New Releases by Alison McGhee

From a Pulitzer Prize-nominated author and a New York Times bestselling illustrator comes a heartfelt story about moving somewhere new, the meaning of home, and making new friends. A little girl sends a message in a bottle as she says goodbye to the home she has always known. With the bags packed and the farewells said, she begins her journey to a new place, and she wonders: Will the moon and stars look different when she''s gone? But soon it will be time to say hello--to her new world...and maybe even to a new friend? This touching picture book is a tribute to the power of new beginnings and the simple joy of human connection.

Collect the complete--and completely marvelous!--Bink & Gollie series in a beautifully designed edition full of visual and textual humor. Whether exploring the wonders of the state fair, attempting to set a world record, or just relaxing with some pancakes and peanut butter, Bink and Gollie are irresistibly witty, imaginative, and adventurous -- just the sort of friends young readers love. Kids can savor all of their outrageously funny escapades, created by the brilliant pairing of authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee with illustrator Tony Fucile. The collection includes: Bink & Gollie Bink & Gollie: Two for One Bink & Gollie: Best Friends Forever

An unforgettable, tender story about grief and the support of community as a young girl, faced with aching loss, begins to understand that what we love will always be with us. Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. They each have their own special tree, and neighbors and family know that they are most likely to be found within the branches. But after an accident on their street, Kiri has gone somewhere so far away that Ayla can only wait and wait in her birch, longing to be able to talk with Kiri again. Then a mysterious, old-fashioned telephone appears one morning, nestled in the limbs of Ayla''s birch tree. Where did it come from? she wonders. And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their loved ones? Especially loved ones who have passed on. All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until that day comes, she will keep Kiri''s things safe. She''ll keep her nightmares to herself. And she will not make a call on that telephone.

In this touching novel by the acclaimed author of Telephone of the Tree, an intriguing new boy at school helps Daisy cope with both bullying and past trauma. Daisy has been working on invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies who are targeting her. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the Lunchroom of Terror and secretly counting whenever she’s anxious. But things are looking up. A new boy has befriended her and seems able to stand up to the bullies, and the stray cat she’s been feeding is starting to almost trust her. Maybe she can finally focus on futurizing rather than invisibilizing.

Sister, who constantly feels overlooked, especially when the family gets a pet of Brother''s choice, decides to send him letters expressing how she feels, and to her surprise, he thoughtfully responds.

Ayla dan sahabatnya, Kiri, selalu menyukai pohon. Mereka mempunyai pohon spesial masing-masing. Keluarga dan semua orang di blok tahu akan selalu menemukan mereka di antara dahan salah satu pohon di blok. Namun, Kiri pergi ke tempat yang jauh sekali. Ayla tidak tahu kapan sahabatnya itu akan pulang. Mungkin saat ulang tahun Kiri yang kesebelas nanti? Ayla menunggu dan menunggu. Sambil merindukan Kiri dengan amat sangat. Lalu, entah dari mana muncul telepon tua di salah satu dahan pohon birch milik Ayla. Kenapa orang-orang terus muncul dan menggunakan telepon itu? Padahal telepon itu tidak tersambung ke mana pun. Ayla hanya ingin Kiri pulang dan bermain bersama-sama lagi. Sampai hari itu tiba, Ayla bertekad tidak akan menggunakan telepon itu untuk menelepon Kiri yang sedang pergi jauh sekali. #AylaDanKiri #Persahabatan #BukuAnak #CeritaRemaja #RealismeMagis #Kerinduan #TeleponDiPohon #PohonBirch #KisahHaru #Kehilangan #MenungguSahabat #LiterasiAnak #FiksiPopuler #ComingOfAge #BukuCerita #PersahabatanSejati #MisteriRingan #KisahPohon #ImaginasiAnak #KenanganMasaKecil

Dads of all varieties bounce and groove with their babies, letting them know the best thing they can be is themselves, in this exuberant picture book ode to the joy of fatherhood. Baby! High five! Down low! You ready? Let’s go! Dads got moves! Dads got grooves. From shoulder rides to sleepy time snuggles, dads have their own special relationships with their babies, their own way of showing their great big love for one another, and those beats, those boogies, those moments together will live in their hearts forever.

Von einer emotionalen Kraft, die einem den Atem nimmt Will ist einer, der geht. Von zu Hause zur Schule zur Arbeit und wieder zurück. Tag für Tag. Er geht an diesem kleinen Kerl vorbei, der auf Schmetterlinge wartet. Vorbei an Superman, dem Obdachlosen. Vorbei an dem wahnsinnigen Hund, der immer bellt. Aber es gibt auch Orte, an die will er nicht, kann er nicht gehen: die Brücke über die Fourth Street, den Laden mit den hundert chinesischen Segenssprüchen – Orte, die er immer mit seinem Vater besucht hat und der sich das Leben genommen hat. Will muss herausfinden, wie er auf seine Probleme zugehen kann, statt vor ihnen wegzulaufen. Vielleicht, indem er den Mut findet, wieder mit seiner Freundin Playa zu sprechen? Ist das der Weg raus aus der Traurigkeit und ins Leben zurück?

From New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee comes a stunning and heartbreaking story of two teens who fight to reunite when one of them is caught in the web of a sinister cult. Micah and Sesame are true best friends. They safeguard each other’s secrets and share their dreams. Micah wants to save his parents from the cult leader who calls himself “the Prophet.” Sesame recently lost the last of her own family—her grandmother—and plans to keep a low profile until she turns eighteen to avoid foster care. Together, they never doubt they can build the futures they want. Until Micah disappears. The Prophet has taken Micah, his parents, and the rest of his followers underground. And trying to take on the Prophet in isolation, surrounded by his followers, proves to be a dangerous mistake that leaves Micah hopeless and at the Prophet’s mercy. Sesame, left alone, is wracked with fear over what could be happening to Micah. Never before have the two of them been so far apart—or needed each other more. But their faith in each other never wavers, and that may just be enough to save them both.

“While books on sibling rivalry abound, [Dear Sister] brings freshness to the topic with McGhee''s gentle humor and poignant scenarios…Dear indeed.” —Kirkus Reviews “A meaningful look at…siblinghood and all its foibles.” —Publishers Weekly What do you do when you have an incredibly annoying little sister? Write her letters telling her so, of course! From New York Times bestselling author Alison McGhee comes a wickedly funny, illustrated, heartwarming, and searingly honest collection of letters from an older brother to his little sister. Whininess, annoyingness, afraid of the darkness, refusal to eat lima beans, and pulling brother’s hair. These are the criteria on which little sisters are graded. Inspired by the notes Alison McGhee’s own kids would write each other, this heavily illustrated collection of letters and messages from an older brother to his little sister reveal the special love—or, at the very least, tolerance—siblings have for each other.

“An artful exercise in melancholy…Every reader will love openhearted Will.” —Booklist (starred review) “Haunting, introspective.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Emotionally raw…[A] piercing narrative.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “McGhee artfully illustrates the tangled web wherein grief intertwines with the mundane.” —BCCB After his dad dies of suicide, Will tries to overcome his own misery by secretly helping the people around him in this exquisitely crafted story made up of one hundred chapters of one hundred words each, by award-winning and bestselling author Alison McGhee. Sixteen-year-old Will spends most of his days the same way: Working at the Dollar Only store, trying to replicate his late father’s famous cornbread recipe, and walking the streets of Los Angeles. Will started walking after his father committed suicide, and three years later he hasn’t stopped. But there are some places Will can’t walk by: The blessings store with the chest of 100 Chinese blessings in the back, the bridge on Fourth Street where his father died, and his childhood friend Playa’s house. When Will learns Playa was raped at a party—a party he was at, where he saw Playa, and where he believes he could have stopped the worst from happening if he hadn’t left early—it spurs Will to stop being complacent in his own sadness and do some good in the world. He begins to leave small gifts for everyone in his life, from Superman the homeless guy he passes on his way to work, to the Little Butterfly Dude he walks by on the way home, to Playa herself. And it is through those acts of kindness that Will is finally able to push past his own trauma and truly begin to live his life again. Oh, and discover the truth about that cornbread.

"[A] poignant meditation on the relationship between a mother and daughter" from the New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Baby ( Publishers Weekly). When Clara Winter left her rural Adirondack town for college, she never looked back. Her mother, Tamar, a fiercely independent but loving woman who raised Clara on her own, all but pushed her out the door, forcing Clara to build a new life for herself, far from her roots, far from her high school boyfriend, far from the life she had always known. Now more than a decade has passed, and Clara, a successful writer, has been summoned home. Tamar has become increasingly forgetful and can no longer live on her own. But just as her mother''s memory is beginning to slip away, Clara''s questions are building. Why was Tamar so insistent that Clara leave home all those years ago? Just what secrets was she hiding? In this "quietly powerful" ( Booklist) and "luminous novel" ( Kirkus Reviews), Alison McGhee tells the story of a young woman finding her way in life, determined to know her mother—and by extension herself—before it''s too late. "A deeply moving exploration of growing up and growing old, and the ties that bind parents and children—and the mysteries that sometimes keep us apart."—Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Lotus "An intimate and painfully aware portrait of the debilitating effects of Alzheimer''s on its victims as well as the people who must watch their tormented loved ones tumble into the disease''s terrible abyss." —Star Tribune

Pablo, nearly ten, has many questions about his origins and how he arrived at Isla as a baby, but finding the answers may mean losing his lifetime companion, Birdy the parrot.

Worlds collide in a spectacular way when Newbery and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt and Pulitzer Prize nominee and #1 New York Times bestseller Alison McGhee team up to create a fantastical, heartbreaking, and gorgeous tale about two sisters, a fox cub, and what happens when one of the sisters disappears forever. Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, more than best friends, they’d be identical twins if only they’d been born in the same year. And if only Sylvie wasn’t such a fast—faster than fast—runner. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the river they’re not supposed to go anywhere near to throw a wish rock just before the school bus comes on a snowy morning, she runs so fast that no one sees what happens…and no one ever sees her again. Jules is devastated, but she refuses to believe what all the others believe, that—like their mother—her sister is gone forever. At the very same time, in the shadow world, a shadow fox is born—half of the spirit world, half of the animal world. She too is fast—faster than fast—and she senses danger. She’s too young to know exactly what she senses, but she knows something is very wrong. And when Jules believes one last wish rock for Sylvie needs to be thrown into the river, the human and shadow worlds collide. Writing in alternate voices—one Jules’s, the other the fox’s—Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee tell the searingly beautiful tale of one small family’s moment of heartbreak, a moment that unfolds into one that is epic, mythic, shimmering, and most of all, hopeful.

A mother reflects on the all the milestones, from walking in a deep wood to holding someone else''s hand, that her child will achieve during life.

A young witch’s sweet tooth leads to Halloween mischief in this companion to the New York Times bestselling A Very Brave Witch, which School Library Journal called “a humorous, not-scary-at-all read-aloud.” It’s Halloween night, and one very brave witch has decided to teach her little sister all about humans and what they enjoy, including some yucky stuff called “candy.” But when it seems the little Witchling thinks candy is yum, her big sister flies off to set her straight—and then she gets stuck in a tree! Good thing the little Witchling isn’t afraid to be brave! This delightful Halloween tale perfectly pairs with A Very Brave Witch.

This perfectly angelic—and perfectly charming—Christmas story offers a creative twist on the classic tale of the nativity, from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of Someday. The angels are aflutter: a baby is soon to be born! One small angel can tell this baby is especially special by the way the other angels are dashing and fussing about. And holy moly, are their presents extraordinary. The little angel wants to give a present too, but, what could she possibly offer that is as worthy as the others’ gifts? At a loss for original ideas, she peeks over the side of her platform and spies something going on in the desert—a caravan of kings on camels, lost in the dark. And suddenly she knows she most do something, and does the only thing she can. Because the greatest gift of all? It can’t be wrapped. It can’t be bought. It can only be selflessly, joyfully given. And it ends up being the perfect gift for that little baby…the shiningest gift at all.

Gollie is quite sure she has royal blood in her veins, but can Bink survive her friend''s queenly airs - specially if pancakes are not part of the deal? Bink wonders what it would be like to be as tall as her friend, but how far will she stretch her luck to find out? And when Bink and Gollie long to get their picture into a book of record-holders, where will they find the kudos they seek?

The friendship of tall Gollie and short Bink is tested by Gollie''s queenly airs, a lack of pancakes, and their shared profile in a book of record holders.

Les deux insparables amies sont de retour! On peut les retrouver dans cette suite dsopilante du livre succs Bink et Gollie, meilleur album illustr au palmars du New York Times et gagnant du prix Theodor Seuss Geisel. Dans cette nouvelle aventure, Bink et Gollie sont toujours aux antipodes l''une de l''autre, mais elles doivent cooprer et faire travailler leur matire grise pour s''y retrouver parmi toutes les merveilles qu''offre l''exposition agricole de leur ville. La dynamique Bink gagnera-t-elle le plus gros beignet du monde un jeu d''adresse? Gollie l''artiste saura-t-elle sduire le public lors du concours de talent? Quand le duo du tonnerre finira par entrer dans la tente de Mme Esmralda, la voyante extralucide, une seule prdiction s''avrera infaillible : Bink et Gollie resteront amies pour toujours. The state fair is in town, and now Bink and Gollie -- utter opposites and best friends extraordinaire -- must use teamwork and their gray matter while navigating its many wonders. Will the energetic Bink win the world''s largest donut in the Whack-a-Duck game? Will the artistic Gollie wow the crowd in the talent show? As the undaunted duo steps into the mysterious tent of fortune-teller Madame Prunely, one prediction is crystal clear: this unlikely pair will always be the closest of pals. Get ready for more laughs in this wry, warmhearted sequel to the New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book Bink and Gollie, written by the award-winning, best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and featuring the exuberant visual humour of illustrator Tony Fucile. Original Title: Bink and Gollie: Two For One

On the far side of town, in a big, dark, house, lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about those scary humans and a holiday they call Halloween, but she has never even seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along… Perfect for trick-or-treaters of all ages, A Very Brave Witch makes for a playful read-aloud that takes the scariness out of the holiday.

A new school year has started for Julia Gillian, and so far, it''s not going very well. Her best friend, Bonwit Kellar, doesn''t seem to want to be her best friend anymore. Learning to play trumpet, once Julia Gillian''s heart''s desire, is much more difficult than it looks. And the school has hired an interim lunch monitor, the all-too-strict Mr. Wintz. As Julia Gillian''s music teacher would say, "Where is the joy?". Thankfully, Julia Gillian soon learns that sharing problems is often the only way to solve them, and that life is only as complicated-or joyful-as we want it to be.

“Alison McGhee’s is a novel of simple explanations, simple movement, and Faulkner’s favorite, most ferocious question: Can we ever really know one another?”—Los Angeles Times “McGhee has written a lovely and successful third novel. She brilliantly captures the close but guarded ties between residents of a grieving small town, and delivers dialogue with the uncommon and impressive mix of precision, poignancy, and believability.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “McGhee is a beautiful writer, especially in her sense of place and her precision in describing characters.” —Twin Cities Pioneer Press “McGhee, author of the critically acclaimed novel Shadow Baby, portrays in spare and beautiful prose a setting and community that recall the cold, hard landscapes of Richard Russo’s fiction.” —Book Page Was It Beautiful? is a powerful and tender portrayal of loss and renewal at midlife. With singular grace and humor, Alison McGhee pays loving attention to the details of life in the Adirondacks and to the small kindnesses and idiosyncrasies that make each member of a community precious and unique. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Through rhythmic text, a parent reflects on the options and opportunities possible in a beloved child''s future.

Two roller-skating best friends (one short and blonde, one tall and brunette) share three comical adventures involving outrageously bright socks, an impromptu trek to the Andes, and a most unlikely marvelous companion who eats pancakes.

A young girl forms an unforgettable friendship with an elderly neighbor while searching for answers about her family''s past in this national bestseller and Pulitzer Prize nominee. Eleven-year-old Clara is struggling to find the truth about her missing father and grandfather and her twin sister, dead at birth, but her mother steadfastly refuses to talk about these people who are lost to her daughter. When Clara begins interviewing Georg Kominsky, a lone old man, for a school biography assignment, she finds that he is equally reticent about his own concealed history. Precocious and imaginative, the girl invents version upon version of Mr. Kominsky''s past, just as she invents lives for the people missing from her own shadowy past. The journey of discovery that these two oddly matched people embark upon is at the heart of this beautiful story about friendship and communion, about discovering what matters most in life, and about the search to find the missing pieces of ourselves. McGhee''s prose glistens with shrewd truth and wild imaginings, creating a novel that will reverberate in the hearts and minds of readers long after the book is finished.

A loyal dog promises to protect his young mistress and her home from any danger.