New Releases by Ellen Potter

Cordelia and Isaac set out to solve a monstrous mystery at the Central Park Zoo in this exciting third installment of the “sweet and silly” (Booklist) Squirlish series perfect for fans of Sophie Mouse and Critter Club! Cordelia is a human girl raised by squirrels in Central Park and well-known among the park’s other critters. When she gets an urgent message summoning her to the Central Park Zoo, Cordelia learns from the sea lions that a monster has been roaming the park grounds—something the size of a bear with glowing eyes! With the help of her best friend, Isaac, Cordelia sets out to trap this mystery creature. They follow a string of questionable leads taking them to a dog park, a parade, and even an encounter with the New York Yankees! But can they find the Central Park Ghost?

Perfect for fans of Sophie Mouse and Critter Club, the first three fun-filled books in the Squirlish illustrated chapter book series about a girl raised by the squirrels in Central Park are now available in one marvelous paperback boxed set! Cordelia is a little girl who lives in a tree in Central Park. Found as a baby and raised by an adoring squirrel named Shakespeare, Cordelia acts just like any other young squirrel, leaping across treetops, chasing her squirrel friends, and sleeping in her nest in a tree. Still, she wonders what it would be like to have a human friend, and when she stumbles into a gymnastics class, it seems like she might have her chance. Living in a tree might have made Cordelia an exceptional gymnast, but people skills are a whole other matter. If Cordelia can’t fit in with the other kids, can she at least make one friend? She also uses her skills to babysit a squirrel prince and solve a ghostly mystery. Cordelia is on her journey to be—not exactly a girl, but more than a squirrel—squirlish! This charming paperback boxed set includes: The Girl in the Tree Shark in the Park Central Park Ghost

"Weeks after discovering the Nigh and leaving her brother behind, Nell and her friends are given the opportunity to become Watchers, but they must pass three challenging trials with their Nigh creatures called Fates, while also evading the Minister and her Magicians."--

"Cordelia, a human girl living with squirrels in Central Park, must protect squirrel Prince Oliver during his quest for the Royal Scepter, but Prince Oliver has other plans and is more interested in finding a shark than a scepter"--

Cordelia, a young girl raised by squirrels, tries to branch out from her squirrel family and make a human friend, but after stumbling into a gymnastics class she finds social skills are a tough nut to crack.

Magic and mystery abound when a young girl discovers a secret, parallel New York City that may help her find her missing brother in this middle grade fantasy adventure that’s a “thrilling page-turner” (Kirkus Reviews) for fans of Thirteen Witches and James Riley. Could lessons in magic make everything right again? Nell Batista has been in trouble one too many times. Now she’s down to her last chance—literally. Join the Last Chance Club or be expelled from school. The kids in the club are an odd group, but when their teacher starts giving lessons in magic, things quickly go completely off the weird scale. Nell doesn’t believe in it at first; after all, she’s a smart city kid, and there has been nothing magical in her life since her brother, River, disappeared three years ago. But this magic is real—and powerful. As their skills grow, Nell and her new friends discover a parallel New York City called the Nigh. It’s a place as delightful as it is scary, sizzling with magical energy, where statues can talk, magicians ride on giant dogs, and monsters roam Central Park. And it is all controlled by the terrifying Minister, who might hold the key to finding Nell’s missing brother. Just how far will Nell go to find him, and who can she trust in a world topsy turvy with enchantment?

Book 5 in the charming chapter book series about the adventures of a human boy and a young Sasquatch—now in paperback! Hugo and Boone were having a bad case of Nothing-to-do-itis: They have free time but can't think of a single thing to do! Finally, they decide to head to Uncle Figgy's Toy Store, where they discover the legendary Mad Marvin presenting his new invention: the Marvelous Monster Magnet! The only problem is the toy costs twenty-five nubbins––a huge sum! Hugo and Boone set off on an adventure to earn the money, a journey that leads them to a treasure hunt through the woods. As always, the friends will find much more than they expected!

Can't seem to finish your story or novel? Maybe you got stuck halfway through? Or maybe your story idea hasn't even made it to the page yet. Award-winning author Ellen Potter helps young writers recapture their creativity. Serious writing advice in a seriously fun format. Writer's First Aid Kit will show you how to . . .?Get started.?Figure out which story ideas to pursue and which to ditch.?Keep writing when you think you can't.?Go to school, work a part-time job, walk the dog, tend to personal hygiene, and yes, still find time to write.?Deal with distraction, boredom, frustration, and self-doubt.?Find the perfect ending?Know when you're ready to share your work.?Connect to publishing resources.

Can't seem to finish your story or novel? Maybe you got stuck halfway through? Or maybe your story idea hasn't even made it to the page yet. Award-winning author Ellen Potter helps young writers recapture their creativity. Serious writing advice in a seriously fun format. Writer's First Aid Kit will show you how to . . .?Get started.?Figure out which story ideas to pursue and which to ditch.?Keep writing when you think you can't.?Go to school, work a part-time job, walk the dog, tend to personal hygiene, and yes, still find time to write.?Deal with distraction, boredom, frustration, and self-doubt.?Find the perfect ending?Know when you're ready to share your work.?Connect to publishing resources.

A human boy and young Sasquatch explore the mysterious woods in this adventure by the author of The Squatchicorns. It’s a big day for Hugo, Boone, and the students at the Academy for Curious Squidges (a Squidge is a young Sasquatch). Today’s the day they’ll get their Bimbling Badge, which allows them to explore the North Woods on their own. But humans, snakes, and sinkholes aren’t the only things they have to look out for! The legend of a lizard-like monster lurking in the swamp is enough to spook any young Sasquatch. When Hugo, Boone, and Gigi find themselves stranded in the middle of Ripple Worm River, they discover that there are more mysterious creatures in the North Woods than they’d bargained for. Praise for the Big Foot and Little Foot series “A fun romp with valuable lessons in friendship and forgiveness.” —Booklist

*"A sensitive, touching, and sometimes heartbreakingly funny picture of middle school life."--School Library Journal, starred review Outrageously funny and smart, this story of an obese boy who takes on his bullies is as heartwarming as it is clever. Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he also invents cool contraptions--like a TV that can show the past--because there is something that happened two years ago which he needs to see if he ever hopes to unravel a dreadful mystery. But inventor or not, there is a lot Owen can't figure out. Like how his Oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. Or why his sister suddenly wants to be called by a boy's name. Or why a diabolical, scar-faced bully at school seems to be on a mission to destroy him. He's sure that if only he can get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation, not a cool invention, for Owen to see that the answer is not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesn't have to feel small on the inside. With her trademark humor, Ellen Potter has created a larger-than-life character and story whose weight is immense when measured in heart. Praise for Slob: A Junior Library Guild Selection! "Potter delicately and confidently delivers a pitch-perfect story of self-worth . . . . This is a book for everyone: smart, devious, overweight, underweight, shy, courageous and everyone in between." --The Children's Book Review

In this tale by the author of The Monster Detector, a Sasquatch and a human boy make a new friend while dealing with a curse and celebrating a birthday. When a tribe of Sasquatches flee from a mysterious curse, they take refuge in Hugo’s home, Widdershins Cavern. These new Sasquatches look a bit . . . odd. For example, they all have unicorn horns on their heads! Always open to meeting new creatures, Hugo befriends one of these strange squidges, Nobb. Nobb offers to escort Hugo though the North Woods so that Hugo can attend Boone’s birthday party. Having never been inside a Human house, Hugo finds the experience confusing and somewhat disastrous. Just when it looks like Hugo may have ruined Boone’s birthday, they set out on a mission to solve the troubling curse in Nobb’s cavern. Praise for the Big Foot and Little Foot series “A delightful series about friendship and embracing difference.” —School Library Journal

When a tribe of Sasquatches flee from a mysterious curse, they take refuge in Hugo's home, Widdershins Cavern. These new Sasquatches look a bit . . . odd. For example, they all have unicorn horns on their heads! Always open to meeting new creatures, Hugo befriends one of these strange squidges, Nobb.

A Sasquatch and a young boy deal with monsters, stereotypes, and cultural misunderstandings in this follow-up to Big Foot and Little Foot. Hugo is a young Sasquatch. Boone is a young boy. After an unlikely encounter, they’ve become an even unlikelier pair of best friends. After saving up his Monster Card wrappers, Hugo sends away for a special prize in the mail—a Monster Detector! Using the watchlike device, Hugo quickly spots a monster right in his own cavern. Spooked, Hugo heads to school and finds yet another surprise—his friend Boone! Boone announces he wants to go to Sasquatch school, but no human has ever gone before, and not everyone is as happy about it as Hugo. Boone’s first day of school gets off to a rocky start, but Hugo doesn’t have much time to worry before he makes another monster sighting and takes off after the creature. What follows are even more surprises, ones that have Hugo and Boone rethinking what it really means to be a “monster.” “A lovely story of using empathy to work through culture clashes.” —Kirkus Reviews

Hugo is a young Sasquatch who longs for adventure. Boone is young boy who longs to see a Sasquatch. When their worlds collide, they become the unlikeliest pair of best friends. At the Academy for Curious Squidges, Hugo learns all manner of Sneaking—after all, the most important part of being a Sasquatch is staying hidden from humans. But Hugo dreams of roaming free in the Big Wide World rather than staying cooped up in caves. When he has an unexpected run-in with a young human boy, Hugo seizes the opportunity for a grand adventure. Soon, the two team up to search high and low for mythical beasts, like Ogopogos and Snoot-Nosed Gints. Through discovering these new creatures, together, Big Foot and Little Foot explore the ins and outs of each other’s very different worlds but learn that, deep down, maybe they’re not so different after all.

Love Ramona or Judy Moody? Then you definitely need to know Piper Green! The girl with the fairy tree in her backyard returns, and this time the fairies have left her a mysterious pirate patch. Every year, Piper Green looks forward to a visit from the Sea Star, a community boat that docks at Peek-a-Boo Island and hosts a dinner. And best of all? Piper and the other kids get to serve the meal. Most years, Piper has to settle for being “mashed potato girl.” But this year her mom made dessert, and everyone knows that being Pie Girl is the best role to have. But when a doctor makes a surprising diagnosis, Piper’s dream of being Pie Girl may be in jeopardy. Will a gift from the fairy tree help save the day? Praise for Piper Green: “Piper has a winning combination of stubbornness, loyalty, and independence.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred “Following in the fine tradition of spunky girls—Ramona, Amber Brown, Judy Moody, Clementine—Piper Green is set to make some friends in the early chapter book world.” —School Library Journal’s 100 Scope Notes

Move over, Junie B. Jones! Piper Green is back in her fourth chapter-book adventure, and it could take her all the way to China. Suitcase? Check. Passport? Check. Magic X-ray vision glasses from the Fairy Tree? Check, check, check! Piper Green’s class is taking a school trip to China—well, they’re taking a “pretend” trip, on a “pretend” airplane. And when all the kids in the class announce they’ve been on a plane plenty of times, Piper says she has, too. After all, it’s just a pretend trip, right? But when Piper gets chosen to be a flight attendant, her little fib suddenly feels like a very big problem. Could the X-ray vision glasses Piper found in the Fairy Tree help her out? “Following in the fine tradition of spunky girls—Ramona, Amber Brown, Judy Moody, Clementine—Piper Green is set to make some friends in the early chapter book world.” —School Library Journal’s 100 Scope Notes “Piper has a winning combination of stubbornness, loyalty, and independence.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Move over Junie B. Jones! Get to know Piper Green as she discovers the ordinary magic right outside her front door. Piper Green is in for another adventure when she finds an unusual whistle hidden inside the Fairy Tree in her front yard. But Piper doesn’t want a whistle... she wants a pony! On a trip with her dad to check the family’s lobster traps, the whistle attracts the attention of an unexpected friend. Could the fairy whistle be working its magic after all? "Following in the fine tradition of spunky girls – Ramona, Amber Brown, Judy Moody, Clementine – Piper Green is set to make some friends in the early chapter book world." —School Library Journal 100 Scope Notes ★ “Skillfully blending humor, pathos, and warmth with an atmospheric setting, Potter has created an honest, empathic slice-of-life story, laced with a touch of magic.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Book two of Ellen Potter’s charming new illustrated early chapter book series set on an island off the coast of Maine, where kids, lobster boats, and a hint of magic are part of everyday life. As far as Piper Green is concerned, the day started out lucky: • Lucky thing #1: Her mom is painting Piper’s bedroom her favorite color. • Lucky thing #2: Piper found a perfect strawberry at breakfast. • Lucky thing #3: Piper lost a tooth. And as everyone knows, tooth + tooth fairy = ka-ching! There’s just one problem. According to her friend Jacob, too much good luck can sometimes equal bad luck. And when Piper gets to school that day, Bad Luck is waiting for her. Will the Fairy Tree in Piper’s front yard be enough to break her unlucky streak?

Otis Dooda is back. And so is Smoochie the rat, Miss Yabby, and the whole gang at Tidwell Towers where life is getting interesting, and downright dangerous.

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life. As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth. Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room-a garden with a tragic secret. Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write. Read the Q&A with Ellen Potter from Publisher's Weekly on writing a novel inspired by The Secret Garden By Sally Lodge Jan 12, 2011 In 2003, Ellen Potter made a lively splash onto the scene with her middle-grade novel Olivia Kidney. She went on to write three sequels about that enchantingly quirky heroine, as well as two other novels, Slob and The Kneebone Boy. Most recently, the author tapped into memories of her own childhood reading to pen The Humming Room, a novel inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden. Set in a mansion-a former children's tuberculosis sanitarium-on an island in the St. Lawrence River, the story centers on Roo, a prickly orphan who goes to live with her aloof uncle, and befriends Phillip, his troubled son, and Jack, a local boy. Potter talks about how this novel took shape. Is it safe to assume that The Secret Garden was an important book to you as a child? Obviously, I loved the novel as a kid. What really struck me was that when I went back to read it as an adult, the story not only held up, but I discovered elements in it I had never noticed before. It felt very fresh, and surprisingly layered in a way I hadn't realized as a child. Was that an unusual reaction for you to have to a book you revisit from your childhood? Yes, very unusual for me. A lot of times when I go back to books I loved when I was young I don't quite understand what it was that I loved about them. Rereading The Secret Garden, I felt a lot like Mary feels when she visits her garden. She's always finding something new popping up-something delightful or surprising. I've reread The Secret Garden every year as an adult. I have a battered copy on my bookshelf-it's really quite a mess! The experience of reading the novel keeps deepening for me. How did you tackle the actual writing of The Humming Room? The idea of writing a contemporary version of The Secret Garden was very exciting to me, yet at the same time it was very, very intimidating. I knew I needed to follow the original story line-or that I wanted to-but I knew I had to make it different enough that it would be worthwhile for people to read my novel. My editor, Jean Feiwel, was great and kept encouraging me to have at it, to go anywhere that I felt I had to go with it. Did you set parameters for yourself, in terms of working within Burnett's original storyline? I actually kept trying to swerve away from the original story, but it wasn't easy. There's something about The Secret Garden that kept me rooted in the original storyline, which was difficult for me. I don't plot my novels-I move along with my characters. For the first time I had a story already set out for me, which was very challenging. Would you say that you heard Burnett's voice in your head as you wrote? Yes. I feel I know The Secret Garden so well that I could kind of riff on it like a jazz musician. I know it in my core, and could take the essence and work with that. Still, I love the original novel so much that it was psychologically a very tough book to write. Though I think whenever I finish a book I always say it's the hardest thing I've ever written! You obviously did branch out from the original, with the setting to begin with. Why choose an island on the St. Lawrence? I went back and forth on the setting, actually. At first I thought of perhaps setting it in New York City, but that didn't work. At the time I began writing the novel I was living in the Thousand Islands, and was spending a lot of time on the St. Lawrence. The river is so very beautiful, and it struck me as similar in some ways to the moor in The Secret Garden. Similar in what ways? The St. Lawrence seems a vast expanse of gray, the way the moor is a vast expanse of purple. But if you stop and look closely at the river, it's incredibly changeable and moody-and sometimes violent. But it's always surprising. And it occurred to me that this would be a perfect setting for The Humming Room. On top of that, there are quite a few mansions in the Thousand Islands with ghost stories attached to them. It's quite incredible. So that inspired your mansion setting, with mysterious humming noises and an abandoned garden hidden within it? Yes, and I decided to make the mansion a defunct sanitarium, because I wanted there to be a ghostly presence, an eerie echo, in the house. One of the things I loved in The Secret Garden, and tried to put in my novel, was that there was a consciousness to everything-the house, the moor, and the garden. They are really characters themselves. In my novel, I wanted to give this same consciousness and self-awareness to the mansion, the river, and the garden, to give them personalities. How did you set out to make Roo, Jack, and Phillip distinct from-and have a more modern sensibility than-Burnett's characters? One thing I remember about Mary and Dickon is that there was a little squeak of romance in their relationship, but it was so understated. As a child, I remember wanting more romance in the book. So I brought out a bit more romance between Roo and Jack. It's a young romance and entirely innocent, but it's there. With Phillip, my Colin character, I tried at first to make his ailment physical, like Colin's, but that didn't work, so I decided to give Phillip a more mental affliction, which worked better for the story. And like Mary, Roo starts off as a not very likable character-she's a pretty tough customer. That's unusual for a heroine, and I loved that about The Secret Garden. But before long Mary begins to blossom, and that happens to Roo as well. Have you tackled another writing project since finishing The Humming Room? Yes. I'm working on a series for younger readers, for Feiwel and Friends. It's directed at boys-though I think girls will like it, too. I have a son who is seven, and I've been noticing for a while how few very engaging books there are for boys around that age. They somehow get the short shrift. Boys at that age who are big readers are reading books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which deal with middle-school issues that seven-year-olds are not yet concerned about. So I'm trying to write something along those lines, but more appropriate for younger kids. As I write, I've been trying out scenes on my son. I wait for his giggle, and if it comes, I keep that part in the book. Luckily, it's a method that seems to be working quite well! -Publisher's Weekly, January 2012

Super-snobby eleven-year-old Clara Frankofile has all she could possibly want. Her parents are rich, she lives in an apartment with its own roller coaster, and anyone who is anyone in New York City is terrified of her. Each night at her parents' fashionable restaurant, Pish Posh, Clara watches the celebrity diners, deciding who is important enough to stay and who must be banished. But Clara's world turns upside down when she discovers a mystery happening right under her nose. With the help of her new friend - a brilliant twelve-year-old jewel thief - Clara begins to look at life differently, and she may just be able to solve this most intriguing case.

Life in a small town can be pretty boring when everyone avoids you like the plague. But after their father unwittingly sends them to stay with an aunt who's away on holiday, the Hardscrabble children take off on an adventure that begins in the seedy streets of London and ends in a peculiar sea village where legend has it a monstrous creature lives who is half boy and half animal. . . . In this wickedly dark, unusual, and compelling novel, Ellen Potter masterfully tells the tale of one deliciously strange family and a secret that changes everything.

LEARN HOW TO WRITE LIKE THE EXPERTS, FROM THE EXPERTS. In Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook, you'll find practical advice in a perfect package for young aspiring writers. After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot, make revisions, and overcome writer's block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.

Olivia Kidney has been through a lot. Being able to communicate with ghosts means never a dull moment? or a normal life. But just when things have calmed down, Olivia?s father insists she enroll at one of the most prestigious arts schools in Manhattan! Yet her school problems take a backseat when Olivia must help her friend Frannie solve an age-old mystery, one that forces her deep underground into the infamous, intricate subway system of New York City. And what awaits her makes ghosts look like child?s play.

What is it with Olivia and ghosts? No matter where Olivia Kidney goes, they follow. even when she and her klutzy handyman father start over in a new brownstone in New York City—owned by the mad, bad, and dangerous Ansel Plover—there is no escape from the weirdness that is Olivia's life. Their new living room is entirely submerged underwater, and Olivia needs a boat to navigate past the bobbing furniture and snapping turtles just to get to her bedroom. Complete strangers show up in the middle of the night to practice bumping into walls! And then, there are the ghosts. The house holds secrets, lots of them—Olivia can feel it. Why, she wonders, was she invited to live there?

While preparing for her participation in the princepessa's wedding, adjusting to being a student at a school for the arts, and dealing with surprise visitors at home, twelve-year-old Olivia ventures into the New York City subway tunnels in search of a man who might help her friend Frannie.

Twelve-year-old Olivia Kidney and her father move into a Manhattan brownstone that has a lagoon in the living room, hosts visiting strangers in the middle of the night, and is mysteriously close to the spirit world.

When young June Mayborn sets a deadly fire after being jilted by her married lover, Iris Utter and her somber 16-year-old daughter embark upon a disturbing relationship with the Mayborns which will both ravage and redeem their lives.