Synopses & Reviews
Perfect for fans of Jerry Spinelli and Gary D. Schmidt, this heartfelt coming-of-age story will make you believe in the power of second chances.
Eleven-year-old Sam Brattle is already having the worst Christmas ever his dads bakery is going bankrupt and his mom is spending the holidays with her new family. To make things worse, Nickel Bay Nick, the anonymous Good Samaritan who leaves hundred-dollar bills around Nickel Bay at Christmastime, is a no-show, so this year the rest of the town is as miserable as Sam. When he stumbles upon the secret identity of this mysterious do-gooder, Sam is stunned to learn that he might now be his towns only hope. But before he can rescue Nickel Bay, Sam has to learn the skills of a spy and unravel some even darker secrets that will change his life forever.
"Told with wry humor, this fast-paced novel will appeal to fans of Louis Sachar's Holes (Farrar, 1998) and Gary D. Schmidt's Okay for Now (Clarion, 2011).... This is a Christmas book that can be enjoyed year-round."School Library Journal
Review
Praise for
The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower “Lighthearted and . . . enlightening.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Will enthrall readers.”—Publishers Weekly
"This is an entertaining and offbeat outing, following cinematic convention . . . escalating things with cons within cons and subsequent counter-cons . . . [Readers will] relish the twists and turns."--The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books
"The details of the different scams are fascinating . . . Graff has created an original, dimensional heroine in Bernetta."--Booklist
"The characters are well drawn, and Bernetta's growing qualms of conscience are believable. Readers will appreciate the well-constructed plot and intriguing snippets of magic slipped in here and there."--School LIbrary Journal
"Graff successfully diverts the reader's attention in order to spring several surprises along the way while still making Bernetta a genuine and likable character."--The Horn Book
Review
Praise for Nickel Bay Nick:
"Told with wry humor, this fast-paced novel will appeal to fans of Louis Sachar's Holes (Farrar, 1998) and Gary D. Schmidt's Okay for Now (Clarion, 2011). In the best tradition of Christmas stories, it's a bit of a tearjerker as Sam discovers just why Mr. Wells cares so much about him and learns to forgive his own parents. This is a Christmas book that can be enjoyed year-round."
—School Library Journal
"Sams a great, well-realized kid, and readers will root for him every step of the way... Crime does pay off—to the benefit of others—in this enjoyable novel."
—Kirkus Reviews
Accolades for Dean Pitchford:
Captain Nobody has been nominated for 13 State Award lists: FL, IL, KS, MN, MO, NH, NM (2 separate years), NY, OK, SC, TN, VA. Audio edition was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award in the Best Spoken Word for Children category.
The Big One-Oh has been nominated for 5 State Award Lists: KS, MD, MO, NH, SC. Audio edition was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award in the Best Spoken Word for Children category.
Review
“…the believable dialogue and characters, complicated family dynamics, and threat of danger make this mystery hard to put down.”—
Publishers Weekly
“Plot and character drive this lively book . . . Fans of Blue Ballietts Chasing Vermeer will appreciate the similarities: using math to solve real-life dilemmas, depending on a best friend when times are rough, and learning that urban centers are rich in history, culture, and crime.”—Booklist
“This fast-paced, National Treasure-style mystery puts an imaginative spin on the real story behind the infamous theft of several masterpieces from Bostons Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum . . . Moxie narrates the breathless, action-packed tale in a humorous first person, maintaining the suspense almost to the end.”—Kirkus Reviews
“. . . readers will . . . get caught up in the breathless thrill-ride.”—School Library Journal
Synopsis
From the critically acclaimed author of A Tangle of Knots comes a humorous story full of heart, courage and a touch of magic.
Bernettas summer couldnt be going any worse.First her ex-best friend frames her for starting a cheating ring in their private school that causes Bernetta to lose her scholarship for 7th grade. Even worse, Bernettas parents dont believe shes innocent, and forbid her from performing at her fathers magic club. Now Bernetta must take immediate action if she hopes to raise $9,000 for tuition. But thats a near impossible task with only three months until school. Enter Gabe, a boy con-artist whos willing to team up with Bernetta to raise the money. But only if shes willing to use her talent for magic to scheme her way to success.
Synopsis
How could you say no to a book that's described as for fans of
The Westing Game and
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?”The Atlantic Wire
Moxie Fleece knows the rules and follows them--that is, until the day she opens her front door to a mysterious stranger. Suddenly Moxie is involved in Boston's biggest unsolved mystery: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist. Moxie has two weeks to find the art, otherwise she and the people she loves will be in big-time danger.
Her tools? Her best friend, Ollie, a geocaching addict who loves to find stuff; her Alzheimer's suffering grandfather, Grumps, who knows lots more than he lets on; and a geometry proof that she sets up to sort out the clues.
It's a race against the clock through downtown Boston as Moxie and Ollie break every rule she's ever lived by to find the art and save her family.
About the Author
Erin Dionne is the author of Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies, The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, and Notes from an Accidental Band Geek. She broke her share of rules as a kid, and has always been fascinated with real-life mysteries. When not writing about the miseries, mysteries, and magic of middle school, or teaching Liberal Arts at a small college north of Boston, Erin catches Red Sox games and rocks out to local Boston bands. She lives with her husband and two children in Framingham, Massachusetts.