Most Popular Books by Paul Fleischman

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.

"This fantastical picture book, like its hero, is bursting at the seams with creativity. . . . a vigorous shot in the arm to nonconformists everywhere" — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Enter the witty, intriguing world of Weslandia! Now that school is over, Wesley needs a summer project. He’s learned that each civilization needs a staple food crop, so he decides to sow a garden and start his own — civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn’t long before his neighbors and classmates develop more than an idle curiosity about Wesley — and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation.

A vacant lot, rat-infested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hard-packed soil to plant her precious bean seeds. Suddenly, the soil holds promise: To Curtis, who believes he can win back Lateesha''s heart with a harvest of tomatoes; to Virgil''s dad, who sees a fortune to be made from growing lettuce; and even to Maricela, sixteen and pregnant, wishing she were dead. Thirteen very different voices -- old, young, Haitian, Hispanic, tough, haunted, and hopeful -- tell one amazing story about a garden that transforms a neighborhood. Chosen as a state and citywide read in communities across the country: Vermont Racine, WI Tampa, FL Newburgh, NY Boca Raton, FL

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

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.

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.

Written to be read aloud by two voices -- sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous -- here is a collection of irresistible poems that celebrate the insect world, from the short life of the mayfly to the love song of the book louse. Funny, sad, loud, and quiet, each of these poems resounds with a booming, boisterous, joyful noise. In this remarkable volume of poetry for two voices, a companion to I Am Phoenix,Paul Fleischman verbally re-creates the "Booming/boisterios/joyful noise" of insects. The poems resound with the pulse of the cicada and the drone of the honeybee. Eric Beddows''s vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way. Paul Fleischman has created not only a clear and fascinating guide to the insect world -- from chrysalid butterflies to whirligig beetles -- but an exultant celebration of life.

A Civil War drama told in sixteen voices, this ‘is a heartbreaking and remarkably vivid portrait of a war that remains our nation’s bloodiest conflict.… Fleischman’s artistry is nothing short of astounding.’ —Publishers Weekly. ‘Fleischman has done what he does best—create a unique piece of fiction with echoes of his poetry throughout.’ —H. ‘Outstanding… unforgettable as historical fiction… an important book for every library.’ —SLJ. Notable Children''s Books of 1994 (ALA) 1994 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) 1994 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book) Best Books of 1993 (SLJ) 1993 Books for Youth Editors'' Choices (BL) 1994 Teachers'' Choices (IRA) Notable 1994 Childrens'' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) 1994 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE) 1994 Scott O''Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children 1993 Choices: The Year''s Best Books (Publishers Weekly) Children''s Books of 1993 (Library of Congress) 1994 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) 100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1994 (NY Public Library) 1994 Silver Medal for Literature (Commonwealth Club of California) 1994 Anne Izard Storytellers'' Choice Award Winner (Westchester, NY Library System)

A young girl watches as the activities across the street from her bus stop become a circus.

Sixteen-year-old Courtney, paralyzed in an accident, learns about the power of the mind from an elderly blind woman who takes her on an imaginary journey to Italy using a 1910 guidebook.

A twelve-year-old mute boy sets off to find his mother in a blizzard, and becomes the captive of an evil woman in the Half-a-Moon Inn. ‘A suspenseful tale with archetypal characters and a haunting atmosphere. . . . The brisk pace and steady accumulation of events build tension, while Fleischman''s fine writing begs to be read aloud." —BL. 1980 Children''s Reviewers'' Choices (BL) Notable Books of the Year 1980 (NYT) 1980 Golden Kite Award Honor Book for Fiction (SCBW) Children''s Books of 1980 (Library of Congress) 1980 Silver Medal for Literature (Commonwealth Club of California)

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.

Jack the B. April/03.

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?

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.

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.

A grandmother tells a story about a young girl who uses her wits and what is available to her to help her survive when she is lost in the snow. Includes instructions for creating a number of string figures mentioned in the story.

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.

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.

Three tales of mystery, comic misadventures, and dark deeds focus on what happens to people who put their trust and faith in graven images. A Newbery Honor Book. Simultaneous.

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.

Miss Pym''s class is in for a comic adventure beyond their wildest dreams. They''ve boarded the Rocky Mountain Unlimited, a mysterious train that''s winding its way into the heart of prehistoric times. Join the class-and a horrified Miss Pym-as they scramble dinosaur egg for breakfast, go stegosaurus-back riding and pterodactyl gliding, and play soccer with their giant reptilian friends.

While visiting the county fair, a brother and sister are enthralled by a shadow puppet show presentation of "Beauty and the Beast" in which all the shadows are made by one man.

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

At first light the finches are flitting about the trees Flittering fluttering flit purple finches flit Fluttering flittering fly painted finches fly. In this companion volume to Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, the winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal, Paul Fleischman celebrates the sound, the sense, the essence of birds. Written to be spoken aloud by two voices, sometimes alternating, sometimes simultaneous, these poems perfectly capture the beauty of birds in their singing, soaring, and rejoicing.

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

In this companion to Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal, Newbery Medal winner Paul Fleischman and Julie Paschkis turn to the universal story of creation. In the beginning there was only darkness. . . . There was fire and ice. . . . There was a single drop of milk. Combining elements of the creation story from different traditions, this narrative weaves together one complete picture of how the world began. First Light, First Life is a celebration of the many and varied peoples of the earth, of their commonalities and their differences. It is a celebration of life. Learn more about the creation of First Light, First Life: https://booksaroundthetable.wordpress.com/2016/09/30/first-light-first-life/ http://www.paulfleischman.net/bio.htm#FirstLightArticle

Although his nearsightedness causes difficulties, Finzel the Far-Sighted is blessed with the ability to see into the future.

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.

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

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.

Follows a girl''s perusal of her great-grandfather''s collection of matchboxes and small curios that document his poignant immigration journey from Italy to a new country.

When Jack goes to sea, his parents watch as the tree planted at his birth reflects his fortunes and misfortunes.

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

En un lote bald o donde los vecinos arrojan basura y desperdicios. un domingo de abril, una ni a de origen vietnamita, limpia un peque o espacio y siembra un pu ado de frijoles. Sin quererlo pone en marcha un ciclo en que la comunidad poco a poco va dejando su habitual aislamiento y desconfianza, Para participar en la creaci n de un huerto colectivo.