New Releases by Anne Mazer

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.

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.

Eleven gripping paranormal tales from award-winning author Anne Mazer Full of paranormal activity, haunting plot twists, and bone-chilling horror, this spellbinding collection will grip readers until the very last page. In "Glass Heart," a tiny shard of glass flies into a girl''s eye, causing her body to grow colder and colder until she is frozen to her very bones. "Secrets" tells the story of a girl who is tormented when other people''s secrets wind around her head like the braids of her hair. A boy is tortured by creepy phone calls that turn out to be even more dangerous than he could have imagined in "Call Me Sometime." Perhaps most frightening of all, "Thin" tells the tale of a boy who is always hungry and will do anything for food. Each story paints a vivid and often terrifying portrait that will enthrall fans of supernatural fiction.

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.

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.

To raise money to attend a writing camp Abby decides to have a bake sale at school, which is against the rules.

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.

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?

Abby Hayes tries to solve the mystery of who at her school is stealing the things which her fellow students value the most.

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 Hayes is starting fifth grade. Her supersibs, the perfect older twins and her genius little brother, have already proved their Hayes worthiness. This is going to be Abby''s year ... and she''s going to record every moment of it!"--Page 2 of cover.

When Abby''s best friend, Jessica, moved away, Abby was beside herself. But time has passed, and the gap Jessica''s absence left in Abby''s life has been filled by new friends, especially Hannah. Jessica''s done a lot of changing, too. She calls herself Jessy now, and instead of baggy overalls, she now wears hip teen clothes. She even has a boyfriend! Although things are different now, Abby and Jessy eventually find that they still have a strong bond.Also in this book, Abby deals with feelings of jealousy as Hannah spends more and more time with Abby''s boy friend (not boyfriend!), Casey.

Abby''s starting sixth grade at last! She thinks she''s ready for anything--until she makes a mortifying mistake on her very first day. Will Abby manage to make it better? Or will one mistake follow her throught the rest of middle school?

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.

When Abby is home sick with the flu, the teach says the class must participate in a science fair. Then she gives Abby--horrors!--a boy as a partner.

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 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 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.