New Releases by Catherine Hapka

Where There''s a Whisk, There''s a Way takes readers on a magic trip down the rabbit hole to the place where sugar and spice make everything nice: Alice''s Wonderland Bakery. Based on the new Disney Junior series, this gorgeously illustrated original picture book follows Alice, the 8-year-old great-granddaughter of the original Alice, after she inherits her great-grandmother''s enchanted bakery in the wacky, wonderful world of Wonderland. With a sprinkle of creativity, a dash of curiosity, and a can-do attitude, Alice is ready to confront any kitchen challenge, from catering a mad tea party to baking an unbirthday cake for the Queen of Hearts''s daughter Princess Rosa. In this book, Alice and her friends work together to bake the perfect heart-shaped cheesecake for a special party for the Queen of Hearts. When they can''t find the recipe they are looking for, they go on a baking adventure to create a wonderful Wonderland creation. Complete your Disney collection with these fan favorites: Mira, the Royal Detective: The New Royal Detective Fancy Nancy: My Fanciest Things Disney Princess: Once Upon a Flower Girl 101 Dalmatians: Spot the Difference Mulan''s Lunar New Year Disney My First Stories: Alice Wants to Grow Sofia the First

Set in Pennsylvania, the fifth book in the American Horse Tale series follows the story of a young girl who moves to a small rural town and begins a friendship with the horse next door. Nat is a city girl through and through. She loves playing in open fire hydrants, laughing with her friends during block parties, and making trips to her local comic book shop to grab the latest copy of her favorite graphic novel series. So she''s heartbroken when her mom says they''re moving to a rural town hours away from Philadelphia. Who wants to live in the middle of Nowheresville? But getting used to her new small-town life might not be as bad as Nat thought now that she''s met the boy next door and his beautiful horse, Ghost. Nowheresville is part of a series of books written by several authors highlighting the unique relationships between young girls and their horses.

Welcome to Dolphin Island, where the tropical sun shines, the dolphins play, and friendship is always just down the beach! Abby''s family has just moved to the Florida Keys to run an island resort. She''s excited to feel the surf, sand, and ocean breeze every day! And when Bella, a visitor to the island, discovers a hidden cove that''s home to a pod of dolphins, Abby knows she''s right where she should be. But Bella makes Abby swear to keep the dolphins a secret. Can Abby keep her promise or will their friendship be over for good?

Welcome to Dolphin Island, where the tropical sun shines, the dolphins play, and friendship is always just down the beach! Hurricane season is here and Abby can''t help but worry about the danger it may bring to the resort and the dolphins living in the cove. If the wind gets any stronger and the waves grow any wilder, everyone might have to evacuate!That doesn''t stop Abby from introducing a new guest named Delaney to her dolphin friends. But when the storm hits and Delaney''s dad gets stranded in open water, it''s Abby and her dolphin friends to the rescue!

When eight-year-old Chris discovers a fluffy, white puppy wedged inside his family''s chimney on Christmas morning, he knows exactly how it got there because the dog tells him. It turns out Peppermint Bark stowed away in Santa''s sleigh, go left behind accidentally, and he can talk! Now Chris must convince his too-cool big sister, Holly, and her best friend, Ivy, that this is Santa''s puppy. Chris seems to be the only one who understands what the dog is saying, but Peppermint Bark needs all of their help. If they don''t find a portal back to the North Pole before Christmas Day ends, the little dog will be stuck in Poinsettia until next year! Do the kids have enough Christmas spirit to work together and help the jolly little dog jingle all the way home?

From the author of Heart of a Dolphin and Dolphin Dreams comes the story of another special friendship! Lily''s summer is off to a rocky start. Her best friends have abandoned her for sleep-away camp, without even considering whether she''d want to go or not. Worse, she''s stuck with a long summer reading list her parents insist she finish when all she really wants to do is hang out at the aquarium so she can learn everything she''ll need to know to become a marine biologist someday. They don''t understand her dreams.So when Lily discovers a dolphin in a nearby canal, she''s torn. She knows she shouldn''t be spending all her time watching over the sweet, playful creature. But if the dolphin can''t find the way back to its pod in the bay, it could be in serious trouble. Lily can''t help feeling that saving the dolphin might just be her destiny...

A secret cove, a special dolphin, and two girls with dolphin dreams . . . Avery comes to the cove to imagine swimming with dolphins -- and to avoid thinking about her parents'' divorce. Maria comes to draw pictures of the special creatures. Pictures she''ll never show to anyone.When a sweet dolphin brings two girls from very different worlds together, it looks like they might make their dreams come true . . . together. Maria helps Avery battle her fear of the ocean. And Avery encourages Maria to share her art with the world. But family expectations could tear their new friendship apart. Then the girls discover their special dolphin is in trouble. Can they overcome their differences to help the dolphin -- and each other -- before it''s too late?

Nina''s worrying about her best friend''s dwindling interest in riding while discovering that someone''s been sneaking into the barn and riding Breezy without permission.

Going to dolphin school under the sea is a magical experience for Pearl and her friends! Pearl is a magical dolphin of the Salty Sea, and today is her first day of school. Her classmates Echo and Splash make great new friends! Together they start learning dolphin skills like magic, music, and jumping.But another student, Flip, just won''t stop bragging. And when he accepts a dare from an older student, he ends up in terrible danger from a shark! Can Pearl and her friends save him? It''s an exciting first day at Dolphin School!

Brooke, who has always had to share everything with her siblings, must now also share use of her pony Foxy, which makes both Brooke and Foxy nervous about their upcoming horse show.

Welcome to the Pet Rescue Club! Collectible bookmarks with every book feature the real-life stories! Animal-crazy Janey can’t have any pets of her own because of her father’s severe allergies. Her overly-indulgent parents try to make it up to her by giving her everything else she wants, including the latest model tablet computer. So Janey uses the tablet to create a blog where kids can post cute photos of their dogs and cats. When Janey starts a blog where people can share cute pet photos and stories, she never imagines she’ll receive a heartbreaking photo of a skinny, abandoned dog. Janey isn’t sure what to do, so her friends Lolli and Adam get involved to try to help the poor creature. They also enlist hyper Zach from their class at school. He might be annoying, but his mom is a vet who works with the local animal shelter. Can the four of them save the dog – and maybe start a pet rescue club to help other animals in need? Based on the real-life dog named Harry Truman adopted from the ASPCA. See Harry Truman''s sweet photo and read about his heart-warming story on the bookmark included with every book! Read a book and help save a life: 5-7% of the purchase price of every ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Pet Rescue Club book goes directly to the ASPCA® so they can continue their mission of helping the helpless, with a minimum donation of $50,000 through December 2019.

While out walking a dog one day, Adam notices a shaggy, tiny pony standing alone in a field. Each day he sees the same lonely pony. Has she been abandoned? Looks like another case for the Pet Rescue Club! Will Adam, along with his friends Janey, Lolli, and Zach find a way to help? Welcome to the Pet Rescue Club! Collectible bookmarks with every book feature the real-life stories! The series begins when Janey starts a blog where people can share cute pet photos and stories. She never imagined she’d receive a heartbreaking photo of a skinny, abandoned dog. She callson her friends Lolli, Zach, and Adam to help – and that’s just the start! When these animal-loving fourth graders discover how many animals need help in their suburban hometown, they can’t just sit by and do nothing… Read a book and help save a life: 5-7% of the purchase price of every ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Pet Rescue Club book goes directly to the ASPCA® so they can continue their mission of helping the helpless, with a minimum donation of $50,000 through December 2019.

Welcome to the Pet Rescue Club! Zach''s mom has a new patient—a giant dog named Maxi who has been helping her owner train for a marathon. Maxi''s knees can''t handle all that running and now she needs an expensive operation! Time for the kids in the Pet Rescue Club to help! Together they find a way to help Maxi. When Janey starts a blog where people can share cute pet photos and stories, she never imagined she’d receive a heartbreaking photo of a skinny, abandoned dog. She calls on her friends Lolli, Zach, and Adam to help – and that’s just the start! When these animal-loving fourth graders discover how many animals need help in their suburban hometown, they can’t just sit by and do nothing… Read a book and help save a life: 5-7% of the purchase price of every ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Pet Rescue Club book goes directly to the ASPCA® so they can continue their mission of helping the helpless, with a minimum donation of $50,000 through December 2019.

For all lovers of horses and history, the beloved Horse Diaries series is heading to the circus! A beautiful Friesian horse and the younger sister of a circus star develop a heartwarming friendship in this sweet and lively story told straight from the horse’s mouth. The Netherlands, 1855 Luna is a black Friesian mare with one small white crescent- moon marking on her forehead. She lives a quiet life on a farm . . . until the circus comes to town! Luna bonds with a girl named May, who dreams of starring in the show, just like her older sister. And together, Luna and May just might be able to shine. Here is Luna’s story . . . in her own words.

Maddie worries she might be giving up too much—especially Cloudy, her pony—in this fifth book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. It’s almost Maddie’s birthday, and while snooping around for her hidden gifts (a family tradition), she stumbles across something that makes her think her mother is getting transferred again by the Air Force—this time overseas! Oh, no! What will that mean for Maddie and her pony, Cloudy? On top of that Maddie’s best friend Bridget has just broken up with her boyfriend, and it seems that Cloudy is the only thing that makes her feel better. Why does Maddie always have to be the one who’s making sacrifices?

When her horse show performance goes horribly wrong, Nina wonders if a Halloween ghost could be involved in this fourth book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. Nina Peralt’s boarding and lesson barn will be putting on a horse show this fall, and she can’t wait to show off how well she and her pony, Breezy, have been doing lately! Bonus: the cute older brother of one of her fellow riders will be helping out as jump crew. Unfortunately, once the show starts, everything goes wrong for Nina in the most embarrassing ways possible. Could something supernatural be to blame? New Orleans is always a little spooky around Halloween, but this year Nina slowly becomes convinced she’s being haunted by the ghost of an angry ancestor. Can her Pony Post pals help her banish her fears and live down her terrible show day?

Fifteen-year-old, science loving Bailey experiences what it is like to fall in love for the first time when new boy Logan Morse arrives into town.

"Zach''s neighbors just had a new baby--and now they''re threatening to take their cat, Hallie, to the animal shelter. The kids have been volunteering there since starting the Pet Rescue Club, and they know an older cat might have trouble getting adopted. Can they convince the family to give their kitty another chance--or maybe find someone who truly appreciates all that an older kitty has to offer?"--

When all of Haley’s time goes to training her pony, keeping an eye on the prize causes problems in this third book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. For months, Haley Duncan has been saving up to ride with her pony Wings in a clinic with a world-famous event rider. On top of that, she wants to make sure Wings is as fit and ready as he can be, which means extra trot sets before school and training and cleaning tack all weekend. So what if Haley’s friends complain that she doesn’t have time for them anymore? So what if she has to miss her very first ever school dance, or skip a favorite family tradition, or leave early from her BFF’s first boy-girl party? Everyone will get it when they see her in the Olympics someday. But when Haley’s overscheduled existence and exhaustion causes an accident, she may have to say good-bye to her dreams…

Disappointed when she is not accepted by the wealthier campers at her sleepaway riding camp, Brooke learns that the camp may be shutting down permanently and asks her online Pony Post friends for help saving it.

Maddie is desperate to keep her favorite horse from being sold in this first book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. Madison “Maddie” Martinez loves her weekly riding lessons, and she loves working with her favorite horse, Cloudy, every time. So she is shocked when she finds out Cloudy’s former owners might want to buy her back! Maddie desperately concocts various plans to stop the sale: maybe she can raise money to buy Cloudy herself, or what if she can make the potential buyers lose interest? Maddie’s online Pony Post friends—Brooke Rhodes, Hayley Duncan, Nina Peralt, who all share a love of Chincoteague ponies—can tell something is up, but at first Maddie is afraid to tell them what’s happening. If she loses her only connection to Chincoteague, will they even want to be friends with her anymore?

For the campers and the horse lovers in your home or school! It''s the first day of summer vacation and time to go camping with the ponies! Meg discovers there''s a lot she doesn''t know about camping—but learning is part of the fun in the end. The Pony Scouts series is full of all the rich details young horse lovers devour, from pony-centric plots to a "Pony Pointers" vocabulary page at the end of each book. Go camping with the Pony Scouts! Author Catherine Hapka is a lifelong horse lover. She rides several times per week and keeps three horses on her small farm in Pennsylvania. If you''re looking for horse books for girls 4-8, don''t miss the Pony Scouts books. Pony Scouts: The Camping Trip is a Level Two I Can Read book, geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the engaging stories, longer sentences, and language play of Level Two books are proven to help kids take their next steps toward reading success.

From the creators of Ice Age and Epic, Rio 2 flies into theaters in April 2014. Join Blu, Jewel, and all your favorite Rio characters for a wild adventure in this retelling of the movie perfect for young fans! Blu and Jewel are taking the kids on a trip to the Amazon jungle. Jewel wants the kids to know what it was like for her growing up in the wild, but Blu is missing the comforts of home. Will this vacation be one to remember? Based on the movie, Rio 2: Vacation in the Wild is a Level 2 I Can Read book, perfect for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Read along with Disney! It''s Halloween, and the Buddies are going on a brand-new original adventure! The pups are excited to go trick-or-treating in their awesome costumes, but when a black cat keeps appearing, their luck starts to turn. Follow along with the word for word narration as the Buddies track down this mysterious Halloween visitor, and get to the bottom of this spooky situation!

Read along with Disney! Sofia meets Princess Ariel in this adorable mermaid tale! During her family vacation on a floating palace, Sofia befriends a mermaid, and through their friendship, helps save the mermaid''s kingdom and brings their two worlds together. Follow along with the word-for-word narration in this storybook based on the Disney Junior movie event featuring Princess Ariel!

Qualifying for an elite series of horse shows that coincide with the start of a new school year, talented riders Tommi, Kate and Zara find their efforts complicated by overconfidence, a love triangle and cultural misunderstandings. By the authors of Off Course. Original.

In Pony Scouts: Blue Ribbon Day, the eighth book in the Pony Scouts series, horse-loving Meg, Jill, and Amy are thrilled to be going to the county fair. They get to help Jill''s mom prepare the ponies for the driving class competition. And they’ll have plenty of time to enjoy lots of fair fun and try the yummy treats. Lovely watercolor illustrations on every page add to the story''s charm, and a page of pony pointers explaining horse terms is a fun bonus for riding enthusiasts. Pony Scouts: Blue Ribbon Day by Catherine Hapka is an I Can Read level 2 book, perfect for beginning readers who are gaining confidence in their reading skills but still need some help.

Lindy doesn''t want to move to the bug house. That''s what she calls her family''s new beachfront house on stilts. She misses her best friend and her life back in Chicago. But her feelings change during a storm when Lindy hears a cry for help . . . from a mermaid! Are there really mermaids in Lindy''s backyard? And if so, what can one clumsy girl do to help them? Fans of Hamster Magic and The Very Little Princess books will love this heartfelt and accessible Stepping Stones fantasy.

Read along with Disney! Sofia is excitedly awaiting the arrival of a visitor at the castle: a beautiful baby unicorn named Pearl. Sofia and her step-siblings want to play with their special guest, but Pearl ruins their games and makes a mess. Follow along with the word for word narration as Sofia tries to find an activity they can all enjoy together.