New Releases by Wendy Orr

Now in paperback! From the award-winning author of Nim''s Island and Dragonfly Song, a gripping novel about a family''s will to endure, mystical horses, and the beauty of self-sufficiency and restoration.

A warm and wonderful adventure with a touch of fantasy. Honey and her family seek the quiet comfort of a magical valley so they can escape the troubles of the wide world. A beautifully restorative novel from the award-winning author of the bestselling Nim''s Island stories.''This middle grade narrative by a master storyteller is an utter delight.'' Books+PublishingIn the mountains there was a valley, and in the valley were the horses.When Honey was four and her brother Rumi was a tiny baby, her family loaded up their converted ice-cream-van-camper and drove away from all they knew, as an illness swept the sad wide world. High in the mountains, they crossed a bridge to follow a mysterious herd of enchanted horses into a sheltered valley. The bridge and the track disappeared behind them - and now they are trapped in paradise.In the valley of horses, Honey''s family becomes self-sufficient, fishing, growing vegetables and using solar power. But no messages from the outside world are ever received. When her father falls desperately ill, Honey is sure there must still be people in the big wide world who can help. She is determined to draw on her resourcefulness, self-belief and courage, but will this be enough to find a way out of the valley?A rich and enchanting adventure full of wonder, resilience and hope.

If she had stayed to load the kiln as she should have, she''d never have seen the ship. Mama said the ship still would have been there, so everything had to happen the way it did. But that''s not true. Clio saw it, and the world changed. When a raiders'' ship appears off the coast, the goddess demands an unthinkable price to save the town - and Clio''s grandmother creates a sacred statue to save Clio''s life. But Clio is torn between the demands of guarding the statue and caring for her beloved horses. Disabled in an accident, she must try to put aside her own grief at no longer being able to ride - and in the process, save a friend''s life and stop a war. Rippling with emotion and drama, war and resistance, fear and determination, this novel is a brilliant companion to the highly acclaimed Dragonfly Song and Swallow''s Dance.

In a palm tree, on an island, in the middle of the wide blue sea, was a girl. Nim''s hair was wild, her eyes were bright, and around her neck she wore three cords. One was for a spyglass, one for a whorly, whistling shell, and one for a fat red pocketknife in a sheath. Nim lives on an island in the middle of the wide blue sea, with her father, Jack, as well as a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, a turtle called Chica and a satellite dish for her email. No one else lives quite like Nim, and she wouldn''t swap places with anyone. In Nim''s Island, when Jack disappears in his sailing boat and disaster threatens her home, Nim must be braver than she''s ever been before. And she needs help from her friends old and new. This book was adapted as a major motion picture starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). In Nim at Sea, Nim''s new friend Alex Rover flies away without saying goodbye, and Selkie the sea lion is captured by villains from a cruise ship. Nim must risk everything to bring them back. A second major motion picture was inspired by this story, and screened as Return to Nim''s Island, starring Bindi Irwin. In Rescue on Nim''s Island, Nim unearths an amazing fossil, but this discovery puts her island in terrible danger. Nim must choose between saving a natural treasure and saving someone''s life. Happy 21st Birthday Nim!

I wonder if the first day of Learning is always like this - do the girls on the hill always feel the ground tremble under their feet? Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess hasn''t finished with the island yet. With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety. A thrilling Bronze Age survival story from the acclaimed author of Dragonfly Song.

The girl has had many selves in her short life. The first she remembers is Aissa, the daughter of Mama and Dada, sister to Zufi who watched the goats. Then the Bull King''s raiders came, and Mama said, "Don''t make a sound till I come back." And when the villagers found her she was silent as stone, because Mama never came back again. So the villagers cursed her as back luck and made her No-Name, lowest of the servants to the Lady, the island''s priestess. But there were whispers, as she grew, of another self: of the Lady''s rejected first daughter, born imperfect with two extra thumbs. The silent girl looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders, but she has more pressing concerns. The villagers blame her bad luck for the tribute the Bull King now demands of them: two youths given each spring to dance with his bulls and die for his god''s glory. And the servants hate and fear the unnatural way the animals all come to her. For Aissa, though, this bond with creatures of fur and scale is the first clue in finding the true self that no one else can give to her, or take away. Wendy Orr, the author of Nim''s Island, introduces a resourceful and resilient heroine for slightly older readers. Inspired by an archeological trip to the island of Crete, where frescoes show figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Orr weaves an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.

Nim lives on an island with her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, and their friend Alex Rover, the adventure writer. Nim''s island is the most beautiful place in the world, and she wouldn''t swap live anywhere else. When Jack invites a group of scientists to visit, they bring their children as well. But two of the scientists have plans other than studying algae... By the time Nim discovers what they really want, and what they will do to get it, the children are in grave danger. And so is the island! Nim must choose between saving a natural treasure and saving someone''s life.

A bind-up edition of two exciting adventure stories by Wendy Orr - Nim''s Island and Nim at Sea . Nim''s Island was a major international movie, and now there''s a second action-packed movie inspired by Nim at Sea , called Return to Nim''s Isl.

Mona at the Rainbow Street Shelter finds the perfect home--and job--for an energetic beagle puppy who loves to sniff.

Raven is first to reach the mountain top. Her sister and step - dad are still climbing the trail below. She is alone on top of the world. So she dances - a crazy, jumping, spinning dance...because if you can climb a mountain you can do anything! But then there is a rumble and the earth shakes. Rocks are falling, and so is Raven, in a terrible tumble down the side of the mountain. When she comes to, no one answers her calls. The rockfall is covering the trail where she last saw Lily and Scott ... Wendy Orr tells the dramatic story of a girl who goes beyond her limits to save her family - and on the way, discovers a mysterious bond with a family of bears and a raven.

Finding a horse in the park, Amy takes it to the Rainbow Street Shelter and secretly hopes the owner never turns up.

Mona''s uncle Matthew works in a circus, and he always gives pretty great birthday presents. But when Mona turns eight, he gives her something better than juggling balls or stilts—a baby lion cub! His note says that the cub''s mother couldn''t care for it properly, and he knows Mona and her grandparents can help. Mona names the lion Kiki, and at first Kiki is like any other kitten. As she grows bigger and bigger, though, Mona realizes that Kiki needs a home which will allow her to be the wild animal she was born to be. Fans of the Rainbow Street Shelter books will love reading about how the shelter started and how its owner, Mona, has always loved animals—starting with an adorable baby lion.

Sam wants a pet for her birthday, but her mom and dad have already said that their apartment is too small for a cat or a dog. A trip to Rainbow Street Shelter to look at the smaller animals can''t hurt, though! At the shelter, Sam finds the perfect pet for her, a fluffy black guinea pig named Henry. But she can''t help noticing how happy her little brother is when he''s reading to Nelly, the Rainbow Street dog. Why can''t he read like that when he''s in school? Nelly looks happy, too. Sam starts to wonder . . . can a dog go to kindergarten?

A gripping adventure of wilderness survival from the author of Nim''s Island. Raven is over the moon when she is the first to get to the mountaintop on a trek with her sister and new stepfather. Reaching the summit is like standing on top of the world: exhilarating and breath-taking. But her triumph is short-lived when the earth starts shaking and she takes a terrible tumble down the side of the mountain. Terrified and injured, she stumbles around looking for her family, only to realize they are alive, but trapped in a cave, impossible to reach. Raven sets out alone to find help. But with no food, and danger lurking at every turn, how will she find her way back to civilization? In the tradition of Hatchet, Facing the Mountain is the captivating story of a young girl''s incredible journey through unpredictable wilderness. Readers will be left breathless as Raven struggles to keep her wits about her and find the courage it takes to go on.

Six tail-wagging, melt-your-heart stories of loyal, lost, playful and cuddly pets from the author of Nim''s Island. At the end of a narrow street is a little blue house with a rainbow painted over a cherry-red door. It''s the Rainbow Street Animal Shelter, and it is the best place for lost animals, and the best place to find a pet. Meet Bear, the border collie who goes home to the wrong house in the wrong car! And Nelly, the stumpy-tail dog who helps children learn to read. Buster the growly marmalade cat turns out to be a hero, and Pebbles the pony is stolen away and lost in the bush. Bella the runaway beagle might be clever enough to be a sniffer dog... but who would have a lion cub as a pet? Six adorable stories about animals you''ll love, and the children who love them.

After his pet rabbit dies, Josh feels sad and does not want to own another pet until elderly neighbor Mr. Larsen ends up in the hospital and his crazy orange cat, Buster, goes missing. Simultaneous.

Logan is moving from the farm to the city. He''ll miss all the things he''s leaving behind, but at least he has Bear. He loves Bear more than anything else in the world—because Bear is his dog. Hannah lives in the city. What she wants, more than anything else in the world, is a dog of her own. At the Rainbow Street Shelter, Logan and Hannah find a talking parrot, an old black Labrador, a three-legged goat, a puppy that looks like a peanut—and a Surprise that just might be the best thing in the world.

Two sisters, playing dress-up as a princess and her panther, embark on an extraordinary adventure in a book that brings to life the world of imagination. Full color.

With their father home from the sea, the rambunctious twins Mokie and Bik make the Bullfrog shipshape for a voyage out to sea, where they make friends with a scaredy-seal, save a runaway boat, and keep track of Waggles.

This time Nim’s the fish-out-of-water as she stows away on a cruise ship to save her kidnapped sea lion friend. Accompanied by her likeable iguana, Fred, the island girl lands with a splash in Manhattan, on the run from of a very Bad Guy, and on her way to reunite with her friend, cowardly adventure novelist Alex Rover. Kids who are interested in animals and animal welfare will enjoy this warmhearted story’s combo of suspenseful high-seas happenings, New York City excitement, and family drama.

For two rambunctious twins, living on a boat means always being underfoot or overboard.

For two rambunctious twins, living on a boat means always being underfoot or overboard.

This series takes readers on a fictional journey through some fascinating Australian stories, inspired by objects from the National Museum of Australia''s collection. Ages 7+.

Cassidy wants a desk. She needs a desk! Her dad will help her build it - but only when she''s tidied her messy, messy room!

Deep in the bush, where the trees grow tall, Finn discovers an old deserted shack. Inside is shivery cold, with green fungus on the walls. When a dog growls and a gravelly voice snarls, Finn''s hair stands up like bristles on a brush. An old man and his dog are glowing in the darkness. Jack Henry lived in the shack 100 years ago and was friends with all the wild creatures. When Finn is with the old ghost, he can feel what the birds are singing and what the animals are feeling. But now they are all in danger - someone is going to bulldoze the land and wreck their homes. How can one boy, a ghost and his dog save the bush? Spook''s Shack is another magical adventure-fantasy from the author of Nim''s Island.

When Ruth, with a love of flying that leads her to become an Auxiliary Pilot during WWII in England, meets Canadian navigator, Bill, on a fog-bound country airstrip, they know it''s something special. And it is, until Bill''s death some fifty years later. Recently widowed, Ruth returns to England for the first time since she left to live in Canada. It''s her last journey as she dies unexpectedly in her cousin''s home in London. Ruth''s daughter, Jane, flies from Australia where she now lives with her dairy farmer husband Ian, to take her mother''s ashes to the family home at Evelyn''s Pond in Canada. On her own for the first time since her marriage, it''s a time for reflections and memories, not all of them comfortable. She loves Ian but, with the best of intentions, he unwittingly controls her life, never allowing her the space to find out who she truly is. Surrounded by mementoes of the past, Jane faces a different kind of journey-two days and nights of self discovery and decision. But Jane also has their daughter, Megan, in her thoughts. Megan is hiking on the west coast of Canada and falling in love as assuredly as she approaches life. But she doesn''t yet know she''s lost her beloved grandmother. Wendy Orr, takes us on a voyage across three continents, two lifetimes and one solitary weekend in The House at Evelyn''s Pond. Beautifully written, enticing and involving-Wendy Orr displays an uncanny ability to look deeply into the loves, griefs and warmth of family relationships.

Poppy sets off from home. She travels over the mountain, and works at all kinds of jobs. She makes friends with lots of people and animals, but she''s looking for the place she belongs, and the job she''s best at doing. Suggested level: primary.

When her parents take her to visit a very special pet store in the park across from her apartment, both Sophie and Mr. and Mrs. Noah, the pet store owners, have their secret wishes fulfilled.