New Releases by Patricia Reilly Giff

Nory Ryan''s family has lived on Maidin Bay on the west coast of Ireland for generations, raising a pig and a few chickens, planting potatoes, getting by. Every year Nory''s father goes away on a fishing boat and returns with the rent money for the English lord who owns their cottage and fields, the English lord bent upon forcing the Irish from their land so he can tumble the cottages and clear the fields for grazing. Times are never easy on Maidin Bay, but this year, a terrible blight attacks the potatoes. No crop means starvation. Twelve-year-old Nory must summon the courage and ingenuity to find food, to find hope, to find a way to help her family survive.

April is invention month. "We''re going to make our own inventions," says Ms. Rooney, "and work together in groups." Though Emily Arrow knows it''s important for each group to think, listen, and share, she still wishes she were the leader of her invention group. Linda Lorca, the bossy leader, can''t get anyone to cooperate. "Snaggle doodles," Emily says. If the group doesn''t come up with an idea soon, they''ll be the worst group in the class. Meanwhile, Emily is also busy thinking of a wedding present for Ms. Vincent, the student teacher. The wedding is only a few days away. Emily has a lot to do. Can she and her group learn to work together in time?

Brooklyn, 1875: Bird Mallon lives on Water Street where you can see the huge towers of the bridge to Manhattan being built. Bird wants nothing more in life than to be brave enough to be a healer, like her mother, Nory, to help her sister Annie find love, and to convince her brother, Hughie, to stop fighting for money with his street gang. And of course, she wishes that a girl would move into the empty apartment upstairs so that she can have a new friend close by. But Thomas Neary and his Pop move in upstairs. Thomas who writes about his life in his journal--his father who spends each night at the Tavern down the street, the mother he wishes he had, and the Mallon family downstairs that he desperately wants to be a part of. Thomas, who has a secret that only Bird suspects, and who turns out to be the best friend Bird could ever have.

This Newbery Honor book about a girl who has never known family fighting for her first true home “will leave readers . . . satisfied” (Kirkus Reviews). Hollis Woods is the place where a baby was abandoned is the baby’s name is an artist is now a twelve-year-old girl who’s been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. When Hollis is sent to Josie, an elderly artist who is quirky and affectionate, she wants to stay. But Josie is growing more forgetful every day. If Social Services finds out, they’ll take Hollis away and move Josie into a home. Well, Hollis Woods won’t let anyone separate them. She’s escaped the system before; this time, she’s taking Josie with her. Still, even as she plans her future with Josie, Hollis dreams of the past summer with the Regans, fixing each special moment of her days with them in pictures she’ll never forget. Patricia Reilly Giff captures the yearning for a place to belong in this warmhearted story, which stresses the importance of artistic vision, creativity, and above all, family.

Emily is stuck with crybaby Jill Simon as her "secret Pal" to be kind to for the whole month of December.

It''s the first day back to school after winter vacation, and Richard Best is off to a bad start. Who ever heard of a January without any snow? And as usual, he has already forgotten something--the ruler Ms. Rooney had told him to bring for dinosaur day. Luckily Richard finds a ruler in his desk--with a dinosaur''s initials--and he''s sure the ruler is special. And then he finds out it has magic powers. All his wishes begin to come true: Snow stars falling, he remembers to do his homework, and the bully Drake Evans gets sick. But now with Drake sick in bed, Richard begins to worry. His only hope is the magic ruler--but it''s gone. What will help him?

Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic above his grandfather Mack’s room, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped. There are lots of other words, but Sam has always had trouble reading. He’s desperate to find out who he is, and if his beloved Mack is really his grandfather. At night he’s haunted by dreams of a big castle and a terrifying escape on a boat. Who can he trust to help him read the documents that could unravel the mystery? Then he and the new girl, Caroline, are paired up to work on a school project, building a castle in Mack’s woodworking shop. Caroline loves to read, and she can help. But she’s moving soon, and the two must hurry to discover the truth about Sam.

It''s almost Thanksgiving, and Richard Best can''t stop thinking about Ms. Rooney''s Candy Corn contest. Whoever can guess the exact number of yellow-and-orange candies in the jar on Ms. Roney''s desk gets to keep them all. The only problem is Richard has to read a page in a library book for each guess. Smelly Matthew, who sits in front of him, knows they''ll never win. "We''re the worst readers in the class, " he says. But Richard won''t give up. He can already taste those Candy Corns. And before he knows it, he has. Three fat juicy ones. What will Ms. Rooney do when she finds out?

The children in Ms. Rooney''s room are supposed to be writing about real people, but writing is Beast''s worst subject.

It''s August, and Emily has big plans at the library. She''s going to read lots of books and tack a paper fish next to her name for each one. Then Dawn Bosco says she can read more books than Emily. Not only that, both Emily and Dawn want to keep Pickle Puss, a stray cat thay found. They decide that whoever reads the most books can keep cat. When Emily adds a fish for a book she read along time ago, she has one more fish than Dawn. She knows she''s cheating, but she wants to keep the cat. What a pickle she''s in.

A lively soccer story by the award-winning Patricia Reilly Giff

Meggie Dillon''s life has been turned upside down by World War II. Meggie''s father has announced that they must help the war effort and move to Willow Run, Michigan, where he''ll work nights in a factory building important war planes that will help fight the enemy in Europe. Willow Run will be the greatest adventure ever, Meggie thinks. There she meets Patches and Harlan, other kids like her from far-off places whose parents have come here to do their part in the war. And there she faces questions about courage, and what it takes to go into battle, like Eddie, and to keep hope alive on the home front.

SEWING! NO ONE could hate it more than Dina Kirk. Endless tiny stitches, button holes, darts. Since she was tiny, she’s worked in her family’s dressmaking business, where the sewing machine is a cranky member of the family. When 13-year-old Dina leaves her small town in Germany to join her uncle’s family in Brooklyn, she turns her back on sewing. Never again! But looking for a job leads her right back to the sewing machine. Why did she ever leave home? Here she is, still with a needle and thread—and homesick to boot. She didn’t know she could be this homesick, but she didn’t know she could be so brave either, as she is standing up to an epidemic or a fire. She didn’t know she could grow so close to her new family or to Johann, the young man from the tailor’s shop. And she didn’t know that sewing would reveal her own wonderful talent—and her future. In Dina, the beloved writer Patricia Reilly Giff has created one of her most engaging and vital heroines. Readers will enjoy seeing 1870s Brooklyn through Dina’s eyes, and share her excitement as she discovers a new world.

Making friends with the new girl in her class is hard for Emily after she replaces Emily as the fastest runner and steals her lucky unicorn.

We will dance on the cliffs of Brooklyn. Maggie’s Door is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, two different stories with the same destination—the home of Nory’s sister Maggie, at 416 Smith Street, Brooklyn, America. Patricia Reilly Giff calls upon her long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to Nory Ryan’s Song.

This “brilliantly told” (New York Times) Newbery Honor Book gives readers a sense of what it was like to be on the American home front while our soldiers were away fighting in World War II. As in past years, Lily will spend the summer in Rockaway, in her family’s summer house by the Atlantic Ocean. But this summer of 1944, World War II has changed everyone’s life. Lily’s best friend, Margaret, has moved to a wartime factory town, and, much worse, Lily’s father is going overseas to the war. There’s no one Lily’s age in Rockaway until the arrival of Albert, a refugee from Hungary with a secret sewn into his coat. Albert has lost most of his family in the war; he’s been through things Lily can’t imagine. But soon they form a special friendship. Now Lily and Albert have secrets to share: They both have told lies, and Lily has told one that may cost Albert his life.

Sarah goes to New York City with Senora Sanchez and her little dog Bonita, and when the dog runs away she feels responsible.

Assisted by her cat Max, sixth grader Minnie starts up her new detective agency by investigating a kidnapping and a thief who will steal anything, even a hot stove.

Simple Spanish lessons are incorporated into this story about Sarah''s surprise birthday party for Anna.

Rosie volunteers to provide the prince and the props for her ballet class production of "Sleeping Beauty."

Ms. Rooney''s class must decide which of their pets to bring to school for Pet Week.

Wow! Washinton, D.C.! Ms. Rooney''s whole class gets to go on a two-day trip to the nation''s capital. They''ll see all kinds of great sights--the Washington Monument, the National Air and Space Museum, the zoo, and lots more. But when the day of the trip comes, things don''t turn out right for Emily. She gets stuck with a yucko partner. Not only that, but she''s forgotten something very important. How will she ever have fun on this trip? Luckily, there are plenty of surprises in store for Emily and the rest of the Polk Street Kids that make this trip an unforgettable one. Plus, at the end of the story, there''s a kids'' guide to all the best museums, government buildings, monuments, and other sights in Washington, DC.

Ronald Morgan is afraid he won''t get a medal at camp because he''s not especially good at swimming or running or singing, but on Medal Day he discovers what he is really good at.

When the uniforms borrowed for the St. Patrick''s Day Parade turn out to be too old and too big, Michelle Swoop tries to find a way to save the day for the Lincoln Lions Band.

When Beast tries to move the huge rabbit on wheels onto the stage for the spring assembly, it falls over and rolls away. Can he get it back where it belongs in time for the big show?

Emily Arrow needs to think of a good Mother''s Day present to give to her mother.

Matthew''s family move from New York to Ohio is difficult enough as they leave behind good frinds and memories, but the disappearance of their cat and a neighbor boy so tough he''s called the "Wall" add to Matthew''s anxieties.

Ms. Rooney asks her students to make New Year''s resolutions and Emily promises "to do better"--at everything. But can she keep such a challenging resolution?

Although he can''t hit or catch, Ronald Morgan loves to play baseball.