New Releases by Mary Jane Auch

Starstruck by her dream of becoming a famous ballerina, Poulette the hen is nearly taken in by a slick talent scout (a fox) who offers her the lead in his production of "Peeping Beauty."

"The expressive narrator charms the listener by impersonating the characters...Short segments of music and brief sound effects add interest." - Booklist

Henrietta is a reader and a writer, unusual traits for a chicken, but when her book is published and she is invited to the Children''s Book Festival, only the local librarian believes she is the author.

Branded the class loser, 12-year-old Basil reluctantly becomes friends with a bossy new girl who like Basil, has synesthesia and comes to Basil''s aid when his estranged mother returns and turns his life upside down.

Henrietta loves to read. When she clucks buk, buk, buk at the library, the librarian knows exactly what to recommend. Then Henrietta decides to write a book. With the help of her three aunties, she hatches a plot. But when Henrietta publishes her story, the critics say she''s laid an egg! Is this the end of Henrietta''s career as an author?

A funny and moving middle-grade novel for dog lovers by popular author Mary Jane Auch. Other dogs are K-9s. But K-10 is a cut above other dogs, and his mother gave hime the name to prove it when he was a puppy. Now K-10 is grown up and all on his own, because K-10 doesn''t need friends--canine or human. He spends his time running away from owners and doing time in dog shelters, and that''s just fine with him. But after K-10 escapes from a shelter with some other dogs, everything changes. These new dogs aren''t so easy to forget, and all they can bark about is finding old and new owners. Will K-10 go back to being a loner, or can this not-so-old dog learn a new trick--friendship?

There''s no way a little thing like losing his hand will keep Norm from trying out for baseball.

When Lance, a very pretentious turkey, arrives on the farm and boasts that he is the only bird invited to a special feast, no hen is impressed, but when Beauty learns that Lance is the main course, she convinces the others to save him.

"Grady, can you pick up that wing nut for me?" "The what?" "The wing nut I just dropped. It has two little projections on it that look like wings. It fell into that patch of grass." Grady dropped to his knees and felt through the grass until he found it. He couldn''t help smiling about the name--wing nut. That was the perfect description of Charlie Fernwald and his crazy attraction to birds. Sometimes "home" is found where you least expect it Grady Flood and his mom, Lila, have been on the road ever since Grady''s dad died seven years ago. When their old car breaks down, they find themselves stranded in rural Pennsylvania where Lila gets work as a cook and caretaker. There''s nothing out of the ordinary in that, unless you factor in her new employer. Eighty-five-year-old Charlie Fernwald, a skilled mechanic and bird enthusiast, is definitely out of the ordinary. In fact, if Grady''s not mistaken, Charlie is a certifiable "wing nut." Grady and Lila plan to leave as soon as they have enough money to repair their car. For the time being, Grady figures, he can help Charlie with his birds and maybe even learn how to fix a car engine. But before he can do either, something goes terribly wrong. In her warm and engaging style, MJ Auch crafts a compelling novel about family, forgiveness, and the true meaning of home.

When Chickerella''s new stepmother and stepsisters, Ovumelda and Cholestera, move in, life in the chicken coop takes a turn for the worse. Forced to cook and clean for her new family, Chickerella won''t even be able to attend the Fowl Ball, that is, until her Fairy Goosemother appears. The unusually stylish Chickerella dazzles the prince in her eggsquisite gown, but at the stroke of midnight she must race home before the spell is over. Will the prince ever be able to find his love? Only a glass egg remains as a clue to her identity.

Whoooooo! A tall ghostly being is frightening the farm animals right out of the barn. It could only be the legendary "Poultrygeist." The animals are terrified to sleep inside the barn, but they''re freezing out in the yard. What shold they do? It''s up to two smart-aleck roosters who suspect fowl play to uncover the surprising secret behind the Halloween haunting in this hilarious tale.

Believe it or not–and you better believe it–Josh’s dog Arful can talk! This is very useful to Josh and his pals who want to win the school talent contest. First the boys have to find out what the girls are planning for the contest. That’s when they send Arful to get an earful by spying on the girls. Just wait until show time to see what Arful the spy uncovers.

When Henrietta becomes the first chicken in her coop to learn how to read, she uses her skills to save her aunties from becoming chicken soup.

Sixteen-year-old Margaret Rose Nolan, newly arrived from Ireland, finds work at New York City''s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory shortly before the 1911 fire in which 146 employees died.

In 1817, after her mother has died and her father abandoned his children, thirteen-year-old Mem searches for a new home for Joshua, herself, and their little sister.

An out-of-work princess applies to become the bride of Prince Drupert, but first she must pass several tests, including a cooking contest.

Includes: "The Easter Egg Farm" & "Eggs Mark the Spot."

It sure is handy having Brian the Brain for a best friend—how else would Josh have a shot at first prize in the science fair and winning tickets to Wonderland Lake? But when Brian plans to hypnotize his dog, Arfie, into thinking he’s a cat, Josh knows he can say goodbye to Wonderland Lake—this scheme will never work. The next thing he knows, Josh is climbing trees and craving raw fish sandwiches. What’s going on? Will the real science project please meow?

In 1816, twelve-year-old Mem''s new home in the wilderness of western New York is disrupted when the birth of another baby sends her mother into "spells" that disconnect her from reality.

In the spring of 1815, Remembrance "Mem" Nye and her family set off in a covered wagon from their farm in Connecticut to the western New York wilderness. Mem and her mother see it as a journey to nowhere since there won''t be any houses or neighbors, just endless forest. Their journey is filled with the uncertain danger of wild animals, raging storms, and cruel strangers. When Mem is unexpectedly separated from her family, she must face every danger alone while hoping to find her family again.

Tired of the bragging of Percival the peacock, Poulette convinces the other hens in the barnyard that they can outperform the boastful bird in a ballet she creates.

Pauline, the hen, uses her talents to help capture a thief.

Problems develop when Sam''s mother has to go to work and leaves their dog Amber alone all day.

When her new stepfather imposes restrictions on her daily life, and her best friend prepares to move to Cleveland, Natalie takes drastic steps to stem the tide of change in her life.

The sudden and shocking revelation that Katy''s mother was adopted estranges the two of them from the Whitmarsh family and sends them on a search for their "real" family, forcing Katy to adjust to bizarre but intriguing new relatives.

After his father remarries, twelve-year-old Jeremy begins to feel that there is no place for him in a family which now includes a stepsister his age who is a superb athlete.

Jenna objects to her mother''s new boyfriend, a wacky weatherman, and exerts every effort to prevent his becoming her new father.

An eleven-year-old adopted child realizes that being an only child has its advantages when her mother becomes pregnant after years of sterility.

An elderly uncle given to occasional bouts of confusion causes the Andersons to wonder if they are able to care for him or if he should be sent to a nursing home.