Do you believe in impossible things? Cutie Grackle does. She has to. Otherwise, she’ll never be more than a lonely 10 year old in a cursed family. Cutie Grackle is used to being different—she lives alone on a mountain with her feeble-minded uncle, and when she’s not sucking pebbles to trick her stomach into feeling full, she’s chatting with a weathered garden gnome for company. But having a flock of ravens follow you is more than just different. Cutie worries the birds are connected to the curse Uncle Horace tends to mutter about. And she’s right. The ravens present her with a fortune from a cookie, and when she touches it she’s pulled into a vision from her family’s past. It involves the curse and her long-lost mother. The birds offer up a series of objects, each imbued with memories that eventually reveal Cutie must do what her mother could not: break the curse. Part outdoor survival adventure, part fantastical quest, Shawn K. Stout’s The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle is a journey of hope, heart, and a willingness to believe in the impossible.
Do you believe in impossible things? Cutie Grackle does. She has to. Otherwise, she’ll never be more than a lonely 10 year old in a cursed family. Cutie Grackle is used to being different—she lives alone on a mountain with her feeble-minded uncle, and when she’s not sucking pebbles to trick her stomach into feeling full, she’s chatting with a weathered garden gnome for company. But having a flock of ravens follow you is more than just different. Cutie worries the birds are connected to the curse Uncle Horace tends to mutter about. And she’s right. The ravens present her with a fortune from a cookie, and when she touches it she’s pulled into a vision from her family’s past. It involves the curse and her long-lost mother. The birds offer up a series of objects, each imbued with memories that eventually reveal Cutie must do what her mother could not: break the curse. Part outdoor survival adventure, part fantastical quest, Shawn K. Stout’s The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle is a journey of hope, heart, and a willingness to believe in the impossible.
“Kids who have outgrown the Junie B. Jones series will enjoy Penelope’s equally comical narrative style.” —BCCB In the third book in this hilarious, endearing series, all Penelope Crumb wants is to be someone's "Favorite." She’d thought she was her Grandpa Felix’s Favorite, and her mom’s Favorite, and her friend Patsy Cline’s Favorite, but she’s starting to realize that maybe she’s not. And it’s all The Bad Luck’s fault. So since Penelope's a superb artist, she comes up with a plan—she's going to be the boss of the mural her school is making at the Portwaller’s Blessed Home for the Aged, which will make her into everyone’s Favorite. And maybe it’ll frighten The Bad Luck away. But things don't quite go as planned there either. And when an old woman named Nila promises to help Penelope find her luck so everyone will like her again, things get even worse! In the end, Penelope finds out that friendships aren't about luck—and that it doesn't matter if you're anyone's Favorite when there are tons of people who love you. In a book that’s equal parts humor and heart, it’s clear to see why young readers will count Penelope as one of their Favorites. Praise for PENELOPE CRUMB * “Penelope Crumb . . . channels the quirkiness of Ramona Quimby and the detective skills of Cam Jansen . . . Penelope will delight children and parents alike.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review “Penelope is an intrepid heroine with a unique and frequently amusing narrative voice . . . kids who have outgrown the Junie B. Jones series will enjoy Penelope’s equally comical narrative style.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Readers will root for and relate to this fresh-voiced young heroine who joins the likes of Ramona, Judy Moody and Clementine.”—Kirkus Reviews
THE SUMMER STORY OF THREE SISTERS, ONE RESTAURANT, AND A (POSSIBLE) GERMAN SPY World War II is coming in Europe. At least that’s what Frankie Baum heard on the radio. But from her small town in Maryland, in the wilting summer heat of 1939, the war is a world away. Besides, there are too many other things to think about: first that Frankie’s father up and bought a restaurant without telling anyone and now she has to help in the kitchen, peeling potatoes and washing dishes, when she’d rather be racing to Wexler’s Five and Dime on her skates. Plus her favorite sister, Joanie Baloney, is away for the summer and hasn’t been answering any of Frankie’s letters. But when some people in town start accusing her father of being a German spy, suddenly the war arrives at Frankie’s feet and she can think of nothing else. Could the rumors be true? Frankie must do some spying of her own to try to figure out her father’s secrets and clear his good name. What she discovers about him surprises everyone but is nothing compared to what she discovers about the world. In a heartfelt, charming, and insightful novel that is based on true events, Shawn K. Stout weaves a story about family secrets, intolerance, and coming of age that will keep readers guessing until the end. Praise for A Tiny Piece of Sky: “Through warm, funny characters, Shawn Stout builds a riveting bridge from the past that sheds light on today. Wholly memorable.”—Rita Williams-Garcia, Coretta Scott King Author Award winner for P.S. Be Eleven “Shawn Stout's Frankie Baum is that rare creation: a character so real, so true, we don't just feel we know her—we are her. Irrepressible Frankie meets issues like prejudice and loyalty head on, in a story both highly entertaining and deeply thought-provoking. She may be #3 in her family, but she'll be #1 in the hearts of all who read this book.”—Tricia Springstubb, author of What Happened on Fox Street “At turns hilarious, at turns heartbreaking, Shawn Stout’s story shows us the damage that a whisper campaign can do to a family and a community, and at the same time shows us, each of us, a way to find our hearts. Frankie Baum is a hero from a distant time and yet a hero for all times, the kind of hero who never gets old. I loved this book from the very beginning to the very end.”—Kathi Appelt, author of the National Book Award finalist & Newbery Honor book The Underneath "Stout uses an archly chummy direct address at several points, successfully and humorously breaking up tension in this cleareyed look at bad behavior by society....Successfully warmhearted and child-centered."—Kirkus Reviews "Through Frankie's thoughtful insights, Stout addresses injustices such as racism and xenophobia without turning didactic...the conclusion is a realistic mix of bittersweet and heartwarming."—Publishers Weekly "Fans of Augusta Scattergood’s Glory Be as well as those of Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwicks series will enjoy this slice of history. A solid piece of historical fiction to add to middle grade collections."—School Library Journal "Tackling race, social justice, and even death, this well-paced novel will find the right audience among readers wanting fairness with their historical fiction."—BCCB "Young teens will enjoy Frankie’s spirit and humor while learning a little bit about people and prejudice along the way."—VOYA "In this coming-of-age story, Frankie sees people for who they really are, despite skin color or nationality. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will gravitate to this story."—School Library Connection
Penelope Crumb's best friend Patsy Cline Roberta Watson is becoming best friends with another girl in class, so Penelope decides she needs to win her back. Compliments and presents fail—and Penelope is afraid she'll lose Patsy Cline forever, so she decides to swipe Patsy's necklace and start a secret museum to remember all the people she cares about, in case they leave her too. But stealing turns out not to be the best plan, when Grandpa Felix calls the police about his missing camera, forcing Penelope to confess. Now she's lost both Patsy Cline AND her museum. But in the end she makes a huge personal sacrifice to repair her friendship with Patsy and finds out that drawing pictures—what she likes to do best!—is a way to make a personal museum that doesn't involve any sort of stealing.
Nine-year-old Marylander Fiona Finkelstein tries to deal with stage-fright, missing her mother who is an actress in California, and hoping that her father, a television meteorologist, does not get in trouble when she antagonizes the anchorman.
A laugh-through-your-tears middle grade novel about what it’s like to lose something precious. For fans of the Three Rancheros series by Kate DiCamillo. A necklace. A bugle. A lion statue. What do they have to do with each other? Absolutely nothing unless you’re Tildy, Leon, or Nell. These items matter an awful lot to them. Not because of what they are, but what—and who—they represent. Anatomy of Lost Things shares the crisscrossing stories of Tildy, Leon, and Nell, of the impossible losses they’ve each recently faced, and the unexpected histories of their prized objects. Written with heartbreaking honesty and humor, this novel unfolds in the tender space that exists between staggering loss and the start of recovery, and it finds plenty of hope and laughter waiting there.
From the daughter-father duo that created Brooklyn's beloved live pun competition, the "Punderful card game that] will replace Cards Against Humanity at your next party." (Mashable) One part game, one part conversation starter, you don't need to be a pun master to master Punderdome: the goal is to make bad jokes and have fun along the way. A player (the prompter for that round) draws two prompt cards from the deck, and then reads the prompts to the rest of the group, who have 90 seconds to create a single, groan-worthy pun that combines the two prompts. When time is up, pun makers share their puns with the prompter, who awards the prompt cards to the player whose pun he or she likes best. The winner then draws the next pair of prompt cards and the process repeats. Players win by obtaining 10 pairs of cards. - 200 double-sided cards (100 White and 100 Green) - 2 Mystery Envelopes with fill-in prize slips - 2 80-page pads for drafting puns - 1 instruction card and 1 pun example card - A stu-PUN-dous time for 3 or more players
