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Busted (Henry Holt, 2025)
Oscar Aberdeen is a bit of an oddball. He's an ace at playing bridge, loves Frank Sinatra, and attends a whole lot of funerals. He's also the youngest resident of Sunny Days retirement home by more than a half-century. But when his grandpa's suddenly served an eviction notice, Oscar needs to find some cash. Fast. Enter Jimmy Deluca, a shady elderly man with a reputation for being bad news, who makes Oscar an offer he can't refuse. He's got some cash hidden away on the "outside" and he'll share the loot with Oscar on one condition: he busts him out of Sunny Days. In this humdinger of an adventure, the ultimate odd couple, along with an uninvited stowaway, go from high-stakes escape to rollicking escapade as they search for the secret stash―and forge an unlikely friendship along the way. Four starred reviews! "A laugh-out-loud romp." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON |
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The Gingerbread Monster (Henry Holt, 2025)
In his laboratory high on the hill, Frank N. Stine has a ferocious sweet tooth that snarls to be fed. But when an eerie experiment spills into his Gingerbread batter, a frightening cookie creation comes to life! The Gingerbread Monster is hulking, horrific . . . and hungry. But as Frank is chased by his creepy creation, the young baker begins to wonder what the Monster truly craves. After all, there’s no sweeter treat than friendship. "This spookily delicious read with a sweetly satisfying twist is sure to delight." ―Kirkus Reviews Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON |
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Once Upon A Friend (Henry Holt, 2024)
Once upon a time, I met my reader. . . As soon as our young reader opens the cover of Meego's book, the pair are the best of friends. Side by side, they leap from the adventures in Meego’s stories to the adventures in the child’s real life. From courageously creeping into shadowy caves to weathering Very Big Days like the first day of school, the friends journey and grow together through thick and thin. Though seasons turn, just like pages, the friends and memories we make within stories always stay with us. Once Upon a Friend is an imaginative ode to the beloved fictional characters who we never leave behind. Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON |
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Coyote Lost and Found (Henry Holt, 2024)
Hit the road again with Coyote! When Coyote discovers her mom's long-hidden ashes, she has to go on another epic adventure to finally lay her mother to rest...but first she has to secretly solve the mystery of where her mother wanted to be scattered. She and her dad have to fire up the bus and get back on the road - and of course they'll need some help along the way, from some old friends as well as some new ones. Whether you're already a Coyote fan or new to the family, it's all aboard for another remarkable journey of hope, heartbreak, and homecoming!
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
Hit the road again with Coyote! When Coyote discovers her mom's long-hidden ashes, she has to go on another epic adventure to finally lay her mother to rest...but first she has to secretly solve the mystery of where her mother wanted to be scattered. She and her dad have to fire up the bus and get back on the road - and of course they'll need some help along the way, from some old friends as well as some new ones. Whether you're already a Coyote fan or new to the family, it's all aboard for another remarkable journey of hope, heartbreak, and homecoming!
An instant New York Times Bestseller!
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
The Midnight Children (Henry Holt, 2022)
The #1 New York Times Bestseller!
One moonlit midnight, Ravani Foster secretly witnesses something remarkable through his bedroom window: seven mysterious children step out of moving truck and into the abandoned house across the street, looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren't noticed. No furniture, no parents, no grown-ups at all. Seven children, alone together.
Lonely and bullied, Ravani is eager to learn everything he can about his new neighbors: What secrets are they hiding? And most mysterious of all...where are the adults?
Yet amid this shadowy group of children, Ravani finds an unexpected friend in the warm and gutsy Virginia. But with this friendship comes secrets revealed―and danger. When Ravani learns of a threat to his new friends, he must fight to keep them safe, or lose the only person who has ever understood him.
Full of wonder, friendship, and mystery, The Midnight Children explores the meaning of "home," what makes a family, and what it takes to find the courage to believe in yourself.
"A tale by turns sweet and terrifying of friendship, bravery, and finding oneself in caring for others―this is for readers who enjoy dark tales with a lot of heart." ―School Library Journal, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
The #1 New York Times Bestseller!
One moonlit midnight, Ravani Foster secretly witnesses something remarkable through his bedroom window: seven mysterious children step out of moving truck and into the abandoned house across the street, looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren't noticed. No furniture, no parents, no grown-ups at all. Seven children, alone together.
Lonely and bullied, Ravani is eager to learn everything he can about his new neighbors: What secrets are they hiding? And most mysterious of all...where are the adults?
Yet amid this shadowy group of children, Ravani finds an unexpected friend in the warm and gutsy Virginia. But with this friendship comes secrets revealed―and danger. When Ravani learns of a threat to his new friends, he must fight to keep them safe, or lose the only person who has ever understood him.
Full of wonder, friendship, and mystery, The Midnight Children explores the meaning of "home," what makes a family, and what it takes to find the courage to believe in yourself.
"A tale by turns sweet and terrifying of friendship, bravery, and finding oneself in caring for others―this is for readers who enjoy dark tales with a lot of heart." ―School Library Journal, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (Henry Holt, 2019)
For five years Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.
Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―a park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it. Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”
A 2020 ILA Teachers’ Choice, 2019 Parents' Choice Award Gold Medal Winner, Winner of the 2019 CYBILS Award for Middle Grade Fiction, and an Amazon Top 20 Children's Book of 2019.
"Your heart needs this joyful miracle of a book." —Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
For five years Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.
Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―a park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it. Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”
A 2020 ILA Teachers’ Choice, 2019 Parents' Choice Award Gold Medal Winner, Winner of the 2019 CYBILS Award for Middle Grade Fiction, and an Amazon Top 20 Children's Book of 2019.
"Your heart needs this joyful miracle of a book." —Katherine Applegate, author of The One and Only Ivan
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Good Dog (Scholastic, 2018)
Brodie was a good dog. And good dogs go to heaven. Except Brodie can't move on. Not just yet. As wonderful as his glimpse of the afterlife is, he can't forget the boy he left behind. The boy he loved, and who loved him in return.
The boy who's still in danger. So Brodie breaks the rules of heaven. He returns to Earth as a spirit. With the help of two other lost souls -- lovable pitbull Tuck and surly housecat Patsy -- he is determined to find his boy and to save him...even if it costs him paradise. Even if he loses his eternal soul. Because it's what a good dog would do.
"Action-packed, highly suspenseful, and deeply moving. Perfect." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Brodie was a good dog. And good dogs go to heaven. Except Brodie can't move on. Not just yet. As wonderful as his glimpse of the afterlife is, he can't forget the boy he left behind. The boy he loved, and who loved him in return.
The boy who's still in danger. So Brodie breaks the rules of heaven. He returns to Earth as a spirit. With the help of two other lost souls -- lovable pitbull Tuck and surly housecat Patsy -- he is determined to find his boy and to save him...even if it costs him paradise. Even if he loses his eternal soul. Because it's what a good dog would do.
"Action-packed, highly suspenseful, and deeply moving. Perfect." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Scar Island (Scholastic, 2017)
Jonathan Grisby is the newest arrival at the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys -- an ancient, crumbling fortress of gray stone rising up from the ocean. It is dark, damp, and dismal. And it is just the place Jonathan figures he deserves. Because Jonathan has done something terrible. And he's willing to accept whatever punishment he has coming. Just as he's getting used to his new situation, however, a freak accident leaves the troubled boys of Slabhenge without any adult supervision. Suddenly the kids are free, with an entire island to themselves. But freedom brings unexpected danger. And if Jonathan can't come to terms with the sins of his past and lead his new friends to safety... then every boy on the island is doomed.
"Compelling, over-the-top, yet fully realized." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Jonathan Grisby is the newest arrival at the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys -- an ancient, crumbling fortress of gray stone rising up from the ocean. It is dark, damp, and dismal. And it is just the place Jonathan figures he deserves. Because Jonathan has done something terrible. And he's willing to accept whatever punishment he has coming. Just as he's getting used to his new situation, however, a freak accident leaves the troubled boys of Slabhenge without any adult supervision. Suddenly the kids are free, with an entire island to themselves. But freedom brings unexpected danger. And if Jonathan can't come to terms with the sins of his past and lead his new friends to safety... then every boy on the island is doomed.
"Compelling, over-the-top, yet fully realized." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
The Honest Truth (Scholastic, 2015)
In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day. But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from. So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.
A New York Times Editors' Choice, Amazon Best Book of the Month, and Indie Next list selection.
"An emotionally hard-hitting survival story...a gripping page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day. But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from. So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.
A New York Times Editors' Choice, Amazon Best Book of the Month, and Indie Next list selection.
"An emotionally hard-hitting survival story...a gripping page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Some Kind of Courage (Scholastic, 2016)
Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony--fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her. Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left. Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything. But he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back--no matter what.
"Exhilarating and enthralling, Courage promises even the most reluctant readers a breakneck adventure that will keep them turning the pages with utter devotion." -- Booklist, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)
Joseph Johnson has lost just about everyone he's ever loved. He lost his pa in an accident. He lost his ma and his little sister to sickness. And now, he's lost his pony--fast, fierce, beautiful Sarah, taken away by a man who had no right to take her. Joseph can sure enough get her back, though. The odds are stacked against him, but he isn't about to give up. He will face down deadly animals, dangerous men, and the fury of nature itself on his quest to be reunited with the only family he has left. Because Joseph Johnson may have lost just about everything. But he hasn't lost hope. And he hasn't lost the fire in his belly that says he's getting his Sarah back--no matter what.
"Exhilarating and enthralling, Courage promises even the most reluctant readers a breakneck adventure that will keep them turning the pages with utter devotion." -- Booklist, starred review
Check it out from your library, or buy it here: INDIEBOUND BARNES & NOBLE AMAZON
(also available as an ebook or audiobook)