New Releases by Sally Warner

Join EllRay and his friends in two laugh-out-loud adventures in the EllRay Jakes series—two books in one! “Kids of all stripes will identify with EllRay and his unwittingly hilarious antics.” —Booklist EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken! EllRay Jakes is tired of being bullied by fellow classmate Jared Matthews. But when EllRay tries to defend himself, he winds up in trouble. Then his dad offers him a deal: if he stays out of trouble for one week, they''ll go to Disneyland! EllRay says he can do it. But saying it and doing it are two very different things. EllRay Jakes Is a Rock Star! All the boys in EllRay''s third-grade class have something they can brag about. Corey''s on the swim team; Kevin is super tall; Jared''s dad has an ATV. But EllRay''s dad is a geologist—not much to brag about. After all, rocks are boring. Then EllRay sees the crystals in his dad''s office, and they are really cool-looking. If EllRay just "borrows" them to show his classmates, he knows they''d be impressed. And his dad will never have to know. It''s a perfect plan . . . until things go awry.

Alfie tries to save Halloween from too many princesses in this fourth book in the Absolutely Alfie series! It''s almost Halloween at Alfie''s school and everyone is excited to dress up in constumes for the class Halloween party. Shy Bella asks Alfie if she wants to be bunny rabbits together, but then all of Alfie''s other friends are going to be princesses! Alfie is so torn. Can she be both . . . and not hurt anyone''s feelings? Probably not!

The third book in the Absolutely Alfie series, perfect for fans of the Judy Moody books! Second grader Alfie Jakes knows that when it comes to some friendships, one day you''re in, and the next you''re out. When Alfie''s former best friend Lulu announces that she''s hosting the best sleepover ever--and that she''s only allowed to invite six girls--Alfie desperately wants to go but is not sure she''ll be one of the lucky few. Lulu''s classmates are doing all they can to win her favor, a task that often ends in tears. Can Alfie convince her used-to-be best friend that a party is better when everyone is invited--or will she get herself uninvited instead?

Seven-year-old Alfie Jakes has a kitten-sized secret in her debut chapter book—perfect for fans of the Judy Moody books! Seven-year-old Alfie Jakes isn''t thrilled when her mom organizes end-of-summer playdates with her soon-to-be classmate, Hanni. Hanni is kind of bossy. So Alfie is relieved when Hanni is more fun to play with then she thought. Even better, she shows Alfie her cat--who has kittens! Alfie immediately falls in love with a little gray kitten and wants to give it a home. But one of the Jakes'' house rules is ''no pets'' because Alfie is supposedly alergic. Alfie is sure she''s outgrown that allergy, but how can she convince her parents? Wouldn''t it be better to sneak the kitten home and PROVE that she''s not allergic? But keeping a kitten a secret is lot harder than she ever thought!

Eight-year-old EllRay Jakes, the shortest kid in class and still chosen last at recess, hones his basketball skills with Mr. Havens and earns the respect of his third-grade classmates.

Eight-year-old EllRay Jakes of Oak Glen Primary School is looking for a new best friend, and he decides that the best way to find one is to come up with a bunch of amazing things to do at recess--and see who shares in the fun.

The small kid with big problems returns in the seventh book of this beloved series! It’s almost Christmas and school is going great for EllRay. He’s “blending in” just the way he likes. So when his father tells him he should be proud to be part of the African-American “community,” EllRay isn’t so sure he wants to call attention to his differences. After all, he’s only one of two boys in his class with brown skin. And then, totally by accident, he insults the other boy—one of his best friends—and all at once EllRay’s back to being the center of attention. And not exactly for good reasons. With Sally Warner’s trademark sense of humor and spot-on dialogue, EllRay confronts questions about race and how it impacts both himself and everyone around him. “Kids of all stripes will identify with EllRay and his unwittingly hilarious antics.”—Booklist A Junior Library Guild selection A Scholastic Book Club selection A Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner 2012-13

Small kid. Big Stage. Does EllRay have a talent to put on show for the entire school? When EllRay and his friends hear about the school talent show, they’re not impressed. They’re too old for that stuff. But their teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, isn’t so quick to let her students off the hook. Five students absolutely must try-out, and EllRay somehow ends up being one of them. Now he has to figure out something he’s talented at….like, maybe magic? But now the pressure’s on. It’s up to EllRay to take the stage and show his classmates and the whole school that he’s not only talented but magic.

Can EllRay master the moves in time to win his friend back? EllRay Jakes may be the shortest kid in his class, and he may get into trouble from time to time, but he can always count on his best friends Kevin and Corey. But lately, Kevin has been skateboarding with the meanest boy in class. Could EllRay be losing one of his friends? Not giving up without a fight, EllRay asks his older neighbor to show him a few jaw-dropping skateboard moves—like ollies and kickflips. EllRay must learn as many tricks as he can before the secret boys-only third grade skate-off. But will it be enough?

EllRay Jakes is a small kid with big problems! EllRay Jakes may be the smallest kid in his class at Oak Glen Primary School, but he’s also his sister Alfie’s big brother. So when it looks like Alfie is being bossed around by a dragon-like girl at her school, EllRay feels responsible. As her older (and wiser!) brother, shouldn’t he show her that she should stand up for herself? But little sisters and four year old dragons are a bit more complicated than he thought. . . . Check out the other books in the EllRay Jakes series: EllRay Jakes Is Not A Chicken!, EllRay Jakes is a Rock Star!, and EllRay Jakes Walks the Plank!

Things are going just swimmingly for EllRay. He''s finally getting along with most of the kids at school. He''s even getting along with his family. But then everything comes screeching to a halt when his younger sister accidently overfeeds the classroom goldfish EllRay was supposed to be taking care of over Spring vacation. What is EllRay going to tell his teacher and the kids in his third-grade class? Fortunately, most of them are sympathetic. But not bossy Cynthia. She sees this as an opportunity to blame EllRay for her own mess-ups. Must EllRay now walk the plank for stuff that he didn''t do?

EllRay Jakes is tired of being bullied by fellow classmate Jared Matthews. But when EllRay tries to defend himself, he winds up in trouble. Then his dad offers him a deal: If he stays out of trouble for one week, they''ll go to Disneyland! EllRay says he can do it. But saying it and doing it are two very different things.

All the boys in EllRay''s third-grade class have something they can brag about. Corey''s on the swim team, Kevin is super tall, Jared''s dad has an ATV. But EllRay''s dad is a geologist - not much to brag about. After all, rocks are boring. Then EllRay sees the crystals in his dad''s office, and they are really cool looking. If EllRay just "borrows" them to show his classmates, he knows they''d be impressed. And his dad will never have to know. It''s a perfect plan . . . until things go awry.

Eight-year-old EllRay Jakes decides to "borrow" his father''s crystals to impress his classmates, but his plan to return the crystals before his father notices goes awry.

Emma is already upset when her mother cancels their traditional Friday night dinner-and-ice-cream plans, but it''s even worse when she finds out why: Her mom has a date! Emma''s best friend, Annie Pat, thinks it''s so romantic, but Emma knows better. Fortunately, she has a plan to keep her mom all to herself. But when Emma''s plan backfires, she starts to realize that maybe sharing her mother with other people has its advantages.

Emma McGraw''s third-grade class is getting ready for Winter Games Day, and Emma wants to win a prize more than anything. It would be the perfect way to make her father proud. But the rest of the class has mixed feelings about Winter Games Day. Jared is desperate to be the fastest runner and the farthest jumper, Fiona is worried about her weak ankles, and Annie Pat doesn''t seem to care at all. When the big day arrives, nothing goes exactly as planned, but Emma is still determined to be as excellent as she can be.

As soon as Emma McGraw sees Krysten Rodriguez, she knows that Krysten would make a great best friend. There’s just one problem. Emma already has a best friend—Annie Pat! But Emma is sure she wouldn’t mind if Emma made a new friend for both of them. And she has to do it fast, before Krysten is taken! Annie Pat should appreciate that, right? Actually, no. Not when Emma is forgetting important plans they’ve made together. Suddenly Emma is faced with the prospect of no friends at all! At once charming, funny, and thoughtful, this fourth book about eightyear- old Emma is sure to find new fans.

A novel in words and sketches. ?It?s only temporary,? twelve-year-old Skye McPhee writes in her sketchbook after being shipped off to her gran?s in Sierre Madre, California. After all, her parents have their hands full taking care of her older brother, who?s been severely injured in a car accident. So now Skye is in a new school sketching new kids and trying to stay invisible until she can return home. But her new life starts turning out better than she hoped; she?s making cool friends, and being away from her brother is actually drawing her closer to him. And then her sketchbook disappears and everything changes. Suddenly, Skye realizes that she doesn?t want her life in Sierra Madre to be temporary after all. But does she have a choice?

Emma McGraw just can''t sit back and watch someone being teased, especially one of her friends. So when class bully Jared Matthews chooses EllRay Jakes as his next target, Emma can''t hold back. But unfortunately for Emma, her good deed is not appreciated. Instead of helping EllRay, Emma just embarrassed him. What boy wants to be "saved" by a girl?! Now everyone is calling her Super Emma, and Jared has set his sights on her. Who will rescue Emma now that Jared is tossing around threats? Her superhero may be someone she would never have thought of.

emma Mcgraw is slowly making friends at her new school. but when Cynthia calls her weird, emma is shocked. they are supposed to be best friends! in response, emma decides that Cynthia’s new name should be bossy pants, and she tells everyone in the class. Now the entire third grade is trading nicknames. And while it starts out being funny, emma begins to see the downside of name-calling. but just when she decides it’s time for apologies, her teacher makes the most dreaded call of all—the one to everyone’s parents.

Eight-year-old Emma McGraw is an only child who lives with her mom in their "cozy" condo. When four-year-old Anthony Scarpetto moves in for a week while his parents are away, Emma is not happy. He''s loud, he smells, and he touches her stuff. And that''s only half of it! Emma has started at a new school, and has finally begun to make friends. But how can she invite anyone over when annoying Anthony is there? Emma is in for a surprise, though. As the week goes by, she starts to realize that having a "little brother" may not be as bad as she thought.

Taken from eighteenth-century Finland by her father, teenager Eleni eventually finds a home in Scotland, receiving help along the way from brounies, fairies, and other creatures she has the ability to see and talk with.

For every president, there has been a first lady, sometimes two. Who were these women? How has the job of First Lady (unpaid and unelected) changed over time? The Smart About format proves just right for covering history in an easy, appealing way.

You don''t have to be an artist or a teacher to help your child discover the pleasure and challenge of making art. This clear, informative handbook features dozens of art projects designed for age group 2 to 5 and 6 to 10, that can be done at home with a minimum of parental supervision.

Ever since her mother died six years earlier, twelve-year-old Dilly and her father spend every summer in upstate New York at Mummie''s farm, even though Dilly resents how her dead mother continues to intrude on her life.

In a heartbreaking story of loss and grief, a girl and her little sister, orphaned when their parents are killed in a crash caused by a drunk driver, must adjust to a new family setting and keep the spirit of their parents alive.

Do friendships have to change? Quinney Todd has been best friends with Brynnie and Marguerite her whole life. But now Brynnie and Marguerite are fighting, leaving Quinney caught in the middle. Even worse, Marguerite has turned into Lake Geneva''s bad girl, and everyone in school knows all about it. Or they think they do. Quinney wants to be loyal, but Marguerite keeps pushing her away. And when Quinney''s mom invites Marguerite to live with them for a few weeks -- in Quinney''s room, no less! -- Quinney finally has to face the question she''s avoided all along: Does she even want to be friends with Marguerite anymore? Poor Quinney''s got the bad girl blues...! In this funny and poignant novel, Sally Warner explores what it''s like to discover that not everyone grows up at the same time -- or in the same way.

First Hattie''s father and mother die, and then she loses her adored little brother. So she is shipped off to an exclusive boarding school with her cousin, Sophie. Sophie has wealth, beauty, friends, and most of all, confidence--things Hattie has never had. Hattie is terrified. What if the other girls don''t accept her? What if fickle Sophie turns on her? Then like a whirlwind, Fannie Macintosh shows up at Miss Bulkey''s Seminary for Young Ladies. She''s from the Wild West and does everything wrong--she wears the wrong clothes, sys the wrong things, and laughs at he wrong jokes. But there''s something about Fannie that Hattie likes--something genuine and fresh. Maybe even something admirable. Based on the journal kept by Sally Warner''s great-grandmother, Finding Hattie is a warm and moving story about a lonely, intelligent girl who loses her way and finds it again.

Sixth grader Kara tries to conceal from her friends, her absent father, and the authorities that her mother is sliding deeper and deeper into mental illness.

After dispensing good advice to her clients, professional listener Quinney finds herself in need of advice for dealing with her weird family and changing relationships with her best friends.