New Releases by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

“Thoroughly charming.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Original.”—Booklist (starred review) "A story about selflessness, friendship and the importance of seeking unity through difference."—Shelf Awareness (starred review) Two unlikely friends—Federico, in sixteenth-century Rome, and Bee, in present-day New Jersey—are linked through an amiable cat, Leonardo Da Vinci’s mysterious wardrobe, and an eerily perfect sketch of Bee. Newbery Honor author Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Da Vinci’s Cat is a thrilling, time-slip fantasy about rewriting history to save the present. This inventive novel will engross anyone who loved When You Reach Me and A Wrinkle in Time. Federico doesn’t mind being a political hostage in the Pope’s palace, especially now that he has a cat as a friend. But he must admit that a kitten walking into a wardrobe and returning full-grown a moment later is quite odd. Even stranger is Herbert, apparently an art collector from the future, who emerges from the wardrobe the next night. Herbert barters with Federico to get a sketch signed by the famous painter Raphael, but his plans take a dangerous turn when he hurries back to his era, desperate to save a dying girl. Bee never wanted to move to New Jersey. When a neighbor shows Bee a sketch that perfectly resembles her, Bee, freaked out, solidifies her resolve to keep to herself. But then she meets a friendly cat and discovers a mysterious cabinet in her neighbor’s attic—a cabinet that leads her to Renaissance Rome. Bee, who has learned about Raphael and Michelangelo in school, never expected she’d get to meet them and see them paint their masterpieces. This compelling time-slip adventure by Newbery Honor author Catherine Gilbert Murdock is full of action, mystery, history, art, and friendship—and features one unforgettable cat. Includes black-and-white spot art throughout of Da Vinci’s cat by Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, as well as an author’s note about the art, artists, and history that inspired the novel .

Năm Thánh 1350, châu Âu chịu sự tàn phá kinh hoàng của dịch hạch, chiến tranh và thiên tai, trở thành vùng đất đổ nát, điêu tàn, u ám. Trong dòng hàng trăm ngàn người Cơ đốc giáo hành hương tới Rome, có một kẻ tội đồ nắm giữ trong tay chiếc chìa khóa mở cổng địa ngục và một cậu bé có khả năng trò chuyện cùng loài vật. Cả hai dấn thân vào hành trình lạ thường và đầy thách thức nhằm truy tầm bảy thánh tích nhiệm màu của Thánh Peter, có thể giúp biến mọi giấc mơ thành sự thật.

★榮獲2019年紐伯瑞文學獎銀牌獎 ★ 沒有名字的男孩，踏上了千迴萬轉的朝聖之旅。 身世成謎的他，能否在旅程中，找到最真實的自己？ ＊關於紐伯瑞文學獎：1922年美國圖書館學會為了紀念「兒童文學之父」約翰．紐伯瑞而成立的兒童文學獎項。 十四世紀的歐洲，黑死病奪走了三分之一人口的性命，倖存的人們為求靈魂的安定，紛紛前往朝聖，或瘋狂收集聖遺物…… 在一座法國莊園中，有位沒有名字的男孩，他的背上長著肉瘤，沒有幼年的回憶，只記得自己曾經被別人嘲笑、丟石頭。在收留他的佩特魯神父過世後，他便日復一日地在莊園牧羊。 直到有一天，有位陰沉的朝聖者來到了莊園，要求男孩和他一起踏上朝聖之旅，聲稱要尋找七樣聖遺物──肋骨、牙齒、拇指、脛骨、骨灰、頭骨、墓園。男孩相信，只要完成這個任務，聖人就會讓他背上的肉瘤消失，成為一位普通的男孩……究竟男孩能否實現他心中的願望？ ● 附「男孩的旅程」精美全彩地圖。 名人推薦 丹鳳高中圖書館主任／宋怡慧 花蓮縣閱讀推動教師／許慧貞 作家／番紅花 親職溝通作家與講師／羅怡君 （依姓氏筆畫排序） 好評推薦 「我是誰？」你曾經想過這個問題嗎？《沒有名字的男孩》將開啟你重新認識自己的思索。──戀風草青少年書房店長／邱慕泥 集不幸於一身的男孩，為了能成為「普通人」而踏上艱辛萬苦的朝聖之旅，他能如願找到七樣聖物嗎？背上的肉瘤會消失嗎？更重要的，他能找到真正的自己嗎？寄託著如此卑微心願的旅行，千迴萬轉又扣人心弦的情節，值得讀者細細品味！──閱讀與寫作教師／梅慧玲

Frankrijk, het heilige jaar 1350. Jongen is ganzenhoeder op een vervallen landgoed tot hij de knecht wordt van de mysterieuze pelgrim Secundus. Die neemt hem mee op een voettocht via Avignon naar Rome, waarbij ze op zoek gaan naar kostbare relieken van Sint-Petrus. Hun reis blijkt niet zonder gevaar. Onderweg krijgen ze te maken met verraad en bedrog, en er zijn gevaarlijke kapers op de kust die de heilige voorwerpen in bezit willen krijgen. Secundus wordt intussen steeds zwakker. Wat is het geheim dat hij verbergt? Is zijn queeste wel zo onschuldig? En hoe komt het eigenlijk dat Jongen met dieren praten kan? Een meeslepend avontuur vol vaart en humor, dat bekroond werd met de Newbery Honor.

Una storia di coraggio, audacia, amicizia, identità, diversità e pregiudizio, in un’avvincente avventura attraverso il mondo medievale, con le sue credenze, superstizioni e fascino. Siamo nel 1350, l’anno dopo la peste nera, e Ragazzo è un orfano che lavora come guardiano di capre nella tenuta di Sir Jacques. Da sempre relegato in un piccolo villaggio, Ragazzo ha un passato misterioso, la capacità di parlare con gli animali e una grande gobba sulla schiena, spesso causa di esclusione e maltrattamenti da parte degli altri ragazzi del paese. Proprio in quei campi, Ragazzo incontra Secundus, un ombroso pellegrino che lo trascina con sé in un viaggio attraverso l’Europa medievale, alla ricerca delle sette reliquie di San Pietro. Il tragitto è lungo e ben presto Ragazzo si rende conto che nasconde delle insidie, ma è determinato a non rinunciare, nella speranza che una volta trovate le reliquie San Pietro possa far scomparire la sua gobba.

A Newbery Honor Book * Booklist Editors’ Choice * BookPage Best Books * Chicago Public Library Best Fiction * Horn Book Fanfare * Kirkus Reviews Best Books * Publishers Weekly Best Books * Wall Street Journal Best of the Year * An ALA Notable Book A young outcast is swept up into a thrilling and perilous medieval treasure hunt in this award-winning literary page-turner by acclaimed bestselling author Catherine Gilbert Murdock. The Book of Boy was awarded a Newbery Honor. “A treat from start to finish.”—Wall Street Journal Boy has always been relegated to the outskirts of his small village. With a hump on his back, a mysterious past, and a tendency to talk to animals, he is often mocked by others in his town—until the arrival of a shadowy pilgrim named Secondus. Impressed with Boy’s climbing and jumping abilities, Secondus engages Boy as his servant, pulling him into an action-packed and suspenseful expedition across Europe to gather seven precious relics of Saint Peter. Boy quickly realizes this journey is not an innocent one. They are stealing the relics and accumulating dangerous enemies in the process. But Boy is determined to see this pilgrimage through until the end—for what if St. Peter has the power to make him the same as the other boys? This epic and engrossing quest story by Newbery Honor author Catherine Gilbert Murdock is for fans of Adam Gidwitz’s The Inquisitor’s Tale and Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and for readers of all ages. Features a map and black-and-white art by Ian Schoenherr throughout.

Family secrets, first love and the magic of Rome take center stage in Catherine Gilbert Murdock''s new novel for middle grade readers.

Magic, cunning, and one very special cat join forces in this hilarious tale told through diaries, letters, encyclopedia entries, and even a play, all seamlessly stitched together by the author of "Dairy Queen" and "Princess Ben."

After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I’m always in the background . . . But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who’s keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway . . . Readers first fell in love with straight-talking D.J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen; they followed her ups and downs both on and off the court in The Off Season. Now D.J. steps out from behind the free-throw line in this third installment of the Dairy Queen series.

A “deliciously frothy fairy tale” from the award-winning author of The Book of Boy and the Dairy Queen series (Horn Book Magazine, starred review). Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s talents for storytelling and creating strong female characters take a fresh turn in this spirited and sophisticated fairy tale. Benevolence is not your typical princess. With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle’s highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Ben’s private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat to her kingdom. Can Ben save the country and herself from foul tyranny? “Murdock spins a rip-roaring yarn that borrows fairy-tale conventions (particularly from “Sleeping Beauty”) and reverses them to suit her strong, resourceful heroine. The wild adventure, intricately imagined setting, memorable characters, and romance will charm readers, especially fans of Gail Carson Levine’s Fairest.”—Booklist (starred review) “Murdock’s first venture into fantasy offers a fairy tale with several twists and surprises, and readers will be drawn into the world and moods that she creates.”—School Library Journal “Readers will love every minute they spend with [Princess Ben].”—Teensreadtoo.com This ebook includes a sample chapter of Wisdom’s Kiss.

A Junior Library Guild selection.

Murdock''s stunning debut novel, narrated by 15-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, is now available in paperback.

Selected by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title The period of prohibition, from 1919 to 1933, marks the fault line between the cultures of Victorian and modern America. In Domesticating Drink, Murdock argues that the debates surrounding alcohol also marked a divide along gender lines. For much of early American history, men generally did the drinking, and women and children were frequently the victims of alcohol-associated violence and abuse. As a result, women stood at the fore of the temperance and prohibition movements and, as Murdock explains, effectively used the fight against drunkenness as a route toward political empowerment and participation. At the same time, respectable women drank at home, in a pattern of moderation at odds with contemporaneous male alcohol abuse. During the 1920s, with federal prohibition a reality, many women began to assert their hard-won sense of freedom by becoming social drinkers in places other than the home. Murdock''s study of how this development took place broadens our understanding of the social and cultural history of alcohol and the various issues that surround it. As alcohol continues to spark debate about behaviors, attitudes, and gender roles, Domesticating Drink provides valuable historical context and important lessons for understanding and responding to the evolving use, and abuse, of drink.