Girl Child

Raisa Kumar has been playing softball for years, and thanks to the support and encouragement of her team, the Tigers, she's one of the best pitchers in the league. When a new girl, Annie, joins the team and wants to learn how to pitch, Raisa is eager to help.

The story girl of the title is the 14-year-old Sara Stanley who weaves spellbinding tales that enchant her audience that comes from near and far. These 32 stories range from the humorous and satirical to exotic romances, Scottish folk tales, retellings of Greek myths and poems by Tennyson, to ghost stories. They include the scary "Tale of the Family Ghost", and the bittersweet "The Blue Chest of Rachel Ward".

Dear Diary.... "Magic is a mystery that doesn't need solving." That's what illusionist Drake Lonestar told me when I saw him perform. I was skeptical that the famous magician could really make the River Heights courthouse disappear, but I was wrong. It turns out that the courthouse wasn't the only thing that vanished. So did important evidence relating to a jewel heist - and all signs point to Lonestar as the thief! Now the magician himself has disappeared into thin air - and all of River Heights is looking at me to track him down.

Alex and her family just moved, which means she has to start a new school and adjust to a new soccer team. She soon learns that she must play a new position on the team, which makes her frustrated. Alex must learn how to adjust to her new life and have fun again.

Kayla is the best gymnast on her team. When she misses her vault at an important gymnastics meet, no one sees her mistake - except her best friend, Chandra. When Chandra pressures her to tell the truth, Kayla must decide if keeping her trophy is worth losing her friend.

Eleven-year-old Nhamo is running for her life. When the village witch finder decrees that she must marry a cruel stranger to propitiate an evil spirit, her only recourse is to steal a fishing boat and go looking for a father she has never met. Alone on the Musengezi River, Nhamo has meager resources to help her survive loneliness, hunger, wild animals, and even land mines.

In 19th-century England, Kate and her sister Emily return to the family estate after their father dies. There, under the guardianship of a distant uncle, they live in a small lodge with two great-aunts. One evening while out late and unable to find their way home, they encounter a nest of goblins. Clare Dunkle unites the human realm and the underworld of the goblin in a fascinating and exciting tale.

Dear Diary.... I thought a trip to Nantucket with Bess and George would be a simple vacation, but of course mysteries seem to follow me everywhere! We're on this fun, end-of-summer trip because our friend, Jenna, has an awesome exhibit opening at the local Nantucket Nautical Museum, and we want to support her. She was really excited about it until some creep vandalized her welcome banner. Now it's become clear that someone is out to sabotage the whole exhibit.

The Lost Prince is the enchanting story of a young boy discovering his true destiny. Twelve-year-old Marco knows he is being trained for something, but he isn't sure what. All his life he has traveled with his father in secrecy, learning many languages and the ways of a gentleman, but forbidden to speak about their country of origin, Samavia. Samavia has been fraught with war for the last 500 years, ever since the prince mysteriously disappeared.

Growing up unknowingly autistic, Livia spent the majority of her young life seeking worth and validation in external achievements. She excelled in her honors classes, competitive sports, and eventually, an eating disorder. Until the control she so desperately sought nearly killed her, Livia made the hardest decision anyone with an eating disorder can make: to trust and surrender to the recovery process.

What could make Unicorn Island even more magical? Hidden treasure! Continue the magic in the next Unicorn Academy series, where students and their unicorn best friends race to find treasure! Lyra is excited to start at Unicorn Academy and have adventures with her unicorn, Misty. When she finds a piece of an ancient map, Lyra is sure it leads to treasure! But first there's a riddle to solve and a dark cave to explore. Are Lyra, Misty, and their friends ready for the adventure ahead?

Legends say that the island of Joya was once a place where songbirds sang in every tree and the islanders were free to come and go as they pleased. That was before the harsh-ruling Governor arrived, and ravens drove out the native birds. Now there are no songbirds, and the people are forbidden to travel beyond the forest that separates them from the rest of the island. But for Isabella, the legends of her island home have always seemed like more than just stories.

Camila wants to be a rodeo star! Her favorite event is bull riding. But before she can ride a real bull, or even a steer, she needs to ride the mechanical bull. Will Camila master the mechanical bull ride and take a big step toward her rodeo dreams?

The Witch Who Stormed the Palace has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing adventures together! That's what happens for the girls at Unicorn Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island. Scarlett and Blaze love being at Unicorn Academy. But magical Sparkle Lake is starting to ice over and the school might have to close! Scarlett and Blaze can't bear to be parted, so they decide to find out who's behind the big freeze and make things right....

Dana and the rest of the Raiders gymnastics team must learn how to deal with their biggest rivals, the Superiors. When the Superiors don't play fair, the Raiders learn a valuable lesson in sportsmanship.

Have you heard of Eithne the supernatural scholar or Fand the shape-shifting eco-warrior? What about Bé Mannair, a gender-fluid spy who challenges an entire army, or Bé Binn, a giantess who gets her own back on her bullies? From mermaids and fashionistas to athletes and farmers, meet goddesses of all shapes and sizes from Ireland’s ancient myths. Stand by their sides as they wield magic, fight monsters, and protect the powerless—and you might discover that you, too, are a force of nature.

Elizabeth Ann is being carefully brought up by her Aunt Frances. Aunt Frances shares in all Elizabeth Ann's fears and slights, walks her to and from school each day, and conscientiously follows the most modern theories on child-rearing. She is the original helicopter parent. Not surprisingly, at nine years old Elizabeth Ann is timid and shy, friendless, and completely dependent on her doting aunt. Then an emergency occurs, and the fearful little girl is temporarily sent to other relatives who live on a farm in Vermont.

Aza's singing is the fairest in all the land - and the most unusual. She can "throw" her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn't possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She's hidden in the shadows in her parents' inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light - especially when the queen demands a dangerous favor.

The star of her school’s running team, Sadako is lively and athletic…until the dizzy spells start. Then she must face the hardest race of her life - the race against time. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the courage that makes one young woman a heroine in Japan.

"[The] story speaks directly to young readers of the tragedy of Sadako's death and, in its simplicity, makes a universal statement for 'peace in the world.” (The Horn Book)