New Releases by Tricia Springstubb

When two unlikely friends bond over shared compassion for a bereft but lovable dog, they learn what it truly means to find a sense of belonging and identity. Eleven-year-olds Gladys and Jude live in the same small rust belt town, and go to the same school, but they are definitely not friends. Gladys is a tiny, eccentric, walking dictionary who doesn’t hesitate to express herself, while Jude likes to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. But they both agree that a new dog in the neighborhood is being mistreated by its owner. Gladys would like to do something to help, while Jude is more resigned to the situation— until the dog (who Gladys has named True Blue) disappears. They hatch a plan to find her, and once they do, realize they have a problem: Gladys’s father is allergic and Jude’s mother hates dogs. There is no way they can bring her home. They hide True Blue in an abandoned house on the edge of town, but as their ties to the dog—and to one another—deepen, so does the impossibility of keeping such a big secret. Yet giving True up will break all three of their hearts. Told in alternating voices set in a small, rust-belt town, Looking for True is a story about family, identity, and finding friends in unexpected places. A Horn Book Fanfare Title

For fans of Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly and The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss, a novel about one unadventurous girl who discovers she is anything but. Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah's surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter? Things get worse yet when Loah's elderly caretakers fall ill and she finds herself all alone except for her friend Ellis. Ellis has big problems of her own, but she believes in Loah. She's certain Loah has strengths that are hidden yet wonderful, like the golden feather tucked away on her namesake bird's wing. When Dr. Londonderry's expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world. Beautifully written, The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe is about expeditions big and small, about creatures who defy gravity and those of us who are bound by it. A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A sweet friendship spanning age and culture blooms in a shared backyard. Khalil lives in the upstairs apartment with his family, which is big and busy and noisy. Downstairs lives Mr. Hagerty, who is quiet. Khalil and Mr. Hagerty don’t appear to have a lot in common, but hot summer days have a way of bringing people together. As Khalil looks for buried treasure in the yard, Mr. Hagerty tends to his garden. Both help each other navigate language — whether it be learning new words or remembering those seemingly forgotten. Before long, an unlikely friendship is born, full of treasure, thoughtfulness, and chocolate cake. Through well-cultivated details and vibrant cut-paper collage, author Tricia Springstubb and illustrator Elaheh Taherian nurture a heart-tugging tribute to the love of good neighbors and to the strength of intergenerational and intercultural bonds.

Winter is finally melting into spring — but with everything in flux, from Cody’s friendships down to her shoe size, will she be able to stay true to herself? In Cody’s life, some people keep her on her toes — just like Mother Nature, who is warm one day and snowy the next. Or like Cody’s brother, Wyatt, who has started wearing collared shirts because his girlfriend likes them. Meanwhile, Pearl has begun playing soccer and it’s all she can talk about. Spencer is busy creating a mysterious museum underneath GG’s house and he's never around to play. And Spencer’s mom doesn’t look any different. . . . Could she really have a baby growing inside her? Maybe the baby is like Cody’s beloved ants, waiting patiently inside the earth for spring to arrive. It seems like everything around Cody is changing — from seasons to friendships — but if she can just navigate it all with her trademark enthusiasm and charm, maybe the most important things will stay the same.

Struggling with the feeling that her life is spinning out of control, 12-year-old Nella is shocked when her former best friend's brother makes a fatal mistake, prompting the need for Nella to choose between conflicting loyalties in a community torn b

Baffled by her best friend's urging to swap favorite toys, Cody sadly gives away her Gremlin toy and finds herself struggling to trust when her older brother's beloved bicycle goes missing.

"Cody knows there are many mysteries in the big, wide universe. Like why it hurts so bad to get stung by a yellow jacket. Or the exact moment when her best friend, Spencer, will arrive with his parents and move into her neighborhood for good. But the biggest mystery of all may be Mr. Meen, Grandma Grace's next-door neighbor. No one has ever seen him, and when a 'Welcome home' sign appears in his window, Cody and Spencer can hardly wait to see who shows up"--

Fearing her beautiful summer will be overshadowed by her lovelorn brother's unhappiness, her parents' stressful jobs and a closed summer camp, young Cody makes a new friend whom she helps search for a runaway cat. By the award-winning author of What Happened on Fox Street.

Readers of Kate DiCamillo and Sheila Turnage will love Moonpenny Island, a middle grade novel of friendship and secrets by the beloved and acclaimed Tricia Springstubb. Moonpenny is a tiny island in a great lake. When the summer people leave and the ferries stop running, just the tried-and-true islanders are left behind. Flor and her best, her perfect friend, Sylvie, are the only eleven-year-olds for miles and miles—and Flor couldn’t be happier. But come the end of summer, unthinkable things begin to happen. Sylvie is suddenly, mysteriously, whisked away to school on the mainland. Flor’s mother leaves to take care of Flor’s sick grandmother and doesn’t come back. Her big sister has a secret, and Flor fears it’s a dangerous one. Meanwhile, a geologist and his peculiar daughter arrive to excavate prehistoric trilobites, one of the first creatures to develop sight. Soon Flor is helping them. As her own ability to see her life on this little lump of limestone evolves, she faces truths about those she loves—and about herself—she never imagined.

Phoebe enjoys playing with her new digger while her mother is busy with the new baby, until a bigger girl grabs the toy at the park.

This is the story of what happened after Fox Street. Mo Wren knew that eventually she, her dad, and her sister, Wild Child Dottie, would have to move from beloved Fox Street. She just never expected it to happen so soon. At the Wrens’ new place, things are very different. The name of the street—East 213th—has absolutely zero magic. And there’s no Mrs. Petrone to cut her hair, no Pi Baggott to teach her how to skateboard, no Green Kingdom to explore. She’s having trouble fitting in at her new school and spending a lot of time using the corner bus shelter for her Thinking Spot. Worst of all, Mo discovers that the ramshackle restaurant Mr. Wren bought is cursed. Only Dottie, with her new friends and pet lizard, Handsome, is doing the dance of joy. For the first time in her life, Mo feels lost and out of place. It’s going to take a boy who tells whoppers, a Laundromat with a mysterious owner, a freak blizzard, and some courage to help her find her way home for good.

Fox Street means everything to Mo Wren, who is nearly eleven, and so she is very upset when a land developer offers to buy her father's house, especially since she has not yet found the fox she is sure lives in the nearby ravine.

Discusses the history and political conditions of Vietnam and examines the situation of Vietnamese refugees, their immigration, social adjustments, employment, and contributions to American culture.

Eleven-year-old Lulu explores the meaning of love as she struggles to accept the changes in her best friend Tilda, a teenage mother for whom Lulu babysits, when Tilda falls deeply in love.

In the midst of assorted crises involving her brother and sister, ten-year-old Eunice struggles to master the vault for her school's upcoming gymnastics exhibition, a project that has damaged her sense of self-worth and threatens to end her friendship with the athletically talented Joy.

Eunice prepares to leave home to escape conflicts with her parents.

The summer eighth-grader Eunice goes into the dessert catering business with her best friend Phoebe brings revelations to her about change and friendship and new beginnings.

A greedy, lazy troll with a passion for blueberries terrorizes the townspeople until a litte girl thinks of a plan.