New Releases by Martha Freeman

From Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman comes a “delightful” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade mystery following a young boy working at his family’s secondhand store that is a steal-your-heart story about family and friendship. Arthur Popper helps out in his family’s Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what’s what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he’s not brave or adventurous. Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it’s the key to solving the perfect crime—a crime only he knows about. With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery and confront a thief?

“Will make a theater lover of any young reader.” —Booklistu200bu200b Perfect for fans of The Wednesday Wars, this raucous and delightful middle grade mystery from Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman is filled with backstage fun, relatable family drama, and maybe even a ghost. Break a leg! That’s what you say to actors when what you mean is Have a good show!. Anything else is bad luck. When Miss Magnus literally breaks her leg, eleven-year-old Noah McNichol and the rest of the Plattsfield Winklebottom Memorial Sixth-Grade Players are left without a director for their production of Hamlet. Coach Fig comes to the rescue—sort of. He’ll direct, even though he is clearly more interested in whatever is happening on his phone than in directing. He doesn’t even know upstage from downstage! But then something weird happens: out of nowhere appears a strangely dressed old guy named Mike. He tells Noah he has theater experience, before disappearing—poof. Noah has some investigating to do and some decisions to make. Like, does he care more that their new director might be a ghost or about getting to make his stage debut? And who is Mike and why has he decided to help? As things get weirder and weirder, one thing becomes clear: The show must go on, and Noah will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

It''s not the big bad wolf that stops Little Red Hoodie from getting to grandma''s house in this rollicking take on the fairy tale--Red can''t follow directions! "Follow Magic Wand Lane to Glass Slipper Boulevard, right on Beanstalk, left on Breadcrumb, down the Garden Path, and you''re there," said Little Red Hoodie''s mom, but Red wasn''t exactly paying attention. Before she knows it, she''s hopelessly lost in the forest-- and to make matters worse, someone has stolen her basket of goodies. It''ll take the whole forest to undercover the thief and get the directionally challenged Little Red Hoodie back on track to Grandma''s house. A companion to the delightfully irreverent Goldilocks, Go Home!, this latest from Martha Freeman features all the wit and charm of the first book as well as cameos by Bobby (Baby) Bear, the Pig Brothers from HoGTV, Chicken Little, and many more. Marta Sevilla''s clever drawings effortlessly capture the spirited banter among characters as Little Red Hoodie and Bobby Bear take turns narrating the story.

“An inspiring look at women who realized curiosity plus tenacity equals success.” —Kirkus Reviews “[A] captivating compendium.” —Publishers Weekly Discover the histories of twenty incredible female scientists in this inspiring biography collection from beloved author Martha Freeman and Google Doodler Katy Wu. Why do galaxies spin the way they do? What’s the best kind of house for a Komodo dragon? Can you cure malaria with medicine made from a plant? The scientists and mathematicians in Born Curious sought answers to these and many other fascinating questions. And it’s lucky for us they did. Without their vision, insight, and hard work, the world would be a sicker, dirtier, and more dangerous place. The twenty groundbreaking women—including Rosalind Franklin, Marie Tharp, Shirley Anne Jackson, and more—came from all kinds of backgrounds and had all kinds of life experiences. Some grew up rich. Some grew up poor. Some were always the smartest kid in class. Some struggled to do well in school. But all had one thing in common: They were born curious. Are you curious, too? Read on.

Prepare to laugh out loud at the antics of Goldilocks and The Three Bears in this illustrated chapter book for lovers of snarky humor and fractured fairy tales. "So I ate some porridge and broke a chair--get over it!" Goldilocks snipes at Bobby Bear, as Baby Bear is now calling himself. Tensions are high at the Three Bears cottage where Goldilocks--an overdramatic tween who has deluded herself into believing she''s a princess--is stranded until the Big Bad Wolf vacates the area. A hungry troll, three pigs with a home improvement show on HoGTV, and of course the Big Bad Wolf all figure into the story in this hilarious mash-up of folk and fairy tales from around the world. In chapters full of quirky and clever drawings, Bobby and Goldilocks alternate narrating the story of their hair-raising adventures. Goldilocks aka "Furless" and Bobby are constantly at one another''s throats and can''t stop interrupting each other. But despite their mutual animosity, a kind of affection develops between Bobby and Goldilocks, and they become something like friends. As Bobby explains, "I mean, annoying as she was, I didn''t want her to end up wolf kibble." Over 80 illustrations are included.

Shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Mystery “Mystery lovers will be satisfied by the plot and adults will love the curriculum and social awareness tie-ins.” —School Library Journal Eleven-year-old Luis is left looking for answers after a city-wide blackout leads him to an electrifying mystery in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from Martha Freeman. Luis Cardenal is toasting a Pop-Tart when a power outage strikes Hampton, New Jersey. Elevators and gas pumps fail right away; soon cell phones die and grocery shelves empty. Cold and in the dark, people begin to get desperate. Luis likes to know how things work, and the blackout gets him wondering: Where does the city’s electricity come from? What would cause it to shut down? No one seems to have answers, and rumors are flying. Then a slip of the tongue gives Luis and his ex-best friend Maura a clue. Brushed off by the busy police, the two sixth graders determine they are on their own. To get to the bottom of the mystery, they know they need to brave the abandoned houses of Luis’s poor neighborhood and find the homeless teen legend known as Computer Genius. What they don’t know is that someone suspects they know too much, someone who wants to keep Hampton in the dark. In this highly charged mystery, two can-do sleuths embark on a high-tech urban adventure to answer an age-old question: Who turned out the lights?

Answers many questions about participating in a march, including what to wear, how to get there, and why marching is important.

After the girls of Flowerpot Cabin leave summer camp, they face challenges as Grace is volunteered to dogsit, Emma faces loss, Olivia''s brother starts a family feud, and Lucy''s father comes back into her life. Includes cookie recipes.

Four very different girls meet at Moonlight Ranch camp and decide to remain friends all year by exchanging letters and home-made cookies, using recipes their counselor''s grandfather passed along.

"City girl Effie Starr Zook is not excited about spending the summer on her aunt and uncle''s farm in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, until she stumbles across a mystery that leads her smack into an old family feud"--

Four very different girls meet at Moonlight Ranch camp and decide to remain friends all year by exchanging letters and home-made cookies, using recipes their counselor''s grandfather passed along.

"Mark Kelly and his twin brother are back for more outer space adventure, this time fixing up an abandoned Apollo command module and taking off to rescue a Russian cosmonaut who is stranded in space."--

"Strudel, a homeless dachshund, loves listening to Jake read from Chief, Dog of the Old West at the animal shelter. When Jake decides to adopt him, Strudel vows to be as brave and loyal as Chief. Readers get a dog''s eye view as Strudel narrates this story of a dog who needed a family, and a struggling family who needed a dog."--

"In 1949 Philadephia, Mary Mouse and an orphan named Caro embark on an adventure when they team up to expose criminals and make the Cherry Street Orphanage a safe haven for mice."--Title page verso.

"Young Mark Kelly and his brother and friends decide to build a rocket over the summer when their constant bickering starts to annoy their grandfather in this middle-grade novel based on the NASA astronauts'' real childhoods"--

The President''s sleuthing daughters search for the thief of a piggy bank containing a priceless rare coin.

With the help of their rambunctious dog, Hooligan, seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cammie, daughters of the first female president, investigate when Dorothy''s ruby slippers vanish while on loan to the White House.

Sixth-grader Alex and his friend Yasmeen are on the case when ice sculptures go missing from the local First Night festivities.

When their pet cockroach disappears and then reappears wearing a tiny transmitter, seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cammie, daughters of the first female president, search for spies in the White House.

Seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cameron, daughters of the first female president--and owners of a very rambunctious dog--play detective when a baton belonging to the director of the Marine Band goes missing at the White House.

Seven-year-old Tessa and ten-year-old Cammie, the first female president''s daughters, investigate when a diamond goes missing from the collar of their very rambunctious dog.

When the recipe for his grandmother''s famous pumpkin pie suddenly vanishes right before Thanksgiving Day, Alex and his friend Yasmeen try to solve the mystery of its disappearance.

When a local businessman and baseball coach disappears just before he is to portray Uncle Sam at the start of a Memorial Day race, ten-year-old Alex and his best friend Yasmeen investigate, despite their pact to stay away from mysteries.

When teenaged Holly takes charge of a birthday celebration for her two-year-old twin brothers, she gets more than she bargains for in mayhem, madness, and mess.

When Mrs. Wow takes in a stray cow, her lazy dog and cat hope to train the new household member to catch mice and intimidate the mailman.

Alex and Yasmeen, the slueths of Chickadee Court are back in action looking for a serial catnapper.

Holly has a lot to deal with lately. Her mom has remarried and she has to get used to a new town, a new house, a new school, and a new stepdad. As if this isn’t enough, she has to share her room with four pesky cats. Or rather, they have to learn to share their room with her. Max Cat always escapes. George Cat always disappears. Wilbur Cat eats socks. And Boo Cat is always somewhere you don’t want him to be. These cats are driving Holly crazy. She can’t get her homework done, all of her socks have holes in them, and the police even pay a visit to her house all because of the cats. Can Holly and the troublesome felines ever learn to get along?

When parts of outdoor Christmas displays go missing from neighborhood yards, nine-year-old Alex and his friend Yasmeen investigate.

Holly, her mom, her new stepfather, William, and his four cats have moved into a new home--this time a real house with a backyard. There is more room for everyone, but there are also lots more opportunities for William''s cats to cause havoc. But the cats'' escapades help shy Holly meet the kids in her new neighborhood--and get caught up in their problems. Annie has to adjust to a new baby at home, and Xavier, who Holly calls Dr. X, is perfecting his new invention, a deyukkifier. In the meantime, Holly had better get ready for more changes because her mom and William are about to spring a big surprise on her.