New Releases by Betsy Byars

From Newbery Medal-winning author Betsy Byars comes a sweet, entertaining story that will touch the heart of dog lovers at any age. A tornado appears in the distance, and the family quickly gathers into the storm cellar. The storm rages outside, but Pete, the farmhand, knows this is the perfect time to tell his stories about a dog named Tornado. Blown into their lives by a twister when Pete was a boy, Tornado was no ordinary dog—he played card tricks, saved a turtle’s life, and had a rivalry with the family cat. Forgetting their fear, the family hangs on every word of Pete’s stories—both happy and sad—of this remarkable dog.

Can Little Horse find his place in the big world? After accidentally falling into a stream, Little Horse fights the swift current that carries him farther and farther from the valley where he was born. When he finally manages to scramble ashore, a giant bird swoops down on him. Little Horse runs for cover in a forest of flowers only to have a giant paw pin him to the ground. But a hand gently lifts him up and tucks him inside a warm cave-just like the cave he used to share with his mother. This tender, fast-moving tale, written by master storyteller Betsy Byars and enhanced by David McPhail''s beguiling illustrations, is a true cliff-hanger.

An early chapter book from Newbery Medal winner Betsy Byars When Boo brings home a dinosaur that only she can see, her brother Sammy, doesn''t want to encourage her antics. Boo and her dinosaur are inseparable until Boo says good-bye to the dino quite suddenly. When Sammy sees how sad his sister is, he understands Boo''s need for her dinosaur more than he wants to admit. So much so that he almost believes it . . . almost. Betsy Byars has written many chapter books, including Little Horse and Little Horse on His Own. Her language, perfectly tailored to beginning readers, combines with Erik Brooks''s charming illustrations to make a delightful book for children who are just starting to read. Boo''s Dinosaur is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children''s Book of the Year.

DIVThere’s no such thing as a colt with wings—is there?/divDIV When Charles arrives at his Uncle Coot’s Texas ranch from back East, he’s sure that books have taught him everything he needs to know about horses. He wants to prove he’s a cowboy just like his uncle, a retired movie stunt rider, who knows Charles is out of his element. But when a neighbor’s mare gives birth to a miraculous colt with wings, Charles and Coot realize that they both have much more to learn. They grow to love the colt, named Alado, or “Winged One.” Still, it’s no easy feat caring for a mythical creature, especially when it can fly. Can Charles and Coot protect Alado—and each other?/divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

The first book in the beloved series by the Newbery Medal–winning author “races without pause between hilarious, suspenseful and touching crises” (Publishers Weekly). Newbery Award–winning author Betsy Byars’s heartwarming and timeless books about the irrepressible Blossom family are back. In this introduction to the one-of-a-kind clan, Pap, the Blossoms’ grandfather, has landed himself in jail for disturbing the peace. Even though Junior is laid up in the hospital with two broken legs after jumping off the barn roof to test his new homemade wings, he and his sister and brother, Maggie and Vern, have come up with a plan to rescue Pap. A new generation of readers will fall head over heels for this engaging, hilarious family.

DIVClara and Deanie are on vacation to see their dad—so why do they have to spend time with his new girlfriend and her annoying son? /divDIV After their parents’ divorce, sisters Clara and Deanie are more than happy to have some time alone with their father during a beach vacation. After all, nobody dotes on them as much as their father. But it turns out dad has different plans for their trip. He’s brought along his girlfriend and her son: the snotty, completely un-fun John D. Jones. But when disaster strikes, this group of distrustful semi-relations must come together quickly to avoid a major tragedy. This absorbing story of mixed-up families shows how emotional bonds stay strong even when parents move apart./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVFrom the depths of the sewers comes a monster so gargantuan that no fishbowl can hold it/divDIV Warren Otis wants to make horror films when he grows up. But as an eight-year-old boy, he has to settle for imagining movies instead of making them. He’s thought up some real nightmares, including Bubbles, an innocent goldfish flushed down the toilet and exposed to a chemical that turned her into a one-ton monster./divDIV /divDIVWarren’s life sometimes feels like it’s a bad movie. He hasn’t seen his mom for three years, since she’s a fugitive from the FBI. His grandmother’s cranky and his sister’s acting mysterious. When things get too strange, Warren escapes into his imagination and writes one more scene featuring Bubbles. But will he ever get a chance to share his story with the people he loves?/divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

An ALA Notable Book for Children: “The Blossoms are totally real and believable, yet quirky enough to be fun” (School Library Journal). Junior Blossom has created the most spectacular invention of all time: a homemade UFO. The Green Phantom took all of the garbage bags and Day-Glo paint Junior could find, but now it requires one more very special ingredient. Although Junior needs help, his family seems too busy to notice. Then when Pap and his dog, Mud, don''t come home from town, the Blossoms are pulled apart even farther. Are Pap and Mud in serious trouble? Can a Blossom promise bring everyone back together again? The strength of family love triumphs in this adventurous third title of the best-selling Blossom Family series by Newbery Medal–winning author Betsy Byars.

An entertaining adventure in the Newbery Medal–winning author’s series starring “a lively, likable family” (School Library Journal). Junior Blossom has set out to test his brand-new invention, a coyote trap. How on earth does he end up lost in a cave with Mad Mary, a.k.a. “the Vulture Lady,” while his family attempts to find him in this suspenseful and sidesplitting Blossom Family sequel.

DIVAlfie only feels comfortable when he’s drawing comics in the attic—but soon his safe haven will be off limits/divDIV Alfie is perfectly content to spend his time drawing alone in the attic. Nobody bothers him, and he has his door sealed tight against interruption. Up under the roof, he illustrates amazing cartoon strips about heroes and space adventures, from “Super Caterpillar” to “Super Bird”—even though his own life is anything but exciting. One day, Alfie’s mom calls him from the attic to tell him his older brother Bubba will be moving home and will take over the attic as his own apartment. Suddenly Alfie’s private world is turned inside out, and he’ll need to find a new “home,” even if that means spending time around his weird, argumentative family./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVRetta, Johnny, and Roy have no parental rules to follow, so they’ve made up their own/divDIV After their mother passes away, Retta, Johnny, and Roy don’t have much parenting in their lives. Their dad is a country singer who keeps them well fed but isn’t around much. Older sister Retta takes control, leading her brothers on all sorts of unwise adventures and promising that one day they’ll have money, safety, and a nice home. When their dad is away performing at night, they slip into a neighbor’s pool to swim and pretend to have a glamorous life beneath the light of the moon. But freedom doesn’t mean happiness, especially when a new crisis emerges./divDIV /divDIVNational Book Award winner The Night Swimmers is a moving story of siblings who can count on nobody but one another./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

What happened to the class hamster? Find out in this Edgar Award–winning mystery story with some “delightfully comic twists” (Kirkus Reviews). When Junior brings home the classroom hamster, Scooty, he decides to build the best hamster tunnel ever. But when Scooty goes missing, all evidence points to Mud. Meanwhile, Mad Mary is missing, too—although her bag and walking stick were found near the highway. When Mary later wakes up in the hospital, she realizes that the Blossoms might just have provided her with the strength she needs to pull her life back together. It’s anything but an ordinary weekend with the Blossoms! Perfect for young dog lovers, this Edgar Award–winning Blossom Family title is a mysterious and touching finale to the bestselling series by Newbery Medal-winning author Betsy Byars.

DIVAnna Bean goes to the roof in search of inspiration, and soon her family will follow her into a new world just a few floors above their home/divDIV The Bean children are not allowed to play on the roof of their apartment building. One evening Anna Bean goes up to the roof—not to play, but to be alone so she can write a poem for school. Her poetry writing fever is contagious; one by one, the rest of the Bean family visits the roof to write amongst pigeons and tall buildings—all except George, who can’t think of anything to write about. Beans on the Roof is a wonderful, inspiring story for young readers with a passion for creative writing./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection. DIVImages from previously published versions of this content have been removed to avoid copyright infringement./div/div

From a Newbery Medal winner, another high-spirited adventure starring this “gutsy, captivating family” (School Library Journal). It is a time of ups and downs for the Blossoms. Maggie is thrilled to be on the rodeo circuit . . . until she witnesses Mom kissing a handsome stranger. Back at home, the family has weathered the worst flood in the state’s history, and Vern and Michael can’t wait to test their homemade raft down at the flooded Snake Creek. Suddenly, Pap hears screams and runs to the rescue, but a heart attack strikes. As Pap clings to life, the Blossoms must rely on the strength of their family and pull together as never before. The Blossom spirit endures as the family confronts the frailty of human life in Newbery Award–winning author Betsy Byars’s fourth Blossom Family book.

DIVAnna’s role in her family of gospel singers is an important one—far away from the stage/divDIV Every member of the Glory family is blessed with abundant musical talent. Everyone, that is, except for Anna. She can’t sing or play an instrument, so the family counts on her to sell their music at performances. Naturally, she feels completely left out. When her black sheep Uncle Newt is released from prison, Anna feels oddly close to him, even though they’ve never met before. After all, Newt must know what it means to feel like an outsider. But when the Glorys’ tour bus crashes and her loved ones are in danger, Anna can’t sit on the outside any longer./divDIV /divDIVThe Glory Girl is a funny, moving tale of one oddball kid finding her place in her family, and in the world./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVBenjie and his friend Ezzie have escape plans for every emergency, including lion attacks and quicksand, but no clue what to do about the class bully /divDIV So what if Benjie “Mouse” Fawley likes practical jokes? He’s a good kid who never meant to harm anyone. The same cannot be said for Marv Hammerman, a boy in Benjie’s middle school who is as big as a high-schooler but has the temper of a two-year-old. When Benjie (in a fit of insanity) writes a joke about Marv for all to see, he soon realizes he’s stumbled into the biggest emergency he’s ever faced. Now Benjie must decide whether to stay at school and face a clobbering, or run off and live the rest of his life hiding in the woods. The 18th Emergency is a hilarious account of the trials of surviving the school bully./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVWhen Birch agreed to one last flight in her grandfather’s Piper Cub, neither knew it would be a life-changing trip/divDIV Birch’s grandfather, “Pop,” wants to take his plane out for one more trip before moving into a retirement home. He wants to take Birch along with him, which sounds like a fine plan—until the two decide to turn the short flight into a cross-country adventure without telling Birch’s parents. As grandfather and granddaughter soar westward across strange, beautiful landscapes, Birch begins to learn more about her past, a grandmother she lost, and a family member she never knew she had./divDIV /divDIVCoast to Coast is a grand adventure; a heartwarming story of family revelations; and a panoramic view of the United States by air./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVQuestion one: How is it possible to fall in love with three girls in one day in a single English class?/divDIV Bingo Brown is an average sixth grader with an unusually serious approach to the business of being twelve. He’s got some “burning questions”—why does he get such wild crushes on girls? How can he avoid the school bully? Why is his favorite teacher acting so strangely?—and he’s determined to figure them out./divDIV /divDIVThis first entry in Byars’s acclaimed Bingo Brown series smartly captures all the highs and lows of adolescence./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVThe giant pod in Professor Orloff’s greenhouse is giving Mozie some terrifying nightmares . . ./divDIV After Mozie loses his father, he longs for someone to look up to. Enter Professor Orloff: a brilliant, mysterious scientist with a greenhouse full of experimental vegetation. When he leaves on a trip, Orloff entrusts Mozie and Mozie’s friend, Batty, with keeping an eye on his wondrous greenhouse. Inside, the two discover something amazing—and frightening: a plant pod big enough to fit a grown-up human./divDIV /divDIVThe pod seems to grow larger every day and to Mozie, it seems a little lonely. Soon, Mozie finds he’ll do whatever it takes to protect the strange plant from harm and discover the secrets inside. This sometimes-spooky thriller will provide its readers with as many laughs as goosebumps. /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVAlgebra is hard, but love is harder/divDIV For a twelve-year-old, Bingo Brown has a lot figured out. He has good friends, he knows how to cook, and he’s even made peace with the school bully. But the problem with being twelve is that new problems keep popping up and confusing him. Soon Bingo is panicking over the love of his life moving to Oklahoma, the school bully asking for relationship advice, and his parents acting weirder than ever. If Bingo’s ever going to make it to high school with his heart in one piece, he’s going to need to ace every test in the language of love./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

DIVCan Bingo Brown live up to his reputation as the most romantic middle-schooler in town?/divDIV Romance is never easy when your girlfriend lives in another state and your life savings consists of just over three dollars. Still, thirteen-year-old Bingo Brown is determined to make it work. His girlfriend, Melissa, may have moved to the middle of nowhere (okay, Oklahoma), but nothing will stop him from keeping the flames of passion alive. He tries to think of a holiday gift to impress her—but he keeps getting distracted by his parents’ plans for their new baby. How will he craft perfect love letters for Melissa while his little brother cries in the next room?/divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Betsy Byars including rare images from the author’s personal collection./div

From Newbery-winning author Betsy Byars comes a story full of "poignancy, perception, and humor" (The Chicago Tribune), about three foster kids who learn what it takes to make a family. You can''t always decide where life will take you—especially when you''re a kid. Carlie knows she''s got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she''s just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.

On one night every year, cats in the MEOW Society, which stands for "Memories Expressed In Our Writing," gather to read from their diaries, hearing stories of a gypsy cat, a Caribbean pirate cat, a library cat, and many others.

Boo finds an egg that hatches into a new dinosaur.

At the eerie Hunt mansion, Herculeah Jones has been reading aloud to Lionus Hunt, an elderly stroke victim who can only communicate by blinking his eyes (once for yes, twice for no). Mr. Hunt seems to be trying to tell Herculeah something, but his gruff nurse won''t allow her to ask any questions. What is Mr. Hunt trying to say? Is it related to a murder that took place in the mansion?s black tower years ago? And who is the creepy old lady who lives in the mansion? Herculeah''s friend Meat thinks she may be asking for trouble, but Herculeah Jones won''t quit until she gets to the bottom of this mystery.

At the first annual meeting of WOOF--Words Of Our Friends--assorted dogs preserve their heritage by sharing tales of canines throughout history, including Abu, who ruled all of Egypt except for one pesky cat, and Zippy, who simply must find the squeaky toy.

Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick, Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka the Murder King. King''s novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders, particularly A Slash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Some people believe Mathias King isn''t making up the details, could he actually be responsible for the crime? Herculeah''s sure she can find out. But Meat seems too busy with his new girlfriend to give Herculeah much of a hand. Can Herculeah solve this mystery on her own, or will Meat''s dating be this sleuth''s downfall?

When Herculeah Jones''s best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there''s nothing funny about murder. Things can''t get any worse—until the body disappears! Meat needs Herculeah''s help to uncover the clues, but she''s busy investigating a case of her own . . . one that might just change Meat''s life forever!

Herculeah Jones finds herself in the middle of another mystery when her best friend Meat barely escapes a hitman’s bullet. Someone must have mistaken Meat for someone else. But who? Herculeah is determined to solve the mystery, before the assassin comes after her!

When Herculeah discovers a mysterious letter inside the lining of a secondhand coat, she suspects it''s a desperate cry for help. If so, what happened to the person who wrote it? Herculeah thinks she knows the answer. What she doesn''t know is that someone is watching her-someone who will do anything to keep her quiet.