New Releases by Cary Fagan

Danny finds hiself stranded at the bottom of a giant construction hole, armed with nothing but his school backpack, his wits - and the company of a poetry-spoofing mole.

When Morris the fishmonger and Minnie the hat seller fall in love, Morris comes up with a wedding plan designed to deliver the very best for his beloved bride-to-be... with unexpected consequences. Morris sells all kinds of fish from the lake, in Kensington Market. Across the way, Minnie sells hats straight from Paris. One day their eyes meet, and they fall in love. Morris wants to give Minnie a beautiful home with fine furnishings, but he is only a poor fishmonger. And so he comes up with a brilliant plan — he will make their wedding so fancy that their guests will have to shower them with lavish gifts. His Minnie will live like a movie star! Morris’s plan backfires, of course, but like all good love stories, the tale ends in a happy — if surprising — fashion. Cary Fagan’s witty adaptation of The Ghetto Wedding by Abraham Cahan is accompanied by Regolo Ricci’s vibrant illustrations, resulting in a timeless and delightful tale.

When the narrator of this sneakily clever book decides he will try to draw even though he believes he isn’t very good at it, a world of silly possibilities opens for him. By the end of the story, he has vanquished a dragon, been given a medal, published a book, and seen his artwork on display in a real museum—and all because he refused to be held back by his own perceived limitations. The narrator of I Wish I Could Draw shares a name with creator Cary Fagan and has the same curly hair and glasses. Perhaps most interesting of all, though, the narrator believes he has no artistic talent—just like the Cary Fagan who not only wrote but also bravely and exuberantly illustrated this book. Fortunately for readers, both Cary-the-narrator and Cary-the-children’s-book-creator refused to let self-doubt stop them from trying to tell (and draw) the funniest and most exciting story they could think of. The result is a book that delivers plenty of excitement, silly jokes and fun—and also an important message about self-confidence and perseverance. Designed to look like a child’s notebook, I Wish I Could Draw will inspire readers to pick up a pencil and let their imaginations do the rest.

Shortlisted for the Rogers Writers'' Trust Fiction Prize, and selected as an Amazon.ca Best Book. With all the wonder of a small-scale The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay comes this moving and unforgettable novel about childhood, love, and magic. Growing up in a Jewish neighbourhood in the 1930s, young Benjamin Kleeman falls in love, first with Corrine Foster and then with magic. Hiding his new passions from his parents — the long-suffering Bella, an Italian immigrant, and Jacob, a talented but failed inventor of elaborate mechanical devices — Benjamin begins apprenticeships in magic and life itself, learning along the way that everything is more complicated than it seems. With wit, tenderness, humour, and, startling beauty, Cary Fagan brings a gifted young man’s rise to a peculiar kind of stardom, wonderfully alive.

When Ella May finds a stone with a line going all the way around it, she decides a stone so special must grant wishes, but when her friends want to join in the fun she must use her imagination to make everyone''s wishes come true.

Finalist for the 2014 Silver Birch Express Award Danny finds himself stranded at the bottom of a giant construction hole, armed with nothing but his school backpack, his wits — and the company of a poetry-spouting mole... Danny’s parents have always been a bit flaky, but this time they have gone too far. Now his mother wants to bake cheesecakes in the mountains, and his father wants to be an opera singer. That means Danny and his older brother will spend half the year in Banff (wherever that is) and half the year in New York City. Worst of all, in preparation for the big move, his parents have given away the family dog, Thwack. Furious with his family, Danny runs out of the house and keeps running — straight onto a construction site, where he ends up at the bottom of a very, very large hole. When it appears that help is not immediately forthcoming, he settles in for the short haul, like a subterranean Robinson Crusoe. Drawing on his ingenuity, he provides himself with shelter (garbage bag and paper clips), cereal (coffee creamer, rainwater, granola bars and a few rogue raisins found at the bottom of his backpack) and a washroom (a hole in a hole). He even does his homework! The only thing missing is a Man Friday. Who turns out to have a long, earth-covered snout, a taste for beetles, and no eyes to speak of. Oh, and he also talks. His name is Mole, and he is excellent company — until a snake appears, and Danny must be not only ingenious, but also brave, if he is going to save his new friend. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character''s thoughts, words, or actions).

Two brothers and a sister, frustrated that Aunt Essy, Aunt Chanah, and Uncle Sam say the same things during every Sunday visit, plot to shake things up.

When Ethan arrives at summer camp for the first time, he has just three modest goals. First, to survive. Second, not to be hated. Third, not to be the worst at anything. But these goals turn out to be relatively easy to achieve. Instead, his real challenge comes in the form of a new cabin mate. Zachary arrives at camp late, surrounded by a cloud of rumors, and Ethan finds himself intrigued and somehow envious of the new arrival. Zach doesn’t seem to care what anybody thinks of him. He doesn’t even seem upset when he is forced to miss the Big Swim, the legendary camp event where a select few try to swim across the lake and back. Then Zach attracts the attention of Amber Levine -- the girl with an easy smile and a freckle on one knee -- at the same time that Amber attracts the attention of Ethan. And life gets even more complicated when Zach decides to try the Big Swim on his own, and he manages to convince Amber and Ethan to help him. Original and smartly observed, this story will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been to summer camp.

Cary Fagan began his career writing short stories before moving on to novels as well as numerous books for children. Yet he has never given up his love for the story form. Here are ten new stories whose characters are funny, serious, peculiar, and absorbing -- as only Cary Fagan can write them. In "The Floating Wife," a woman looks back on the life of her husband, a retired judge whom she left after he refused to give up on his dream of being a magician. In "Shit Box," a young man exiled from the downtown arts scene adjusts to life in a suburban community of new immigrants. A widow moves to New York to confront her late husband''s mistress in "The Brooklyn Revenge." In "My Life among the Apes," a bank manager in a bad situation turns to his childhood obsession with Jane Goodall for inspiration. "Lost at Sea" tells of a young couple who visit a furniture maker in searching for their true course. A humble young waiter realizes his dream on an unusual New Year''s Eve in "The Little Underworld of Edison Wiese." Covering a wide range of human experience with humour and grace, My Life among the Apes is a testament to Cary Fagan''s mastery of his craft.

Receiving the yearly birthday gift from his grandmother has become David’s living nightmare. The “surprise” she always has for him never varies. How can he stop this never-ending flow of stiff, white, scratchy shirts — “perfect gentlemen” shirts that make him squirm and pull and shift and twitch? David closes his eyes and imagines a long line of shirts — one for every year of his life — stretching on forever. Then suddenly, without really intending to, he has done the unthinkable. “DAVID!” his mother screams. And when David opens his eyes, there are his mother, his father, and his bubbie staring at him. The shirt is no longer in his hands. He has thrown it out the window! Now it is out on the street, in the jaws of his dog, and the very merry chase is on. Bitingly funny and keenly observed, My New Shirt is graphically presented as a photo album commemorating David’s desperate act of liberation from a family tradition badly in need of a change.

Thing-Thing was neither a Teddy bear nor a rabbit; not a stuffed dog or cat. It was something like each of those, and nothing at all you could name. But it had something special. It had the hope that one day it would find a child to love it and talk to it and make it tea parties and take it to bed. A child it could love back. Certainly Archibald Crimp was not that child. He had just thrown Thing-Thing out the open sixth-floor window of the Excelsior Hotel. Oh, dear, thought Thing-Thing to itself. This is bad, this is very bad. Cary Fagan and Nicolas Debon have created a story so rich in words and images that, despite taking place in a matter of seconds, Thing-Thing will be remembered as vividly as a child’s favorite toy.

Nominee for the 2012 Silver Birch Express Award in the Ontario Library Association''s Forest of Reading Program. Jeremiah Birnbaum is stinking rich. He lives in a house with nine bathrooms, a games room, an exercise room, an indoor pool, a hot tub, a movie theater, a bowling alley and a tennis court. His parents, a former hotdog vendor and window cleaner who made it big in dental floss, make sure Jeremiah goes to the very best private school, and that he takes lessons in all the things he will need to know how to do as an accomplished and impressive young man: etiquette lessons, ballroom dancing, watercolor painting. And, of course, classical piano. Jeremiah complies, because he wants to please his parents. But one day, by chance, he hears the captivating strains of a different kind of music -- the strums, plucks and rhythms of a banjo. It is music that stirs something in Jeremiah''s dutiful little soul, and he is suddenly obsessed. And when his parents forbid him to play one, he decides to learn anyway -- even if he has to make the instrument himself.

Le cadet d''une fratrie de trois enfants se remémore quelques souvenirs d''enfance avec ses frères. Au menu : bêtises, tendresse, deuil et disputes. [SDM].

The story of a younger brother''s life with his two older brothers as they entertain, protect, and tease him.

He’s back! The late Mordecai Richler had planned more adventures for his small hero and now, with the full support of the Richler family, award-winning author Cary Fagan carries on the tradition in a hilarious story for a whole new generation of Jacob fans. After Jacob Two-Two’s father writes a very important novel, the family makes plans to move to Canada. They board the SS Spring-a-Leak for a journey across the ocean. Jacob Two-Two makes some new acquaintances — the unbelievably handsome Captain Sparkletooth, the acrobatic Bubov Brothers, the failed toy inventor Mr. Peabody, and the giant but gentle Morgenbesser. Most important, he makes friends with young Cindy Snootcastle, who keeps a secret treasure in her pocket. But something is wrong on the SS Spring-a-Leak. A series of clues — a black eye patch; a parrot who squawks “Apple sauce in your underpants!”; and a sailing ship flying the Jolly Roger — can only mean trouble. Will the intrepid Shapiro and the fearless O’Toole really be left on a desert island? Will Jacob Two-Two be made to walk the plank? Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas is a treat for those who know Jacob and for those who are about to meet one of the most endearing characters in children’s literature.

Shortlisted for the Rocky Mountain Book Award Nominated for The Rocky Mountain Book Award (An Alberta Children''s Choice Book Award) Nominated for the 2003 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction An elegant, expressive dancer, Chan Hon Goh is one of the ballet world’s great stars. She is a brilliant technician possessing a delicate beauty and radiant stage presence. Born in Beijing to dancer parents, she tells the story of their flight to Canada from an oppressive regime that thwarted her father’s career, her rigorous training, and her battle to achieve acceptance as the only Chinese-born prima ballerina in the history of the National Ballet. This fascinating look at the life of a dancer will appeal not only to the legions of Chan Hon Goh’s admirers and to students of ballet, but also to young readers who understand what it is to pursue a dream.

This isn''t a fairy tale. Valentine Schwartz had it all: his raven-haired girlfriend was the most beautiful girl in school, he came from a rich family, and his best friend, Huddie Rosen, all but worshipped him. But he wasn''t the brightest and was known for making mistakes. And no one could have foreseen him falling off the roof of his high school, in a suit of medieval armour, ending his life at the tender age of seventeen. Huddie Rosen moved on. He went to the University of Tennessee and fell in love with bluegrass music. It leads him to a new life in Europe where he starts a family. But when his family life goes sour, Huddie decides to go back to Toronto for his first visit in twenty-five years. As he begins to reconnect with his old friends, he soon finds himself wrapped up in their lives. It''s a wonder anyone was able to live without him. And as his old and new lives begin to clash, he finds himself wondering which life is better. Valentine''s Fall is a fast-paced, quick-witted novel that explores themes of remembrance, regret, and redemption.

Until things begin to go wrong, thirteen-year-old Eleanor Blande had hoped that this would be her best year ever. First her father finds himself without work. Then Levon du Plessy-Minsk, the Creature Catcher, threatens to expose Eleanor’s secret to the world. To make matters worse, Eleanor’s mother has developed a fear of flying, and her little brother, Solly, has decided to hang up his Googoo-man superhero outfit forever. When Kaspar Snit finds his way back into Eleanor’s life, does the notorious evil genius really want her to help him reform and become a regular person? Or is he the one committing such mean and despicable acts as raiding a birthday party and stealing all the bicycle bells in town? And when a collection of priceless jewels from the country of Verulia goes on exhibit, could anyone other than Kaspar Snit be planning to steal it? Cary Fagan’s enchanting sequel to The Fortress of Kaspar Snit and Directed by Kaspar Snit will have kids laughing out loud as they root for Eleanor and the rest of her flying family.

Young Randolph has two favorite pastimes -- hockey and collecting. After his father loses his job, Randolph is horrified to learn the family must take in Mr. Karp, a boarder. Even worse, Mr. Karp is a collector too.

Max, Nat, Bud, Al, Mose, Herm, and several other old men, pray in the morning and evening at the synagogue in much the same way until their routine is interrupted by an unlikely intruder.

Chosen for inclusion in the reading list for the 2006 Manitoba Young Readers'' Choice Award Kaspar Snit is a villainous villain who is determined to steal all the fountains in the world. Why? Fountains are beautiful and give people pleasure, two things he can’t abide. Can a family of four who love fountains rescue them from the hands of this dastardly scoundrel? Especially when that family is made up of the four most eccentric individuals you’d care to meet? Eleven-year-old Eleanor, eight-year-old Solly, better known as Googoo Man, and their parents, who are, to say the least, odd, set out on a hilarious quest over mountains and across the seas to storm the fortress of Kaspar and retrieve the lost fountains. Cary Fagan’s first novel for children is a fun fantasy that will keep young armchair travelers laughing right to the exciting end.

Parisian conjuror the Great Zandini is so determined that his not particularly talented son, Theodore, should become the fourth generation of magicians in the family, that he does not notice his daughter Fanny''s skills.

A new twist on a Russian masterpiece In an unnamed city, in an unnamed country, sometime long ago, there lived a poor but talented scrivener named Gogol. Having only an old and patched topcoat, Gogol spends his life savings on a new warm coat for winter. Gogol’s coat is spectacular – everyone is impressed by it – and the poor boy relishes the first few glorious days in his fashionable coat. But late one night thieves steal the coat right off his back. Using his ingenuity, Gogol is able to track down the thief and recover what is rightfully his. Beautifully-illustrated in rich oils, this book is a delightful new take on Nikolai Gogol’s classic tale.

Cary Fagan''s new novel is intense, lyrical, and emotionally charged. Leon Stone is a man blessed with good fortune -- a wife he continues to feel passion for, a young daughter, a safe neighbourhood. But his fear that it will all be taken away from him appears to be realized when Vasily arrives next door, carrying his possessions in two garbage bags. Despite his better judgment, Leon finds himself drawn to this self-declared immigrant failure, '''' and their involvement gradually turns more intimate -- and explosive. In the meantime, Leon''s wife is growing impatient with his problem'''' -- a fear of leaving the house, other than through the imaginative power of their erotic life. Leon''s past is slowly revealed: how his father became involved with the mob, as well as Leon''s own criminal past. The relationships of Leon with his wife, daughter, and with Vasily move towards their powerful climax.''