New Releases by Megan McDonald

Eliza has a second adventure on the other side of the fairy door—and must call on her wits when a band of impish hobgoblins follows her home—in this enchanting tale by the award-winning author of the Judy Moody series. What’s that? Eliza hears faint music coming from behind the teeny-tiny fairy door she created low on the wall. So she presses her ear to the door and—shwoosh!—is whisked into the red, rocky land of hobgoblins, leaving behind the heaps of toys and books that were strewn around her room (along with her mother’s orders to clean them up). Luckily, Eliza discovers that the pointy-hatted hobs love to play, love a mess, and can grant wishes! But when she wishes that Hobby, Nobby, and Tobby would help her with her room, she learns that what hobgoblins actually love is playing tricks—and as they burst into her space, it’s clear that she’s fallen for their trickery. Can she outrun their mischief before they decorate all of her walls with crayon and turn her ceiling fan into a hobgoblin merry-go-round? Just maybe . . . but only if she can come up with a few tricks of her own! Megan McDonald’s follow-up to Eliza and the Flower Fairies, illustrated in glowing full color by Lenny Wen, is sure to be happily devoured by every child who fervently believes in fairies and other magical folk.

A-roo-ga-roo! Stink and his friends can’t wait to learn wilderness survival skills. But first the pack of friends will have to survive scouting . . . and one another! Brushing your teeth with a stick! Pooping in the woods! Stink and his friends are raring to learn all that and more in Survival Scouts. Wait! What? Survival Scouts is for boys only? No fair! So with Riley Rottenberger (aka the Great Golu) at the helm, Stink and his friends decide to form their own troop of nature explorers: the Big Bad Badgers. There will be badges to earn, climbing-up ceremonies, and awards to win. But never did these squabbling scouts imagine survival would be much harder than tying knots, reading animal tracks and scats, or even eating an insect. Ack! The Golden Honey Badger Award is starting to feel like an impossible dream to this pack of (bickering) badgers! What do they have to do to earn the coveted prize? Fans of wild backyard nature hunts—and champions of cooperation—will be hot on the trail of this quintessential Stink adventure, with fun extras at the end of each chapter. Cricket pancakes, anyone?

From the beloved author of the Judy Moody and Stink series comes the first in a sparkling series of chapter books about a girl whose love for magic and fairy folk takes her on enchanting adventures Imagine a door. A teeny-tiny fairy door. Now imagine it is magic. Open the door. To some, the low door in Eliza’s bedroom might look like an ordinary entrance to a crawl space under the stairs. But to a believer like Eliza of the Elves, it’s the door to the Land of UnderStair, a secret hideout all her own. In that crawl space, festooned with twinkling lights, Eliza keeps her favorite book, her collections of precious items, her stuffed animals, and her new diary. And in that crawl space is another door, a teeny-tiny one that can transport Eliza to a world of tangerine sun and lemon-pudding sky, a place where flower fairies perch on every bloom and a new flower springs up whenever you pick one. But in a far corner of that world, Eliza tries to pick a strangely beautiful flower—“Nooooo!” cries her friend Poppy—and things soon go terribly awry. Can a brave, wilting Poppy rescue Eliza from beyond the hedgerow before the Demon Wind steals all the flower fairies’ scents, leaving the snapdragons with no snap? In this launch of a new series, Megan McDonald brings her well-honed flair for wordplay to delicious villains like the witches Wolfsbane and Belladonna as she follows a child with a big imagination to a different fairy realm in each book. Lenny Wen’s delightful, richly colored artwork brings Eliza’s world to life with fanciful details sure to have readers creating their own cozy retreats—and visiting magical lands beyond the door.

Sometimes you just have to find the good news, as Judy Moody discovers when she creates her very own newspaper—featured as a bonus at the end of the book. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! Mr. Todd has Class 3T looking for the Five Ws in the newspaper, but all Judy can see is how much bad news there is. Climate change! Deadly virus! Sea turtles endangered by straws stuck in their noses! The good news is that Judy is taking all the bad news as a call to action. She gets out her notebook, clicks her six-year pen, transforms into a Kid Reporter, and goes out in search of happier stories. Rare bird sighting in Virginia Beach! Escaped bearded dragon found! Plastic straws banned at Virginia Dare School! There’s even a scoop that Judy overhears while ordering a scoop at Screamin’ Mimi’s—about someone who found real buried treasure. Kids intrigued by the first edition of Judy’s Sunny-Side-Up News—offering stories, a word search, a comic, a recipe, and more—may just be inspired to create their own second edition. After all, there’s no telling how much good news is out there until you start looking . . . and acting!

It’s all systems go for a bedtime voyage to the stars and to Mars! Stink and his best friend, Webster, let their imaginations fly at their first-ever sleepover. Three, two, one . . . sleepover! Stink can’t wait for Webster to arrive and sleep over for the very first time. Big sister Judy is ready with all the important rules: (1) You have to have a theme. (2) You have to have an activity. (3) You have to have snacks. (4) You cannot sleep! When Webster shows up in his outer-space pj’s, it doesn’t take long for a theme to emerge. Stink’s race-car bed doubles as a spaceship and an old keyboard is a control panel as the explorers suit up, buckle in, and blast off . . . Va-room! Playful illustrations and astronaut lingo capture their imaginary adventure from takeoff to spacewalking, while more creativity comes into play when they land and experiment with space-worthy snacks.

Fellow F.D.O.s (future dog owners) will delight in Izzy’s quest to secure a furry best friend with help from pals Judy and Stink—and a mysterious letter writer. Fluffy dogs. Scruffy dogs. Pug-faced dogs. Ugh-faced dogs. Izzy Azumi has dogs on the brain! She already has a goldfish, a South American pink-toe tarantula, and two human best friends. But fish can’t learn tricks, spiders can’t cuddle, and Stink and Judy just aren’t fuzzy enough. Will Izzy Azumi ever see her wish come true? All bets are off . . . until Izzy’s father invites a certain sibling pair to help stage a surprise for their friend. This latest entry in a series for fledgling readers will have younger Judy Moody fans—especially those who long for a dog of their own—yelping for joy.

A trove of vintage comic books and a few forensic tips turn Stink into a super sleuth in an adventure that honors classic superheroes and mystery-solving. Cheek! Chack! Chirp! At a Moody family yard sale, Stink uncovers a box of old comics about a hero he’s never heard of: Super Gecko. What could be more fantastic than a superhero with lizard superpowers? Hello, fun! Even better, Super Gecko is making a comeback, and Stink quickly becomes his number-one fan. Stink starts receiving mysterious notes signed by Super Gecko himself. But Super Gecko isn’t real, is he? Using his own powers of deduction—thanks to all the cool stuff he’s learning at Saturday Science Club—can Stink figure out who is writing the letters?

When her teacher Mr. Todd makes Monday special by celebrating Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, Judy Moody''s frown is turned upside down, prompting her to come up with the perfect idea to make this the best week ever.

Judy Moody is freaky for Nancy Drew, the famous girl detective from the book series. When Judy bumps into Mighty Fantaskey, she''s excited to make a new friend who is also a Nancy Drew fan. Excited, that is, until she visits Mighty''s house: it''s big and old and creaky and spooky. It even swallows up Judy''s mood ring! Can Judy muster up the courage to go back and reclaim it?

Books, books, books! Judy’s got books on the brain as she prepares for a totally RARE trivia competition. Has reading always been this exciting? Judy Moody is in it to win it. Win the Book Quiz Blowout, that is. Judy and her brother, Stink, are two-fifths of the Virginia Dare Bookworms, and they’ve been reading up a storm to prepare for Saturday’s face-off against second- and third-grade readers from the next town. Judy’s trying out all kinds of tactics, from hanging upside down like Pippi Longstocking to teaching herself to speed read The Princess in Black, and Stink has fashioned a cape of book trivia sticky notes to help him remember all the penguins in Mr. Popper’s Penguins. But when Judy, Stink, and their fellow teammates discover the other group has a fourth-grader (no lie!), they get a bit nervous. Are the Bookworms up to the challenge?

Surprises are in store as Stink excavates his backyard in search of a relic from an extinct beast — and Judy lends him a little sleight of hand. Mega-chomp! Stink wants to make the find of the century. He’s on a dig, dig, digging quest in his backyard to find a tooth from a saber-toothed cat, otherwise known as a Smilodon. Why not? Two kids in Michigan found a mastodon bone in a backyard stream, and a girl in Great Britain found a pterosaur bone. It could happen! But Judy thinks the chances of finding a saber-toothed anything in the Moody backyard are one in a gazillion million. Will Stink make a discovery before their whole backyard caves in? Just right for newly independent readers, this latest story from Megan McDonald is sure to leave Moody fans with smiles as wide as a Smilodon’s.

Jolly smashing! Could the Moodys really have royal blood? Judy brings her new look to a comical episode about the ups and downs of exploring a family tree. Judy Moody is in a royal purple-mountain-majesties mood. Make that Majesty with a capital M! With Grandma Lou’s help, Judy has dug up proof that some old-timey Moodys (aka the brave Mudeyes) lived in merry olde England. In fact, if her grandpa’s notes are right, Judy might even be related to — royal fanfare, please — the Queen herself! Should Judy start packing her purple robe for a sleepover at Buckingham Palace? But then Judy’s family tree gets a few more shakes — thanks to her nemesis, Jessica “Fink” Finch — and some more surprises come tumbling out. Crikey! These new gems are not nearly as shiny or sparkly as the crown jewels. Now Judy has some right royal family secrets she’d like to keep hidden away in a dungeon somewhere — and especially away from Jessica, the princess in pink herself!

When Judy Moody gets serious about protecting the environment, her little brother Stink thinks she''s overdoing it, but she manages to inspire her third grade class to undertake an award-winning, environment-saving project.

"Based on the theatrical motion picture"--Copyright page.

Includes readers'' extras and a page of stickers.

Includes readers'' extras and a page of stickers.

Includes readers'' extras and a page of stickers.

Mighty righty Judy Moody is out of her element in this righty-to-lefty switcheroo just right for newly independent readers. Left-handers are creative. Left-handers are geniuses. Half of all cats are lefties! (Or so says Stink.) But Judy is a righty . . . and Judy is feeling left out. Tomorrow is Left Handers Day, and Stink and Dad, the southpaws in the Moody family, are celebrating at the pretzel factory. Judy is allowed to come along on one condition: she has to be left-handed — the whole entire day. It’s on!

Judy’s mom takes the spotlight as the Moody family tries to give her the birthday she would like in a broadly funny episode just right for newly independent readers. Make a wish, Mrs. Moody! Every year on Mom’s birthday, one way or another, something goes wrong-not-right. Maybe Judy’s been in a bad mood. Maybe Stink’s gotten a little carsick. Maybe Dad can’t bake Mom’s favorite carrot cake. But this year is going to be different. This year is going to be perfect. This year, Judy is going to do all she can to make sure Mom gets the happy birthday she deserves. Watch out! The Boss of Birthday (aka Judy) is on the job! Parsnip cake with avocado frosting, anyone?

On your mark, get set, Gobblers-a-Go-Go! Judy swears she’ll win the race for a Thanksgiving turkey (though Stink has his doubts) in this full-color Moody adventure. The town’s annual Turkey Trot race and festival is coming up, and Judy and Stink are training to win. Judy has decided that she is going to take home the big prize: a fat, juicy turkey. They can taste it already: the moist turkey, the hot gravy, the savory stuffing, the cranberry sauce! Beep! Beep! Beep! That’s the sound of Stink’s Rapidfire Ultra XE611M25 stopwatch going off as Judy and Stink hop, crawl, and climb toward race day. But what if they don’t win a mouthwatering bird? What then? Flying turkey gizzards! Will the Moody family end up starving on T-day, like ye pilgrims of olde, or will Grandma Lou cook up a tasty Franksgiving solution?

Stink takes a star turn—and helps stave off cosmic calamity—in a new Judy Moody & Friends adventure just right for newly independent readers.u003c/bu003e Look up! Look out! A comet is coming, a comet is coming! Stink is camped out in the backyard with his sister, Judy, and he can’t wait to lay eyes on P/2015 OZ4, also known as the Sherman-Holm Comet. But then news of an asteroid hitting Russia reaches Stink, and suddenly he’s feeling squeamish (and squash-ish) about close encounters of the outer-space kind. Will donning an aluminum-foil cape and building a bunker in the basement help keep him safe? Can this fearless Asteroid Boy save Earth from disaster?

As Hurricane Elmer hits, Judy, Stink, and the entire Moody clan hunker down and ride out the storm, but when the power goes out, Grandma Lou proposes some activities to pass the time in the dark.

Amy Namey is chasing a news story in this Judy Moody® story for newly independent readers. Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, is on the hunt for a good news story. But not a lot happens in the town of Frog Neck Lake. So what’s a budding reporter to do? Team up with Judy Moody! With Judy along to sniff out a story, anything can happen. Like maybe a close encounter with the famed Great Virginia Sea Serpent, Taboo! Are Amy and Judy about to stumble upon the scoop of the century?

Amy Namey is chasing a news story in this Judy Moody® story for newly independent readers. Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, is on the hunt for a good news story. But not a lot happens in the town of Frog Neck Lake. So what’s a budding reporter to do? Team up with Judy Moody! With Judy along to sniff out a story, anything can happen. Like maybe a close encounter with the famed Great Virginia Sea Serpent, Taboo! Are Amy and Judy about to stumble upon the scoop of the century?

A latest full-color adventure in the series that includes The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure finds Judy, Stink and the whole Moody family riding out a hurricane-induced blackout in their basement while playing musical board games and telling stories with Grandma Lou.

Shark-tastic! Stink gets to sleep with the fishes after his parents win an aquarium sleepover. But wait — what’s that lurking beyond the KEEP OUT sign? When Stink’s parents win tickets for the whole family to sleep over at the aquarium (along with Stink’s two best friends), it sounds like a science freak’s dream come true. Stink loves the sea-creature scavenger hunt (Bat ray! Brain coral!), the jellyfish light show, and the shiver of sand tiger sharks with razor-sharp teeth. And of course Stink is nuts about gross stuff, but after some spooky stories around the virtual campfire, can he manage to fall asleep thinking about the eating habits of the vampire squid? Especially Bloody Mary, the mutant, glowing Frankensquid that’s supposed to be on the prowl?

Pee! Gee! Wee! Gee! What’s that sound? With her birthday coming up, Jessica hopes that, just maybe, her present will be a real-live potbellied pig. Jessica can hardly wait for her party with Judy Moody and all their friends. But Judy Moody is acting like a pig-head, and Jessica UN-invites her from the party. To make matters worse, Jessica has snooped around the house and has found zero sign of a pig present. Could her birthday be any more of a disaster? Geared to newly independent readers, this story will have Judy Moody fans in pig heaven.

In honor of Judy Moody''s younger "bother," Stink, the creators of the award-winning series have brought back the boy wonder with a bold new design for all his Stink-y adventures—no lie! Simultaneous.

Croak! Squeenk! Ribbet! After a close encounter with a mutant amphibian makes him freaky for frogs, water-shy Stink becomes a swimming success. Stink may be super smart, and Stink may be uber clever, but he’s been in the Polliwog swim class frog-ever and he still can’t bear to put his face in the water. Why would he want a geyser up his nose, on purpose? But then something weird happens: Stink starts to see frogs everywhere — in the locker room, in his boot, in the bathtub. And when a freaky blue frog licks his arm, his froggy senses start tingling! He has an urge to slurp up raisins (that look like flies). He can’t wait to play in the rain and mud. He’s a wiz at identifying frog calls. And he has become very interested in the local frog population. Could it be that Stink is turning into . . . the amazing Stink-Frog, fighter of slime? Pree-eep! Craw-awk!