New Releases by Amy Hest

On a stormy spring day, Ruby makes her way through the city to visit her grandfather.

Every year, Nana throws herself a grand birthday party, with relatives from all over the city and her special birthday rules tacked to the door: NO JEANS, NO Gum, and NO PRESENTS, EXCEPT THE KIND YOU MAKE YOURSELF. Best of all, Maggie and her cousin Brette have a sleepover at Nana''s the night before. This year, Maggie is determined to make something special for Nana -- far more special, she hopes, than Brette''s gorgeous paintings, the ones that hang in real frames over Nana''s fireplace. Amy Hest and Amy Schwartz are the author and illustrator of The Crackof-Dawn Walkers, The Purple Coat, and Fancy Aunt Jess -- warm and funny stories about families. In their latest collaboration, readers will meet two spirited cousins and their irrepressible grandmother on the eve of the most memorable birthday party ever.

When her parents go away for the weekend, Sophie enjoys sharing her grandfather''s hobby and her grandmother''s picnic while she stays with them in New York City.

Lexi gets more than she bargained for when she acts as a go-between for her grandmother and Mr. Singer across the street.

Complications in twelve-year-old Cornie''s life, among them divorced parents and a new baby half-sister, help Cornie and her best friend Megan find a theme for the school photojournalism project.

After concluding that each other''s home life is more appealing than their own, two young friends decide to swap homes and mothers.

Nell and her brother Theo love their family''s new boat from the start, but their mother must make a heroic effort to conquer her fear of boating.

When Pete''s widowed mother starts dating Lily''s divorced father, the two girls decide they need to control the situation.

Depressed about her best friend''s upcoming move to a new apartment, Jessica tries to cheer herself up by throwing a going away party.

"Jason thinks his house is far too tidy and boring, while Jessica is sick of the chaos in hers. When the two friends decide to switch places for a weekend, they realize their own homes - and mothers - are pretty good after all." -back cover.

Every other Sunday, Sadie and her grandfather go for their special early-morning walk.

Despite her mother''s reminder that "navy blue is what you always get," Gabby begs her tailor grandfather to make her a beautiful purple fall coat.

Kate, who lives with her grandmother on Manhattan''s Upper West Side, wants to be a ballet dancer, but when her dancing comes into conflict with her home life, she begins to wonder where her commitment really lies.