New Releases by Paul Fleischman

In this expertly crafted story from Newbery Medal–winning author Paul Fleischman, a fourth-grade class takes the journey of a lifetime from the comfort of their own classroom as they follow the flightpath of a small (but mighty) bird—with full-color illustrations by Hannah Salyer Every afternoon with their heads down and eyes closed, a fourth-grade class embarks on an imaginative migration journey alongside the bird they are studying. Guided by the voice of their teacher in the cool sanctuary of the classroom, the students travel all the way from Brazil to their hometown in Wisconsin. Along the way, they encounter weather, predators, setbacks, and loss. As their imaginations soar, the children begin to relate with their subject; they, too, need rest; have a hard time holding still; and have dodged a bully or two. At the journey’s end, the class has learned much more than science and geography—they have learned to fly. In this transcendent picture book, Newberry Medal–winning author Paul Fleischman weaves together a story rich with information, connection, and empathy.

“Instantly engrossing, free of self-pity, and resonant with resilience and gratitude . . . A powerful introduction to the American immigrant story.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) When a little girl visits her great-grandfather, she asks about the collection of matchboxes harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write: the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman and acclaimed illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline tell a breathtaking immigration tale with appeal across generations.

Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman reflects on his childhood with his award-winning father, Sid Fleischman, and details his own path to becoming a writer in this memorable book that is part memoir, part travelogue, and part reflection on craft and creativity. No Map, Great Trip is an excellent choice for aspiring authors, language arts classrooms, and fans of Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic. Acclaimed author Paul Fleischman considers how growing up with a father who was an award-winning author helped to shape and inspire his own career. Paul and Sid Fleischman are the only father-son Newbery Medalists in history, and life in the Fleischman home was extraordinary. Readers will feel like part of the family in this humorous and aspirational chronicle. Paul Fleischman is the author of the Newbery Award-winning Joyful Noise and the classroom classic Seedfolks, as well as many other acclaimed and beloved titles. His books are taught and performed in classrooms across the country. Part memoir, part travelogue (young Paul travels from California to New Hampshire by himself), part writing book, and part reflection on art and creativity, this inspirational book includes black-and-white photographs, as well as writing tips and prompts just right for budding authors. No Map, Great Trip is a great gift for young writers, language arts teachers, and fans of Jack Prelutsky’s Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry and Ralph Fletcher’s A Writer’s Notebook.

Drawing from African, Asian and European folklore Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child: A Worldwide Jack and the Beanstalk Story retells the classic fairy tale in a single narrative through multiple world cultures. The story of a child confronting a man-eating giant or witch is told the world over. These heroes go by many names and might be normal in size or no bigger than a thumb. Though they''re often scorned for being the youngest and smallest, they''re well-armed with cleverness and courage. In this companion to Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal, Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman and illustrator Julie Paschkis combine elements of this story from different traditions—Jack and the Beanstalk, Tom Thumb, Kihuo, Vasilisa—to create one narrative, one complete picture of a small boy''s triumph.

Cue the lights for a nonstop farce that juxtaposes seven different plays--performed simultaneously--with a comic genius reminiscent of masters from Monty Python to the Marx Brothers. Combing spot-on parodies of Anton Chekhov, Agatha Christie, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, Neil Simon, and performance art, and throwing in scenes from "Richard III " for good measure, "Zap" mixes genres and story lines with the same speed that we flick through channels and navigate browser windows. In the ten years since "Zap" was first published, Paul Fleischman has spoken to many of the producers, actors, and directors who have brought his hilarious and insightful play to life. With their feedback in mind, he presents this fine-tuned, newly revised edition of a play that comically explores the collision of narratives that occurs on our screens every day and rings true now more than ever.

Paul Fleischman offers teens an environmental wake-up call and a tool kit for decoding the barrage of conflicting information confronting them. We''re living in an Ah-Ha moment. Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never before seen. The downsides weren''t visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking — suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It''s a changed world. This book explains it. Not with isolated facts, but the principles driving attitudes and events, from vested interests to denial to big-country syndrome. Because money is as important as molecules in the environment, science is joined with politics, history, and psychology to provide the briefing needed to comprehend the 21st century. Extensive back matter, including a glossary, bibliography, and index, as well as numerous references to websites, provides further resources.

Eighty-eight-year old Elva and Courtney, an attractive sixteen-year-old with a severed spinal cord, lie in adjacent beds in a grim Bismarck, North Dakota convalescent home. Ignored by the world, the only resource they have left is their imagination. As Elva and Courtney go on a fantasy trip to Italy (accompanied by Elva''s long dead husband and guided by a 1910 travel book), Elva shows Courtney a new way to envision love. But to accept it, and the gift of the imagination, Courtney must make the trip her own--even if she destroys the art Elva holds most dear. Written entirely in dialogue, The Mind''s Eye can be performed as reader''s theater, but it is a fully satisfying novel. In this extraordinarily innovative, profound, and yet readable book Paul Fleischman makes us all feel what a powerful--and dangerous--tool the imagination can be.

From the Newbery Medal-winning author of Seedfolks, Paul Fleischman, Joyful Noise is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrates the insect world. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a booming, boisterous, joyful noise. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. They can be fully appreciated by an individual reader, but they''re particularly striking when read aloud by two voices, making this an ideal pick for classroom use. Eric Beddows′s vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way. With Joyful Noise, Paul Fleischman created not only a fascinating guide to the insect world but an exultant celebration of life.

Winner of the Scott O''Dell Award for Historical Fiction * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * ALA Notable Children''s Book In this brilliant fictional tour de force, which the New York Times called "a deft, poignant novel," Newbery Medal-winning author Paul Fleischman re-creates the first great battle of the Civil War from the points of view of sixteen participants. Northern and Southern, male and female, white and black. Here are voices that tell of the dreams of glory, the grim reality, the hopes, horror, and folly of a nation discovering the true nature of war.

Aaron has never left alone before. He is mute, and depends on his mother for everything. But tomorrow Aaron will be twelve years old, old enough to stay home by himself while his mother goes to town. Everything will be fine, as long as he stays close to the house. And if there''s trouble, Aaron can write what he needs to say. Trouble there is aplenty. When a terrible blizzard keeps his mother from returning home, Aaron sets out to search for her—but he stumbles upon the mysterious Half-a-Moon Inn, where the crafty Miss Grackle forces him to work for her. How can Aaron stop her from carrying out her devilish schemes—before it''s too late?

ALA Best Book for Young Adults ∙ School Library Journal Best Book ∙ Publishers Weekly Best Book ∙ IRA/CBC Children''s Choice ∙ NCTE Notable Children''s Book in the Language Arts A Vietnamese girl plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads. Newbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden''s founding and first year. The book''s short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country. Seedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in ESL classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from South Africa to Broadway. The book''s many tributaries—from the author''s immigrant grandfather to his adoption of two brothers from Mexico—are detailed in his forthcoming memoir, No Map, Great Trip: A Young Writer''s Road to Page One. "The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains." —Christian Science Monitor And don’t miss Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the Newbery Medal-winning poetry collection!

It is December 1681, and the words of Mr. Baggot, the tithingman, terrify young William. William is living a strange double life. By day he is a printer''s apprentice living in a white man''s house. By night, he is Weetasket of the Narraganset tribe who must risk Baggot''s wrath to search for his lost brother. Then comes the winter celebration of the Saturnalia—the ancient Roman holiday on which masters and slaves trade roles. Will William''s secrets be revealed? And what dark deeds of others will be brought to light on this fateful night?

Mothers give birth in the borning room. The dying take their departure there. Outside the Lott family''s Ohio farmhouse, the Civil War rages, slavery falls, and the world marvels at the wonder of electricity. Inside, within the walls of the borning room, Georgina Lott will experience her life''s greatest turnings. Across the years, she discovers womanhood and first love, experiences the mourning that comes with loss, and, as did her mother and grandmother, at last takes her place in the room as another precious life is about to begin.

Welcome to Cliffside High, the school of your nightmares. It''s run by the Huns, a ruthless clique of rich students—and, as poor Charity Chase discovers, messing with them can be murder. There''s Tiffany, avid reader of every beauty magazine available; Brooke, desperate for a date; Danielle, Al Capone in Miss America''s body, with her sights set firmly on a millionaire''s son Drew. Unfortunately, like every other boy at Cliffside, Drew only has eyes for Helga, the ravishing new student from Norway ... wherever that may be. As far as Danielle is concerned, Helga could be from another world. In fact, if she doesn''t lay off Drew—she just might be. Getting rid of her ought to be as easy as taking candy off a helpless old lady. Only something weird is happening to Danielle and her friends, something much nastier than the horror stories she loves to read, something that can only be described as a fate totally worse than death.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia hasn’t seen her father since she was eight months old. But when he summons her out of the blue, Olivia travels cross country to New Hampshire to meet him. That summer, she learns to adapt to rural life and to try to understand her reclusive father. The next summer, following high school graduation, she returns to recreate her father’s seventy-mile annual bike ride—reflecting on her own personal journey to understand the true meaning of love and kinship. When Olivia is summoned by her father, a man she barely remembers, to determine whether she is worthy of inheriting his legacy, she embarks on a personal odyssey that teaches her the true meaning of love and kinship.

The Dunderheads--a gang of misfits with unique and unusual talents--come to the aid of one of their own when Spider is falsely arrested for stealing jewelry.

Junkyard, Einstein, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, Hollywood, Spitball, Clips, and Google-Eyes team up to try to outwit their teacher Miss Breakbone.

After being forced to sell the animals he loves, a farmer cuts his hedge to look like them and teaches his sons about following their hearts.

The author draws from a variety of folk traditions to put together this version of Cinderella, including elements from Mexico, Iran, Korea, Russia, Appalachia, and more.

Offers a retelling of the story of the Trojan War illustrated with collages featuring newspaper clippings of modern events from World War I through the Iraq War.

Rob becomes obsessed with searching the airwaves for his long-gone father, a radio announcer.

This National Book Award finalist is now in paperback. Growing up in foster care, Del pens a one-woman play about a Los Angeles traffic jam, providing readers with a backstage pass into a young playwright''s psyche as her play parallels her own life.

Out of school for the summer, Wesley decides start his own civilization in a garden. As Wesley experiments, he finds the plant grown from an unknown seed provides food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. Illustrations.

Provides young readers with a colorfully illlustrated picture book of poems about conversation, talk, and gossip.

Selections from anthropological writings are paired with photographs of twentieth-century people engaged in similar activities.

While traveling to each corner of the country to build a whirligig in memory of the girl whose death he caused, sixteen-year-old Brian finds forgiveness and atonement.

A poem for four voices, in which generations of ghosts gather to watch a family eat a holiday dinner, verbally drooling over every piece of food and grumbling at the way mortals rush through their meal.

Lep, an apprentice to a doctor, helps his master take care of yellow fever victims in Philadelphia during the epidemic of 1793.

An account of the 1834 cross-continental journey of naturalist John Townsend and his many discoveries, including the warbler that bears his name.