New Releases by Anna Staniszewski

"A heartwarming and necessary story about building family connections across cultural divides." -- School Library Journal On a vist to her cousin in Poland, young Natalia worries she''s not "Polish enough" -- her aunt''s fast Polish is tricky to understand, and she feels shy speaking it herself. But when she and her cousin bond over their love of fairy tales, they set off together on a magical adventure across Warsaw in search of Syrenka, the legendary Mermaid of Warsaw. Celebrates cross-cultural connections and family heritage Endnotes include Polish words, pronunciation guides, and fun facts on Polish history, fairy tales, and Warsaw landmarks Perfect for young readers curious about different cultures and family traditions

From middle-grade darling Anna Staniszewski comes the story of a girl who might just have friendship down to a science. Friendship? Just add science . . . LB messed up. Even though her best friend, Kat, says she''s forgiven her for that whole using-science-to-make-herself-popular thing, things are still pretty weird between them. Then the bully from their old school, Courtenay, shows up -- pretending to be nice! Worst of all, Kat seems to . . . like Courtenay? Just when she thought things were getting back to normal, LB''s friendships are more confusing than ever! She needs a new hypothesis, and fast, to revamp her relationship with Kat before Courtenay can ruin everything again. Sure, LB has never seen a superhero movie or drawn a comic, and LB has definitely never done roller derby before -- but if Kat likes those things, why not try? As she steps out of her comfort zone and into Kat''s, LB discovers a world of new adventures. Maybe her first experiment started this mess, but her second plan is sure to fix it! Will her two wrongs make a right?

From middle-grade darling Anna Staniszewski comes the story of a girl who might just have being popular down to a science. Lily loves science and hanging out with her best friend, Katie. But after a really embarrassing incident, she jumps at the chance to switch schools. She''s ready to start over. With the scientific process, anything is possible! After a summer spent coming up with theories and prepping for the switch, Lily starts her new school as Blake, a popular girl with a cool name, ready to climb the social ladder. But every hypothesis has its flaws, and Blake will have to adjust her experiment as she adjusts to her new classmates. And when Katie suddenly shows up in Blake''s world, things get messy. Who''s got the winning formula: Blake or Lily?

A little girl and her dog enter a very unusual dog show in Beast in Show, an irresistible picture book full of compassion and surprises from author Anna Staniszewski, featuring illustrations by Joanie Stone. When Julia hears about the dog show, she is thrilled. Huxley might seem like an ordinary dog, but Julia knows he is a winner. Huxley can run. He can jump. He can even do a triple back flip! But the competition is fierce, and soon other kids are stealing the spotlight with their fire-breathing, levitating, extraterrestrial pets. What will it take to win Best in Show? This heartfelt, hilarious picture book celebrates the value of losing gracefully as well as the bond between children and their loving pets—from robot cats to glittery dragons, glowing aliens, handsome unicorns, and precious dogs.

Kara and Zed are off on a new adventure, in this twisted fairy tales series from Anna Staniszewski! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic''s early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Snow White needs help! One of her dwarf friends has been kidnapped by the evil queen. It''s up to Kara and Zed to travel to the castle and rescue the dwarf in time for Snow White''s wedding. Magic, friendship, and adventure come together in the adorable Once Upon a Fairy Tale series, featuring black-and-white illustrations on every page.

“A light fantasy with a powerful message of hope.” —Kirkus Reviews “A gentle yet empowering story.” —School Library Journal Ten-year-old Mira must balance the loyalty she feels towards her family with the desire to be accepted by her new classmates in this powerful coming-of-age story about identity, community, and finding a place to call home. I’m not like most of my classmates. At least not yet. My family came to this country when I was five years old, but we’re so close to becoming citizens now. This means we’ll finally be able to use Amber like everyone else. Then I will be as special as the rest of my classmates, the ones who were born here with magic already in their veins. But most of all, no one will compare me to Daniel anymore. Daniel who doesn’t even try to fit in, who actually seems proud of being an outsider. Once I take my first sip of Amber, I will be on the inside. I hope.

Magic, friendship, and adventure are the perfect ingredients for a new twisted fairy tales Branches series from Anna Staniszewski! Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic''s early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!Kara and Zed are ready for a new adventure! When Prince Charming loses the girl and the glass slipper, Kara knows this is her chance to find the shoe, foil an evil plot, and save the day. But will Kara and Zed fix the prince''s happily ever after, or wind up thrown in a dungeon? Macky Pamintuan''s illustrations are on every page, welcoming readers into the adorably silly world of the Once Upon a Fairy Tale series.

Secondhand wishes come with some hilarious, unintended consequences, from middle-grade darling Anna Staniszewski. Lexi has to keep the universe in balance. If she does enough good things, like being on time, then the bad things, like her little brother needing more surgery, won''t happen. It doesn''t always work, but she has to keep trying. Just in case. On an extra bad day, Lexi finds a bag of four wishing stones in the antique shop in town, and wishes that her BFF Cassa and the new girl would stop talking to each other. That night, Cassa calls Lexi, crying over the end of her friendship with Marina. The wishes work!Sort of. When she wishes on the Success stone for the courage to try out for dance club, Lexi wows the entire auditorium with. . .singing? And when she wishes on the Health stone, her little brother starts squeaking like a hamster. This isn''t the first time those wishing stones have been wished on -- and secondhand wishes come with unexpected consequences!This sweet and funny story from Anna Staniszewski is perfect for anyone who''s wished for a dash of magic in their day!

Ben selects from the shelter a most unusual "dog" that wreaks havoc in town until she has a chance to prove her worth.

The third book in the Switched At First Kiss series has Cupid Marcus and Reaper Lena suddenly losing their powers, they''ll have to work together to set things right Lena is more than ready to spend a quiet winter break with her mom out in Arizona, even if that means saying a temporary good-bye to her boyfriend, Marcus. What she doesn''t count on? A major power outage—of the supernatural kind. Out of nowhere, Lena''s soul-collecting powers disappear, as do Marcus''s matchmaking powers, only to reappear elsewhere! Now school-loudmouth Connie Reynolds is making people fall in love left and right, and Marcus''s sister is having visions... If Lena and Marcus can''t figure out how to set things right, it might just be the end of the world as they know it. Praise for The Dirt Diary series: "Holy fried onion rings! Fun from beginning to end"—Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of 11 Birthdays and The Candymakers "A fast-paced comedy of errors"—School Library Journal

A funny, fractured fairy tale (sort of) from the author of the beloved Dirt Diaries series! Ainsley never wanted to spend her summer on a fairy tale cruise--especially since, instead of lounging by the pool, she''s running around the ship doing favor after favor for her cruise director mom. Things aren''t all bad--it''s good to see her mom acting confident again after the divorce, and she''s learning a lot about obscure German fairy tales and how to fold towels into entertaining shapes for little kids (um, yay?). There''s also a guy who''s super cute, even in a dorky dwarf costume--if only Ainsley could get Prince Handsome to stop babbling about himself long enough for her to say more than ''hi'' to the cute dwarf!But once the cruise starts, things start to go wrong: the laundry turns pink, the kitchen runs out of food, the guy playing the Pig King is always in Ainsley''s hair, and her mom expects her to be in a hundred places all at once. Is this fairy tale cruise under a wicked curse? Or can Ainsley stand up for herself and make the cruise end happily ever after?

Book 2 of the adorkable Switched At First Kiss series proves that sometimes opposites attract even when it''s love and death Lena''s not ready for any more supernatural surprises. Her new boyfriend, Marcus, is a cupid. She''s a soul collector ("reaper" just sounds so harsh). And they just got their powers un-swapped. But things aren''t as back to "normal" as they seem... On his next assignment, Marcus''s "love boost" is a little too powerful. (Baby talk is so annoying.) And Lena''s soul sort of...escapes. The cause? Lena and Marcus''s powers are still intertwined! Their emotions are affecting each other''s power. So, basically the fate of the world depends on them getting along in their brand new romance. (Okay, just love and death, but still.) No pressure, right? Praise for I''m With Cupid: "Readers are in for a wild and hilarious ride."—Booklist "Staniszewski provides a deft mix of comedy and sensitive, deeper themes, making her book not only entertaining, but one that offers wisdom."—Kirkus Reviews

Marcus is a Cupid. Lena is a Reaper. Opposites attract in the exciting new Switched At First Kiss series by the acclaimed author of The Dirt Diary. Dared to kiss the adorkable Marcus Torelli at a party, Lena thinks it''s the perfect opportunity to cross First Kiss off her list of "Things to Accomplish Before I Turn Fourteen." It''s only when she gets sent on an assignment the next day she realizes something went horribly wrong. That ZING she felt wasn''t the thrill of her first kiss—she and Marcus have swapped powers! Lena is not your average eighth grader, she''s a soul collector with an serious job to do. And Marcus turns out to be a supernatural matchmaker (like cupid, but without the diaper). Now logical Lena finds herself with the love touch, and sweet, sentimental Marcus has death at his fingertips. The truth is that Lena should never have taken that dare...because one little kiss has Lena and Marcus in a whole lotta trouble. Praise for Anna Staniszewski''s The Dirt Diary: "Holy fried onion rings! Fun from beginning to end."—Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of 11 Birthdays and The Candymakers "I LOVED it...sweet, sensitive, and delicious!"—Erin Dionne, author of Models Don''t Eat Chocolate Cookies

It''s time to power down for the night, but Little Robot isn''t ready! He quickly opens his stalling program. Luckily, Mom Unit knows exactly how to get him into his sleep module. From a debut picture book author and the illustrator of Little Boo, this funny twist on a familiar nighttime routine will click with bedtime avoidance experts everywhere.

"Holy fried onion rings! Fun from beginning to end." —Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of 11 Birthdays and The Candymakers on The Dirt Diary The Gossip File: • Chandra lets little kids pee in the pool. • Melody stole $ from the café register. • Ava isn''t who she says she is... Ava is cool. Ava is confident. Ava is really Rachel Lee who is lying her butt off. Rachel is visiting her dad at a resort in sunny Florida and is ready for two weeks of relaxing poolside, trips to Disney World and NOT scrubbing toilets. Until her dad''s new girlfriend, Ellie, begs Rachel to help out at her short-staffed café. That''s when Rachel kinda sorta adopts a new identity to impress the cool, older girls who work there. Ava is everything Rachel wishes she could be. But when the girls ask "Ava" to help add juicy resort gossip to their file, Rachel''s not sure what to do...especially when one of the entries is a secret about Ellie. Praise for award-winning Author Anna Staniszewski''s The Dirt Diary series: "Staniszewski keeps the focus on comedy... Gentle fun laced with equally gentle wisdom." Kirkus "Rachel''s situation and feelings ring true...This realistic read is likely to appeal to middle schoolers and reluctant readers." -School Library Journal "I LOVED it...sweet, sensitive, and delicious!" —Erin Dionne, author of Models Don''t Eat Chocolate Cookies

Rachel Lee never thought she''d fight for the right to clean toilets. But when a rival cleaning business starts stealing her mom''s clients, Rachel will do whatever it takes to save herself the horror of moving to Connecticut—which would mean giving up her almost, sort of boyfriend, her fantastic new pastry classes, and her best friend Marisol. Operation Save Mom''s Cleaning Business is a go! But when the series of pranks Rachel and her BFF cook up to take down the competition totally backfires, Rachel worries that her recipe for success is a dud. You know what they say—if you can''t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen... "Holy friend onion rings! Fun from beginning to end."—Wendy Mass, bestselling author of 11 Birthdays and The Candymakers on The Dirt Diary

"I LOVED it...sweet, sensitive, and delicious!"—Erin Dionne, author of Models Don''t Eat Chocolate Cookies WANTED: Maid for the most popular kids in 8th grade. Cleaning up after the in-crowd gets Rachel all the best dirt. Rachel can''t believe she has to give up her Saturdays to scrubbing other people''s toilets. So. Gross. But she kinda, sorta stole $287.22 from her college fund that she''s got to pay back ASAP or her mom will ground her for life. Which is even worse than working for her mother''s new cleaning business. Maybe. After all, becoming a maid is definitely not going to help her already loserish reputation. But Rachel picks up more than smell socks on the job. As maid to some of the most popular kids in school, Rachel suddenly has all the dirt on the 8th grade in-crowd. Her formerly boring diary is now filled with juicy secrets. And when her crush offers to pay her to spy on his girlfriend, Rachel has to decide if she''s willing to get her hands dirty...

Happily ever after? Yeah, right. Jenny''s search for her parents leads her to Fairyland, a rundown amusement park filled with creepily happy fairies and disgruntled leprechauns. Despite the fairies'' kindness, she knows they are keeping her parents from her. If only they would stop being so happy all the time-it''s starting to weird her out! With the help of a fairy-boy and some rebellious leprechauns, Jenny finds a way to rescue her parents, but at the expense of putting all magical worlds in danger. Now Jenny must decide how far she is willing to go to put her family back together.

A hilarious tale where one girl adventures to fairy land but it''s not the fairy tale journey you expect... I know what you''re thinking: "Can she talk to animals?" Yes, those chatty woodland creatures won''t shut up. It''s not as cute as you''d think. What''s an Adventurer, You Ask? An underappreciated girl like me who travels around to magical Kingdoms saving creatures you don''t even know exist. And trust me, they need a lot of help. My new missions is in the Land of Tales (the crazy place all fairy tales come from) to face off with an evil witch and complete Three Impossible Tasks. Easy, right? Being an adventurer is no fairy tale, but this is one mission I can''t fail. —Jenny the Adventurer Praise for My Very UnFairy Tale Life: "A light comic romp...Charming."—Kirkus "A speedy and amusing ride...will keep readers entertained."—Publishers Weekly "A magical world that''s totally relatable. You''ll find yourself wishing you were alongside Jenny fighting against unicorns (who aren''t as peaceful as you think) and traveling to fantastical realms."—GirlsLife.com

You know all those stories that claim fairies cry sparkle tears and elves travel by rainbow? They''re lies. All lies. I''ve spent my life as an official adventurer. I travel across enchanted kingdoms saving magical creatures and fighting horrible beasts that most of you think are only myths and legends. I''ve never had a social life. My friends have all forgotten me. And let''s not even talk about trying to do my homework. So — I''m done!! I''m tired and I want to go back to being a normal girl. But then along comes "Prince Charming" asking for help, and, well, what''s a tired girl like me supposed to do? "Jenny is an adventurer I''d definitely want in my corner if my life ever took a wrong turn from Happily Ever After." — Hélène Boudreau, author of Real Mermaids Don''t Wear Toe Rings "Readers will laugh their way through the ups and downs of Jenny''s many (mis)adventures." — Jennifer A. Nielsen, author of Elliot and the Goblin War