Fiction

Goldie is—well, let’s just say she’s a little picky. She knows exactly what she likes—and what she doesn’t. But when she loves something, she loves it with all her heart. Not surprisingly, Goldie has trouble finding a friend who isn’t too boring, too silly, or too rough. When she gets off the bus at the wrong stop one day and goes for help, she finds herself in a strange little cottage. Someone who lives there obviously shares her taste in sandwiches, chairs, beds, and reading matter. Goldie is about to find a friend who is “just right!”

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Medal Book Award; Book Sense, Children’s 76 Winter List; Miami Herald, Best Books of the Year; Parents’ Choice, Recommended Book; Nominee, Texas Armadillo Readers Choice Award, Washington children's Choice Award; Starred review, School Library Journal.

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Bizarre things keep happening to fans of the scary Chillers series by best-selling author I. M. Fine. Only Franny and her best friend Beamer notice the connection between the weird outbreaks (mind-blowing headaches, snake-like behavior, and the mysterious appearance of ghosts) and the popular books. It is up to them to track down the reclusive author, find out what he’s up to (and why), and make him stop. This is a funny, suspenseful, easy-to-read mystery with something for series and serious readers alike.

Once there was a miller’s daughter who was ordered to spin straw into gold. If she didn't, the greedy king said, she would die. Fortunately, an odd little man named Rumpelstiltskin showed up and did it for her. Now according to tradition she then proceeded to marry the king. But wait a minute! Royal or not, he was definitely not husband material! And besides, she had become rather fond of Rumpelstiltskin. Sixteen years later, their daughter falls into the clutches of that same greedy king. She must figure out a way to save herself while setting things to rights in the troubled kingdom.

ALA Notable Book; School Library Journal Best Books; Booklist Editor's Choice; Children's Choices, Association of Booksellers for Children; Family Fun Magazine Best Books; New York Family Best Books; Children's Literature Top Choice; Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books; Storytelling World Magazine, Honor Book Award; Book of the Month for Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children; Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Award; South Carolina Children's Book Award; New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award; nominee for the Alabama Children's Choice Award, Texas Bluebonnet Award, Georgia Picture Storybook Award, Delaware Blue Hen Award, North Dakota Flicker Tale Award; Nebraska Golden Sower Award; starred Reviews, School Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, BCCB.

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Mrs. Sump is about as mean as an acre of rattle-snakes—too bad she’s runnin’ the orphanage out there in Possum Trot! One day the littlest orphan, Sweetness, decides she’s had just about enough of scrubbin’ floors with a toothbrush, and she hits the road. The sheriff sets out to save her. Now, he has a heart as big as Texas, but he’s as dumb as a stump. No tellin’ exactly who does the saving and who gets saved out there in the desert—but Sweetness sure gets saved in the end, when the sheriff adopts her.

School Library Journal Best Books; American Bookseller Pick of the Lists; Newsweek Magazine, The Best Kids' Stuff; Copley News Service, Best Books of the Year; Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, SCBWI; nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the California Young Reader Medal, the Vermont Red Clover Award, and the Arizona Young Readers’ Award; starred Reviews, Horn Book, Booklist.

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Ever since the kindhearted sheriff done adopted little Sweetness (and all them other precious orphans), things has been darn near perfect out in Possum Trot. Only problem is, the meals is just a mite too interestin’ (such as pickle and banana pie) and the housekeepin’ is downright peculiar. Ever so often, them young ‘uns start to wishin’ their sweet pa would go and get himself married. When a mysterious letter arrives one day, Sweetness figgers it might be the solution to all their problems—if only they can learn how to read it. But don’t worry. She’s done it afore; she can do it again. Leave it to Sweetness to save the day!

What are Moe and Arlene supposed to do with a week of vacation in the dead of winter? Tahiti is out of the question— too expensive! But with a little work and lots of imagination, Moe creates a nifty surprise for his best friend. Some sand, a wading pool, a fan, and a butcher-paper mural—and right there in his living room he creates “Tropical Paradise"

Publisher’s Weekly's “Cuffies,” Honorable Mention, Most Memorable Character in a Leading Role; featured as an animated segment of Shelly Duvall's Bedtime Stories on the Showtime Network; nominee for the Nevada Young Readers' Award; starred review, Publisher’s Weekly.

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Jane Yolen’s classic easy-to-read tells the story of Princess Miserella: she’s beautiful on the outside—but inside, she’s a mess! Spoiled, rude, obnoxious—bring on the adjectives! Plain Jane, on the other hand, has a face to match her name but a sweet and loving nature that earns her three wishes from a fairy. But then Miserella’s horrible manners infuriate the fairy so much that she ends up throwing them all into a deep sleep. Will the handsome prince kiss the right girl?

As a giant, Otto is a complete failure. Oh, he's big, all right, but he's also embarrassingly polite. In school, he nearly failed his classes in Cursing, Growling, and Stomping. You see, Otto doesn't want to be fierce; he just wants to sit in the garden and play with Clara, his beloved pet hen. When a terrifying human shows up one day and steals her, Otto must find the courage to climb down that beanstalk and rescue her from the mysterious Jack. Only—who knew there were so many Jacks down there?

THE GIANT AND THE BEANSTALK

Written and illustrated by Diane Stanley
HarperCollins

Overnight, the life of Houston teenager Ginny Dorris turns upside down. Her mother is seriously ill, so Ginny is packed off to England to stay with Hugh, the father she hardly knows. And not in his London flat, either, but in a wild and secluded corner of the English countryside, where his is running a “living archaeology” project. They have built a replica of an Iron Age farm in which they will live for a year, cut off from the modern world. No TV, pizza, or hot showers here! Ginny makes two unexpected friends—frightened, lonely five-year-old Daisy and handsome Corey, with his streetwise manner and mysterious past—and discovers resources she never knew she had.

THE MYSTERIOUS MATTER OF I.M. FINE

a novel by Diane Stanley
HarperCollins

Parent's Guide To Children's Media Award; Publisher’s Weekly’s “Cuffies,” Cleverest Sounding Spoof; nominee for the Nebraska Golden Sower Award, the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children’s Book Award, the Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award, the South Carolina Children's Book Award, the Minnesota Youth Reading Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award and the Connecticut Book Award; starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.

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"Stanley subtly twists strands of the Cinderella story until it's something quite new and fine. . .What raises this above other re-created fairy tales is the quality of the writing, dotted with jeweled description and anchored by the strong values -- loyalty, truth, honor. Stanley helps readers understand nobility, not in the sense of aristocracy, but as it signifies dignity and decency. The gilt-and-red book jacket makes the book look like a wrapped present." Starred review, Booklist

"Stanley has brewed a magical elixir that will warm the hearts of readers. . . a 21st century fairy tale, thoroughly enjoyable in its own right." Starred review, School Library Journal

"Stanley deftly spins her various threads into a gossamer narrative that shimmers both brightly and darkly . . . Once begun, it will be hard to put down." Starred review, Kirkus

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Medal Book Award; International Reading Association, Teachers' Choice; Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award; Texas Institute of Letters Friends of the Austin Public Library Award for Best Children’s Book; Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly

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School Library Journal, Best Books of 2006; Booklist, Editors’ Choice 2006; Book Links, Lasting Connections of 2006; Book Links, Best New Books for the Classroom; Book Sense 2006 Summer Children's Picks List; New York Public Library, Books for the Teen Age for 2007; Anderson's Bookshop Mock Newbery List, 2006; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, 2008; Nominee for the Georgia Book Award, 2007-2008; Nominee for the Utah Beehive award; Nominee for the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2009; Starred Reviews, Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus.

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American Library Association, Best Books for Young Adults; Booklist Top Ten First Novels; IRA Young Adults' Choices; IRA Teachers’ Choice; Parents’ Magazine, Parents’ Choice Silver Award; New York Public Library, Books for the Teen Age; starred Review, Booklist.

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"A classy retelling of a classic myth highlighting the meaning of real companionship."

Kirkus Reviews

"A mischevious turnaround on the Pygmalion myth and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, [Stanley] blends the classical and the contemporary with sly exaggeration. . . Stanley's fresh artwork, which mixes the grandeur of old classical forms and the absurdity of the new, is in perfect balance with the parody."

Booklist

"Highly humorous . . . enhanced by [Stanley's] trademark meticulously detailed art, a great deal of fun."

Publisher's Weekly

School Library Journal , Best Books; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Newsweek Magazine, The Best Kids' Stuff; Copley News Service, Best Books of the Year; Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; Featured in U. S. News and World Report; Children's Book Council, Not Just for Children Anymore; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; American Booksellers Association/Children's Book Council, Children's Books Means Business; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the California Young Reader Medal, the Vermont Red Clover Award, the Arizona Young Readers’ Award; starred Reviews, Horn Book, Booklist.

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THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALLBRIGHT ACADEMY
A sequel to The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine

a novel by Diane Stanley
HarperCollins

Franny is thrilled when she's accepted by the Allbright Academy, an elite private boarding school designed to train leaders. But she knows she's not as smart as the other kids there--or as beautiful, accomplished, or mature. The fact is, the Allbright students--from their shining teeth and flawless complexions to their sky-high test scores and long lists of honors--are absolutely perfect. Then the Allbright magic begins to rub off on Franny, too. The question is: Is this a good thing?

Can Franny and her friends, Cal, Brooklyn, and Prescott unravel the Allbright Adcademy's secret, or will they, too, succumb to its eerie perfection?

"Reassembling the cast of The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine, Stanley delivers another humorous and thoroughly enjoyable mystery . . . Stanley hooks readers from the start . . . the conclusion does not disappoint."

--Publisher's Weekly

An American Library Association Notable Book; Horn Book, Fanfare Books; School Library Journal, Best Books; Smithsonian Magazine, Notable Books for Children; Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year; Miami Herald, Top Ten Books; Winner, Utah Book Award; Nominee for Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award; Starred reviews, Horn Book, School Library Journal, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.

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