New Releases by Ann Dee Ellis

Do you love cookies? Have you ever felt alone in a room full of people? This novel is for you. It’s the summer after sixth grade when a group of classmates turn up at the library at the same time. They know each other, but they’re not friends. The truth is, they each spend a lot of time alone. Which is why it’s so unexpected when Tilly, Jada, Eleanor, and Mateo create a cookie baking business together. It just kind of happens. The problem is their plans keep falling apart. But each failure only makes them more determined to make something—anything—work. Because what they need more than anything is an escape from the loneliness and anxiety that comes with middle school. They want to be a part of something. And in the end, the one thing that goes right is their decision to count on each other.

Don''t miss the laugh-out-loud companion to the classic, The War with Grandpa--now a major motion picture--about a girl who must face off against her grandma or risk losing the biggest competition of summer. Meg is excited when she hears the Centennial Strawberry Days Celebration is holding a competition for kids. The winner will be crowned the official Strawberry Days Ambassador and get a pair of electric bikes! Meg knows with Dad as her partner, there''s no way she can lose. But Meg''s strawberry dreams turn sour when Dad can''t participate and, worse, he''s already invited Grandma Sally to replace him. Without even asking Meg! Grandma likes to play by her own rules and Meg realizes her chances at winning are at an all-time low. For Meg this means war! Only, Grandma is tougher than she looks and willing to give as good as she gets. As the competition begins, it becomes clear that Meg''s summer will have the most epic showdown ever.

For fans of Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish and Katherine Applegate’s Crenshaw comes the humorous and heart aching story of one girl’s struggle to keep hope alive for her and her younger sister in Sunny Pines Trailer Park. Twelve-year-old Olivia Hales has a foolproof plan for winning a million dollars so that she and her little sister, Berkeley, can leave behind Sunny Pines Trailer Park. But first she has to: · Fix the swamp cooler and make dinner and put Berkeley to bed because her mom is too busy to do all that · Write another letter to her dad even though he hasn’t written back yet · Teach Berk the important stuff, like how to make chalk drawings, because they can’t afford day care and Olivia has to stay home from school to watch her · Petition her oddball neighbors for a circus spectacular, because there needs to be something to look forward to at dumb-bum Sunny Pines · Become a super-secret spy to impress her new friend Bart · Enter a minimum of fourteen sweepstakes a day. Who knows? She may already be a winner! Olivia has thought of everything . . . except herself. Who will take care of her when she needs it? Luckily, somewhere deep down between her small intestine and stomach is a tiny voice reminding her that sometimes people can surprise you—and sometimes your family is right next door.

As the first anniversary of her best friend Kim''s death nears, fourteen-year-old Emmy tries to fulfill her promise to make contact with Kim''s spirit, but she gains new perspective from unexpected connections.

"Wir müssen nach vorne blicken", sagt Dad - und macht sich aus dem Staub. Zurück bleiben Mazzy und Mom, die zu allem schweigt. Ganz allein steht Mazzy da mit ihren Gefühlen von Liebe, Verantwortung und Schuld. Und tut nach außen so, als sei nichts passiert. "Alles in Ordnung", sagt sie und schließt die Tür. Doch das Leben lässt sich nicht aussperren. Es klopft immer wieder an. Grenzerfahrungs-Roman ab 12 Jahren.

Was ist in der Nacht wirklich passiert, über die Logan nicht sprechen kann? Warum kommt sein bester Freund Zyler nicht mehr zur Schule? Warum wehrt Logan sich nicht gegen Bruce und seine Freunde, die ihn bei jeder Gelegenheit mobben? Die Gerüchteküche brodelt, überall, in der Nachbarschaft und in der Schule, doch Logan schweigt, beharrlich. Niemand kommt an ihn ran - außer Laurel, das Mädchen mit dem schrägen Sprachwitz und dem Schauspieltalent, das sich von keinem reinreden lässt. Eine packende Geschichte über Freundschaft und Schuld. Ab 12 Jahren.

Stuck at home caring for her severely depressed mother and abandoned by her father, Mazzy has only the day-to-day dramas of her neighborhood to keep her busy. But between flirting with the boy next door and worrying about the fact that she''s flat-chested, Mazzy has to face the fact that her mom is emotionally paralyzed by a family tragedy. As readers delve into the story, they''ll eventually discover what it was that tore Mazzy''s family apart, and they''ll see what it takes to put it back together. Despite its serious subject matter, Mazzy brings humor to the trying age of adolescence and gives readers just the kind of awkward, troubled, and endearing character they will gladly embrace.

Imagine if you had witnessed something horrific. Imagine if it had happened to your friend. And imagine if you hadn''t done anything to help. That''s what it''s like to be Logan, an utterly frank, slightly awkward, and extremely loveable outcast enmeshed in a mysterious psychological drama. This story allows readers to piece together the sequence of events that has changed his life and changed his perspective on what it means to be a good friend and what it means to be a good person. This is What I Did: is a powerful read with clever touches, such as palindrome notes, strewn throughout the story and incorporated into the unique design of the book.