New Releases by Dyan Sheldon

"Be nice to mice, is my advice," my granddad said to me. "Take care of bears, be sweet to sheep, and fish deep in the sea." Fans of Oi Frog! will love this funny and clever story about a little boy who asks his grandad how to be happy. His grandad tells him that it''s all about being kind to animals, and lists an increasingly whacky and hilarious set of things to do, and, more importantly, NOT to do to creatures all around the world. Remember, don''t iron a lion, don''t put goats in boats and never EVER laugh at giraffes! The perfect family read-aloud adventure.

Can chasing the wrong girl lead down the right path? Witty as ever, best-selling author Dyan Sheldon maps the agonizing distance between “like” and “love.” Josh has never really thought twice about girls before. He’s usually too busy watching old movies with his friends Sal and Carver, petitioning for more vegetarian options in the school cafeteria, or flailing in yoga class with his best friend, Ramona. But when new girl Jena Capistrano walks into school, Josh loses his heart faster than he’s ever lost his balance on a double downward dog. Not that he has any real aspirations, of course: he knows Jena is completely out of his league. And then, against all odds — they become friends. The closer they get, the more infatuated Josh becomes, and the more he wonders if just maybe Jena might like him back. There’s only one way to find out. But it’s not exactly easy to put your heart on the line.

What happens when a bratty teenage star and a hardworking waitress get a taste of each other’s worlds? Featuring the best-selling Dyan Sheldon at her snarky, entertaining best. Paloma Rose is sixteen and already a major TV star. She has money, franchises, adoring fans — and an agent and parents who are dependent on her success to sustain their very comfortable lives. But all that could come to an end when Paloma becomes more famous for her bad behavior than for her acting and her show’s sponsors threaten to cancel the upcoming season if things don’t improve. Meanwhile, Paloma’s worried agent happens upon Oona Ginness working in a coffee shop. Maybe she’s not as tall or as blond as Paloma, but details aside, they really might be twins. So a plan is born: What if they send Paloma to a brat camp to become a better person and put the malleable and much nicer Oona in her place? Oona thinks it’s a stupid idea, but the money is hard to resist, given her family’s dire circumstances. What does she have to lose? Of course, plans don’t always work out the way they’re supposed to. . . .

When a king discovers that there are still singing moon dragons high up on the mountainside, he offers a room full of gold to anyone who can bring one to him. The beautiful dancing dragons only reveal themselves to Alina, a young peasant girl, but she preserves the secret of their whereabouts, knowing that there are some things far more precious than a room full of gold.

If this first love is true love, why can’t Hildy hang out with her friends without feeling guilty? Dyan Sheldon takes on the possessive side of summer romance with humor and insight. Hildy has only had two-and-a-half dates in her whole life, and she isn’t counting the half. It’s starting to look as if she’s never going to have a third date, or be kissed, or know a boy who is more than just a friend. Then, on an ordinary day, she meets Connor of the melt-that-ice-cap smile — and a summer that was going to be ordinary as toast turns into Hildy’s summer of love. But love for Hildy is a little more complicated than the songs and movies have led her to believe. It’s not so much girl-meets-boy-and loses-her-heart as boy-meets-girl-and-loses-his-mind. Part cautionary tale and part romantic comedy, Dyan Sheldon’s wry, diary-style novel weighs in on all ends of the relationship scale in a story of first love.

Our Drama Queen is back and still battling with Dellwood''s most popular teenager, Carla Santini - this time for a walk-on part in a Hollywood film!With school finishing for good, Lola vows to end her long-running rivalry with Carla Santini and concentrate on her future career in theatre. But then a Hollywood film crew comes to Dellwood to make a film and Carla gets a walk-on part. Refusing to let Carla have the last laugh, Lola embarks on a number of madcap schemes to get herself noticed by the director (including sneaking into his hotel room and hiding in his closet!). Her boyfriend Sam and best friend Ella are getting seriously tired of her antics - but Lola can''t give up until she''s landed herself a part and wiped the self-satisfied smile off Carla''s face once and for all. A fast-paced, nutty comedy sequel to Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

In a new comedy from the best-selling author of CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN, two popular girls vie to out-green each other to snare a boy. Fashion-crazy Sicilee is a poster child for over-consumption. Her archrival, Maya, wears arty vintage clothes but hasn’t a clue what’s in the food she eats. So when drop-dead gorgeous new student Cody Lightfoot sets out to spread his eco-ways--and spur the Environmental Club toward an all-out Earth Day bash--Sicilee and Maya have their work cut out to attract his attention. What if Sicilee trades her fur boots for walking shoes (even if she can’t find the school when she’s not inside a car)? What if Maya dresses in plastic bottles and bags to preach in front of the supermarket (until security is called)? Or could it be that Cody isn’t all he’ s cracked up to be, and that saving the planet really is more important than impressing a boy? With her trademark quick-fire wit, Dyan Sheldon shows just what girls will do for love--and what earth-changing realizations they might have along the way.

The first time Lola came to my house, she threw herself on my bed with an unstifled cry. "My God, Ella, is there anything you don''t have?" With perfect parents, perfect friends, and perfect poise, it seems like Ella Gerard has it all. But when Ella''s new best friend (and resident drama queen), Lola Cep, nominates Ella to run for school president against her ex-best friend, the wickedly popular Carla Santini, many of the less-than-perfect aspects of Ella''s life - and of her family''s - begin to make themselves more than obvious. When the election votes are tallied, can Ella come out a winner without losing face? Dyan Sheldon brings back the winning cast of characters from CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN in a new tale of suburban high school woe - told through the eyes of an endearingly unassuming heroine.

The only thing Gabriela and Beth have in common is that they are in LA for the weekend. Gabriela is there for frivolity, fashion and fun, Beth for lectures, learning and literature. But what neither girl knows is that they are not alone.

The best-selling author of CONFESSIONS OF A DRAMA QUEEN takes a smart, funny look at friendship, staying true to your identity, and moving on. (Ages 12 and up) Gracie and Savannah are best friends --and utterly unalike. Savannah is beautiful, outrageous, and irresistible to the opposite sex. Gracie is shy, smart, and would rather be studying lizards than meeting boys. Still, they’ve made a surprisingly great team, and (until now) it seemed as if nothing could come between them. But lately, Savannah’s talent for lying and manipulating is becoming harder to ignore. She’s fallen head over heels for an elusive college boy, and Gracie can’t help wondering: is her friend as confident as she seems? When Savannah gets between Gracie and her crush, the line separating best friend from worst friend is crossed.

Adventure fiction. Science fiction. Trish is scared of her mother''s rages while timid Kiki is scared of the teen gang who terrorize the inner-city estate where they live. In their different ways, they both feel helpless and alone. But then they meet the mysterious Betty Friedman, and old lady with a secret to protect. Before they know it, Trish and Kiki are plunged into a time-travelling quest to save a historic church - and the buried treasure beneath it. Going undercover as servants in Victorian London, their cunning and bravery are put to the test, and they learn that they are more courageous than they could ever have imagined.

Janet is so determined to explore life''s ''true essence'', despite the countless hurdles in her way. But while she splashes around the deep end of the ''Pool of Life'', could Janet be missing what''s happening on dry land?

Upon learning at the end of her senior year of high school that a Hollywood film is being made in her hometown, Lola stops at nothing to get a part and upstage her nemesis, Carla Santini.

The exchange of daughters that began in "Sophie Pitt-Turnbill Discovers America" continues in this companion about a bohemian Brooklyn teen, who crosses the pond to visit an uptight English family.

While spending the summer in Brooklyn with her mother''s former schoolmate, Sophie, a sheltered English teenager, makes new and unlikely friends and finds a new side to her formerly "dull and passive" personality.

Twelve-year-old Elmo Blue just wants to fit in. But his angel friend, Kuba, seems to have other ideas. Thanks to Kuba''s promptings, Elmo soon finds himself embroiled in a war against bully Eddie Kilgour.

A diary chronicle of a teenage girl''s changing family and romantic relationships.

Zillah is the last angel. She''s always late and no matter how hard she tries, something always goes wrong. But the Baby Jesus is about to be born, and every angel wants to offer Him the perfect gift. This time, Zillah is determined to get everything right . . . and magical story.

This first picture book for parents to share with their children features a story about the friendship between a dog and a cat. Illustrations.

In her first year at a suburban New Jersy high school, Mary Elizabeth Cep, who now calls herself "Lola", sets her sights on the lead in the annual drama production, and finds herself in conflict with the most popular girl in school.

It''s bad enough that Adam''s older brother, Keith, is an all-around athletic hero while Adam is always picked last for teams. But Keith also takes special pleasure in picking on Adam for being a weakling and a wimp. So when a group of bullies decides to rough up Adam and his best friend on a daily basis, Keith is the last person Adam is going to ask for help— even if it means standing up to the teenage terrorists all by himself. Dyan Sheldon''s fast-paced and funny sequel to MY BROTHER IS A VISITOR FROM ANOTHER PLANET holds more surprises than Adam—or Keith—can imagine.

Elena really wants to be the princess in the dance school ballet, dressed in the beautiful coral-coloured tutu with silver stars. But nasty, vain Sylvie gets the part, while Elena has to be - the frog What chance has she got to sparkle now?