New Releases by Patricia Reilly

It''s the first day back to school after winter vacation, and Richard Best is off to a bad start. Who ever heard of a January without any snow? And as usual, he has already forgotten something--the ruler Ms. Rooney had told him to bring for dinosaur day. Luckily Richard finds a ruler in his desk--with a dinosaur''s initials--and he''s sure the ruler is special. And then he finds out it has magic powers. All his wishes begin to come true: Snow stars falling, he remembers to do his homework, and the bully Drake Evans gets sick. But now with Drake sick in bed, Richard begins to worry. His only hope is the magic ruler--but it''s gone. What will help him?

It''s almost Thanksgiving, and Richard Best can''t stop thinking about Ms. Rooney''s Candy Corn contest. Whoever can guess the exact number of yellow-and-orange candies in the jar on Ms. Roney''s desk gets to keep them all. The only problem is Richard has to read a page in a library book for each guess. Smelly Matthew, who sits in front of him, knows they''ll never win. "We''re the worst readers in the class, " he says. But Richard won''t give up. He can already taste those Candy Corns. And before he knows it, he has. Three fat juicy ones. What will Ms. Rooney do when she finds out?

Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic above his grandfather Mack’s room, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped. There are lots of other words, but Sam has always had trouble reading. He’s desperate to find out who he is, and if his beloved Mack is really his grandfather. At night he’s haunted by dreams of a big castle and a terrifying escape on a boat. Who can he trust to help him read the documents that could unravel the mystery? Then he and the new girl, Caroline, are paired up to work on a school project, building a castle in Mack’s woodworking shop. Caroline loves to read, and she can help. But she’s moving soon, and the two must hurry to discover the truth about Sam.

The children in Ms. Rooney''s room are supposed to be writing about real people, but writing is Beast''s worst subject.

It's August, and Emily has big plans at the library. She's going to read lots of books and tack a paper fish next to her name for each one. Then Dawn Bosco says she can read more books than Emily. Not only that, both Emily and Dawn want to keep Pickle Puss, a stray cat thay found. They decide that whoever reads the most books can keep cat. When Emily adds a fish for a book she read along time ago, she has one more fish than Dawn. She knows she's cheating, but she wants to keep the cat. What a pickle she's in.

Brooklyn, 1875: Bird Mallon lives on Water Street where you can see the huge towers of the bridge to Manhattan being built. Bird wants nothing more in life than to be brave enough to be a healer, like her mother, Nory, to help her sister Annie find love, and to convince her brother, Hughie, to stop fighting for money with his street gang. And of course, she wishes that a girl would move into the empty apartment upstairs so that she can have a new friend close by. But Thomas Neary and his Pop move in upstairs. Thomas who writes about his life in his journal--his father who spends each night at the Tavern down the street, the mother he wishes he had, and the Mallon family downstairs that he desperately wants to be a part of. Thomas, who has a secret that only Bird suspects, and who turns out to be the best friend Bird could ever have.

A lively soccer story by the award-winning Patricia Reilly Giff

We will dance on the cliffs of Brooklyn. Maggie’s Door is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, two different stories with the same destination—the home of Nory’s sister Maggie, at 416 Smith Street, Brooklyn, America. Patricia Reilly Giff calls upon her long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to Nory Ryan’s Song.

During World War II, after moving with her parents to Willow Run, Michigan, when her father gets a job in the B-24 bomber-building factory, eleven-year-old Meggie learns about different kinds of bravery from all of the people around her.

When thirteen-year-old Dina emigrates from Germany to America in 1871, her only wish is to return home as soon as she can, but as the months pass and she survives a multitude of hardships living with her uncle and his young wife and baby, she finds herself thinking of Brooklyn as her home.

We will dance on the cliffs of Brooklyn. Maggie’s Door is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, two different stories with the same destination—the home of Nory’s sister Maggie, at 416 Smith Street, Brooklyn, America. Patricia Reilly Giff calls upon her long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to Nory Ryan’s Song.

It’s August 1941, and Brick and Mariel both love the Brooklyn Dodgers. Brick listens to their games on the radio in Windy Hill, in upstate New York, where his family has an apple orchard; Mariel, once a polio patient in the hospital in Windy Hill, lives in Brooklyn near the Dodgers’ home, Ebbets Field. She was adopted by Loretta, a nurse at the hospital, and has never known what happened to her own mother. Someday, somehow, she plans to return to Windy Hill and find out. When a fire destroys their orchard, Brick’s parents must leave the farm to find work. They send him to live in Brooklyn with their friend Loretta, even though Brick knows that their elderly neighbors need his help to pick what’s left of the apples. The only good thing about Brooklyn is seeing the Dodgers play–that, and his friendship with Mariel. Maybe, together, they’ll find a way to return to Windy Hill, save the harvest, and learn the truth about Mariel’s past.

This “brilliantly told” (New York Times) Newbery Honor Book gives readers a sense of what it was like to be on the American home front while our soldiers were away fighting in World War II. As in past years, Lily will spend the summer in Rockaway, in her family’s summer house by the Atlantic Ocean. But this summer of 1944, World War II has changed everyone’s life. Lily’s best friend, Margaret, has moved to a wartime factory town, and, much worse, Lily’s father is going overseas to the war. There’s no one Lily’s age in Rockaway until the arrival of Albert, a refugee from Hungary with a secret sewn into his coat. Albert has lost most of his family in the war; he’s been through things Lily can’t imagine. But soon they form a special friendship. Now Lily and Albert have secrets to share: They both have told lies, and Lily has told one that may cost Albert his life.

Assisted by her cat Max, sixth grader Minnie starts up her new detective agency by investigating a kidnapping and a thief who will steal anything, even a hot stove.

Simple Spanish lessons are incorporated into this story about Sarah's surprise birthday party for Anna.

Emily is stuck with crybaby Jill Simon as her "secret Pal" to be kind to for the whole month of December.

Attending an art show with artist Senora Sanchez, where she is featured in one of the artist''s paintings, Sarah is dismayed when Senora Sanchez''s dog runs away in the middle of everything, setting off a search through New York City.

Ms. Rooney's class must decide which of their pets to bring to school for Pet Week.

Wow! Washinton, D.C.! Ms. Rooney's whole class gets to go on a two-day trip to the nation's capital. They'll see all kinds of great sights--the Washington Monument, the National Air and Space Museum, the zoo, and lots more. But when the day of the trip comes, things don't turn out right for Emily. She gets stuck with a yucko partner. Not only that, but she's forgotten something very important. How will she ever have fun on this trip? Luckily, there are plenty of surprises in store for Emily and the rest of the Polk Street Kids that make this trip an unforgettable one. Plus, at the end of the story, there's a kids' guide to all the best museums, government buildings, monuments, and other sights in Washington, DC.

Ronald Morgan is afraid he won't get a medal at camp because he's not especially good at swimming or running or singing, but on Medal Day he discovers what he is really good at.

When the uniforms borrowed for the St. Patrick's Day Parade turn out to be too old and too big, Michelle Swoop tries to find a way to save the day for the Lincoln Lions Band.

When Beast tries to move the huge rabbit on wheels onto the stage for the spring assembly, it falls over and rolls away. Can he get it back where it belongs in time for the big show?

Emily Arrow needs to think of a good Mother's Day present to give to her mother.

Matthew's family move from New York to Ohio is difficult enough as they leave behind good frinds and memories, but the disappearance of their cat and a neighbor boy so tough he's called the "Wall" add to Matthew's anxieties.

Although he can't hit or catch, Ronald Morgan loves to play baseball.

Fifth-grader Cliffie feels that nothing has been right in his life since his parents got their divorce and his front teeth began growing out over his lower lip.

Tired of being compared with her popular older sister, Casey decides she will make herself over.

With three people claiming ownership and not many clues to go on, Dawn Bosco faces a tough mystery when she attempts to identify the rightful owner of the shiny red purse she finds in the schoolyard.

When his class is selected to put on "The Darkest Dungeon," it is Ronald Morgan who saves the day--& the play