New Releases by Mary Downing Hahn

When her widower father inherits a castlelike estate in the mountains of West Virginia, 12-year-old Jen is thrilled. It seems like a wish come true. But she quickly realizes that not all change is positive. Her dad has a mysterious new girlfriend, Moura, who slowly drives a wedge between Jen and her father. Furthermore, Moura has an unusually strong—almost obsessive—interest in the antiques that fill the mansion, especially a beautiful glass globe that Jen finds hanging in a window. When Jen’s cat accidentally breaks the globe, which Moura calls a “witch catcher,” strange things begin to happen. . . . An odd-looking girl wearing a torn dress appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and Moura’s behavior becomes more sinister, leading Jen to believe that her father is a pawn in an evil scheme. Soon Jen finds herself caught in the midst of a supernatural war, with the fate of an enchanted race—and her family—at stake. Inspired by the age-old legend of witch catchers, Mary Downing Hahn brings a magical cast of characters to life in this compelling fantasy adventure. Author’s note.

Third-grader Janey is so excited about meeting her favorite author at a literature festival that she almost ruins the day for her entire class.

On a cold, snowy night, Haswell Magruder makes a decision that will have a profound effect on his own life as well as the lives of all those he loves. A wounded Confederate soldier appears at the family’s Virginia farm, and Haswell convinces his mother and sister to take the man in, despite the certain repercussions if the enemy Yankees were to catch them in such a “traitorous” act. Unfortunately, this is precisely what happens, setting off a horrific chain of events that leaves Haswell’s mother dead and the farmhouse burned to the ground. After leading his younger sister to safety with relatives, Haswell sets out on his journey in search of his older brother, a Confederate soldier. His quest is also a passage into manhood, as he experiences the last bloody days of the Civil War. Skillful storytelling, well-developed characters, and a fast-paced plot distinguish this compelling family story by an award-winning author.

Anna is thrilled when she receives an invitation to leave hot, sticky Baltimore and visit her aunt and uncle on their farm, where she’ll be able to go barefoot, swim in the pond, and drink fresh-squeezed lemonade. But when she arrives, she’s greeted by an unpleasant surprise: her uncle’s nephew, Theodore, who delights in teasing her mercilessly about her city ways. Anna refuses to let Theodore get the best of her, though, and in a series of suspenseful adventures and hilarious mishaps she proves that she isn’t just a city slicker, after all. In this lively sequel to Anna All Year Round, award-winning author Mary Downing Hahn again draws on her own mother’s childhood experiences just before World War I. The result is a gathering of humorous, heartwarming episodes filled with both the delights and difficulties that have always accompanied the journey of growing up.

Gordy wasn''t happy to move back to his old hometown of College Hill, Maryland where everyone knew his troubled family history. Things were much better in North Carolina. Can Gordy make it or will he slip back to his old ways.

Eight-year-old Anna enjoys one exciting experience after another in this charming story set in Baltimore just before World War I. She gets a new winter coat that''s even better than Rosa''s, rollerskates down the steepest hill in the neighborhood, and rides the trolley all by herself. And she delights in the changes occurring in the world around her, as motorcars and electric lights appear for the first time on her street. Based on the childhood experiences of the author''s mother, these heartwarming episodes touch on timeless themes of family, friends, and the wonders of growing up.

The sequel to the award-winning Stepping on the Cracks. “Sometimes heart-rending, sometimes funny, Gordy Smith will prove memorable to all who meet him.”—Booklist (starred review) In Following My Own Footsteps, sixth-grader Gordy Smith comes to grips with the fear that he’ll turn out no better than his abusive father . . . With his father now in jail and one brother hospitalized, Gordy’s mother has no choice but to take the family to their wealthy grandmother’s house in North Carolina. There Gordy meets William, a boy who had polio and is now wheelchair bound. Though they become friends, Gordy’s plans to help William fail spectacularly. Matters only get worse when Gordy’s father is released from prison and his mother is poised to give him a second chance. Gordy must decide where he belongs—with his dysfunctional parents or with the grandma who is more than his match in toughness, in courage, and in love. “A cast of unforgettable characters inhabit this work, seasoned with WW II setting but utterly contemporary in its concerns. Hahn is in top form, proving through Gordy’s first-person narration that real love can triumph over all kinds of adversity, and often does.”—Kirkus Reviews “The complex characterizations, period setting and Gordy’s brave attempts to break a cycle of violence will hold readers’ interest.”—Publishers Weekly “It’s a timeless social issue really, in any era, of having a dysfunctional abusive parent . . . A very good story showcasing complex friendships, familial relationships, and inner conflict, all set in WW2 America.”—Cats and Fiction

With her faithful dog Caesar, 12-year-old Eliza Yates heads for Colorado to find her father, who left years ago to seek his fortune. Along the eay, Eliza puts on a boy''s clothes, chops off her braids, and transforms herself into Elijah Bates. When "Eli" teams up with young Calvin Featherbone, none of their adventures turns out quite as expected.

Mauvais été en perspective : Kathleen est obligée de le passer avec sa cousine Fay qui lui a toujours témoigné le plus souverain mépris...

As author Jessica and artist Daphne collaborate on a picture book for a seventh-grade English class contest, Jessica becomes aware of conditions in Daphne''s home life that seem to threaten her health and safety. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Mary Downing Hahn''s latest ghost story is a fascinating tale of a unique friendship between two boys whose lives are eerily intertwined. Andrew can feel the presence of his ancestors in Great-Aunt Blythe''s old house. His fantasies of ghosts and the past become all too real when another Andrew, who lived at the beginning of the century and died young, appears.

Although they share a love of poetry and problems with their parents, a shy high school senior''s attraction to a popular classmate is tempered by her fear of his moody, self-destructive side.

Forced to accompany their parents on their honeymoon in Spain, new stepsisters Amy and Felix find the animosity between them escalating especially when Felix''s boasting about family wealth to a stranger results in the kidnapping of the girls and their little brother.

Forced to accompany their parents on their honeymoon in Spain, new stepsisters Amy and Felix find the animosity between them escalating, especially when Felix''s boasting about family wealth to Grace, the mysterious world traveler, results in the kidnapping of the girls and their younger brother.

When Matt and Parker learn the body they found in Indian Creek is a drug-related death, they fear Parkers''s mother may be involved.

Tallahassee Higgins enjoys the vagabond lifestyle she lives with her free-spirited mother, but when Mother goes to Los Angeles to try her luck in TV and movies, Tallahassee is placed with her uncle whose conventional suburban lifestyle makes her question her mother''s values--and her own.

When Clint, a handsome, mysterious stranger, rents a room in Madigan''s grandmother''s house, Madigan becomes convinced that he is the father she''s never met.

After Ashley and Kristi find an antique doll buried in old Miss Cooper''s garden, they discover that they can enter a ghostly turn-of-the-nineteenth-century world by going through a hole in the hedge.

Beware of Helen... Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we''re stuck with her...our "poor stepsister" who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire. But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend, out in the graveyard behind our home -- a girl named Helen who died with her family in a mysterious fire over a hundred years ago. Now her ghost returns to lure children into the pond...to drown! I don''t want to believe in ghosts, but I''ve followed Heather into the graveyard and watch her talk to Helen. And I''m terrified. Not for myself, but for Heather...

When economic reasons cause two families to merge into a crowded household on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, more personal problems exacerbate the tense living conditions.

Forthright, domineering Sara shows Emily how to speak up for herself and what she likes, but as a result Emily finds herself having to take a stand against Sara.

An unusual tale of suspense and witchcraft in which Laura discovers that good intentions can sometimes have frightening consequences.

Laura tells an old woman of her wish that her parents were back together again, without realizing that she is speaking to a real witch.

Jubelnd begrüßt das Volk König Artus mit seiner Braut Gwinneth - die ideale Gelegneheit für Modreds Mutter die Braut zu entführen. Und während Lancelot den beiden folgt sammelt Modred seine Krieger zum Angriff auf Camelot ...