New Releases by Nancy Krulik

"Mrs. Frogbottom''s class is on a field trip to Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice, where the kids meet terrifying and sneaky trolls. But can they find their way back home after the Magic Map goes missing?"--

Waiting is hard! Celebrate Hanukkah--and learn the meaning behind the holiday--with this new edition of a Step 2 reader with all new art! "Is it Hanukkah yet?" "Not yet. We have to wait for the sun to set!" Families who celebrate Hanukkah will recognize the familiar anticipation of the little girl in this story. And what better way to make the wait go faster than to read this sweet family story. Kids will recognize their favorite songs, games, and traditions in this early reader that captures the joy and warmth of the Festival of Lights. Step 2 readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. They are perfect for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

While on a field trip to Romania, Ms. Frogbottom''s class visits Dracula''s castle, where they encounter vampires, garlic, bats, and even the legendary count himself!

Princess Pulverizer may not be a knight yet, but she won''t let that stop her from saving the day! With just one more good deed to do, Princess Pulverizer''s Quest of Kindness is almost complete. But when she discovers that a fierce pirate named Cap''n Bobbie has captured a beautiful mermaid, she disobeys her father''s strict rule not to go beyond the sea and stays onboard The Seasick Soaker, vowing to free the gentle creature--even if it means losing her chance to become a knight. Can Princess Pulverizer and her pals rescue the mermaid and escape the pirate''s clutches, or are they doomed to walk the plank? Praise for Princess Pulverizer: Grilled Cheese and Dragons [*]"Very funny series . . ." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "A wacky adventure that stands out through highlighting its heroine''s foibles, giving her plenty of room to grow in future installments." --Kirkus "This spirited chapterbook is an obvious choice for Princess in Black grads and Hamster Princess fans." --Booklist "A strong series opener and a solid choice for those looking to increase their early chapter book holdings." --School Library Journal

Princess Pulverizer''s next good deed: unite the unicorns and keep them from getting captured. She may not be a knight yet, but she won''t let that stop her from saving the day! Princess Pulverizer and her pals are well on their way to completing her Quest of Kindness. But they know they can''t continue it until they help Fortune--the unicorn they recently rescued--find his family. So when a fearful king orders his knights to capture all the unicorns they can, it''s up to the princess and her friends to warn the unicorns before it''s too late! Praise for Princess Pulverizer: Grilled Cheese and Dragons [*]"Very funny series . . ." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "A wacky adventure that stands out through highlighting its heroine''s foibles, giving her plenty of room to grow in future installments." --Kirkus "This spirited chapterbook is an obvious choice for Princess in Black grads and Hamster Princess fans." --Booklist "A strong series opener and a solid choice for those looking to increase their early chapter book holdings." --School Library Journal

Princess Pulverizer may not be a knight yet, but she won''t let that stop her from saving the day! When Princess Pulverizer comes across two identical witches--one good and one bad--it''s the evil one she finds most enchanting. That''s because the impatient princess is ready to end her Quest of Kindness and finally become a knight, which is just what the bad witch offers. Can Princess Pulverizer''s friends break the spell that seems to have taken hold of her?

Princess Pulverizer may not be a knight yet, but she won''t let that stop her from saving the day! Princess Pulverizer and her friends, Lucas and Dribble the dragon, are on the hunt for another good deed to complete on her Quest of Kindness. So when they hear about a mysterious evil beast who''s been capturing townspeople, the trio sets out to find it and rescue the prisoners. But when Lucas and Dribble get caught themselves, it''s up to Princess Pulverizer to free her friends!

Princess Pulverizer may not be a knight yet, but she won''t let that stop her from saving the day! The village of Ire-Mire-Briar-Shire has a problem: every single cow, goat, and sheep has vanished! That means no milk, no butter, no cheese. As an aspiring chef and grilled cheese lover, Dribble the dragon is outraged. Princess Pulverizer is less concerned, but she knows an opportunity when she sees it--they''ll simply find the missing herds, save the day, and get even closer to completing her Quest of Kindness! But when an angry pink-haired troll captures Princess Pulverizer and her timid friend, Lucas, doing her good deed might not be quite so easy!

Meet the princess who''d rather wear a suit of armor than a crown! Princess Serena (or as she prefers, Princess Pulverizer) doesn''t want to be a princess--she wants to be knight! But her father, King Alexander of Empiria, thinks she still has a lot to learn when it comes to exhibiting valiant behavior. So he presents a challenge: the princess must first go on a Quest of Kindness and perform good deeds to prove that she truly deserves to go to knight school. With help from a friendly dragon named Dribble and a perpetually terrified knight-in-training named Lucas, can she complete her quest and discover what it really takes to be a hero?

"A good choice for reluctant readers." - Kirkus Reviews Aliens, talking cats, invisibility—it''s all possible in this hilarious early chapter book series! When Zeke Zander''s spaceship crashes on Earth, he and his family must pretend to be humans until they can fix the ship and return home to Planet Z. But with antennae on their heads and a talking cat named Zeus, fitting in is easier said than done! From the author of the George Brown and Katie Kazoo books, The Kid from Planet Z is easy-to-read, highly-illustrated, and printed in black and blue. Follow along as this adorable alien struggles through life on planet Earth in this hilarious story, perfect for a first chapter book!

I scream, you scream, we all scream—for the super burp! George is determined to find a cure for his bothersome burps, so he returns to the place where it all began—Ernie''s Ice Cream Emporium—to find a secret ingredient. But when a competing ice cream shop opens right across the street, George worries it will put Ernie''s out of business and he''ll be stuck with the burp forever. Can George squelch the belch once and for all?

A real-life astronaut is coming to Edith B. Sugarman Elementary School, and one lucky kid gets to interview him! Not only that, a trip to a space adventurer program is also up for grabs. To win the contest, students must complete a physical fitness challenge and come up with three interesting questions to ask the astronaut. As always, George intends to beat his rival, Louie. But when the competition heats up, George is too distracted to notice how much the prize means to his best friend, Alex. For George, winning may not be everything this time around.

When Sparky''s magic bone blasts him to Tokyo, Japan, he discovers a whole new world--one with karaoke, "squishy fishy" and sumo wrestlers! His new friend, an Akita named Nanami, guides him around the city, until Sparky loses her in a crowd. But it turns out Nanami isn''t just any Akita. She''s the queen of the Ninja Dogs--a fierce group who are convinced that Sparky has kidnapped her! To make matters worse, the Ninja Dogs have Sparky''s magic bone, and won''t return it until he leads them to Nanami. It''s up to Sparky to reunite the Ninja Dog family so he can return home to his own!

George is ready for candy and fun--but dealing with a prank-pulling phantom and learning that his friend might move away is almost as terrifying as the super burp. There are definitely more tricks than treats in store for George when those magic burps take over. Join George as he tries to solve the mystery and keep his friends together!

Hoping to escape the cold in his backyard, Sparky chomps on his magic bone--only to find himself in snowy Zermatt, Switzerland. He befriends Lena, a Saint Bernard rescue dog with a terrible sense of direction. The two, in search of food, quickly get lost. But Lena and Sparky might just be in the right place at the right time for Lena to complete her first ever rescue mission!

George is the catcher for his school''s baseball team, the Sugarman Sea Monkeys, and they are in the championships! Can George and his teammates defeat their archrivals, the Klockermeister Elementary Kangaroos? Or will the BURP steal the game?

Sent to the backyard for breaking a tick-tock-ticking toy, Sparky (an adorable but clumsy sheepdog puppy) immediately begins his favorite activity: diggety-dig-digging. Little does he know, he''s about to dig up the most amazing toy ever--a magic bone! With one bite into that sparkling bone, Sparky is magically transported to London, where he makes new friends, sees the sights, and gets into a bit of trouble. Join Sparky on his adventure to see how he escapes and makes it back home!

George Brown battles a skunk, has fun at the water park, and gets stuck in a tight spot at the science museum.

Ten years of switcheroos! Happy anniversary, Katie Kazoo! With indoor mini golf, a chance to swim with dolphins, and her best friend, Suzanne, onboard, Katie''s cruise vacation sounds like an ocean of fun! But, of course, the magic wind appears - twice in this Super Special - and blows everything off course! Young readers love the black-and-white illustrations that bring this fun chapter book series to life.

The beginning band has a concert coming up, and Suzanne convinces Katie that she has to look her best for the big night. And that includes a new haircut from Cherrydale''s newest - and sparkliest - hair salon. But when the magic wind switcheroos Katie into Suzanne''s stylist right before Suzanne''s own cut, Katie is left in one hairy situation!

HE''S DIESEL POWERED! Vin Diesel''s come a long way since his syage debut at the age of seven -- a gig he was offered after getting caught breaking into a New York City theater! But these days Vin''s getting noticed for other talents -- and this time they''re legal. There is more to Vin than his pumped-up action-hero exterior. He''s a serious actor who''s written, directed and produced films that have been screened at the most prestigious film festivals in the world. Vin''s got the skills and determination that took him from earning $20 a week to $20 million a film, and he knew he would be a star all along...He was just waiting for the rest of us to figure it out.

Download the details on Jen and Jesse -- the online newlywed couple of the year! They''re blogging marriage year one...and the details are smoking! But can it last? Blog Jen: Jesse carried me over the threshold into our new apartment. It was perfect, like I always pictured it would be. Jesse: Jen and I barely came up for air as we christened our new apartment! Married life rocks! Blog Jen: I saw the cutest pair of shoes at the mall. I just had to have them. Jesse will think they are so hot. Jesse: Jen brought home a pair of shoes that cost more than a big-screen TV. Yeah, they''re hot, but hotter than a big-screen TV? I don''t think so. Log on and hold on.... The newlyweds are just getting started!

When Katie sees toy bats hanging from the ceiling of class 4A, she thinks they?re Halloween decorations until Mr. G shows up and explains the class is going to study nocturnal animals. A visit to the zoo starts out way cool but quickly goes downhill: Suzanne and Becky won?t stop fighting and then Katie finds herself hanging upside down inside the Bat Cave. Katie has really gone batty this time!

It''s Mother''s Day, and Katie is giving her mom tap dancing lessons! Mrs. Carew really loves Katie''s gift and practices all the time. But when the magic wind switcheroos Katie into her mom right before the audition, Katie panics and blows her mom''s chance. Will Mrs. Carew ever put on her tap shoes again?

Becky is taking riding lessons at the Cherrydale Stables. That''s not news to Katie or her friends: In fact, they are sick of hearing about horses and sick of hearing Becky brag about what a great rider she is. Still, Katie convinces everyone to go to the horse show where Becky wins a medal in the first event, showmanship. The event looks pretty easy. However, Katie gets to see what it''s like from the horse''s perspective when suddenly she''s switcherooed into Becky''s horse Brownie.

It’s baseball season, and Katie and her friends are busy rooting for their favorite team, the Cherrydale Porcupines. Katie loves the team, but can’t understand why her friends are so obsessed with the team’s star shortstop, Mike Reed; she prefers the old shortstop who now sits on the bench every game. But when Katie is switcherooed into the team’s star shortstop, she learns that she should never judge someone until she’s standing in their size-12 baseball cleats!

Class 4A is studying reptiles, which makes class pet Slinky the snake a minor celebrity. The whole class collects worms from the field to feed to Slinky as a treat, but Katie refuses—she’s a vegetarian! Then when the magic wind appears, Katie learns what it’s like to be in someone else’s skin—scaly snake skin to be exact!

Katie’s On Thin Ice when an Olympic ice skater comes to town. When Katie turns into the skater during her performance, she really hits the ice—on her bottom, hard. Then when Katie figures out a way to fix this mess, the magic wind comes back and turns her into a famous snowboarder. But suddenly it’s Katie who is Going Downhill! That’s two snow shows she’s ruined in one week. Katie’s hilarious escapades in these two stories make this Super Special a perfect way to chase away the winter blues!

Katie is psyched for the Parent-Kid Olympics at her school. But it turns out that her parents will be out of town, and so Katie’s grandfather is going to team up with her instead. Now Katie is worried—Pops is great, but he’s . . . well, he’s OLD! Then the magic wind arrives just in time to cause more trouble. Who has Katie switcherooed into this time? Do aching knees and nose hair give you a clue?

Katie is so excited for her two-week stay at sleepaway camp! Friends, activities, Color War, s’mores . . . and wild animals???? But Katie can’t go anywhere without the magic wind following her—even to camp! Have twice the summer fun with twice the switcheroos in Katie Kazoo’s newest Super Special!