New Releases by Janet Taylor Lisle

The War At Home Fear permeates the Rhode Island coastal town where Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war with his paternal grandparents: Fear of Nazi submarines offshore. Fear of Abel Hoffman, a German artist living reclusively outside of town. And for Robert, a more personal fear, of his hot-tempered, controlling grandfather. As Robert watches the townspeople''s hostility toward Hoffman build, he worries about his sensitive cousin Elliot''s friendship with the artist. And he wonders more and more about the family secret everyone seems to be keeping from him—a secret involving Robert''s father, a bomber pilot in Europe. Will Elliot''s ability to detach himself from the turmoil around him be enough to sustain him when prejudice and suspicions erupt into violence? And can Robert find his own way to deal with the shocking truth about his family''s past?

Thirteen-year-old Joelle has always wondered about her life before being adopted by the woman she calls Aunt Louise and her husband Vernon, and she makes some surprising discoveries while researching a 17th century Indian tribe.

An ALA Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017 “Striking, enigmatic, and haunting all around.” —Booklist (starred review) “A suspenseful, realistic, finely crafted story exploring friendship, trust, and how we judge others.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle’s novel about a pivotal summer in two girls’ lives explores the convictions we form, the judgments we make, and the values we hold. The pond is called Quicksand Pond. It’s a shadowy, hidden place, full of chirping, shrieking, croaking life. It’s where, legend has it, people disappear. It’s where scrappy Terri Carr lives with her no-good family. And it’s where twelve-year-old Jessie Kettel is reluctantly spending her summer vacation. Jessie meets Terri on a raft out in the water, and the two become fast friends. On Quicksand Pond, Jessie and Terri can be lost to the outside world—lost until they want to be found. But a tragedy that occurred many decades ago has had lingering effects on this sleepy town, and especially on Terri Carr. And the more Jessie learns, the more she begins to question her new friendship—and herself.

DIVDIVWinner of Italy’s 2006 Premio Andersen Award: A young writer’s fantasy world becomes dangerously entangled with reality/divDIV Eleven-year-old Archie and his six-year-old brother, Oggie, are constantly going back and forth between their mother’s home and the apartment that their father shares with his girlfriend. To distract Oggie from the turbulence of endlessly bouncing from “Saturn” to “Jupiter” and back again, Archie invents a fantastic story about the Mysterious Mole People. When Oggie’s wallet is stolen by kids from a local gang, Archie tries to retrieve it and becomes increasingly ensnared in the gang’s dangerous activities. Even worse, he soon finds that his fictitious mole story is merging with the darkness of real life in a very frightening way./div/divDIV/div

DIVDIVTwo grieving sisters resolve to break a spell cast by evil fairies/divDIV After the death of their mother, Olivia and Nellie are shipped off to their great-aunt’s house for the summer. Nine-year-old Olivia is not excited about the trip—she has to keep one eye on kind but eccentric Aunt Minty and the other on her younger sister, Nellie, who’s been behaving oddly. But the summer takes an interesting turn when Olivia discovers an old fairy tale: the story of a group of children who, at a garden tea party, are turned into flowers. The garden sounds an awful lot like the one at Aunt Minty’s house—could the flower children be real? If Olivia and Nellie can only locate the old tea set from the story, they might be able to break the spell./divDIV/div/div

DIVIn a forgotten small town, one girl and a hundred cats are about to do something spectacular /divDIV Applesap is a small town smack dab in the middle of New York state, and beyond that geographical oddity, there isn’t much special about it. It has a dress shop, a run-down movie theater, and two old-fashioned drug stores: Jiggs’ and the Super Queen. But nobody goes to Jiggs’. The roof is leaky, the seats are sticky, and the flies have built a kingdom around the soda fountain. Worst of all are the cats—hundreds of strays who wander in off the street to make the store their home. Jiggs’ is a place for creatures who want to hide from the world, and so it is perfect for Melba./divDIV /divDIVA shy young girl who’s too timid to talk to other children, Melba makes Jiggs’ her home-away-from-home. As the old store nears bankruptcy, Melba comes up with a wild plan that will save the pharmacy, make Applesap famous, and change her life forever./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

In “this enchanting story about friendship,” two fourth grade girls discover a magical world hidden in one’s backyard (Publishers Weekly). No fourth grader trusts Sara-Kate Connolly. Her boots are dirty, her clothes are weird, and she’s so maladjusted that the school had to hold her back a grade. But Hillary is her next-door neighbor, and can’t say no when the unusual loner invites her over to play. In Sara-Kate’s overgrown backyard, Hillary will find proof of a world of magic—the kind that can only blossom between true friends. Among the rusted car parts and wild plants, a miniature village has sprung up. It has tiny houses made from string, sticks, and maple leaves; a well with a bottlecap for a bucket; and even a little playground with a Popsicle-stick Ferris wheel. But there’s absolutely no sign of who built this miniature world. To Sara-Kate, the answer is clear—only elves could be responsible for something so enchanted. As she and Hillary watch for their elusive new friends, they learn that friendship, like magic, springs up where you least expect it. This ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.

DIVPoco is horrified when Angela’s cat disappears while under her watch. Is magic involved? /divDIV Together, Angela, Poco, and Georgina have investigated some peculiar happenings. They are just on the verge of a major magical breakthrough when Angela’s father moves to Mexico, taking Angela and breaking up the trio of friends. As consolation, Angela gives Poco her cat, Juliette, to care for and talk to while she’s gone. Talking to animals is Poco’s special skill, but no words can stop Juliette from running into the street in front of a car. Though she survives the accident, Juliette vanishes, and it will take a miracle to find her./divDIV /divDIVWith the help of Walter Kew, a secretive boy in her class, and his Ouija board, Poco scans the neighborhood. When all mystical signs point to Miss Bone, the strange old spinster who’s been taking care of Angela’s house, Poco is quick to face her fears. She’ll do anything for Angela—and for Juliette./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVAfter their violin teacher is attacked, two sisters stumble on dark secrets from her girlhood in France during World War II /divDIV Elsie and Mary’s lives are changed when they meet Miss Fitch, a fascinating Frenchwoman who makes her living teaching children the violin. She seems to be everything an instructor should be: stern when her students are slacking; inspiring when they lose heart. She knows how to make her young players believe in themselves. Mary is captivated, though she has no talent for the violin. Her sister Elsie is the natural musician in the family, but suddenly Elsie quits without explanation./divDIV /divDIVNot long after Elsie stops going to lessons, Miss Fitch is attacked in her home. As the girls look more closely at their teacher, they learn that the past can rise up to wreak havoc on even those whose lives seem most exemplary./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVWar is coming, and it will take two very unusual friends to avert a showdown in the town of Forest /divDIV Upper Forest is the kingdom of an ancient clan of squirrels. For years they have lived and died in the trees, building an elaborate civilization high above the earth. Since man came to Forest, the trees have been thinned, but there are still enough thick groves where the squirrels can run from branch to branch, going days without touching the ground. To avoid people, their natural enemies, the squirrels make their homes higher than any human can climb—or so they think. But they haven’t met Amber Padgett./divDIV /divDIVSwift, bright, and fearless, Amber has never fit in among humans. When she pokes her head into Upper Forest, she begins an unlikely friendship with a squirrel named Woodbine. As this mismatched pair grows close, the worlds of Upper and Lower Forest collide. But Amber’s father, and other people in town, think the squirrels are pests and try to get rid of them. Which will triumph: friendship or war?/divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVAn ancient oak tree has seen glory and tragedy—but nothing quite as spectacular as the showdown that’s brewing /divDIV For nearly a thousand years, the Dimpole Oak has towered over this small East Coast town, witnessing the passage of history: duels and revolution, lovers’ trysts and traitors’ hangings, victory parades and midnight conspiracies. The farmer who owns the land beneath the tree likes to tell stories of the murders and witch trials that took place in its shade. Local children play on the oak’s great roots and dig for buried treasure. The townsfolk plan a Dimpole Oak Day to celebrate their landmark./divDIV /divDIVMeanwhile, far away in India, a swami has a holy vision of the oak, and begins a journey to find it. Back in Dimpole, two boys take inspiration from the blackguards and pirates of the old farmer’s tales, and challenge a local bully to a confrontation under the oak. As all these plots and plans converge, the mighty oak stands ready to witness another grand event./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVOn the unforgiving coast of Twill, a boy is sucked into a fantastic adventure /divDIV The country of Twill has a notoriously treacherous coastline: rough, rocky, and primed for shipwrecks and drownings. In the salt-scarred port town of Twickham, the locals are dependent on fishing. Everyone pitches in, devising new ways to catch fish and crabs without falling prey to the dangerous rocks and waves. Of all the fish that dart around their deadly shore, none is more prized than the lampfish, a glowing creature whose bones provide the hooks that sustain life on Twill. It takes a group of men to land a lampfish, but once in a lifetime, a hero comes along who can do it single-handed. And Eric wants to be the next champion./divDIV /divDIVEric, an orphan since infancy, has become mesmerized by the swirling Cantrip’s Spout—a deadly whirlpool where he has recently spotted a colossal lampfish. Trying to catch that glowing beast will take him on a magnificent journey into the sea and beyond, deep into the darkest parts of himself./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVWhen their best friend changes drastically, the Investigators suspect extraterrestrial trouble /divDIV Georgina and Poco should not be climbing an apple tree in the dark. But Poco, who talks to animals, has recently developed a serious crush on a robin, and she gets worried when the bird doesn’t return to his nest one night. Poco convinces her friend to come with her to check on the nest, and while they’re peering through the tree branches, they see strange glowing objects in the sky. The array of lights can only mean one thing: aliens./divDIV /divDIVThe next morning, Poco’s robin returns and, more importantly, so does Angela. Angela had been the girls’ best friend before moving to Mexico a year ago, but she comes back totally changed. Before, she was short, chatty, and imaginative. Now she is tall, sullen, and cold. When Georgina reminds her of their former club, the Investigators of the Unknown, Angela shrugs her off. Paco and Georgina realize that the aliens have claimed their first victim, and they will have to move fast to save their friend./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVIn search of the truth about his heritage, Walter only finds more mystery /divDIV Walter Kew has grown up without a past. Orphaned since birth and raised by his grandparents, he knows nothing about his parents, who died in an accident. Obsessively curious about the mother he never knew, he turns to the occult, using Ouija boards, crystal balls, and spells to reach out to the other world. But he’s never had any luck—until now./divDIV /divDIVWalking home from school, Walter hears what he thinks is his mother’s voice—faint, but very real. Although he can’t quite understand her words, he’s convinced she’s trying to tell him something. With his friends Georgina and Poco, he looks for clues. Their quest takes them to a statue of the Little Match Girl in the park, where infant Walter was once photographed with his mother. As the three investigators chase the mystery, Walter will learn more about his past—and his present—than he ever thought possible. /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVWhile searching for her fairy godmother, a young girl uncovers a world of magic /divDIV It starts with chocolates. Dreaming of a box of chocolates that never empties, Angela writes a letter to her fairy godmother asking for one. To her surprise, the fairy writes back! A letter appears on her mantelpiece from “Pilaria of the Kingdom of the Faeries,” written on ancient parchment with purple ink, and covered in a gold dust that vanishes as soon as it flies into the air. Is this really a letter from the land of magic? And if so, what does it mean?/divDIV /divDIVAngela and her two best friends begin investigating the mystery, searching Angela’s house for clues. But out of the blue, more letters appear on Angela’s mantelpiece. Pilaria is lonesome, and as curious about the girls’ world as they are about her kingdom. What they learn from their correspondence with this enchanting godmother will change everything they know—about magic and reality—forever./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

When three kittens are carelessly thrown off the back of a truck, none of the highway cats know what to make of them. They seem to have some sort of appeal?an energy, even?that Khalia Koo, Jolly Roger and the rest of the mangy, feral cats don?t understand. But there are bigger issues to figure out when the bulldozers start coming, threatening to demolish the cats? homes as well as other historical landmarks. Can three little kittens be the answer to save the town? Illustrated with striking silhouettes, here is a spirited and original environmental story from Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle about finding help?and hope?in the smallest, most unlikely of places.

It is spring 1929, and Prohibition is in full swing. So when Ruben and Jeddy find a dead body washed up on the shore of their small coastal Rhode Island town, they are sure it has something to do with smuggling liquor. Soon the boys, along with Jeddy’s strongwilled sister, Marina, are drawn in, suspected by rival bootlegging gangs of taking something crucial off the dead man. Then Ruben meets the daring captain of the Black Duck, the most elusive smuggling craft of them all, and it isn’t long before he’s caught in a war between two of the most dangerous prohibition gangs. "Riveting mystery and nonstop adventure." --School Library Journal

Who doesn''t like frogs? So they''re green and well, slimy. Frogs have charisma, charm, and even a few stories to tell. With the help of eight of today''s most fanciful writers, frogs finally have their day. From New York Times best-selling author Brian Jacques''s tale of a menacing frogbeast, to Janet Taylor Lisle''s story of the frog-people of Quicksand Pond, to Jane Yolen''s Pied Piper take on our froggy green friends, these hilarious fables and touching fairy tales are for every reader who has ever rooted for the underfrog. "Release #your# inner frog with this kickin'' collection." (Kirkus Reviews)

Written by the author of the Golden Kite Honor Award-winning The Great Dimpole Oak, this book depicts the imaginary world of two girls which is in striking contrast to their real life.