New Releases by Karen Cushman

From the Newbery-Award winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife''s Apprentice comes the story of an orphan on the American frontier who decides to go west--with nothing but gumption as her guide. Sally O''Malley is an orphan working at a mineral spring hotel in the woods of central Oregon--that is, until she''s chucked out like chewed-on chicken bones, due entirely to an unfortunate incident with a pig and some church ladies. And so Sally decides to head west to the sea. Glorious, she''s heard. Fierce, she''s heard. Why not see for herself? Before long Sally encounters a dangerous bobcat--and that''s just the first day! Safe in the knowledge that she''s fearless, she continues on her journey with no place to belong and no one to depend on. And that''s just fine with her. Then a lady called Major, an old donkey, a loyal dog, and an abominable brat show Sally that she''s not quite as brave as she thinks. It turns out that counting on someone else is the scariest thing of all.

The historical fiction classic, told in the form of a diary, has drawn in generations of readers and is a Newbery Honor Book. Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man--any rich man, no matter how awful. But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call--by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest. Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father? Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it! Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year--the year 1290. In an appreciation in the New York Times, illustrator Vera Brosgol spoke for many fans of this beloved book: "I fell hard for Karen Cushman''s Catherine, Called Birdy the second I opened it. More than any other heroine I''d read, this one sounded like me. For Catherine, and for me, there is no easy solution to the cages life makes for you. Sometimes the power is in deciding to be yourself in whatever cage you''re in."

The Newbery Award-winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife''s Apprentice tells a heartfelt and humorous story of WWII on the homefront. Millie McGonigle lives in sunny California, where her days are filled with beach and surf. It should be perfect--but times are tough. Hitler is attacking Europe and it looks like the United States may be going to war. Food is rationed and money is tight. And Millie''s sickly little sister gets all the attention and couldn''t be more of a pain if she tried. It''s all Millie can do to stay calm and feel in control. Still--there''s sand beneath her feet. A new neighbor from the city, who has a lot to teach Millie. And surfer boy Rocky to admire--even if she doesn''t have the guts to talk to him. It''s a time of sunshine, siblings, and stress. Will Millie be able to find her way in her family, and keep her balance as the the world around her loses its own?

Grayling doesn''t want to be a hero, but to save her mother from a dark enchantment, she seeks out the few second-string magic makers who haven''t been immobilized by the spell and goes off in search of her mother''s grimoire, or book of magic. Obstacles both natural and supernatural block their way, and friction within the group delays the journey. Surprising herself, Grayling finds the strength and decisiveness to move the group forward and reach her goal. Eccentric witches and wizards plus a shape-shifting mouse provide moments of high comedy, as do odd practices that date back to the Middle Ages, such as divination with cheese.

In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of "oddities," including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the "monsters" and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that he has been his own worst deceiver. The rowdy world of market fairs in Elizabethan England is the colorful backdrop for Newbery medalist Cushman''s new comic masterpiece. This ebook includes a sample chapter of THE MIDWIFE''S APPRENTICE.

Presents four novels in which a teenage boy searches for the great pearl, two friends swim in a treacherous river, a Medieval teen struggles between her dreams and what her parents want for her, and a seventh-grader is forced to read Shakespeare.

A new novel by Karen Cushman

In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.

Once again Karen Cushman weaves a compelling story that is thoroughly researched, filled with memorable characters, and told with wry humor and keen observation by an absolutely captivating narrator. When 12-year-old Rodzina boards an orphan train, she leaves the only home she''s known for a new life out West.

Originally published: [New York]: Clarion Books, 1994.

Monsieur et Madame Whipple, du Massachusetts, rêvaient si fort d''aller un jour dans l''Ouest, qu''ils avaient baptisé leurs enfants Californie, Canyon, Prairie, Sierra, Promesse Dorée et Océan, et leur chien Rocheuses. Aussi quand son mari et sa fille cadette moururent de pneumonie, Maman Whipple partit seule avec ses enfants. Au bout de cinq mois de bateau, ils arrivèrent dans la baie de San Francisco. Californie appela tout de suite l''endroit " un tas de boue et d''ordures ". Elle comprit que l''or promis devait être caché par les lézards et les crottins de mules. Tandis que sa mère ouvrait sous une tente une pension de famille pour mineurs sales et dépenaillés, elle décida de changer son nom honni en " Lucy ". Et de faire tout ce qui était en son pouvoir pour vite repartir en sens inverse, vers la civilisation, ses maisons et ses bibliothèques. Ce qui était en son pouvoir n''était pas grand-chose : des tartes aux pommes, des économies, des lettres à ses grands-parents, des prières et des rêves fous. Mais une surprise l''attendait.

The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

In 1849, twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple, who renames herself Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a rough California mining town.

Into the fascinating, pungent setting of Blood and Bone Alley, home of leech, barber-surgeon, and apothecary, comes Matilda, raised by a priest to disdain worldly affairs and focus on spiritual matters. To Matilda''s dismay, her work will not involve Latin or writing, but practical tasks: lighting the fire, going to market, mixing plasters and poultices, and helping Peg treat patients. She is appalled by the worldliness of her new surroundings, and the sharp-tongued saints she turns to for advice are no help at all. Filled with the witty dialogue and richly authentic detail that Karen Cushman’s work is known for, Matilda Bone is a compelling comic novel about a girl who learns to see herself and others clearly, to laugh, and to live contentedly in this world. Author’s note.

Dear Gram and Grampop, Please do not address yours truly as California anymore, California Morning Whipple being a foolish name for a duck much less a girl. I call myself Lucy now. I cannot hate California and be California. I know you will understand. California doesn''t suit Lucy Whipple -- not the name, not the place. But moving out West to Lucky Diggins, California, was her mama''s dream-come-true. And now her brother, Butte, and sisters, Prairie and Sierra, seem to be Westerners at heart, too. For Lucy, Lucky Diggins is hardly a town at all -- just a bunch of ramshackle tents and tobacco-spitting miners. Even the gold her mama claimed was just lying around in the fields isn''t panning out. Worst of all, there''s no lending library! Dag diggety! So Lucy vows to be plain miserable until she can hightail it back East where she belongs. But Lucy California Morning Whipple may be in for a surprise -- because home is a lot closer than she thinks... When California Morning Whipple''s widowed mother uproots her family from their comfortable Massachusetts environs and moves them to a rough mining camp called Lucky Diggins in the Sierras, California Morning resents the upheaval. Desperately wanting to control something in her own life, she decides to be called Lucy, and as Lucy she grows and changes in her strange and challenging new environment. Here Karen Cushman helps the American Gold Rush spring to colorful life, just as she did for medieval England in her previous two books, Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife''s Apprentice, which won Newbery Honor status and a Newbery Medal respectively.

This boxed set includes Trophy paperback editions of Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, and Indian Captive by Lois Lenski.

In a small village in medieval England, a young homeless girl acquires a home and a new career when she becomes the apprentice to a sharp-tempered midwife.

Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman of good family, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year--the year 1290. A Newbery Honor Book.

Consists of typescripts, research materials, notes, and printed material created and accumulated by Karen Cushman from her work on the book The Loud Silence of Francine Green. Some unrelated correspondence is included. The materials are arranged in two series: books and miscellaneous and personal.