Most Popular Books by Cary Fagan

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.

One morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. An unforgettable illustrated novel for ages 10 and up with elements of James and the Giant Peach meets Waterworld and The Road. One morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. Alone with only his dog for company, Rafe adapts to this strange new world by fishing cans of food out of the water and keeping watch. Boxes float by, as does a woman, playing her cello. Then, one day, Rafe fishes out a young girl, who joins him in his room — they don''t speak the same language, but they will face this uncertain future together.

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.

From New York Times-bestselling illustrator Kady MacDonald Denton and award-winning author Cary Fagan comes a charming sibling story that has the makings of a contemporary classic. Benny''s little brother is really good at a lot of things -- making potions and paper airplanes, building forts, putting on puppet shows, even petting the neighbor''s cat (he has a special way of scratching her just behind the ears). But whenever he tries to join in Benny''s activities, all Benny ever says is "No." Maybe his little brother can watch him do cool stuff, if he''s lucky. What is a little fox to do, except give Benny a taste of his own medicine? Totally familiar yet fresh and original, tenderly told and consistently funny, this story perfectly captures the joys (and annoyances!) of sibling relationships.

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.

Bear wants to sing his song, but the other animals won''t give him a chance to perform his masterwork in this delightful picture book companion to the critically acclaimed King Mouse. A bear finds a ukulele in the woods. It makes a nice sound -- PLINK! -- and inspires him to write his own song. His friend Mouse would love to hear it. But Bear isn''t the only animal in the forest to find musical inspiration that day, and Snake, Crow and Tortoise keep taking his turn to perform. When they finally give him the opportunity and meet his song with less enthusiasm than he''d like, the discouraged bear shelves his music career forever . . . but the kindness, empathy and appreciation of his best friend will prove that his art deserves recognition and can even inspire others. This dryly humorous and sweetly profound collaboration between two critically acclaimed children''s book creators, a follow-up to the masterful King Mouse, has the makings of a modern classic.

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.

Stirred by a series of found photographs, critically acclaimed author Cary Fagan brilliantly imagines the lost stories behind them in this dazzling story collection. Many years ago the photographs in this book became separated from their original owners, faces unrecognized, settings a mystery. They floated through this world, as if on a sorrowful wind... I have given them stories to replace the ones they have lost. So begins the bewitching new collection from acclaimed author Cary Fagan, and a journey into a world that is both achingly familiar and wonderfully strange. A man hangs onto a runaway horse. A woman paints in the nude. A child sparks a revolution. These stories, each inspired by a found photograph, are by turns realistic and surreal, bloody and tender, delightful and appalling. Here are stories that playfully vary in technique and form: monologues, dialogues, interviews, letters, transcripts, tall tales, and capsule histories form a single portrait, belonging — in the words of the author — “to one history, found in an album that might belong to any of us.” Fagan paints a portrait of re-imagined lives that is comic and tragic, profound and unforgettable. The beauty, humour, and the horror of days gone by haunt these pages and resonate in the world we find ourselves in today.

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.

Two lonely souls find each other in this unusual tale of friendship and belonging from award-winning comic writer Cary Fagan featuring vibrant art by Banafsheh Erfanian. Is there someone out there for everyone? Two lonely souls find each other in this unusual tale of friendship and belonging from award-winning comic writer Cary Fagan. In her North American debut, illustrator Banafsheh Erfanian brings ornate artistry to the cage and birds that inhabit this surprisingly human story. A long-empty birdcage takes a chance and leaves behind its attic home to find a bird to keep. Out in the world, the cage encounters many birds and offers shelter to each of them. One by one, they refuse, explaining why they belong elsewhere. The cage feels lonelier than ever – until the cage in search of a bird finds a bird in search of a cage. Based on an aphorism by Franz Kafka, Fagan’s original story will make readers laugh at its absurdity and ponder its meaning long after they finish reading. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

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.

This critically-acclaimed picture book by award-winning author Cary Fagan is about stories and story-telling, and is sure to entertain children at home and at school for years to come. This is the story of a bored little boy, who meets a man, and together they build a story. This story within a story is charming and changes both their lives . . . and quite possibly the reader''s as well. Cary Fagan''s charming tale, complemented by the imaginative illustrations of artist Dušan Petricic, will delight young readers who enjoy spinning their own.

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.

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

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.

The Student is a portrait of a life in two snapshots: 1957, 2005 LATE SUMMER - AUTUMN, 1957: Miriam Moscowitz is starting her final year of university with unwavering ambition. She is a serious and passionate student of literature who studies hard, dates a young Jewish man with a good job, and is the apple of her father’s eye and the worry of her mother’s. But then, in a single moment, her dreams crumble around her as she realizes that—as a woman—the obstacles to achieving what she wants could be unsurmountable. Unsure of how to break a path for herself, she begins a reckless affair with an American student obsessed with the civil rights clashes in the south—specifically in Little Rock, where public schools had been desegregated. When the young man abandons her to join the movement back home, Miriam gets on a bus to follow him, no longer sure of anything in her life AUGUST 21, 2005: It is the morning of Miriam’s son’s wedding (a newly-legal, same-sex marriage). She climbs the stairs to her study to look at a book she had carried with her forty-eight years earlier, on a bus to the United States. In the days leading up to the wedding, she had deciphered every word of marginalia in her young, minuscule handwriting. It had been familiar and strange, embarrassing and exhilarating, and she had wondered what the young person who had written all these words had to do with the old woman who read them now. The Student is a compassionate and compelling work of fiction that brings together two pivotal times in history. With its innovative structure, masterful prose, and intelligently crafted characters, this book illustrates how we are shaped by—and can eventually overcome—the constraints of the times we occupy.

Kar-Ben Read-Aloud eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting to bring eBooks to life! School''s out, and Marky looks forward to summer, including helping his friend and neighbor, Mr. Tempkin, with his garden. But when Mr. Tempkin''s plan to thwart the squirrels that have been raiding his birdfeeder goes awry, Marky learns how special a friendship can be.

Annabelle discovers an animal bone in the woods and decides to make it her new plaything. But nature ends up moving Annabelle in mysterious ways. At first, Boney, as Annabelle names him, makes the perfect companion. While Mom is busy with the baby, Boney and Annabelle share a meal, play at the park, and share a bedtime story before Annabelle tucks Boney into his shoebox-bed for the night. But when creatures run wild through her dreams, Annabelle considers for the first time where Boney really belongs. This thought-provoking story by award-winning picture-book creators Cary Fagan and Dasha Tolstikova encourages a deeper sense of wonder about the natural world and celebrates the wilderness that lives within us all. Key Text Features illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3 With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

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.

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.

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).

An escaped lion is hiding in the middle of the city, and it is up to Sadie and Theo to save him! When a circus train derails in Toronto in 1925, a lion escapes and finds shelter in High Park, a four-hundred-acre park in the west end of the city. No one knows about the creature except for Sadie Menken, the feisty daughter of a pie-maker. As various squirrels, dogs and an expensive peacock meet unfortunate ends, and the park “beast” is spotted by visitors, the lion’s presence draws the attention of the authorities. Can Sadie save the lion? Can she resist the temptation to try to make a pet of a creature that is wild at heart? That will take the help of some unlikely allies, including her busy pie-making father, Miss Clemons the retired librarian, and a polite but lonely rich boy named Theodore, as Sadie discovers that an “all-right” ending can sometimes be just happy enough. A story about a child who follows her heart, set at a time when kids were not always under a grownup’s watchful eye, when wild and urban spaces intertwined, and adventure could be found in a city’s back alley, or just past the picnic tables of the local park. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: 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). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story''s or drama''s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

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.

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.''

Who is Gretchen Oyster? The discovery of a series of mysterious handmade postcards distracts Hartley from trouble at home. A poignant novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Holly Goldberg Sloan. Hartley Staples, near-graduate of middle school, is grappling with the fact that his older brother has run away from home, when he finds a handmade postcard that fascinates him. And soon he spots another. Despite his losing interest in pretty much everything since Jackson ran away, Hartley finds himself searching for cards in his small town at every opportunity, ignoring other responsibilities, namely choosing a topic for his final project. Who is G.O. and why are they scattering cards about the town?

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.

King Mouse finds his authority in question when his subjects find crowns of their own. A gentle and humorous modern fable about imaginative play and kindness in the tradition of classics like Little Bear and Frog and Toad. A sweet, thoughtful tale of friendship, sharing and play, King Mouse begins when a mouse comes upon a tiny crown in the grass. The mouse puts the crown on his head, and when a bear subsequently comes upon him and asks if he''s king, the mouse responds "Yes." This diminutive monarch settles into his new role very comfortably . . . until a snake comes upon a crown and claims she is queen. The mouse is not amused, especially when one by one the other animals find crowns and claim they are kings too. But when the bear can''t find a crown, King Mouse make a most surprising decision. This inspired collaboration between an award-winning author and debut picture book illustrator Dena Seiferling is quietly profound in its simplicity and has the feeling of a modern classic.

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.

Wolfie, a lone wolf who does not like using her imagination, reluctantly befriends Fly, a slightly weird and wordy boy, and soon they find themselves navigating through deep water in a submarine made from a cardboard box.

A classic story of imagination, friendship, rock bands and high-speed helicopter chases. For fans of Ivy & Bean, Judy Moody or Nate the Great. Everyone''s favorite odd couple is back. Our heroine, Renata Wolfman (Wolfie) does everything by herself. Friends just get in the way, and she only has time for facts and reading. But friendship finds her in the form of Livingston Flott (Fly), the slightly weird and wordy boy from next door. This time, Fly has convinced Wolfie to join him in his one-man band. Before they know it, they''re playing live onstage in front of a stadium of screaming fans. But these fans are about to get out of control--and Wolfie and Fly have to make a daring escape! Even though Wolfie thinks she''d rather be at home reading by herself, playing the drums in a rock band is actually pretty fun. Maybe there is something to this friend thing...

The arrival of a mysterious new neighbor inspires a kid to write her own poetry in this humorous and unforgettable new middle-grade novel by award-winning author Cary Fagan. Andie Gladman is your typical kid — she lives in a small town, doesn''t have many friends and quietly puts up with taunts from the school bully, Myrtle Klinghoffer. But one day, a new neighbor moves into the house next to Andie''s family . . . and he looks awfully familiar. Could he be famous author Hans Christian Andersen? Andie sure thinks so, and the arrival of this well-known writer inspires Andie to write her own poems (with a feminist twist) based on his classic fairy tales. Her newfound hobby leads her to make a friend and finally feel some excitement about her previously quiet life . . . but will a shocking revelation change everything for Andie?

A humorous coming-of-age middle-grade novel set in 1960s Florida. Battling obxious siblings, sunburns, and a corporate millionaire, Norman is determined to help an old comedian save his career. It''s the winter of 1965. Norman Fishbein is enduring not only a cold winter but also the usual torments and annoyances from his two older brothers. When Norman wins a thousand dollars in the "Count-the-Doozy-Dots Contest" his parents let him choose how to spend it, strongly suggesting a new car is what the family needs. But Norman decides what his family really needs is their first vacation that doesn''t mean camping in a tent--a trip to Miami Beach. A snowstorm almost wrecks their plans, but in the end Norman gets his first plane ride (with both brothers air-sick on either side of him). Miami strikes him as a paradise--warm weather, palm trees, beaches, and ocean. They stay in luxury at the Royal Palm Hotel, owned by the mysterious millionaire Herbert Spitzer. One day at the pool Norman spots an old man in a black suit, who his father tells him is a once-famous comedian named Mort Ziff. (Norman''s father thought that Mort Ziff had died years ago.) Holding onto the remains of his career, Mort Ziff is performing every night in the hotel dining room. A chance meeting begins an unusual friendship between Norman and the old comedian. But after hearing that Mort Ziff has been fired, to be replaced by "The Centipedes," a pop group imitating the Beatles, Norman takes matters into his own hands, resolving to save Mort''s job and in the process, coming to realize an innner strength he didn''t know he had.

A sweet, whimsical tale that chronicles the journey of a chair as it changes hands and uses. Perfect for fans of The Good Little Book, Something for Nothing and Virginia Lee Burton''s The Little House. Boo''s favorite chair is little and blue. He sits in it, reads in it and makes a tent around it...until the day he grows too big for it. His mother puts the little blue chair out on the lawn where a truck driver picks it up. The truck driver sells it to a lady in a junk store where it sits for many years until it''s sold and put to use as a plant stand. In the years that follow, the little blue chair is used in many other ways -- on an elephant ride, in a contest, on a Ferris wheel, in a tree...until the day it flies away, borne aloft by balloons, and lands in a garden of daffodils where a familiar face finds it. A charming, beautifully illustrated read-aloud that follows the adventures of a little chair, beginning as the seat of a small child who loves books and circling back to that child''s child many years (and bottoms) later.

How would you feel if your dad were a clown? The boy in this story never wants to go to his friends’ birthday parties, because Happy the Clown is always there. And Happy is ... his dad. He wishes his dad had a regular job, like all the other kids’ parents. He didn’t mind his dad being a clown when he was a little kid, but now it’s just embarrassing. And even worse, since business is slow, his dad is putting a sign on the front lawn advertising his clown services! But one night at dinner Dad announces that he’s going back to his old job of being a lawyer. “You were a lawyer?” the boy asks, incredulous. Now his dad wears a suit and tie to work, the family can buy a new car, his mom can take piano lessons, and he can have a skateboard and cellphone. But something feels different. The boy wonders if his dad misses being a clown. Or is he the one who misses Happy? With bittersweet humor, Cary Fagan brings us a story about a boy’s growing consciousness and a father’s realization that he can be himself. Key Text Features speech bubbles Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: 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).

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.

A charming, humor- and heart-filled middle-grade story of a misfit boy who finds an unexpected second life after being kidnapped by a colorful traveling medicine show.

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.

Cary Fagan’s previous collection of stories was awarded four stars by NOW Magazine; Quill & Quire called it "astonishing," and chose it as one of the season’s best literary books.

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.