Best Selling Books by Mary Hoffman

While sick in bed with cancer, Lucien begins making journeys to a place in a parallel world that resembles Venice, Italy, and he becomes caught up in the political intrigues surrounding the Duchessa who rules the city. Suggested level: secondary.

The sixth title in the ever popular Stravaganza series

Georgia is an ordinary girl, living in London with her mother, stepfather, and bully of a stepbrother, and coping with the difficulties of growing up. But her life takes a sudden change when she buys a tiny figurine of a winged horse, and suddenly finds herself swept up into the world of the Stravagante. The tiny horse becomes her magical time-travel talisman and transports her to Remora, the Talian parallel to the city of Siena, Italy. There she meets Lucien, the Stravagante we first met in City of Masks, and many other fascinating people who are in the midst of preparing for the Stellata, the annual horse race run each year in the city. Intrigue, romance, and the rare appearance of a true winged horse ensure an exciting adventure to rival the first in this captivating series.

Determined to play Peter Pan in the school play, African-American Grace meets opposition in her classmates, who insist that Peter Pan is a boy and white

Sequel to City of Masks and City of Stars, the narrative moves to the Talian equivalent of the city of Florence, where beauty and danger walk - as ever - hand in hand. The focus this time is on the new Stravagante, Sky, whose talisman is an ornate and delicate blue glass bottle. Sky is propelled right into the midst of a deadly feud between the di Chimici and Nucci families, who think nothing of sliding a knife between a man''s ribs for revenge.

What is a family? Once, it was said to be a father, mother, boy, girl, cat and dog living in a house with a garden. But as times have changed, families have changed too, and now there are almost as many kinds of families as colours of the rainbow - from a mum and dad or single parent to two mums or two dads, from a mixed-race family to children with different mums and dads, to families with a disabled member. Mary Hoffman takes a look through children''s eyes at the wide varieties of family life: from homes, food, ways of celebrating, schools and holidays to getting around, jobs and housework, from extended families, languages and hobbies to pets and family trees - and she concludes that, for most people, their own family is the best one of all! With Ros Asquith''s delightful pictures, this book takes a fresh, optimistic look at families of today.

You''re brain is absolutely amazing! They are responsible for absolutely every single thing we do. Every time we breath, or walk or talk or eat, it''s all because of our brilliant brains! When we feel happy or sad, when we drop something, when we run or draw - none of this would be possible without our fantastic brains. Find out how our brains work, how they control the rest of the body and how they change over time. From how they create our memories, to how they help us learn new things and what happens to them when we are asleep, great ready to uncover lots of fascinating facts about the brain. And don''t forget to look out for the friendly cat on every page, helping us learn all about our wonderful brains!

Michelangelo''s statue of David is renowned all over the world. Thousands flock to Florence to admire the artistry behind this Renaissance masterpiece, and to admire the beauty of the human form captured in the marble. But the identity of the model for this statue that has been so revered for over five hundred years has been lost . . . In this epic story Mary Hoffman uses her persuasive narrative skills to imagine the story of Gabriele, an eighteen-year-old who, by becoming Michelangelo''s model, finds himself drawn into a world of spies, politicking, sabotage and murder. Set against the backdrop of Florence, this is a rich, colourful and thrilling tale.

A glorious, diverse celebration of human life, from birth to death, by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith. The sixth title in the Great Big Book series explores every stage of human life. From birth to starting nursery, being a teenager to becoming an adult, from work to relationships, homes and jobs, to aging illness and death. A universal but challenging topic is dealt with Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith''s trademark sensitivity and humour and inclusivity.

What is a friend? Can a pet be a friend? Are you friends with your brothers and sisters? What if you don''t have any friends? A wonderful celebration of all kinds of friendship, from best friends to groups of friends to toys that feel like friends, this truly inclusive book is a great way to start a conversation with children about what makes a good friend. From the author and illustrator team behind The Great Big Book of Families and The Great Big Book of Feelings, this diverse celebration of friendship is perfect for both the home and the classroom.

The award-winning author of the Stravaganza series has done it again with this atmospheric adventure set in Renaissance Italy. Sixteen-year-old Silvano da Montacuto has wealth, good looks, and a new hawk-but none of these can save him when his bloody dagger is found near a dead body. For his own protection, he is sent to a Franciscan House, where he poses as a novice, or a young monk. There, he lays eyes on Chiara, a lovely novice at a nearby abbey who is also living in secret. When they fall in love, their secret identities make it impossible to reveal their feelings to one another. Murder seems to have followed Silvano, and soon several other dead bodies turn up. Who is committing the crimes? Will a young man accused of multiple murders be able to clear himself? And what about the girl he adores? Fans of Mary Hoffman''s critically acclaimed Stravaganza series won''t be disappointed in the romance, colorful web of intrigue, and rich, marvelous setting.

FEATURING A BRAND-NEW JACK REACHER STORY! A collection of seventeen brand-new crime stories from bestselling authors Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Stella Duffy, and more. Includes three stories longlisted for the Crime Writers'' Association Dagger Awards. KILLER SECRETS FEATURING A BRAND NEW JACK REACHER STORY Open the files on an anthology of seventeen new crime stories to probe the brutal and complex hearts of criminals, and unravel the strangest of mysteries. Watch as a secretive group of intelligence community officers trace Jack Reacher through Heathrow in Lee Child''s "Smile". In Mary Hoffman''s "Fallen Woman", a journalist on the trail of a secretive drug lord gets caught up in the violent suicide of a young woman in Siena. And in Jeffery Deaver''s "Connecting the Dots", detectives follow the trail of clues in the brutal killing of a homeless man, wherever it may lead... Invisible Blood is a gripping collection exploring the compulsions of the criminal mind. SEVENTEEN STORIES FROM TODAY''S FINEST CRIME WRITERS Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Denise Mina, R.J. Ellory, Christopher Fowler, Stella Duffy, Ken Bruen, Lauren Henderson, James Grady, Jason Starr, Mary Hoffman, Cathi Unsworth, Bill Beverly, Lavie Tidhar, Johana Gustawsson, A K Benedict, John Harvey

Living his life as a troubadour, one who travels from land to land to warn people of the arrival of the destructive crusaders, Bertrand meets Elinor, a young girl destined to marry an older man she doesn''t love, who quickly leaves everything she has ever known to be with him and become a troubadour herself.

The book opens with the question: "How are you feeling today?" And this leads on to a spread by spread presentation of a wide range of feelings, including: *Happy * Sad * Excited * Bored * Interested * Angry * Upset * Calm * Silly * Lonely * Scared * Safe *Embarrassed * Shy * Confident * Worried * Jealous * Satisfied The final spread is about Feeling Better because sharing and talking about feelings helps us to feel better. The approach and design follows The Great Big Book of Families, with lots of different children in lots of different situations, brief text captions and questions and plenty of humour to make sure the book is fun.Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith look at feelings in family life, at school and everywhere with the same warmth, wit and sensitivity that they brought to their award- winning The Great Big Book of Families.

The latest installment in the critically acclaimed Stravaganza series begins with Matt, the new Stravagante. Despite having a beautiful and very smart girlfriend, Matt is insecure because he is dyslexic. He discovers that he is capable of traveling between two worlds when a leather-bound book transports him from his home in England to Talia, the parallel-world version of Italy, where he meets a fellow-Stravagante named Luciano-who is hiding from the powerful di Chimici family. Luciano has just killed the head of that family in a duel, and is in grave danger. Banding together, Matt and Luciano must resist the di Chimici family, who are on the verge of making a terrifying breakthrough into our world.

Grace and her friends have all sorts of adventures during their summer vacation--going to the circus, taking an imaginary safari, making friends with an elderly neighbor, pretending to be astronauts, and calling the paramedics when her grandmother has an accident.

The beloved heroine of "Amazing Grace" is back in her first new picture book in more than a decade. Grace hopes to be selected as a princess in the town parade and asks her teacher for help in dressing the part.

An amazing girl...an amazing book...and now amazing paper dolls Grace can do or be anything she wants to be Now Grace''s aspirations come to life with paper dolls that make it possible for children -- and adults -- to dress her in many of the roles she plays in the best-selling book Amazing Grace.

Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch bring their heroine to brilliant life in this charming sequel to the award-winning Amazing Grace. When Grace gets the opportunity to go to Africa and visit with her father and his new family, she feels a little strange. But Nana says families are what you make them, and Grace is going to make the most of hers! "As assured and uplifting as its predecessor." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "Validating, uplifting, and bound to please." -School Library Journal, starred review A Reading Rainbow Book * A Parents Choice Best Book of the Year A Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award An NCSS-CBC Notable Children''s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

The latest story in the Stravaganza series unravels amid ever-more-dangerous politics and intrigue. Sky, a new Stravagante, is whisked away from his dreary life in London to Giglia, the Talian version of Florence. Featuring favorite characters from the first two titles in the series, including Georgia and Falco, as well as a host of exciting new characters, this breathtaking adventure will not disappoint. But beware-in the beautiful City of Flowers, much that seems beautiful is in fact poisonous...

Describes the life cycle and natural environment of the hippopotamus with emphasis on its struggle for survival.

Briefly describes the physical characteristics, habits and behavior of elephants.

Discusses the behavior patterns and habitats of various kinds of snakes.

Hassan, newly-arrived in the United States and feeling homesick, paints a picture at school that shows his old home in Somalia as well as the reason his family had to leave.

Look through fresh eyes at the stories of some of history''s most remarkable women, in this inspiring collection of short stories by the finest female authors writing historical fiction for children today - The History Girls. Subjects include: Queen Boudicca, Aethelfled, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Julian of Norwich, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth Stuart, Aphra Behn, Mary Wollestonecraft, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Emily Davison, Amy Johnson and the Greenham Common women.

An amazing girl...an amazing book...and now amazing paper dolls!Grace can do or be anything she wants to be! Now Grace''s aspirations come to life with paper dolls that make it possible for children -- and adults -- to dress her in many of the roles she plays in the best-selling book Amazing Grace.Amazing Grace Paper Dolls will provide children with hours of fun, while at the same time encouraging them to develop confidence and self-esteem.For optimum sales appeal, several enhancements have been included: -- A press-out theater trunk for storing the entire wardrobe-- A stage backdrop featuring a foil spotlight to show how Grace will look on stage playing any of her many roles-- A special page for designing and coloring one''s own creations

Introduces different types of households and discusses families with children, adoption, foster parents, same-sex parents, and fertility treatments.