New Releases by Gennifer Choldenko

Mouse lives in Dogtown, a shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, where the kibble is plentiful, and the rafters hide a secret community of mice. His unlikely best friend is Buster, a big-hearted real dog who attracts trouble like a burr to fur. Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse embarks on a bold quest with three of Dogtown’s “unadoptables”: Buster, Stewie--a huge, lovable dog whose ex-owner said he was mean, and Smokey--a robot dog hardwired with a smoke alarm he can’t control. But Mouse is just a mouse, and the world is big and complicated. How’s a little guy supposed to find homes for the dogs he loves?

Readers will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank in Newbery-Honor-winner Gennifer Choldenko’s gripping story of a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn''t come home. When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact. But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he''s been trying to keep secret. And if they can''t find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes--he could lose everything. Gennifer Choldenko has written a heart-wrenching, healing, and ultimately hopeful story about how complicated family can be. About how you can love someone, even when you can’t rely on them. And about the transformative power of second chances.

Now a New York Times bestseller, an Indie bestseller, and an Amazon Best Children''s Book! From beloved authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko and with illustrations by Wallace West, Dogtown is at once an uplifting story and a page-turning adventure, sure to find a forever home in readers’ hearts. Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

For readers who love the circus, and anyone who has dreamed of finding the perfect home, comes an engaging adventure from a Newbery Honor-winning storyteller. Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friendless Children. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing, until life at the Home silenced her. The other orphans find work and friends at the circus, but no one will hire a mute girl. Lucy must find her voice or she will be left behind when the circus goes on the rails. Meanwhile, people are searching for Lucy, and her puzzling past is about to catch up with her. This irresistible, heartfelt novel by the master storyteller of the Tales from Alcatraz series is full of marvels and surprises.

Ten-year-old Liam and his two younger sisters, precocious third-grader Dakota and second-grader Izzy, who has Down syndrome, face the possibility of losing their beloved dog, Cupcake, who keeps urinating on their apartment''s carpet in this funny, fast-paced, and heartfelt story from the Newbery Honor-winning author of the Al Capone series. Illustrations.

Return to Al Capone''s Alcatraz with Newbery Honor-winning author Gennifer Choldenko in this charming addition to the beloved series about the son of a prison guard. Moose Flanagan lives on a famous island in California: Alcatraz, home to some of the most dangerous prisoners in the United States in the 1930s. It''s the summer before he starts high school, and Moose is going to play a lot of baseball and win a spot on the high school team. But he still needs to watch his special older sister, Natalie--and then the warden asks Moose to look after his two-faced, danger-loving daughter, Piper. In the cell house there are rumors that the cons will a strike, and that Moose''s father might step up to a new job. Moose is worried: What will this mean for their family, especially for Natalie, who''s had some scary run-ins with prisoners? Then the unthinkable happens: Natalie winds up someplace she should never, ever go. And Moose has to rescue her. Don''t miss the rest of the Tales from Alcatraz series! Al Capone Does My Shirts Al Capone Shines My Shoes Al Capone Does My Homework

"Nicolas a peur de la noirceur derriáere sa porte, des buissons oáu vivent des insectes gâeants et du dessous des plaques d''âegout. Son páere n''a peur de rien. Nicolas veut ãetre courageux comme son páere, mais c''est un grand dâefi pour un petit garðcon. Heureusement, il a un dinosaure qui le rend intrâepide. Un jour, son dinosaure disparaãit, et son courage aussi. Nicolas avoue áa son páere que le dinosaure âetait brave, mais pas lui. Son páere comprend. Tous les gars ont peur de temps áa autre. C''est comme ðca"--

A heartwarming father-son story about bravery and facing fears. Nicholas was afraid of the dark outside his door, the bushes where the giant bugs live, and the underside of manhole covers. His dad was not afraid of anything. Nicholas wants to be as brave as his dad, but he needs help. That’s why he needs a dinosaur. After all, dinosaurs like the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch (and everything under them for dinner). With his toy dinosaur, Nicholas can scale tall walls, swim in deep water, even score a goal against the huge goalie everyone calls Gorilla. But when the dinosaur goes missing, everything is scary again. Luckily, his dad knows that even the bravest people can get scared, and it’s okay to ask for help facing your fears. It’s just guy stuff. A family classic in the making from the dream team of Newbery Honor-winner Gennifer Choldenko and Caldecott Medal-winner Dan Santat. ★ "[Choldenko''s] knowing, understated storytelling and Santat’s warm, expressive spreads give full credence to the fears that weigh on kids, as well as the presences—both real and imagined—that can help alleviate them."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie and her secret friend Noah, who''s hiding in her house, plan to rescue Noah''s father from the quarantined Chinatown and save everyone they love from contracting the plague that''s spreading in 1900 San Francisco.

Sam is happy to play with his monkeys until way past bedtime, but he gets tired before them and has to find a way to get them to sleep.

A segregated town, a hidden boy, a courageous girl - and a mystery in desperate need of solving

Alcatraz Island in the 1930s isn''t the most normal place to grow up, but it''s home for Moose Flanagan, his autistic sister, Natalie, and all the families of the guards. When Moose''s dad gets promoted to Associate Warden, despite being an unlikely candidate, it''s a big deal. But the cons have a point system for targeting prison employees, and his dad is now in serious danger. After a fire starts in the Flanagan''s apartment, Natalie is blamed, and Moose bands with the other kids to track down the possible arsonist. Then Moose gets a cryptic note from the notorious Al Capone himself. Is Capone trying to protect Moose''s dad too? If Moose can''t figure out what Capone''s note means, it may be too late. The last heart-pounding installment in the New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor-winning Alcatraz trilogy is not to be missed! "Superlative historical fiction." -- School Library Journal (starred review for Al Capone Shines My Shoes)

Kirsten''s world is crumbling. Her parents are barely speaking to each other and her ''best-friend'' has fallen under the spell of queen bee, Brianna. For Walker the goal is simply to survive in the private school his mother has moved him to because she doesn''t want him to mess up with most of the kids in his old school. Then Kirsten discovers something that has a big impact on both her and Walker''s lives.

Moose''s sister has got a place in the perfect school on the mainland, one that will help her deal with her autism. But there is one hitch. She got the place with the help of Al Capone and now it''s payback time. Soon Moose is caught up in a terrible cycle of secrets and favours that threatens to destabilise his entire family in this nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat novel.

After losing their house to foreclosure, three siblings - India, Finn and Mouse - have less than twenty-four hours to pack their belongings and fly, without their mother, to stay with an uncle in Colorado. But when they land, a mysterious driver meets them at the airport in a pink car adorned with feathers. He has never heard of their Uncle Red. Like Dorothy in Oz, they find themselves in an unknown place, with no idea of how to get home. Time is running out . . .

A selection of nominees and winners of the Monarch and Bluestem children''s book awards on a full-color Kindle Fire.

River and Niko find their dad is missing, and they have no choice but to track him down. But when they discover the clues lead to a shady reptile dealer, they start to think they might have gotten in over their heads. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Too shy to approach the girl he likes, Jackson hides little gifts for her to discover before Valentine''s Day.

Korean edition of Newbery Honor-winning (2005) AL CAPONE SHINES MY SHOES by Gennifer Choldenko. Author illustrates a moving and affectionate story through the 12-year-old boy Moose who shares love and communicate with others in the depressing reality that seems like a jail with no exit. In Korean. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

2005 Newbery Honor Book, An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, An ALA Notable Book, AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Gennifer Choldenko. Moose and his family moves to Alcatraz Island for his autistic sister Natalie''s special school and his father''s job. Choldenko''s heartwarming story illustrates friendship and love between family, friends and the neglected people around. Korean edition translated by Kim Yeong Ug. In Korean. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards'' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

How could Ant MacPherson possibly tell her parents the truth all of the time? They never understand anything! The only person in her family Ant admits to being related to is her little dog, Pistachio. A touching, humorous story about taking responsibility for your actions.

Lili is so shy that her voice is never heard in class until the day a good friend needs her help.

Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, alternate telling how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate, even as they are uncovering a long-kept secret about themselves.

Traditional Chinese edition of Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. In Traditional Chinese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

The Newbery Honor Book and New York Times Bestseller that is historical fiction with a hint of mystery about living at Alcatraz not as a prisoner, but as a kid meeting some of the most famous criminals in our history. Al Capone Does My Shirts has become an instant classic for all kids to read! Today I moved to Alcatraz, a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I''m not the only kid who lives here. There are twenty-three other kids who live on the island because their dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians for the prison, like my dad does. And then there are a ton of murderers, rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don''t want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you''re me. I came here because my mother said I had to. A Newbery Honor Book A New York Times Bestseller A People magazine "Best kid''s Book" An ALA Book for Young Adults An ALA Notable Book A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Krikus Reviews Editor''s Choice A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A Parents'' Choice Silver Honor Book A New York Public Library "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing" Selection A New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age *"Choldenko''s pacing is exquisite. . . . [A] great read."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review *"Exceptionally atmospheric, fast-paced and memorable!"—Publishers Weekly, starred review *"The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers."—School Library Journal, starred review "Al is the perfect novel for a young guy or moll who digs books by Gordon Korman, or Louis Sachar."—Time Out New York for Kids "Funny situations and plot twists abound!"—People magazine "Heartstopping in some places, heartrending in others, and most of all, it is heartwarming."—San Francisco Chronicle

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards'' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.