New Releases by Robert Newton Peck

Although Arly Poole seems bound to follow in his father''s footsteps as a field worker in Jailtown, Florida, where his family lives in 1927 in the shadow of a cruel boss, his world suddenly seems larger when a schoolteacher comes to town.

Arly, an orphan in search of a home and a family, escapes from a brutal migrant labor camp, joins a traveling religious show, and battles a devastating Florida hurricane.

In celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Robert Newton Peck''s bestselling classic, A Day No Pigs Would Die, here is the eagerly anticipated sequel. This must for schools, libraries, and summer reading lists is now available for the first time in paperback. Times are difficult during the Great Depression, and thirteen-year-old Rob Peck must struggle to keep his family together after the death of his father. Disaster after disaster strikes and the family is forced to sell their farm. Relying solely on their strong Shaker faith and close family ties, the Pecks finally prevail and young Rob learns that true wealth extends beyond money and that real values are priceless.

"Rural Vermont during the 1920''s is the setting for this nostalgic account of episodes in the lives of young Robert Peck and his pal, Soup."--(starred) School Library Journal.

Originally published in hardcover in 1972, A Day No Pigs Would Die was one of the first young adult books, along with titles like The Outsiders and The Chocolate War. In it, author Robert Newton Peck weaves a story of a Vermont boyhood that is part fiction, part memoir. The result is a moving coming-of-age story that still resonates with teens today.

With over 65 books published, including the breathtaking (and somewhat autobiographical) A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert Newton Peck has enjoyed an illustrious writing career. Now, in an autobiography as unique as he is, Peck tells his story through the people in his life. From his roots as a poor Vermont farmer’s son to his years as a soldier in World War II, from his time slogging away in a paper mill to his semi-retirement in Florida, Peck shows us people who too often go unseen and unheard–the country’s poor and uneducated. “For decades, I’ve examined the autobiographies of my fellow authors. Bah! Many could have been titled And Then I Wrote . . . So instead of my life and lit, here is the unusual, a tarnished treasury of plain people who enriched me, taught me virtues, and helped me hold a mite of manhood. They’re not fancy folk, so please expect no long-stemmed roses from a florist. They are, instead, the unarranged flora that I’ve handpicked from God’s greenhouse . . . weeds in bloom.” From the Hardcover edition.

A collection of mini lessons with accompanying CD that teaches creative writing to middle-school students.

In HOW to write fiction like a pro: A simple-to-savvy toolkit for aspiring authors, celebrated author Robert Newton Peck provides emerging writers with the power tools they need to start building their own books. Readers will learn everything from pacing a story and writing dialogue that flows to molding the tangible "stuff" of life into characters and storylines of fiction. HOW is written in the straightforward, earthy, and humorous voice that fans of Rob''s fiction have come to know and love. Informative but not preachy, HOW''s lighthearted style immediately engages readers, inspiring them to take up the tools and write from their own lives and their own strengths.Learning isn''t a load. It''s laughter.Aspiring authors are sure to learn--and laugh--as they discover HOW to write fiction like a pro.

Tugwell Dockery hasn''t spoken since the horrific events that unfolded one afternoon six years ago at his grand-father''s ranch. Now he''s back there, newly orphaned, living with his grandfather and gutsy great-aunt. The only person who understands him is his brother, Broda Joe. But Broda Joe''s in jail, and Tug hasn''t seen him in two years. Now, more than ever, Tug needs Bro, but their reunion will cost them more than they ever expected.

In 1938, with the help of a doctor and her elderly, horse-thieving father, a seventeen-year-old orphan steals thirteen horses from Chickalookee, Florida''s doomed rodeo and finds a family in the process.

After an airplane crash that claims the lives of most of his family, sixteen-year-old Tate finds unexpected solace in the stories of his great-aunt Vidalia''s childhood travels with a Depression-era Negro League baseball team.

Sixteen-year-old Tee sets off on a grueling cattle drive up through the Florida wilderness of the 1920s in order to prove to his father that he is just as talented a rider as his older brother Micah. Reprint.

In Depression-era Florida, young Yoolee assumes the responsibility of protecting his family from an unspeakable horror stalking the swamplands.

Rob is caught up in his friend Soup''s plan to help their town of Learning, Vermont, celebrate the Fourth of July with a suitable pageant that sets the record straight about several of the town''s citizens.

As Valentine''s Day approaches their Vermont town of Learning, Soup and Rob experience several forms of love.

Swish! Soup and Rob have basketball fever. The entire town of Learning, Vermont, is psyched up for the big game against their archrival, Pratt Falls. But there''s trouble. The Learning Groundhogs'' star center, Shorty Smith, has sprained his ankle. Soup and Rob have a plan. Their new friend Piffle Shootensinker, a seven-foot-tall European basketball star from Pretzelstein, has just moved to town. Piff has a problem. He''s homesick, he misses his dog, and can sink a basket only when he hears the music of his homeland on the spitzentootle. What''s a spinzentootle? It doesn''t take Rob and Soup long to learn. Can they locate one (and also find a dog) in time to inspire Piff to lead the Learning Groundhogs to victory?

Unplanned events erupt on stage during the Thanksgiving pageant when the uncommon cold forces Soup, Rob, and the other pilgrims around the glowing stove, making the fifty-pound live turkey very frisky and setting off bags of corn.

A freak snowstorm almost keeps Rob and his best friend Soup from celebrating Soup''s ninth birthday, but the boys'' ingenuity makes the party a success.

Soup and his best pal, Rob are planning to go on a hayride. Rob hopes it''s going to be an ordinary hayride, but he should know better when Soup is in charge. There''s no stopping the boys as they fly into action.

A visit from Uncle Virus and his motorcycle gang stimulates Soup to new and ingenious schemes, involving a cache of moonshine, a motorcycle competition, and revenge on the dreaded Janice Riker.

The further adventures and misadventures of Rob and Soup, two boys growing up in a small Vermont town.

Life in quiet Clod''s Corners changes drastically for Higbee and his best friend Quincy when the very nasty Striker kids move in and Higbee decides to make them the target of a grand Halloween prank.

Rob totes Soup''s huge drum through the Fourth of July parade before he realizes Soup hasn''t carried his share. Before the close of the celebration Rob gets even.

In 1932 in Florida, despite his older brother''s objections, fifteen-year-old Ladd finds himself, through a series of unforeseen circumstances, traveling alone more than 100 miles to bring back wild horses for the rodeo and for breeding.

When his irresponsible younger brother dies in an accident, Hiram MacHugh, a bachelor and justice of the peace of Hallapoosa, Florida, takes in his young niece and nephew