Most Popular Books by Polly Horvath

When his parents go to Africa to work as missionaries, twelve-year-old Henry''s eccentric aunts, Pigg and Mag, take him on a cross-country car trip, allowing him to gain insight into his family and himself.

From Newbery Honor and National Book Award–winning author Polly Horvath is this magical middle-grade novel about a garden that grants wishes. It is World War II, and Franny and her parents, Sina and Old Tom, enjoy a quiet life on a farm on Vancouver Island. Franny writes, Sina sculpts, and Old Tom tends to their many gardens—including the ancient, mysterious night garden. Their peaceful life is interrupted when their neighbor, Crying Alice, begs Sina to watch her children while she goes to visit her husband at the military base because she suspects he’s up to no good. Soon after the children move in, letters arrive from their father that suggest he''s about to do something to change their lives; and appearances from a stubborn young cook, UFOs, hermits, and ghosts only make life stranger. Can the forbidden night garden that supposedly grants everyone one wish help them all out of trouble? And if so, at what cost? The Night Garden is a poignant and hilarious story from acclaimed children''s author Polly Horvath.

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.

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.

Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, but try convincing the other residents of Coal Harbour on that score. For all practical purposes, at least for the time being, Primrose is an orphan, and there''s no great clamoring of prospective adopters. After realizing the impracticality of continuing to pay Miss Perfidy (a mothball-scented elderly lady) an hourly wage to baby-sit her, the town council is able to locate a relative, Uncle Jack, who reluctantly takes Primrose into his care. Primrose does warm up to living with him and in his home, despite the eerie noises resembling a hockey game that haunt her in the night. But true sanctuary can always be found at a restaurant called The Girl in the Swing, where everything--including lasagna--is served on a waffle, and where the proprietor, Miss Bowzer, offers a willing ear, as well as sage advice. Through a mixture of eccentric humor and probing philosophy, author Polly Horvath makes Primrose''s search for peace and understanding a most memorable one. Everything on a Waffle is a 2001 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction and Poetry and a 2002 Newbery Honor Book.

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!

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.

Laugh-out-loud stories within a story Aunt Sally is beyond any of Melissa, Amanda, and Pee Wee''s expectations. She has come all the way from Vancouver Island, Canada, to take care of the children while their parents are away, and right from the start Aunt Sally enchants them with tales of her childhood with their father. Odd characters figure largely in the stories, like Maud, a hunter rumored to have killed eighty cougars; Great-uncle Louis, a health nut who insists everyone should gnaw on sticks for extra fiber; and Fat Little Mean Girl, the star of a cautionary tale involving witchcraft and candy. All of Aunt Sally''s reminiscences lead up to a crucial story about trolls, sinister creatures who supposedly lurked along the shore at night. The trolls had the power to change Aunt Sally''s life forever, and their legacy may change the lives of the three present-day children as well.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

When father comes home with an expensive car in the middle of the Depression, Betty''s family is stunned, but meanwhile, Betty must find a dollar if she wants to be Pork-Fry Queen--and hidden treasure may be the solution.

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

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.

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...

Der zehnjährige Rupert Brown möchte etwas Besonderes sein, wenn er erwachsen ist, damit er seiner Familie helfen kann – keine einfache Aufgabe, denn die Familie ist so arm, dass er keinen Mantel besitzt und er bei seinen zahlreichen Brüdern unter dem Bett schlafen muss. Doch an Weihnachten landet Rupert unverhofft im Haus von Turgid Rivers – dem reichsten Jungen der Stadt –und entdeckt dort eine ganz neue Welt. Er bekommt so viel zu essen angeboten, wie er möchte, tritt in zahllosen Spielen gegen die Familie Rivers an und gewinnt wunderbare Dinge, die er mit nach Hause nehmen will, damit es dort zum ersten Mal in seinem Leben Weihnachtsgeschenke gibt. Doch dann verliert Rupert das ganze angebotene Essen und die versprochenen Geschenke in einem letzten Spiel und muss mit leeren Händen heimkehren. Alle Mitglieder der Familie Rivers haben deswegen ein schlechtes Gewissen und versuchen, ohne Wissen der anderen, es auf ihre jeweils einzigartige Weise wiedergutzumachen. Sie beteiligen Rupert an unglaublichen Abenteuern, in denen beispielsweise ein Banküberfall und eine Zeitreise in einem Pappkarton eine Rolle spielen.

Hortense worries that her family is falling apart, but as she gets to know her Aunt Kate and makes a new friend, she discovers that change isn''t always bad.

榮獲美國國家圖書獎最佳青少年文學、美國圖書館協會青少年十大選書等多項大獎 一本幻想與現實緊密交織、令人難以忘懷的小說 認識人的不盡完美，讓傷痛癒合，內心獲得平靜 寂寞又沒有朋友的瑞琪．克拉克與對她漠不關心的媽媽杭莉葉住在佛羅里達州的潘薩鎮。一天晚上，在沒有事先告知的情況下，杭莉葉把女兒送上火車，讓瑞琪跟兩位九十一歲的年邁雙胞胎姨婆——緹莉與潘潘共度一個夏天。 兩位姨婆住在緬因州一處極為偏遠的地方，那裡熊四處出沒，許多人葬身熊口，過著飽受威脅的生活。瑞琪在這裡與舉止怪異、行徑離奇的姨婆們同住，聽了很多家族中恐怖至極但卻充滿黑色幽默的故事，同時她也頭一回體驗到一些關愛與照顧。另一個失去雙親的女孩哈波不久後便跟瑞琪一起生活在那裡。 四位不僅個性迥異，而且年齡相差甚遠。但共同之處在於，她們都被母親拋棄，童年也都混亂不堪。發生於這個大宅子的故事影響了緹莉與潘潘的人生，她們個人的歷史又將如何影響瑞琪與哈波的未來？即將迫近的裝罐季節暗喻了每個生命當中一切事物成熟的時機，女孩們能否活出各自的人生呢？ 在真實的世界裡，不是所有人都有完美的母親和美好的童年。有的話固然幸福，但如果沒有，也並非什麼人生悲劇，我們依然能夠自由選擇自己想要的生活。透過本書去認識人的不盡完美，不懷怨懟，讓傷痛癒合，內心獲得平靜。 【本書關鍵字】 尋找自我、荒誕喜劇、裝罐季節、多代同堂、改變人生、失職母親、藍莓、裝罐季節、森林、農場 【本書資料】 無注音 適讀年齡：10歲以上 【本書特色】 1. 運用對比手法，凸顯人事物的優缺點 故事角色不僅個性迥異，年齡也相差甚大，在對比之下產生衝突，更顯張力。但衝突之後，則是角色之間的妥協或自我調適，使得故事有了圓滿的結局。 2. 傳遞心靈力量：盡力做最好的自己 不要因童年的悲慘經歷而自暴自棄，我們依然可以在人生之路上找到自我，依然能夠自由選擇自己想要的生活，依然可以去溫暖別人。你的存在並不是因為有人愛你，而是因為你是你自己。 3. 在荒唐喜劇中融合重要議題 本書不乏驚世駭俗的情節，在看似極端荒誕不經的氛圍中，激發讀者提問和思考，往內心深處搜尋答案，積極活出自己的人生。 得獎紀錄 ★美國國家圖書獎最佳青少年文學 ★美國圖書館協會青少年十大選書 ★加拿大圖書館協會年度青少年讀物獎 ★文化部優良讀物推介 ★「好書大家讀」選書 ★臺北市國小兒童深耕閱讀計畫好書 ★「教育部國民中小學新生閱讀推廣計畫」推薦選書入選書單 推薦書評 何華絲這個故事比她過去所有作品更為優秀……讀來猶如一本幻想與現實緊密交織的荒唐故事。瑞琪、緹莉與潘潘也正如荒唐的故事那樣，變得更超群不凡與難以忘懷。讀者翻開本書的時候，必將展開一段充滿智慧、滑稽又瘋癲可笑的旅程。——美國《學校圖書館期刊》 本書故事爆笑而感人，其成就甚或超越了何華絲二○○一年的作品Everything on a Waffle。故事是關於兩個沒人要的女生被送到兩個怪異的老太太家撫養……何華絲再一次展現天分，創造出多代同堂且有趣的大家庭，而且將滑稽和高雅喜劇融合到一個充滿了重要議題和改變人生事件的故事中。——美國《柯克斯書評》 波莉．何華絲的最新作品絕不墨守成規，它完全無法預測，也令人難以忘懷……何華絲的描摹能力與眾不同……她那瘋癲、不受羈絆的機智簡直誘人，她說故事的技巧臻於化境……——美國《出版人週刊》 兩位女生有如三明治中的夾餡，而這個三明治不只情節陰暗且諷刺，大部分篇幅充斥著各種大人的問題。本書的讀者是否能夠欣賞這兩位姐妹故事的特質和其中闡述的真理呢？——美國《書單》雜誌

Literature’s most endearing rabbits are back in this sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire! While the Bunnys'' human friend, Madeline, worries about saving money for college, Mrs. Bunny is more concerned about how to become a queen. Unexpectedly, Madeline’s family inherits a sweet shop (candy store!) in England, and it looks for a while as if everyone’s problems are solved. England proves to be full of eccentric characters, strange customs, and even royalty — but holding onto money is difficult for Madeline’s family, and becoming a queen proves harder than Mrs. Bunny had expected. Lord and Lady Bunny is written by Mr. and Mrs. Bunny,* translated from the Rabbit by multi-award-winning author Polly Horvath, and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall. It’s a sequel that children will laugh over and love. * Mr. and Mrs. Bunny lives in Rabbitville in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They have twelve children.

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.

Los padres de Meline y Jocelyn murieron en un accidente y las chicas tienen que ir a vivir a la isla de su tío Marten, a quien no conocen hasta ese momento. Allí aprenderán, entre otras cosas, a sobrellevar su pérdida y a convivir con nuevos afectos. Tomado de: http://bit.ly/2rSVLs2.

Marty and the Danderfield Twins have to write a story together for class - but they have no idea what to write! This is an engaging book for middle primary readers. Proceeds from this sale benefit not for profit organisation Library For All, helping children around the world learn to read. 8-10 years

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.

Finalist for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award For the Pepins, life is one sticky problem after another. What do you do when you wake up to find toads in all your shoes? Where do you put a dapper stranger who suddenly walks into your house and makes himself at home? How to determine which of your neighbors is in fact a very fine neighbor, and which is an imposter? Happily, the Pepins have an author with unusually large psychic antennae and great problem-solving readers who can join the Pepins on their hilarious adventures. And they need all the help they can get!

"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."

Thirteen-year-old Ratchet spends a summer in Maine with her eccentric great-aunts Tilly and Penpen, hearing strange stories from the past and encountering a varitey of unusual and colorful characters.

Raclette ignorait qu''elle avait de la famille dans le Maine. Elle ignorait qu''elle avait de la famille tout court. Elle apprend la nouvelle le jour où sa mère décide de l''expédier en train, sans même une valise, passer l''été chez deux arrière-arrière-cousines, aussi éloignées qu''âgées. A son arrivée, l''adolescente découvre " les étranges dames Menuto ", comme on les appelle, la ronde et joviale Penpen et la minuscule et acerbe Tilly. Les sœurs jumelles accueillent Raclette en l''avertissant: elle sont nées ensemble, ont grandi ensemble et envisagent de mourir ensemble à Vallon rose, leur maison familiale cernée par les bois et les ours. Mais pas question de faire aboutir ce projet avant de transmettre à la timide Raclette le plaisir des bains de mer et celui de la traite des vaches, la célèbre recette du coulis de mûres, des rudiments de philosophie bouddhiste...