New Releases by Polly Horvath

After secretly living in the public library for the last eleven years, Essie must learn to adapt to a world that''s not as perfect as the stories she''s grown up with in this heartfelt middle-grade novel from Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath. Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children''s department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there. But now that she is eleven, Essie longs for a little more freedom . . . and maybe a friend her own age. She seems to get her wish when her moms let her go by herself to the mall and then on her second trip there, she meets G.E., a mysterious boy who looks so much like her she can''t help but think they may be twins. Maybe he was raised by four dads in the department store. Maybe his story is intertwined with hers, and their happy ending is as one big family. But as she gets to know him better, she learns that nothing is as simple as it seems in her stories — not even her own past.

What will it take to get Ernest to smile? Find out in Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath''s picture book debut. From the day he’s born, Ernest has few complaints. His family is lovely; the world has a lot to offer. He’d like there to be more elephants around, but hey, you can’t have everything. Ernest is just as happy as the next guy. The trouble is, everyone around him is obsessed with smiling. His parents smile when he learns to walk, when he learns to talk, when he learns to button up his snowsuit. But smiling just isn’t for Ernest, and they can’t let it go. When drastic, elephant-related measures are taken, and Ernest still doesn’t smile, the whole family learns that sometimes loving someone means meeting in the middle. Equal parts deadpan and genuine, Not a Smiley Guy is an ideal conversation starter for kids just discovering that we each have our own ways of showing how we feel. Readers who struggle to be understood will resonate with Ernest’s good-natured exasperation. Boris Kulikov’s textured, moody illustrations accompany National Book Award winner Polly Horvath’s sardonic tale of acceptance and intentional communication, as useful for grown-ups as it is for kids.

By the Newbery Honor author, Polly Horvath, comes a sequel to her popular Pine Island Home about orphaned sisters who find a way to make a new family. Fiona, Marlin, Natasha, and Charlie McCready have been adopted by their unlikely guardian, Al, and finally settled into their new home on Pine Island in British Columbia. Then they receive a letter from Mrs. Witherspoon who took care of them after their parents died telling them that she is coming to visit for three months—an inordinate amount of time for a houseguest. Accommodating a fifth person in the tiny house is hard enough, but to their horror, Mrs. Weatherspoon arrives with a companion, her childhood friend, Jo. Jo has opinions about everything—what they should eat, how they should behave—and she doesn’t hesitate to express them. And sweet Mrs. Witherspoon seems to have fallen under her spell. When she and Jo announce that they are going to extend their stay even longer, Fiona and Marlin are beside themselves. Fiona hates rocking the boat, but there must be a way to get rid of these grown-up bullies so she and her sisters can have the life they wish to lead. A Kirkus Reviews'' Best Middle Grade Book of the Year

Als die Eltern der McCready-Schwestern bei einem Tsunami ums Leben kommen, will Großtante Martha die Mädchen zu sich nehmen. Doch auch sie stirbt unerwartet. Völlig auf sich allein gestellt, hecken die Mädchen einen Plan aus, um ihr Zusammenleben nicht zu gefährden. Kann das gut gehen? Warmherzig und humorvoll zugleich schildert Polly Horvath in ihrem unnachahmlichen Stil die Abenteuer der vier mutigen Heldinnen.

Four sisters search for true family in this story of resilience by a Newbery Honor author. When the McCready sisters'' parents are washed away in a tsunami, their Great Aunt Martha volunteers to have them live with her on Pine Island in British Columbia. But while they are traveling there, Martha dies unexpectedly, forcing Fiona, the eldest, to come up with a scheme to keep social services from separating the girls - a scheme that will only work if no one knows they are living on their own. Fiona approaches their grouchy and indifferent neighbor Al and asks if he will pretend to be their live-in legal guardian should papers need to be signed or if anyone comes snooping around. He reluctantly agrees, under the condition that they bring him dinner every night. As weeks pass, Fiona takes on more and more adult responsibilities, while each of the younger girls finds their own special role in their atypical family. But even if things seem to be falling into place, Fiona is sure it''s only a matter of time before they are caught. Written in Polly Horvath''s inimitable style, gentle humor and tough obstacles are woven throughout this story about the bonds of sisterhood and what makes a family. Don’t miss the sequel, Pine Island Visitors, which Kirkus Reviews described as “terrifically entertaining” in a starred review. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection A Bank Street Best Children''s Book of the Year

Ten-year-old Rupert Brown inadvertently finds himself spending Christmas with the wealthiest family in town and is astonished to discover a world he never knew existed. Rupert lives with his parents and many siblings in a small house in the poorest section of Steelville, Ohio. When he spends Christmas with his classmate Turgid Rivers, he is offered all the food he can eat, and the opportunity to win wonderful prizes in the family games—prizes he hopes to take home so he can share his Christmas bounty with his family. But after he loses everything in the last game, Rupert resigns himself to going home empty handed. Feeling secretly guilty, all of the adults in Rivers family try to make it up to him by taking Rupert on one unlikely adventure after another, embroiling him in everything from time travel to bank robberies. But can anything he experiences make up for what he has lost? Deftly blending magical realism with heartbreak, hope, and a wide cast of eccentric characters, Polly Horvath weaves a tale that is darkly funny and deeply poignant. Very Rich is a bittersweet and quirky story that celebrates the unique nature of human experience. A Junior Library Guild selection!

From Newbery Honor and National Book Award-winning author Horvath ("Everything on a Waffle" comes a magical novel, set during World War II on a farm on Vancouver Island, about a garden that grants wishes.

This hilarious sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! is a bunny-rific "tail" that even includes a guest appearance by J. K. Rowling a.k.a. "Oldwhatshername". Madeleine wants nothing more than to save money for college, but her impractical, ex-hippie parents are broke. When the family unexpectedly inherits a sweet shoppe in England that has the potential to earn serious profit, they see an answer to all their problems. . . . Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—formerly of the detecting persuasion—are looking for new professions, and Mrs. Bunny decides she would like to be Queen. Soon they, too, are headed across the pond. Brought to you by National Book Award-winning author Polly Horvath and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Sophie Blackall, the adventures of Madeleine and the Bunnys are zanier than ever.

"National Book Award-winner Polly Horvath''s latest, a rabbity romp complete with whimsical illustrations and a quirky cast of characters, has both the look and feel of a classic children''s book," raves "The Washington Post." In this hilarious chapter book mystery, meet a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by disreputable foxes, and a pair of detectives that also happen to be bunnies! When Madeline gets home from school one afternoon to discover that her parents have gone missing, she sets off to find them. So begins a once-in-a-lifetime adventure involving a cast of unforgettable characters. There''s Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who drive a smart car, wear fedoras, and hate marmots; the Marmot, who loves garlic bread and is a brilliant translator; and many others. Translated from the Rabbit by Newbery Honor-winning author Polly Horvath, and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, here is a book that kids will both laugh over and love. "From the Hardcover edition."

Shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers'' Choice Award and selected as an OLA Best Bet for 2012 Madeline''s parents have gone missing. Her only clues? A note tacked on the fridge from someone called The Enemy, a file card covered in a squiggly secret code, and dozens of red eyes staring out the blackened windows of a car she saw speeding down her driveway. And Madeline could swear the driver was a fox . . . Luckily, Madeline encounters two bunnies who have decided to take up detective work (detectives get to wear fedoras) and are willing to come to her aid -- pro bono. And if her parents'' kidnappers are foxes, who better than rabbit detectives to sniff them out? Together, Madeline and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny confront evil foxes, a marmot named The Marmot, and the dreaded Bunny Council to solve the Case of the Missing Parents. Here is a madcap, hilarious romp that is also a touching story about family and trust. Written by Mrs. Bunny,* translated from the Rabbit by multi-award-winning author Polly Horvath, and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny -- Detectives Extraordinaire! is a book that kids will both laugh over and love. * Mrs. Bunny lives in Rabbitville in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She is married to Mr. Bunny and has twelve children. This is her first book.

From the author of the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle When his mother decides on a whim to be a missionary in Africa and drags his unwilling father with her, Henry is left in the care of his Aunts Magnolia and Pigg. Henry''s sure they dislike him and he''s trying to keep his distance, but that becomes more difficult when Mag decides they should take a destination-less road trip. Mag, convalescing from an illness that makes her look like death, is downright crabby. Pigg, tense from driving, is becoming more assertive and less willing to submit to Mag''s whims. And while they poke each other – literally – Henry is finding it hard to keep his resolution. They go to Virginia Beach (it''s too hot); try camping in the Everglades (Henry accidentally spends four days floating in a swamp); visit their daddy, Henry''s granddaddy (Henry''s never met him!); and lose Pigg to love in Oklahoma (what would the radio psychologist Daly Kramer say?) before they finally receive word that Henry''s parents are coming back and will meet them in Tulsa to finish the trip with Mag and Henry. But his parents are bickering and Henry is in despair – until he surrenders to the road and decides to let whatever happens happen, but to be there in it all. Complete with her signature cast of eccentric characters, absurd situations, and heartfelt moments, Polly Horvath writes an on-the-road epic like no other!

When an accident leaves teenage cousins Meline and Jocelyn parentless, they come to live with their unknown and eccentric Uncle Marten on his private island. They soon discover that the island has a history as tragic as their own: it was once an air force training camp, led by a mad commander whose crazed plan to train pilots to fly airplanes without instruments sent eleven pilots to their deaths. Jocelyn, Meline, and Uncle Marten are soon joined on this island of wrecked planes and wrecked men by an elderly Austrian housekeeper, a very mysterious butler, a cat, and a dog. But to Jocelyn and Meline, being in a strange new place around strange new people only underscores the fact that the world they once knew has ended. Told in the alternating voices of four characters dealing with grief in different ways, Polly Horvath''s new novel is a rich and complicated story about loss and the possibility— and impossibility—of beginning again. The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children''s Book of the Year.

From the pageantry of the Musical Ride to the movie-good looks of the fictional Dudley Do-Right, the image of the handsome and stalwart Mountie has long been part of popular North American culture. But there''s more to being a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police than wearing a red coat. It''s an important career law enforcement and public service. In M is for Mountie: A Royal Canadian Mounted Police Alphabet, award-winning author Polly Horvath explains the proud traditions and important work of Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Where do cadets go for training? Who is William Dempster and why is there a highway named after him? And what the reason for the red coat? After reading M is for Mountie, readers will have a better understanding of and appreciation for the history, heritage, and ongoing mission of Royal Canadian Mounted Police organization.Author Polly Horvath''s numerous books for children include the National Book Award-winning The Canning Season and Newbery Honor book Everything on a Waffle. Her books have received many honors and awards in the United States and Canada, including two Boston Globe Horn Book Award honors. She lives in Metchosin, British Columbia. Lorna Bennett attended Grant MacEwan Community College and the University of Alberta in the Arts/Fine Arts programs. She has worked as a ski instructor, designer, writer, illustrator, and animator. In addition to M is for Mountie, she also illustrated C is for Chinook: An Alberta Alphabet. Lorna lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Readers rejoice—Primrose Squarp is back! The wise and curious heroine of the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle is facing another adventure-filled year in Coal Harbor. Even though her parents, once lost at sea, are home, there’s a whole slew of problems and mysteries to keep Primrose—and eager fans—busy. There’s Uncle Jack and Kate Bowzer, who may (or may not) be in love. There’s Ked, a foster child who becomes Primrose’s friend. And there’s the new development on the outskirts of town that threatens the Coal Harbor Primrose knows and treasures. From National Book Award–winning author Polly Horvath comes a masterful sequel to a beloved novel, sure to please old fans and gain new ones. A perfect charmer…. Hilarious and touching.” —The Boston Globe “Nobody does middle grade like Horvath.” —The Horn Book Magazine

Shortlisted for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award. Selected for the Bankstreet College of Education''s Best Children’s Books of the Year 2013. Readers rejoice -- Primrose Squarp is back! The wise and curious heroine of the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle is facing another adventure-filled year in Coal Harbour. Even though her parents, once lost at sea, are home, there''s a whole slew of problems and mysteries to keep Primrose -- and eager fans -- busy. There''s Uncle Jack and Kate Bowzer, who may (or may not) be in love. There''s Ked, a foster child, who becomes Primrose''s friend. And there''s the new development on the outskirts of town that threatens the Coal Harbour Primrose knows and treasures. Prolific and brilliant, Horvath has delivered a masterful sequel to a beloved novel, sure to please old fans and gain new ones.

In this beautiful follow-up to the highly acclaimed My One Hundred Adventures, Jane and her family have moved to Canada . . . but not for long. When her stepfather, Ned, is fired from his job as a high school French teacher (seems he doesn’t speak French), the family packs up and Jane embarks on a series of new adventures. At first, she imagines her family as a gang of outlaws, riding on horseback in masks, robbing trains, and traveling all the way to Mexico. But the reality is different: Setting off by car, they visit the tribe of Native Americans with whom Ned once lived, head to Las Vegas in search of Ned’s magician brother, and wind up spending the summer with his eccentric mother on her ranch out west. As Jane lives through it all—developing a crush on a ranch hand, reevaluating her relationship with Ned, watching her sister Maya’s painful growing up—she sees her world, which used to be so safe and secure, shift in strange and inconvenient ways.

Winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Children''s Literature Prize Adventures. Jane is twelve years old, and she is ready for them. She yearns to move beyond the world of her younger siblings and single mother and their cozy house by the sea, and to step into the "know-not-what" -- the place where your heart buzzes with excitement and things happen. And over the summer, whether she looks for them or not, adventures keep finding Jane. There''s the thrilling solo ride in a hijacked hot-air balloon; the out-of-the-blue appearances of a slew of possible fathers; a weird new friendship with Nellie Phipps, preacher and wannabe psychic; the accidental crime Jane may have committed involving a Bible and a baby named Gourd; and finally, her discovery of the truth that lies at the heart of all great adventures: that it''s not what happens to you that matters, but what you learn about yourself.

Love under trying circumstances One night out of the blue, Ratchet Clark''s ill-natured mother tells her that Ratchet will be leaving their Pensacola apartment momentarily to take the train up north. There she will spend the summer with her aged relatives Penpen and Tilly, inseparable twins who couldn''t look more different from each other. Staying at their secluded house, Ratchet is treated to a passel of strange family history and local lore, along with heaps of generosity and care that she has never experienced before. Also, Penpen has recently espoused a new philosophy – whatever shows up on your doorstep you have to let in. Through thick wilderness, down forgotten, bear-ridden roads, come a variety of characters, drawn to Penpen and Tilly''s open door. It is with vast reservations that the cautious Tilly allows these unwelcome guests in. But it turns out that unwelcome guests may bring the greatest gifts. By turns dark and humorous, Polly Horvath offers adolescent readers enough quirky characters and outrageous situations to leave them reeling! The Canning Season is the winner of the 2003 National Book Award for Young People''s Literature.

Stuck in bed with pneumonia, Ivy is delighted when the new neighbours arrive. and they are even better than she could have hoped, for the Halibuts are circus-people! Alfred Halibut is as dreamy and imaginative as Ivy herself, and she feels she has a real friend at last. The Halibuts are so happy in Springfield that they tell the rest of the circus - who move in, too. Soon the town has a snake lady taking her cobra for walks, and a troupe of acrobats whose ambition is to collect garages. The people of Springfield are not happy, and a perfectly polite anti-circus campaign is spreading through the town. Unless Ivy and Alfred can make everybody see sense, Ivy''s new friends will be forced to leave - she''s not letting that happen without a fight...

A hilarious satire on small-town prejudice It all started with the Halibuts. Then came Elmira Degoochy the snake lady. Then the Flying Gambinis -- all seven of them and their mother. And Mrs. Harrison the fortune-teller, and Mr. Wydel the strongman . . . These are the new residents of Springfield, the formerly peaceful Midwestern town where up to now young Ivy''s life had been pretty uneventful. Ivy becomes fast friends with Alfred Halibut, who is an aspiring writer like herself and the son of a circus publicity manager. She also befriends the other circus people who have moved into town. But many of her neighbors are not feeling kindly about this invasion of strange characters. Tensions somersault into a climactic tangle at the Springfield bake-off. In the midst of hurtling pies, one voice alone can bring peace and tolerance back to the community. When the Circus Came to Town is Polly Horvath''s funniest novel to date, packed with vivid exaggeration and slapstick scenarios.

Imogene is sent from New York City to spend the summer with her cousins on an Iowa farm.