Synopses & Reviews
A dying girl gives a boy the strength to live in this lyrical novel that will break your heart and lift your spirit
Peter Stones parents and siblings are extroverts, musicians, and yellersand the louder they get, the less Peter talks, or even moves, until he practically fits his last name. When his family moves to the Texas Hill Country, though, Peter finds a tranquil, natural valley where he can, at last, hear himself think.
There, he meets a girl his age: Annie Blythe. Annie tells Peter shes a wish girl.” But Annie isnt just any wish girl; shes a Make-A-Wish Girl.” And in two weeks she will begin a dangerous treatment to try and stop her cancer from spreading. Left alone, the disease will kill her. But the treatment may cause serious, lasting damage to her brain.
Annie and Peter hatch a plan to escape into the valley, which they begin to think is magical. But the pair soon discovers that the valleyand lifemay have other plans for them. And sometimes wishes come true in ways they would never expect.
Review
“Zip, zap, and zoom with Lyssa as she races against the clock!” —GirlsLife.com
“A clever novel with a bright and spunky heroine. Readers will root for her and empathize with her search to find her place in the world.” —School Library Journal
“Slapstick humor and a sense of magic help maintain this affecting storys levity as Lyssa learns to overcome her fears and accept change.” —Publishers Weekly
“Totally enchanting! I loved this book every step of the way! Lyssas journey is a once-in-a-lifetime odyssey, where seeds sprout in front of your eyes and the winds of change blow you to runaway rockstars and glass-skinned monsters alike.” —Shelby Bach, author of Of Giants and Ice
Review
Early Praise for Wish Girl:
"A moving, mesmerizing story of wishing, listening and hope." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"I found hope and magic tucked gently into every page of Wish Girl. I wish ever reader could have a friend like Annie." --Natalie Lloyd, author of A Snicker of Magic
"Wish Girl is a book full of beauty and truth. Its pages are filled with the emotion of first love and the energy of suspense." --Francisco Stork, author of Marcelo in the Real World
"Wish Girl is a book that knows real magic exists-- that art, nature, and true friendship have the power to save lives and transform the world. It's at once earthly and ethereal, heartbreaking and hopeful. It dazzles." --Laurel Synder, author of Bigger than a Breadbox
Praise for Nikki Loftin's Nightingale's Nest:
“It was the writing, of course, that struck my attention first. Loftin gives the book beautiful sequences filled with equally beautiful sentences. . . . As for the characters, there wasnt a person here that I couldnt recognize as real. I was quite taken with the fact that Loftin continually sidesteps a lot of the usual middle grade tropes. . . . Smart and beautiful by turns, Nightingales Nest does one thing that few will contest. Once youve read it, youll have a hard time getting it out of your head.” -Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal Blog
"Unusual, finely crafted story of loss, betrayal, and healing." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Magical realism meets coming of age in this sensitive and haunting novel . . . . Read this aloud and have both boys and girls alike utterly enraptured." -BCCB, starred review
"It is Loftins skill in depicting both the human and the arboreal characters that will engage and inspire readers. The lyrical, descriptive prose and the hopeful ending will linger long after the final chapter." —School Library Journal
"Riveting. . . . This is a book you'll long remember."—Lynda Mullaly Hunt, author of One for the Murphys
"An extraordinary read—I had to tear myself away from it."—Katherine Catmull, author of Summer and Bird
"Perfectly captures the challenges of growing up and dealing with loss. Get ready to have your heart touched."—Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities
"Tugs and tears at the readers heart. . . . lovely and magical."—Bethany Hegedus, author of Truth with a Capital T and Between Us Baxters
"Loftin's eye for strange beauty in unexpected places often takes the reader's breath away."—Claire Legrand, author of The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls
"Will haunt your soul—and lift your heart."—Kimberley Griffiths Little, author of The Healing Spell and When the Butterflies Came
"A haunting, beautifully told story!"—Bobbie Pyron, author of The Dogs of Winter and A Dog's Way Home
"The kind of book I wanted to read slowly."—Shelley Moore Thomas, author of The Seven Tales of Trinket
"This is a work of tremendous heart."—Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs
Praise for Nikki Loftin's The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy:
"A mesmerizing read."—Publisher's Weekly
"An irresistable contemporary fairy tale."—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In Wisconsin, fourth-grader Ida B spends happy hours being homeschooled and playing in her family's apple orchard, until her mother begins treatment for breast cancer and her parents must sell part of the orchard and send her to public school.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling debut novel from acclaimed children's author Katherine Hannigan is both very funny and extraordinarily moving, and is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.
Who is Ida B. Applewood? She is a fourth grader like no other, living a life like no other, with a voice like no other, and her story will resonate long after you have put this book down. How does Ida B cope when outside forces--life, really--attempt to derail her and her family and her future? She enters her Black Period, and it is not pretty. But then, with the help of a patient teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her beloved apple trees, and parents who believe in the same things she does (even if they sometimes act as though they don't), the resilience that is the very essence of Ida B triumph...and Ida B. Applewood takes the hand that is extended and starts to grow up.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling debut novel from acclaimed children's author Katherine Hannigan is both very funny and extraordinarily moving.
Who is Ida B. Applewood? She is a fourth grader like no other, living a life like no other, with a voice like no other, and her story will resonate long after you have put this book down.
How does Ida B cope when outside forces--life, really--attempt to derail her and her family and her future? She enters her Black Period, and it is not pretty. But then, with the help of a patient teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her beloved apple trees, and parents who believe in the same things she does (even if they sometimes act as though they don't), the resilience that is the very essence of Ida B triumph...and Ida B. Applewood takes the hand that is extended and starts to grow up.
This modern classic is a great choice for independent reading.
Synopsis
Who is Ida B. Applewood? She is a fourth grader like no other, living a life like no other, with a voice like no other, and her story will resonate long after you have put this book down. How does Ida B cope when outside forces—life, really—attempt to derail her and her family and her future? She enters her Black Period, and it is not pretty. But then, with the help of a patient teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her beloved apple trees, and parents who believe in the same things she does (even if they sometimes act as though they don't), the resilience that is the very essence of Ida B triumph...and Ida B. Applewood takes the hand that is extended and starts to grow up.
This first novel is both very funny and extraordinarily moving, and it introduces two shining stars—Katherine Hannigan and Ida B. Applewood.
Synopsis
Having entered her Black Period, Ida B. Applewood is facing some challenging times and so must turn to her loyal pets, a dedicated teacher, and the beauty of her favorite apple tree to get through it all, in an entertaining coming-of-age tale. Reprint.
Synopsis
Who is Ida B. Applewood? She is a fourth grader like no other, living a life like no other, with a voice like no other, and her story will resonate long after you have put this book down. How does Ida B cope when outside forces-; life, really-; attempt to derail her and her family and her future? She enters her Black Period, and it is not pretty. But then, with the help of a patient teacher, a loyal cat and dog, her beloved apple trees, and parents who believe in the same things she does (even if they sometimes act as though they don't), the resilience that is the very essence of Ida B triumph...and Ida B. Applewood takes the hand that is extended and starts to grow up.
This first novel is both very funny and extraordinarily moving, and it introduces two shining stars-; Katherine Hannigan and Ida B. Applewood.
Synopsis
Ida B. Applewood believes there is never enough time for fun.
That's why she's so happy to be homeschooled and to spend every free second outside with the trees and the brook.
Then some not-so-great things happen in her world. Ida B has to go back to that Place of Slow but Sure Body-Cramping, Mind-Numbing, Fun-Killing Torture—school. She feels her heart getting smaller and smaller and hardening into a sharp, black stone.
How can things go from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Can Ida B put together a plan to get things back to just-about perfect again?
Synopsis
Pure whimsical delight. Magic does blow throughout the world, and
Zip proves it!" Lauren Myracle,
New York Times bestselling author of
ttyl
one girl + one scooter = journey of a lifetime
When Lyssas mother died, so did the magicthat special something that always made the sunflowers grow taller and the strawberry jelly taste sweeter. So when Lyssa receives the alarming news that her childhood home in Texas is about to be bulldozed, she sets off on a two-wheeled cross-country journey to save her family homeand with it, the last remaining sparkle of her earlier life. On her odyssey, Lyssa meets some decidedly unusual peoplefrom rowdy cowgirls to a chorus line of singing mermaidsand discovers adventure at every highway turn. But its the magic that she uncovers, little by little, along the way that will ultimately put a new zip in her step!
Synopsis
In this warmhearted middle-grade novel, Oona and her brother, Fred, love their cat, Zook (short for Zucchini), but Zook is sick. As they conspire to break him out of the vets office, Oona tells the stories of his previous lives, ranging in style from fairy tale to grand epic to slice of life. Each of Zooks lives have echoes in Oonas own family life, which is going through a transition shes not yet ready to face. Her father died two years ago, and her mother has started a relationship with a man named Dylan—whom Oona secretly calls “the villain.” The truth about Dylan, and about Zooks medical condition, drives the drama in this loving family story.
About the Author
Katherine Hannigan studied mathematics, painting, and studio art and has worked as the education coordinator for a Head Start program and, most recently, as an assistant professor of art and design. She is the author of True (. . . Sort Of), Emmaline and the Bunny, and the national bestseller Ida B . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. She lives in Iowa with a bunch of cats and the occasional bunny or bird visitor. Her backyard hosts an additional array of creatures, including deer, raccoons, possums, and sometimes a skunk. But no alligators . . . yet!