover the truth about that cornbread.
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Percy, Dog of Destiny
Dog park? Let's go! Percy may be a small dog, but he more than makes up for it in attitude and energy. Holding tight to his precious toy ball, he makes his way to the dog park, coming across three friends along the way—Molly, with her kerchief; Oatmeal Cookie, with his Frisbee; and lovable giant Fluffy, with his bone. At the park, the four friends have fun running, digging, and sniffing—until a sneering, jeering squirrel dares to challenge Percy, causing him to drop his beloved toy. Percy's ball sails through the air, flying so high that he might lose it forever... but an unlikely hero dashes in to save the day! Told from the perspective of a way-too-big-for-his-britches Jack Russell Terrier, and paired with humorous, quirky illustrations, this hilarious, original story from New York Times best-selling author Alison McGhee is brimming with enough personality and wit to keep children and adults alike giggling from start to finish.
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The Opposite Of Fate
Who gets to choose? When a young woman emerges from a lengthy coma-like state she must face the decisions that were made about her body—without her consent—in this powerful novel of reclamation and hope.
Twenty-one-year-old Mallie Williams—scrappy, headstrong, and wise beyond her years—has just landed on her feet following a tumultuous youth when the unthinkable happens: she is violently assaulted. The crime leaves her comatose, surrounded by friends and family who are hoping against hopes for a full recovery.
But soon Mallie's small community finds themselves divided. The rape has left Mallie pregnant, and while some friends are convinced that she would never keep the pregnancy, others are sure that a baby would be the only good thing to come out of all of this pain. Who gets to decide? How much power, in the end, do we have over our own bodies? Mallie, her family, and her town find themselves at the center of a media storm, confronting questions nobody should have to face. And when Mallie emerges from the fog, what will she think of the choices that were made on her behalf?
The Opposite of Fate is an intense and moving exploration of the decisions we make—and don’t make—that forever change the course of our lives.
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Never Coming Back
When Clara Winter left her rural Adirondacks town for college, she never looked back. Her mother, Tamar, a loving but fiercely independent woman who raised Clara on her own, all but pushed her out the door, and so Clara built a new life for herself, far from her roots and the world she had always known.
Now more than a decade has passed, and Clara, a successful writer, has been summoned home. Tamar has become increasingly forgetful, and can no longer live on her own. But just as her mother’s memory is declining, Clara’s questions are building. Why was Tamar so insistent that Clara leave, all those years ago? Just what secrets was she hiding?
The surprising answers Clara uncovers are rooted in her mother’s love for her, and the sacrifices Tamar made to protect her. And in being released from her past—though now surrounded by friends from it—Clara can finally look forward to the future. Never Coming Back is a brilliant and piercing story of a young woman finding her way in life, determined to know her mother—and by extension herself—before it's too late.
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Never Coming Back
When Clara Winter left her rural Adirondack town for college, she never looked back. Her mother, Tamar, a fiercely independent but loving woman who raised Clara on her own, all but pushed her out the door, forcing Clara to build a new life for herself, far from her roots, far from her high school boyfriend, far from the life she had always known.
Now more than a decade has passed, and Clara, a successful writer, has been summoned home. Tamar has become increasingly forgetful and can no longer live on her own. But just as her mother’s memory is beginning to slip away, Clara’s questions are building. Why was Tamar so insistent that Clara leave home all those years ago? Just what secrets was she hiding?
In this “quietly powerful” (Booklist) and “luminous novel” (Kirkus Reviews), Alison McGhee tells the story of a young woman finding her way in life, determined to know her mother — and by extension herself — before it’s too late.
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Dear Brother
Diary of a Wimpy Kid gets a little sister twist in this wildly funny and highly illustrated companion to middle grade novel Dear Sister from New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee that brings sibling rivalry—and love—to life through a series of letters.
Sister has been the overlooked younger sibling for her WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE. She knows the drill. Her brother’s banjo band is praised while no one acknowledges Sister’s bongo skills. Sister does the grunt work, but Brother gets the credit. But this time, the blatant injustice has gone too far. This time, America’s Famous Nothing has been granted the incredible power of choosing the family pet. And what does he choose? Certainly not a dog, the pet Sister has begged and pleaded for HER WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE—a pet the whole family could love. No, Brother chooses a bearded dragon.
Sister is outraged. The picture of injured dignity, she refuses to acknowledge the creature’s existence. It doesn’t matter how much it stares at her or bobs its head to her bongo-ing, Sister is unmoved. Then, adding insult to injury, Brother gets to go to summer camp, leaving Sister at home to take care of his disgusting lizard.
Sister refuses to suffer in silence. She sends Brother letter after letter detailing her disdain for the scaly burden he’s saddled her with—even if the aptly nick-named Frightful isn’t too awful. To her surprise, Brother’s letters in reply reveal camp may not be everything he thought—and as their correspondence continues, the two siblings begin to find common ground. Sister may even develop a newfound appreciation for Brother—and the bearded dragon…maybe.
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Weird Sad and Silent
In this touching novel by the acclaimed author of Telephone of the Tree, an intriguing new boy at school helps Daisy cope with both bullying and past trauma.
Daisy has been working on invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies who are targeting her. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the Lunchroom of Terror and secretly counting whenever she’s anxious.
But things are looking up. A new boy has befriended her and seems able to stand up to the bullies, and the stray cat she’s been feeding is starting to almost trust her. Maybe she can finally focus on futurizing rather than invisibilizing.
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