New Releases by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

“An undeniably enjoyable read.” —Booklist “A charming sequel.” —School Library Journal Roxie and the Hooligans are back and this time, Smoky Jo is swiped by a kidnapper who is as blunder-prone as Roxie, Uncle Dangerfoot, and Lord Thistlebottom are clever. Roxie is back! And that means the Hooligans are not far behind. The last time we saw the lot of them, they were being honored as town heroes for thwarting a bank robbery. Now these friends find more trouble afoot…that is, Uncle Dangerfoot to be exact. Roxie’s most beloved uncle is taking her on vacation to a beach house, and of course the Hooligans sneak along. But their little beach vacation is not what it seems when the Hooligans unveil the secret invention Uncle Dangerfoot has been hiding from his nemesis, who would do anything to get his hands on it. So when one of those rowdy, messy, trouble-making Hooligans goes missing, the suspect is obvious. But, when it comes to those LOUD, mess-making, rambunctious, always-hungry, ill-mannered Hooligans, what’s worse: Missing a Hooligan? Or staying sane while keeping her hostage?!

A rescued beagle and his boy owner seek love and understanding for their troubled small town in this holiday companion to the Newbery Medal–winning Shiloh, from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Christmas is coming and Marty and his rescued pup Shiloh are sure glad about that—for their town is running low on love and understanding and they hope that the joy of the holiday will bring with it the generosity of spirit that’s so lacking. It’s been a year since Marty Preston rescued Shiloh from Judd Travers and his cruel ways, and since then, Marty and Shiloh have been inseparable. Anywhere Marty goes, the beagle’s at his side, and Marty couldn’t be happier about that. Even Judd has been working to improve his reputation. But just as the townsfolk grow more accepting of Judd, a fire in the woods destroys many homes, including Judd’s, and Judd’s newly formed reputation. Doubt, blame, and anger spread faster than the flames—flames that are fanned by the new minister, who seems fonder of fire and brimstone than love and mercy. And why are his daughters so skittish around him? And what’s happened to Judd’s dogs? With Christmas right around the corner, Marty has a lot of questions, and getting the right answers might just take a Christmas miracle. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s fourth book in the Newbery Award–winning Shiloh series—following Shiloh, Shiloh Season, and Saving Shiloh—“seamlessly interlaces themes of tolerance, compassion, and forgiveness…[and] explores the interconnectedness of family members, communities, and the dogs they love” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Includes a reading group guide for the Alice series.

Fifth grade is tumultuous for Alice as she tries to help others through the many changes occurring at home and in school, including learning about sex when Rosalind gets her period and shares a book that explains what is happening.

Here are all the embarrassing things that might happen to you in the fourth grade -- and do happen to you, if your name is Alice McKinley: 1. Your next-door neighbor (who happens to be a BOY!) sees you in your underpants. 2. You sneeze beans all over your best friend. 3. Your brother lies to you for fun and you believe him. 4. You get trapped inside a snow cave -- your own snow cave, that is. 5. You''re the only person in the whole grade who can''t sing. Alice can''t seem to do anything right anymore, especially where her big brother Lester is concerned. When he gets really angry with her, Alice doesn''t know how to fix things between them. How is she going to get Lester to talk to her again? And will life ever get any easier? Fourth grade can''t end soon enough! The second of three prequels to the beloved Alice series, Alice in Blunderland lets younger readers get to know the girl everyone wants to be friends with, and proves once again that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor knows the fears, foibles, and fun of being a girl.

Marty will do anything to save his new friend Shiloh in this Newbery Medal–winning novel from Phillis Reynolds Naylor. When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it''s love at first sight—and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun—and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty''s secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd''s anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?

After four years of hoping, wishing, scheming, and waiting, the moment Alice has been yearning for has at long last arrived....Alice’s dad is finally marrying Sylvia Summers! Alice always knew they were perfect for each other when she set them up back in seventh grade, but she’s relieved that The Big Day is here. She’s never felt so excited, so vindicated, so grown-up, and so...well, so left out. Now that the wedding is really happening, no one has time for Alice anymore, and the situation just gets worse when Sylvia moves into their house. Nothing is the way Alice thought it would be. Her dad and Sylvia have their new life together; Lester has his new apartment; and Alice feels like she’s on her own for the first time in her life. She’s also starting to notice that even though Dad and Sylvia are perfectly happy together, not everyone gets along so well. Elizabeth and Ross never see each other; Leslie and Lori are breaking up; Pamela and her mother can’t seem to find a way to even talk to each other; and Alice herself has started to hear some surprising rumors about Patrick.... As Alice watches her friends sort out their problems and sees her dad and Sylvia navigate their new marriage, she starts to understand all the hard work that goes into relationships, and how even when people seem to be meant for each other, it’s not always easy to be together.

It isn''t Alice and Patrick anymore; it''s simply Alice, and much to her surprise, Alice is finding that''s okay. In fact, working on the school play and becoming increasingly involved in the newspaper have Alice so busy she doesn''t have much time for her best friends Pamela and Elizabeth—and they resent it. And if Alice ever needed friends, she needs them now. She''s got a secret e-mail admirer she''s not sure how to handle. Her brother, Lester, is plunging headlong into a risky romance with a professor. And her new friend, Faith, seems unable to break free of an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. It''s not simple being simply Alice.

Alice has always tried to be a decent person. She gets good grades, comes home on time, and has never really given her dad and her stepmom any reason to worry. But now that junior year of high school has started, Alice is a little sick of people assuming she''s a goody-goody, so she decides to start shaking things up. First there are the dates with Tony, a cute senior who’s a lot more experienced than Alice. Then the fights with her stepmom about the new cat, the car, and everything else start. But when Alice sneaks off to a party that her parents don’t know about and a near-tragedy follows, she starts to realize every choice has a consequence, and danger rarely leads to good ones.

Alice is starting high school, and everything is new. But it’s the new girl, Penny, who’s making ninth grade a real challenge for Alice. Penny is tiny and perky and a real flirt, and she seems to be focusing her attention on Patrick. Even worse, Patrick seems to be enjoying it. Alice and Patrick have been a couple so long, Alice can’t imagine life without him. Suddenly she feels lost and unattractive and scared—not quite whole. How can Alice get back her confidence in herself, when she’s not even sure who she is?

There are, Alice decides, 272 horrible things left to happen to her in her life, based on the number of really horrible things that have happened already. She figures that out after the disaster of the talent show. And she realizes that there is no way to fend them off. But, she reasons, if you don''t have a mother, maybe a sister would help. Maybe lots of sisters. A worldwide sisterhood! Sisterhood means more sympathy and less likely odds that the next horrible thing will strike when Alice is by herself. But, Sisterhood also comes with a whole new set of problems for Alice. Can she be Sisters with all three girls who want to be her brother Lester''s girlfriend? In fact, how do boys fit into Universal Sisterhood at all? And how far should she you go when being part of the crowd means doing something you don''t want to do? Alice copes with life in her own way, and her solutions to her endless problems are often funny and surprisingly right.

In Alice in April, Aunt Sally reminds Alice that she will be turning thirteen soon (like anyone could forget such a momentous occasion) and that she will be the “woman of the house.” Alice dives into her new role by planning her father’s fiftieth birthday party—and telling everyone in the family to get a physical. But that means Alice herself will have to disrobe at the doctor''s! Then there''s the latest crisis at school, where the boys have begun to match each girl with the name of a state, according to its geography—mountains or no mountains! As Alice stumbles her way through the minefield of early adolescence in these six new repackages for Summer, there are plenty of bumps, giggles, and surprises along the way.

With graduation, a wedding, a pregnancy, and a college decision in store, the end of high school is harder—and more emotional—than Alice ever imagined. Get ready to start your own incredible, amazing life…right? Alice McKinley is standing on the edge of something new—and half afraid she might fall off. Graduation is a big deal—that gauntlet of growing up that requires everyone she’s known since forever to make huge decisions that will fling them here and there and far from home. But what if Alice wants to be that little dandelion seed that doesn’t scatter? What if she doesn’t have the heart to fly off into the horizon on the next big breeze? And what if that starts to make her feel like staying close to home means she’s a little less incredible than her friends—and her boyfriend Patrick? Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is be honest with yourself—and sometimes the most incredible thing you can do is sneak a little fun into all this soul-searching.

Thirteen-year-old Alice sets long- and short-term priorities for her life as she experiences the complexities of young love.

When push comes to shove, two Kentucky girls find strength in each other. Ivy June Mosely and Catherine Combs, two girls from different parts of Kentucky, are participating in the first seventh-grade student exchange program between their schools. The girls will stay at each other’s homes, attend school together, and record their experience in their journals. Catherine and her family have a beautiful home with plenty of space. Since Ivy June’s house is crowded, she lives with her grandparents. Her Pappaw works in the coal mines supporting four generations of kinfolk. Ivy June can’t wait until he leaves that mine forever and retires. As the girls get closer, they discover they’re more alike than different, especially when they face the terror of not knowing what’s happening to those they love most.

This bind-up contains three beloved Alice novels: "Alice, Alice on Her Way, "and "Alice in the Know."

From Newbery Award winner Phyllis Reynolds Naylor comes a witty tale of the Wild West filled with comical cliffhangers and featuring a cast of plucky orphans and dastardly villains. Emily Wiggins is poor and timid, without a drop of self-confidence. When she is unexpectedly orphaned, she is left all alone except for her turtle, Rufus. What in blinkin'' bloomers should Emily do? Emily''s neighbors, Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire, have the answer: Emily must travel by stagecoach to the home of her honorable aunt Hilda. What a rootin'' tootin'' grand idea! But Miss Catchum of the Catchum Child-Catching Services will get a big bonus for delivering Emily to her next of kin, the vicious Uncle Victor. How the ding dong dickens will Emily escape Miss Catchum? It will take all the gumption and cunning of fellow orphan and traveler Jackson to help Emily find her confidence, her conniving spirit, and the true reason Uncle Victor wants to claim her. But how in flippin'' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?

Thinking of simpler times in the past and the happy moments they had together, Pam wishes she could bring the old gang back together, but when a tragic event results in a funeral, the reunion touches all their lives in ways no one could have expected.

It''s the summer holidays--time for camping, fishing or just lazing, until girls move in next door. That means war, but the girls know how to fight back. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is the winner of the Newbery Medal.

This fourth book about the Hatford brothers and the Malloy sisters begins shortly before Christmas, three months after the Malloys move to Buckman, WV. As the holiday season approaches, the boys and girls continue to play pranks on one another and begin to learn the consequences of their actions. Caroline Malloy and Wally Hatford are partners for their fourth-grade December project and discover that, instead of annoying one another, they need to learn how to work together in order to receive a passing grade. Told in their alternating viewpoints, the story moves quickly, continuing the mischief and humor of the previous novels. Readers will be especially taken with precocious and dramatic Caroline, who will stop at nothing for revenge. While it is not necessary to read the first three books, fans of the series will enjoy references to the characters'' past pranks and will delight in the promise of future additions to this ongoing battle between these rivals.

The Hatford-Malloy feud continues in this fast-paced sequel to The Boys Start the War and The Girls Get Even (both Delacorte, 1993). Their egos still smarting from the humiliation they suffered on Halloween at the hands of their female neighbors, the Hatford boys try to frighten them with tales of the abaguchie, a creature of local legend. A funny series of plans for revenge and retaliation from both sides follows. Ultimately, the children call a truce when they are united by a common cause-sharing a joke at their parents'' expense. Although this title sums up the background of the story clearly, it relies on the earlier books for characterization. The girls come across as stereotypes-an athlete, a bookworm, and an aspiring actress-and the boys are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Nevertheless, fans of the previous books will enjoy this installment.

As Halloween approaches, the three Malloy sisters find themselves continually trying to get even with the four Hatford brothers, who have been playing tricks on them since the Malloys moved from Ohio to West Virginia.

The Hatford boys'' New Year''s resolution is "the girls can stay . . . but only if they play by our rules." Their mother insists that they "treat those girls as though they were your sisters." Okay, but somehow the boys'' interpretation owes more to sibling rivalry than to brotherly love. The one weak link is young Peter, who doesn''t understand the rivalry, openly likes the girls, and sees nothing wrong with sitting in their kitchen eating homemade cookies and answering questions about his brothers'' plans. Readers will find themselves laughing out loud at the pranks, the conversations, and one unforgettably embarrassing moment. The high-flying humor is juxtaposed with the budding affection between Josh and Beth and the way all the children pull together during a blizzard. The fifth entry in Naylor''s refreshing series chronicling the feud between the Hatfords and the Malloys.

It’s spring break and the only assignment Wally Hatford and Caroline Malloy have is to do something that they have never done before. Wally’s sure that will be a cinch once he hears the great news about the mighty Benson brothers coming to stay for vacation. It will be nonstop action all the way. For starters, the nine Benson and Hatford boys plan on scaring the three Malloy sisters silly by convincing them that their house is haunted. Of course, the boys don’t know that the girls are hard at work plotting their own special surprise welcome. The Bensons don’t know what they’re up against with the Malloy girls. But they soon will. Meanwhile, everyone in town knows there’s a hungry cougar on the prowl. When the kids decide to take a break from their tricks and join forces in catching the cougar, guess who gets stuck with the scariest job? This will surely be something no one has ever done before.

Kenny Sykes is on a mission. He''s just moved to a new town, and is determined to make friends. In the meantime, he''s trying to make the only difference he can during the summer: rescuing the hundreds of crickets that commit suicide by jumping into Kenny''s pool.

Details the career of one writer from stories composed in grade school through first published pieces to novels written to date.

Even at eleven, Jed knew he didnrs"t want to work in the coal mines like his father and the four generations before him. The mines provided a meager subsistence for the families of Tin Creek, West Virginia, but they also crippled and took lives.Jed dreamed of being a wood carver-and he had the talent for it. He hoped his pa would understand, but sometimes he felt that talking with "Big Tate" was like yelling at the mountain. "Yours"re the only son I got," Jedrs"s father told him. "If it ainrs"t to be the mines, itrs"s got to be somethinrs" awful good."With the encouragement of his teacher and the help of his aunt, Jed sets out to find his own path. A path that might lead to steady, safe work under the open sky-and to peace with his father.

A sleepover inspires Sarah, who likes to do things differently, to chose Mexico for her "Countries of the World" presentation.

Since Alice McKinney burst onto the scene in 1985, she has addressed the issues tween girls care about with humor and sensitivity. Now, the first two books in Naylor''s beloved series are reissued with a fresh new look.

Roxie Warbler, the niece of a famous explorer, follows Uncle Dangerfoot''s advice on how to survive any crisis when she becomes stranded on an island with a gang of school bullies and a pair of murderous bank robbers.