New Releases by Laurie Friedman

When it comes to birthdays, no one knows how to party like Percy! Just follow his simple rules—like #2 "Happy times call for happy measures" and #9 "Be careful what you wish for"—to make the most of your celebration. Even when the cake has been consumed and the presents put away, Percy still has a trick up his sleeve to make a birthday extra special! Through clever rhymes and bright, humorous illustrations from the creators of Thanksgiving Rules and Back-to-School Rules, Percy shows how to make the most of a birthday celebration.

It''s New Year''s Eve and Mallory can''t wait to celebrate! Her camp friends are coming to Fern Falls and she and Mary Ann have planned out every last detail for a perfect winter reunion and New Year''s Eve party. But what Mallory hadn''t planned on is getting sick. Poor Mallory has to ring in the New Year in the hospital instead of at home with her friends and family. Mallory thinks she''s missing out on all the fun. Is this the beginning of the worst year ever, or is Mallory in for a big New Year''s surprise?

Bon Voyage! Mallory and her family and friends are setting sail on a cruise. But poor Mallory feels like she''s sunk and she hasn''t even set sail yet. Her two best friends'' parents are getting married and even though Mallory is trying her best to be happy for Mary Ann and Joey, she can''t help feeling left out. Can Mallory find a way to be happy for her friends and not feel like a third wheel?

It''s a new school year for Mallory and everything''s perfect! She has a new computer, a pair of just-right back-to-school shoes, and her best friend, Mary Ann, is in her class. But somehow things go from perfectly good to perfectly bad. Mallory''s first crush is the same boy Mary Ann likes—and Mary Ann gets all his attention. And even though she has the right shoes, Mallory somehow gets off on the wrong foot with her teacher, Mr. Knight. Can Mallory find a way to turn things around and put her best foot forward?

Spunky, eight-year-old Mallory McDonald is very unhappy when her parents decide to get her older brother Max a dog. Why would her parents agree to such a thing? Dogs are smelly and bark and chew on things. Plus, they already have a perfectly good cat, Cheeseburger. When they finally get the puppy, it''s worse than Mallory imagined. Everyone loves Champ and he and Max are getting all of the attention. Poor Mallory—now everyone''s mad at her. What should she do?

It''s summertime and the Wish Pond Road gang is getting ready to go to Camp Blue Lake. Mallory''s not so sure she wants to go. What if she gets homesick or none of the other kids like her? Her best friends, Mary Ann and Joey, convince her how fun it will be to go swimming, boating, and roast marshmallows over a campfire. But when Mallory arrives at camp, nothing goes as planned. Will Mallory ever find a way to be a happy camper?

Mallory''s new neighbors, the Goldmans, have twin five-year-old boys who need babysitters. Mrs. Goldman hires Mallory and her friend Chloe Jennifer to watch the boys while she works from home. Mallory can''t wait! The boys are adorable, so this job will be tons of fun . . . right? Actually, the boys turn out to be a handful. Plus, Mallory has trouble balancing her babysitting duties with her schoolwork, friends, and preparation for an upcoming school poetry slam. Will she figure out how to prioritize the things that matter the most before her new career ruins her life?

Mallory McDonald is turning nine! And she is ready to celebrate getting the past year over—one troubled with moving, starting a new school, making new friends, and sibling rivalry. Mallory wants her ninth birthday to be extra special. So instead of celebrating just one day, she plans an entire "birth month" celebration. But soon, things aren''t going according to plan, and Mallory fears that being nine may be just as difficult as being eight.

Mallory McDonald has her eye on the perfect purse, but it''s too expensive and Mallory''s mom is not buying! So Mallory comes up with the perfect plan to get the perfect purse. She''ll just start a business! Yet starting a business isn''t as easy as it seems. Mallory finally earns enough to buy what she wants. But if her business is such as success, why does Mallory feel like such a failure?

Deep in the heart of Heartland lives Ruby Valentine and her trusty parrot Lovebird. Ruby''s favorite day of the year is Valentine''s Day—she loves to say "I love you" and make cards and treats to deliver to everyone in her town. But Ruby is so exhausted that she sleeps right through the holiday. Although Ruby is worried that she''ll have to wait a whole year to tell everyone that she loves them, Lovebird convinces her to deliver her treats and messages of love even though they''re a day late. To Ruby''s surprise, no one minds.

Everyone seems to know what they want to be for Career Day at school—that is, everyone except Mallory. She can't seem to find anything she's good at. When she finally decides to be a fashion designer, some of her classmates laugh at her. And then, before she can stop it, out pops a lie—Mallory tells everyone that she's won the Fashion Fran fashion design contest. Mallory's lie grows and grows until she must face the truth and make amends with her class, friends, teachers, and parents.

Mallory is excited about the six-week arts electives program at Fern Falls Elementary—until she gets stuck in her last-choice class, band. To make matters worse, she is assigned to the tuba, and when she plays, it sounds more like passing gas than music. She dreads the showcase at the end of the program. But with some good guidance from her mom and her band teacher, Mallory learns the meaning of "practice makes perfect" and that, in fact, making music can be lots of fun!

Ling loves the balance beam and she''s great on it, but she has a mental block when it comes to the vault. With some good advice from her older sister, who is also a gymnast, and the encouragement of her SUPER STARZ teammates, Ling is able to overcome her fears.

Homesick campers at Camp Creepy Lake go see Maude for help. But suddenly, they''re all missing and no one knows where they have gone. Will, Chase, and Nelly work together to find them. But can they figure out what''s going on in the Haunted Woods at Camp Creepy Lake?

In this charming tale of two princess sisters, Charlotte is a perfect princess and Olive is, well, just Olive. She tries to be more like her older sister, but despite Olive's best efforts, she always seems to fall short. Will Olive ever shine like Charlotte? Readers will root for loveable Olive on her journey toward self-acceptance.

Homesick campers at Camp Creepy Lake go see Maude for help. But suddenly, they''re all missing and no one knows where they have gone. Will, Chase, and Nelly work together to find them. But can they figure out what''s going on in the Haunted Woods at Camp Creepy Lake?

Will and Chase are assigned to Bunk Five. Their counselor is a creepy skeleton named Bones, and their cabin is filled with his pet attack bats. With a little help from their friend Nelly, Will and Chase find a way to deal with the bats. But Bones has more in store for them!

"Diners are lined up outside of Chef Kate''s restaurant on a cold day. ... Chef Kate is busy making her special Campfire Stew. When it''s ready, Kate invites everyone to join her around the campfire for a warm bowl of stew and some fireside fun"--

The Bean family is going camping! But they have a problem. There are so many noises outside their tent, no one can sleep. Baby Bean suggests they sing a soothing song that will help them fall asleep. But the rest of this illogical bunch comes up with their own zany solution.

With the help of her teammates, Grace finds the courage to speak up for herself when the stress of her father''s expectations becomes too much. Includes support for caregivers and teachers.

When Rachel takes over planning a surprise for Coach Kim''s birthday, her teammates help her learn what it means to be a team player.

In this charming tale of two princess sisters, Charlotte is a perfect princess and Olive is, well, just Olive. She tries to be more like her older sister, but despite Olive''s best efforts, she always seems to fall short. Will Olive ever shine like Charlotte? Readers will root for loveable Olive on her journey toward self-acceptance.

Someone is leaving secret notes for Daisy''s best friend, Justin. He turns to Detective Daisy to help solve the mystery.

Will and Chase have to find a way to deal with the pet attack bats owned by their creepy counselor Bones.

"Someone is leaving secret notes for Daisy's best friend, Justin. He turns to Detective Daisy to help solve the mystery"--

"Diners are lined up outside of Chef Kate''s restaurant on a cold day. They don''t know what she''ll be serving, but can''t wait to try it! Chef Kate is busy making her special Campfire Stew. When it''s ready, Kate invites everyone to join her around the campfire for a warm bowl of stew and some fireside fun!"--

"It''s Christmas! Ms. Green, Spots, and Stripes are at home opening presents. But when Spots and Stripes both give Ms. Green the same gift, they think Christmas is ruined. Will this dog and cat duo find a way to have a very merry holiday together?"--

Trainer Tom works with the animals at the zoo. Today, he''s working with the flamingos and the ducks, who don''t want to be friends! They tell Trainer Tom they''re just too different. But Trainer Tom shows these two breeds of birds that making friends with those who are different can be lots of fun.

"Trainer Tom works with the animals at the zoo. Today, he''s working with the flamingos and the ducks, who don''t want to be friends! They tell Trainer Tom they''re just too different. But Trainer Tom shows these two breeds of birds that making friends with those who are different can be lots of fun"--