New Releases by Anne Mazer

What will it take for Phoebe to become a witch? Phoebe has wanted to be a witch since she was four years old, when witches transformed a barren, rundown park in her town into a thriving and beautiful spot with flowerbeds in full bloom and swings for the children. Witches are what keep the world spinning. They are responsible for beauty and magic—and Phoebe wants desperately to join their ranks. But as a clumsy fifth grader, she doubts she ever could. One day, perched in her favorite tree, Phoebe tumbles into the midst of a circle of witches. As luck would have it, her clumsiness might just be what makes all of her dreams come true. But being an apprentice to a group of witches is harder than she imagined. This action-packed story follows Phoebe as she flies—and stumbles—toward becoming a full-fledged witch.

An ALA Notable Book: A contemporary tale of mythic proportions Once upon a time, humans and animals lived together in perfect harmony. Each species was respected for its own particular strength, knowledge, and wisdom. The Oxboy has a human mother and an ox father. But human society has now decided that this is unnatural and degrading. He and other children like him must keep their identities secret. But when the Oxboy is given a certificate covered with names—those of his ancestors—he knows that he must learn more about this half of his heritage: the ox half. The forbidden half. What follows is a striking journey to self-discovery. Anne Mazer''s unforgettable tale reminds us of the dangers of prejudice and the importance of compassion.

Welcome to Moose Street Lena Rosen is eleven years old, and her life is pretty typical. From babysitting her little sister to spending time with friends to sticking up for the class outcast to sneaking off to buy candy from the corner store, she is just like all of the other kids on her block. Except for one thing—she''s Jewish. Lena''s family is the only one on all of Moose Street that isn''t Catholic or Protestant. "You''re the ones who killed Christ," her classmates tell her. Lena knows that they''re wrong, but she can''t help feeling different. Anne Mazer''s captivating novel of youth, difference, and acceptance is a must-read.

LEARN HOW TO WRITE LIKE THE EXPERTS, FROM THE EXPERTS. In Spilling Ink: A Young Writer''s Handbook, you''ll find practical advice in a perfect package for young aspiring writers. After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot, make revisions, and overcome writer''s block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.

Abby''s family fights almost as much on their vacation in Paris, France, as they do at home, but Abby has an adventure on her own after she gets separated from her sisters while sightseeing, is robbed, and meets a friendly American.

Even though Abby is not looking for love, she is curious to find out who her secret admirer is, when someone starts leaving mysterious love notes in her locker.

Like a junior Carrie Bradshaw, Abby Hayesfinds lots to muse over and write about in life.Whether she likes it or not, her friends (andnot friends) in the sixth grade give her lots ofmaterial.For instance: Abby''s longtime rival BriannaBauer. Brianna''s always been a bragger, andAbby has always tuned her out. But now, forthe first time ever, Brianna is bragging aboutsomething that actually matters to Abby: herstate-of-the-art cell phone. Abby''s parents havecell phones, of course, and so do her sisters.Abby, though, is still stuck in the digital dark.She would do anything for a cell phone just likeBrianna''s...or would she?Filled with inspiring quotes from Abby''s crazycalendar pages!

Lorsque Jessica, la meilleure amie d''Abby, doit partir quelques mois, Abby la remplace comme gardienne d''enfants. À son grand désespoir, elle se fait congédier. Pourquoi tout va-t-il si mal pendant que Jessica est partie?

When Abby throws together a batch of cookies for a meeting at school, she has no clue that she''s just made Hayes history. For the first time in her life, it seems, Abby''s done something perfect--perfect!--on the first try! Everyone loves her cookies. Everyone wants more of them! And that gives Abby a great idea... If she can sell enough of them, maybe she''ll earn enough money to go to writing camp this summer. There''s only one problem. Kids aren''t supposed to sell stuff on school grounds. But Abby''s never been in trouble before.... Maybe she can get away with it. Just this once.

The Hayes family is off to a glamorous vacation in Paris. Everyone seems to know exactly what they want to do--except Abby. She feels a connection to the city that is the home of many great writers, so she decides to go on an adventure of her own.

Abby is glad to be graduating from fifth grade and is looking forward to the summer, but when her mom''s college friend shows up for a visit along with her daughter, Wynter, and Abby gets stuck babysitting, things go downhill quickly.

Abby thinks she is ready for anything she might encounter in sixth grade, until she makes an embarrassing mistake on her first day.

When Abby and her new friend, Hannah, take charge of a class project to assemble gift packages for underprivileged children, one thing after the next goes wrong. First their teacher, Mrs. Kantor, must leave school for a few weeks. The class is stuck with a mean substitute who won''t let them work on their gift boxes. Then, after their kind principal intervenes and work on the class project resumes, Hannah''s baby sister unintentionally destroys many of the gift boxes. Working as a team, Abby and Hannah think of a clever way to save the day, their budding friendship, and the class project.

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes series #11.

Abby confie à son journal qu''elle veut aller à la foire d''automne toute seule — sans ses parents et sans son petit frère — mais elle doit d''abord prouver à ses parents qu''ils peuvent lui faire confiance... ce qu''elle entreprend de faire sans tarder. Mais le destin joue parfois de mauvais tours.

Abby H. se plaint dans son journal que son frère et ses sœurs sont des génies et des athlètes accomplis, alors qu''elle ne semble avoir aucun talent particulier. Abby décide qu''elle sera la star de l''équipe de soccer. Ce ne sera pas facile, mais elle est bien décidée à surmonter tous les obstacles pour y arriver.

Can a bookmaking project bring Abby closer to her dreaded cousin Cleo? Find out if the girls can get along in this delightful Abby Hayes title.

Abby wonders, what could be worse than having to work on a science project? Having to work on a science project with a boy!

Abby is determined to host a "Hooray! It''s summer!" party for the entire fifth grade, but after she convinces her parents to agree, she begins to worry that people won''t have a good time.

Abby¿s best friend, Jessica leaves for several months to spend time with her dad. Will anything go right while she is gone? Find out in this delightful Abby Hayes title.

Abby Hayes is challenged by the prospect of working with a boy on a science fair project.

Abby Hayes decides summer is a perfect time for a pet. Abby is sure she can handle the responsibility, but things don''t go as planned. By the time she adopts a kitten, summer has taken a turn for the better. Now that she''s made a new friend at camp and has a contest to win, can she keep up with her kitten, too? Illustrations.

Abby hopes to prove that she is as great as her siblings.

Abby Hayes is chosen to write an advice column for her fifth-grade newspaper, but her own life is out of control.

Abby Hayes has two older "super-sibs" -- Isabel the brain and Eva the star athlete. Her younger brother, Alex, is a child protege. Her mother is a successful Big Time Lawyer, and her father owns his own web design company. So where does Abby fit? She takes solace in the words of inspiration from the seventy-three calendars she has in her room, and records the quotes in her treasured purple notebook. Abby is quirky, truthful, and maintains a healthy sense of humor as she strives to achieve her goals.

A collection of short stories from around the world including such authors as Valentin Rasputin, Yasunari Kawabata, and Toni Cade Bambara.

A young boy finds a salamander and thinks of the many things he can do to make a perfect home for it.

Abby''s sick of being the only Hayes with hand-me-downs. She is determined to buy her own rollerblades instead of having to use the battered old pair of her sister. But no matter how much money she earns doing odd jobs, she always seems to spend her profits on other things. Will Abby stick to a plan to save her money?

Takes a light look at parental incompetence. 4-8 yrs.

Abby wants to be Wendy or Captain Hook in the school play, Peter Pan, but so does everyone else. Does Abby have what it takes to land a starring role? Find out in this delightful Abby Hayes title.