New Releases by Ahmet Zappa

The ultimate battle against darkness begins . . . Energy levels are dangerously low, and it''s affecting day-to-day life on Starland. The Star Darlings have been working furiously to discover who is behind the crisis, but they''ve made a grave mistake. Can they fix it before their world goes dark? When Adora goes on her Wish Mission, she accidentally reveals her identity to her Wisher! Clover''s mission to help a girl with overprotective parents is like no other. Then all hopes hinge on Gemma, who has the final Wish Mission; she encounters trouble on Wishworld, but it''s nothing compared to the battle she and the other Star Darlings must fight when she returns!

A girl on Earth has made a terrible wish. And it''s one that could hurt her best friend. Now Vivica, Starling Academy''s mean girl, is on her way to help grant it. The Star Darlings must stop her--otherwise Rancora''s evil power will be restored. But will they be able to change the wisher''s bitter heart?

You can design your own outfits for the Star Darlings! Stellar fashion, quizzes, and hints and tips for color combinations will help you create amazing looks for Sage, Libby and Leona.

Gemma talks too much and has no follow-through. She must learn how to listen to others and finish what she starts, while remaining curious and clever. Gemma leaves for the final mission in the dead of night not realizing that her Wisher made a bad wish, which, if granted, could tip the balance of power forever. The other Star Darlings realize that Gemma is about to grant a bad wish, but without a shooting star in sight, they have no way of getting down to Wishworld. Luckily, a meteor shower begins, which serves to get the others to Wishworld to turn the wish around and collect the positive wish energy. Gemma, meanwhile, is following up on her Wisher''s bad wish, which is to be popular. The other Star Darlings arrive to help turn a negative wish into a positive one.

Clover is way too rigid and often plays it safe. She must learn to be more flexible and spontaneous and take more risks. Clover''s Wishworld mission involved a girl who is an only child whose parents completely baby her. Clover tries some very subtle, safe maneuvers to prove that the girl is ready for some independence, but needs to make a bold move to help the girl''s parents realize their little girl isn''t a toddler anymore.

Adora can be aloof and opinionated and she must learn, through her Wishworld mission, to accept help and ideas from others. On this mission, which was originally set for Cassie, Adora is set to help a super sensitive and shy Wisher who must try to make a new best friend because the one she has had since early childhood has moved away. Adora has to summon her friendliness, and tone down her aloof nature in order to make a connection with this Wisher. Then the unthinkable happens: the girl sees Adora''s Starling appearance. Her Star Accessory immediately stops working and she is stranded on Wishworld. Luckily, her Wisher is kind, compassionate, and open minded and she hides Adora from prying eyes. She and Adora approach other girls with whom she wants to strike up a friendship. The other Star Darlings come rescue Adora. However, they must erase the Wisher''s memory before they go, which saddens Adora, who genuinely became her friend.

Tessa can be lazy and stubborn and she adores the comforts of home. She will need to learn the value of hard work. Tessa''s Wishworld mission is to help a girl named Ava who is an army brat and is yearning for a place to call home. To make matters worse, Ava''s dog, the one constant in her ever-changing life, is lost. Tessa meets Ava at an animal shelter where our Star Darling teaches Ava how to create a feeling of home, no matter where you are. Tessa can relate to Ava, being that Tessa is homesick to return to Star Academy. Tessa helps Ava use her connections to many friends all over the world to aid the animals of the shelter. For the first time, Ava realizes the beauty and benefits of her lifestyle. Tessa, with her stubborn mind and the help of her fellow Star Darlings, sets out to find Ava''s lost pet.

Astra is the next Star Darling to go on a mission to Wishworld where she meets a young girl named Emma and figures out that Emma''s wish is to make her father proud of her. The problem is that Astra''s plan to make Emma''s wish come true is ill conceived. Emma''s dad is the coach of the school gymnastics team and Astra mistakenly assumes that Emma wants to make him proud by helping the team win the meet. Astra is so focused on her goal that she doesn''t see all the signs that she in on the wrong track. While Emma is certainly talented at gymnastics, she feels forced into competing and does not enjoy it. Instead she is a talented artist who wants her father to be proud of her artistic ability. With time running out, Astra''s fellow Star Darlings must come down to help make Emma''s wish come true.

Dreamy Piper is often in her own world and suffers from a lack of courage and determination. She must learn to focus and be self-confident while staying true to her compassionate, kind self. Piper writing messages to her fellow Star Darlings, in preparation for Star Kindness Day, a holiday where the students gather in the quad where special messages of positivity are delivered to each student. Something goes horribly wrong and the messages all say the exact opposite of what was intended. Piper''s Mission: Piper is sent down to help Olivia, a girl who wishes to stop having bad dreams. Piper thinks that Olivia''s dreams are the result of working so hard so she helps out at Olivia''s parents'' diner and shares some relaxation tips with her. But even with Piper''s help, the dreams continue. When the other girls come down to help, they see that Piper is suffering from a severe lack of confidence in herself. They help draw her out and present her idea-- a dream slumber party. Piper is able to get to the root of the problem and complete her mission.

Cassie tends to be hypersensitive and moody. She needs to learn to not take everything so personally and control her moods, while staying true to her imaginative, compassionate self. The Star Darlings are struggling with their conflicts and issues of trust and friendship. Cassie''s Mission: Cassie''s Wisher wants to be taken seriously and named Student of the Month. Cassie finds the loud girl abrasive and is having a lot of trouble figuring out how to help her. But luckily, there is a full moon, which makes Cassie even more intuitive than usual. She is able (with the Star Darlings'' help) to step into the girl''s shoes and come up with a solution, to shine a positive light on her big personality so it is no longer seen as a negative distraction but as an asset.

There are lots of strange things going on at Starling Academy these days: Leona is devastated about her Wish Pendant failure. Ophelia, the newest Star Darling, is completely clueless. Vega''s roommate, Piper, is getting on her last nerve. And Scarlet? Who knows? She''s nowhere to be found! So when by-the-book Vega gets sent to Wishworld on the next mission, she finds herself very distracted. Why is her Wisher so secretive? Vega needs to solve this puzzle fast. Time is running out and Starland needs every drop of wish energy it can get!

Scarlet has been keeping to herself. But she is convinced that her removal from the Star Darlings was a terrible mistake. With Vega''s help she starts an investigation. Meanwhile, Ophelia is chosen to go on a Wishworld mission, for which she is hopelessly unprepared. Will Scarlet be the one to rescue Ophelia and the mission?

Leona is very focused on her studies and is especially busy as the lead vocalist in the Star Darlings band. Star-Zaps start buzzing, and the girls know it''s probably time for one of them to head to Wishworld. It''s Leona''s turn, and she''s bursting with excitement. She can''t wait to get there and become a successful Wish-Granter. But she''ll have to challenge herself to put her own desires aside and truly understand what her Wisher needs—before her Countdown Clock runs out of time.

"Leona is very focused on her studies and is especially busy as the lead vocalist in the Star Darlings band. Star-Zaps start buzzing, and the girls know it''s probably time for one of them to head to Wishworld. Wish-Granter. But she''ll have to challenge herself to put her own desires aside and truly understand what her Wisher needs--before her Countdown Clock runs out of time"--Page 4 of cover.

"The ultimate battle against darkness begins ... Energy levels are dangerously low, and it''s affecting day-to-day life on Starland. The Star Darlings have been working furiously to discover who is behind the crisis, but they''ve made a grave mistake. Can they fix it before their world goes dark? When Adora goes on her Wish Mission, she accidentally reveals her identity to her Wisher! Clover''s mission to help a girl with overprotective parents is like no other. Then all hopes hinge on Gemma, who has the final Wish Mission; she encounters trouble on Wishworld, but it''s nothing compared to the battle she and the other Star Darlings must fight when she returns!"--Page 4 cover.

Charming Libby is a people pleaser who is slow at making decisions. She has to learn how to say no, stand up for herself, and feel more confident about her choices. All of the Star Darling roommates have received beautiful bouquets of sparkly flowers welcoming them to Star Academy. The band tryouts begin and many different girls show up to audition. Meanwhile, the Star Darlings are dealing with their personal conflicts and issues. Libby''s mission: Libby finds a flower in the Wish Caves, but her only clue as to whom it belongs is a ballot with two names on it. When Libby goes down to Wishworld, she identifies the wisher and exhausts herself, thinking she has to help grant all the wishes. Libby''s friends come down to help her get back on track.

Welcome to Star Academy. Twelve very special students have been selected from this year''s class to reclaim the wish energy that powers their beloved planet, Starland. The Star Darlings, as they are known, take classes where they learn how to grant the wishes made on birthday candles,shooting stars, dandelions, wishbones, and coins tossed into fountains, just to name a few. Their top-secret mission will take them to Wishworld (known in some places as Earth). There they will have to find the Wisher and figure out how to grant the wish before time runs out and they are stuck on Wishworld forever. Sage is the first Star Darling soaring off to Wishworld. Travel with her as she discovers how challenging life on a new planet can be and how she learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, and never assuming anything.

Because I''m your dad, you can have spaghetti for breakfast, French toast for dinner, and rocky road ice cream in the bathtub. In a text that''s both playful and loving, a father expresses his hopes and dreams for a one-of-a-kind relationship with his child. Whimsical monster characters bring the silly and sweet scenes to life and keep the book universal. The book''s ending, a moving tribute to the author''s father, guarantees intergenerational appeal. Because I''m your dad, I will do all of these things for you and more . . . because that''s what my dad did for me.

"Jason and Jesse went to a high school where the rich preppies and the blue-collar factory kids circled each other, like wolves from rival packs. They called Jason the Freak, he never belonged to any cool crowds. His big brother Jesse was always his protector. When they murdered Jesse, it was the biggest mistake this town would ever make. Out of Jason''s rage came the darkness he had always feared, his dead brother Jesse bursting from his ripping flesh, the brothers merging to form one savage monster. Now there''s Hell to pay."--cover.

Beware! Only those who are McFearlessly brave may read from the pages of these monstrous memoirs. Minerva McFearless is an eleven-year-old monsterminator. Her family has been hunting down and destroying monsters for thousands of generations. But now the monsters have taken their revenge. The dreaded Zarmaglorg, the king of evil himself, has kidnapped Minerva''s father. She and her little brother, Max, must set off to rescue him. They are armed only with the Monstranomicon - a living book that holds every secret about every bloodthirsty beast known to mankind . . .