New Releases by Joan Holub

Hestia feels unseen at Mount Olympus Academy in this eighteenth Goddess Girls adventure. Hestia, the sweet goddess of the hearth, loves to cook, but is too shy to share her passion with other students. Her famous yambrosia salad is a MOA favorite—but no one has any idea that was her recipe! When she has to pick a symbol that represents her highest self for a Service to Humankind contest, her classmates laugh at her first choice of an ordinary cooking pot. After initial embarrassment, Hestia becomes determined to break out of her shell and stop feeling so invisible around everyone at Mount Olympus Academy. With the help of Pheme, and a lizard-tailed boy named Asca, she begins to see that she has much to offer others. But will her quest not show her best self after all?

After a sea battle between the Olympians and the Titans, the Olympians find themselves shipwrecked on an island, and when Uranus'' stars falls into the ocean, a dangerous wave of bubbles heads towards the island.

A new mergirl shows up at Mount Olympus Academy—and Poseidon just might be her perfect match in this seventeenth Goddess Girls adventure. Amphitrite is a mergirl with a big crush on Poseidon—but will his quirks make her fall out of like?

When the Olympians arrive on the island of Lemnos, they meet the metal-working Hephaestus who is hesitant to leave with the gods, stating that the only way he will join them is if he gets to be their leader.

In this fairy tale retelling, Goldilocks hopes to prove herself a worthy friend by infiltrating an evil organization and saving the day. Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia . . . Goldilocks is so eager to make friends at Grimm Academy, she''s even tempted to accept an invitation to join E.V.I.L.—it''s just nice to be included! But she doesn''t want to be a villain. Can Goldie get inside the secret society and do some good?

In this fairy tale retelling, Sleeping Beauty goes to boarding school and must find protection from an evil curse. Sleeping Beauty—who just goes by her middle name, Rose—has always been a daredevil. But according to her fairy tale, after her twelfth birthday Rose must avoid all sharp objects. That isn''t easy at Grimm Academy, where enchanted items can also be dangerous. Rose will have to stay wide awake to keep out of trouble-and to find her magic charm!

Iris has a rainbow of colorful experiences, from visiting the Underworld to conversing with her crush in this Goddess Girls adventure. Iris is the most colorful goddess girl at Mount Olympus Academy. In fact, her hair and delicate wings can change color according to her mood! When Principal Zeus entrusts her with the job of fetching some magic water, Iris is tickled pink—until she realizes she’ll have to get the water from the gray, gloomy River Styx in the Underworld! And when Iris figures out how to create magical rainbow slides that will allow her to travel from Mount Olympus to Earth and back in a flash, she suddenly becomes a messenger in high demand. All the while, Iris wonders whether her crush, Zephyrus, has caught wind of her infatuation, or if he’s into her BFF instead. Either way, Iris is determined she won’t go green with envy!

Meet Cassandra, the newest student at Mount Olympus Academy! She has an amazing talent—but will her new friends believe her? This Goddess Girls story is based on the myth of Cassandra, who has the gift of seeing the future—except no one believes her. Can Apollo, the god of prophecy, help his new crush?

The Olympians must face the fierce giant Typhon in order to find magic seeds that will help grow the earth after the terrible drought brought upon the land by Hyperion.

A little red pencil embarks on a creative writing adventure in this delightfully illustrated children''s book with "style, humor, and solid writing advice" ( Publishers Weekly, starred review). At the Pencilvania School, all the young pencils are given a writing assignment. With a basket of nouns, Little Red embarks on the storytelling path, discovering the joys of creative writing. But when she gets tangled in a run-on sentence full of descriptive adjectives, she must escape a dangerous encounter with the pencil sharpener, Wolf 3000! Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. "The artwork—which integrates written text in a variety of lettering styles—fills the pages with a riot of color, shape, movement and design... Every writers'' group should start with this story." ( Kirkus, starred review). A Kirkus Best Children''s Books of 2013

The Goddess Girls by put a modern spin on classic Greek myths. This title focuses on Athena, goddess of wisdom.

A construction site crew is busy at work in this rhyming Step 1 story. As the work continues readers are in for a surprise--the "crew" is actually a group of young friends engaged in a fun day of dramatic play. Two sheets of vehicle-themed stickers are included. It''s a natural for young readers who love to build and are fans of vehicles that dig, scoop, and sometimes go ka-boom!

Hear the stories about the gold-seeking "forty-niners!" in this addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In 1848, gold was discovered in California, attracting over 300,000 people from all over the world, some who struck it rich and many more who didn''t. With black-and white illustrations and sixteen pages of photos, a nugget from history is brought to life!

Pandora is quite an inquisitive Goddess Girl—but she could stand to be more cautious. Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school. Her quizzical nature is famous—not that she thinks there is anything wrong with being curious, of course! When a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious and fantastical box to school, Pandora’s curiosity is piqued. And when it unexpectedly lands in her lap—literally—she can’t help but take a look at what’s inside. What could be the harm in that? But little does she know that opening the box will open up more trouble than she thought….

Zeus, Hera and Poseidon set sail to search for magical trident, but Poseidon can''t swim and gets seasick.

A fun trip to the pumpkin patch that includes counting, grouping, and more.

After making a big mess and lots of noise, these cats are sent outside. They stay away, and now the house is too quiet. Will the cats ever come back?

Medusa is the ultimate mean girl in this series that blends modern drama with ancient myths. Well researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues, like friendships and relationships, from a classically accurate—and entertaining—perspective. In Medusa the Mean, Medusa is sick and tired of being the only mortal at Mount Olympus Academy. Not only is she surrounded by beautiful, powerful, immortal classmates, but she also has snakes for hair and a reputation for being mean. Immortality, she thinks, will solve everything. So when she finds out about a necklace that promises just that, she’s sure it will help her get the two things she covets most: to be as popular as the four Goddess Girls and to have her supercrush, Poseidon, finally notice her. But when the necklace brings about popularity in the totally wrong way, things go from bad to worse. Can Medusa overcome her “meanie” status and prove that there’s more to her that meets the eye?

It''s time for the Olympic Games at Mount Olympus Academy and Artemis is not happy that she can''t compete because the games are for boys only.

For an extra credit project, Aphrodite begins a club for matchmaking mortals, which brings her to Egypt and face-to-face with her competition, the Egyptian goddess Isis.

It''s Halloween, and the Ant Hill kids are all dressed in costume and visiting a spooky fun house! They see and hear all sorts of creepy things, but once they switch on their flashlight, the house turns out to be not so scary at all!

In Athena the Brain, Athena always knew she was smart and special, but she didn’t realize that she was a goddess! When she’s whisked away to Mount Olympus Academy, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she’s ever had.

The ants are hard at work in their classroom on a big Valentine''s Day card! They will add lace and glue and stars. But who will they send it to? The Ant Hill kids list all of the possibilities before settling on one lucky person: their teacher!

Jim Henson broke into television with a five-minute puppetry segment when he was only a freshman in college. He created puppets like none ever seen before, with expressive fabric faces and rod-controlled arms. His Muppets became world-renowned celebrities and formed the backbone of a media empire. With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this easy-to-read biography will be published twenty years after Henson''s untimely death.

Persephone learns that it’s ok to stand up for herself in the second book in the Goddess Girls series! Persephone usually goes along with whatever everyone else wants instead of doing what makes her happy. So when she meets Mount Olympus Academy bad-boy Hades, she finally feels like she has found someone with whom she can be herself. But her mom (Ceres) and her friends don’t exactly approve. If Hades can make her feel so special, is he really that bad, or just misunderstood?

Concerned that the increasing influence of Americans will make her island''s traditional ways disappear, seven-year-old Princess Lydia Liliuokalani commits traditional stories of the Hawaiian people to paper and presents them to King Kamehameha on Restoration Day in 1846.

As a child Princess Isabel and her brother Alfonso are sent to live with the king of Spain, but when Alfonso is accused of treason, Isabel try to find a way to save her brother.

Many people love rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. These small animals make great pets. And there''s so much to know about all of them! Which rabbits have the longest ears? How are hamsters and gerbils different? Are guinea pigs pigs? Find out all the answers to these questions-and more-in this lively, kid-friendly introduction to these fun, furry creatures. Filled with colorful illustrations and photographs, this is just right for any child curious about these very appealing small pets.