The big day is coming—but will her wild wish come true? “Fans of Clementine, Judy Moody, and Ramona will also want to unwrap this gem of a story.” —School Library Journal Sophie Hartley is almost sure that her dad said okay when she asked for a baby gorilla for her birthday. Soon the kids at school want to know every detail about the gorilla, and dealing with her enthusiastic classmates gets harder as the big day approaches. When teenage sister Nora leaves their shared bedroom for her own space in the attic, and close friend Jenna shows signs of becoming a shrieker, Sophie finds it hard to remain optimistic. Maybe painting her windowsills purple will help. And maybe she’ll get the perfect present! Funny and believable, the story of a big birthday will please Sophie fans old and new. Praise for Queen Sophie Hartley: “Humorous . . . droll dialogue and strong characters.” —Kirkus Reviews

Sophie Hartley, age ten, does not want to be a teenager. She vows she'll never be like her older sister, Nora, who has tantrums about her hair and almost everything else. Her older brother Thad is preoccupied with his girlfriend of the moment and doesn't seem to like the family anymore. No, Sophie likes being who she is right now, helping out at home, doing art projects, and hanging out with her two best friends. And another thing. Next year Sophie's class will see the movie about body changes, and her classmates are already buzzing about it. Sophie doesn't want to know about that embarrassing stuff yet. Does that mean she's immature? How can she prove otherwise? As usual, Sophie faces challenges and challengers with determination and resourcefulness. With the same down-to-earth, realistic, humorous take on friendships and family relationships praised in the three previous Sophie Hartley books, this fourth story brings the indomitable Sophie a step closer to growing up without compromising her sense of herself.

A suggestion from her mother leads Sophie to befriend the new girl at school and an elderly, grouchy woman, and helps her overcome the feeling that she is not good at anything.

Lights! Camera! Action! A new chapter book star is on the rise! Things to Know About Meby Jules Bloom1. I am a scrambled-eggs-and-chocolate-milk type person. 2. I have an audition for a TV commercial (which would be great if I were a tall-icy-drink type person.)3. I am in between best friends right now.4. I am worried that the audition will be a disaster. (See #1 and #3!)Jules doesn't want to ruin THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME, and she's willing to turn to anyone for help--even her know-it-all ex-best friend! If only that lovely new girl in class would turn out to be the new best friend of her dreams,maybe, just maybe, Jules will be ready for her close-up....

When Lazarus Kane answers her ad for a husband in the Farmer's Gazette, Sophie Valentine is enamored by this mysterious stranger, who, unbeknownst to her, has known her for years and has come a long way to find her.

A bold dive into the emotional labor women have shouldered for far too long—and an impassioned vision for creating a better future for us all. Day in, day out, women anticipate and manage the needs of others. In relationships, we initiate the hard conversations. At home, we shoulder the mental load required to keep our households running. At work, we moderate our tone, explaining patiently and speaking softly. In the world, we step gingerly to keep ourselves safe. We do this largely invisible, draining work whether we want to or not—and we never clock out. No wonder women everywhere are overtaxed, exhausted, and simply fed up. In her ultra-viral article “Women Aren’t Nags—We’re Just Fed Up,” shared by millions of readers, Gemma Hartley gave much-needed voice to the frustration and anger experienced by countless women. Now, in Fed Up, Hartley expands outward from the everyday frustrations of performing thankless emotional labor to illuminate how the expectation to do this work in all arenas—private and public—fuels gender inequality, limits our opportunities, steals our time, and adversely affects the quality of our lives. More than just name the problem, though, Hartley teases apart the cultural messaging that has led us here and asks how we can shift the load. Rejecting easy solutions that don’t ultimately move the needle, Hartley offers a nuanced, insightful guide to striking real balance, for true partnership in every aspect of our lives. Reframing emotional labor not as a problem to be overcome, but as a genderless virtue men and women can all learn to channel in our quest to make a better, more egalitarian world, Fed Up is surprising, intelligent, and empathetic essential reading for every woman who has had enough with feeling fed up.

Two of the most trusted reviewers in the field join with top authors, illustrators, and critics in a definitive guide to choosing books for children—and nurturing their love of reading. A FAMILY OF READERS is the definitive resource for parents interested in enriching the reading lives of their children. It’s divided into four sections: 1. Reading to Them: Choosing and sharing board books and picture books with babies and very young children. 2. Reading with Them: Launching the new reader with easy readers and chapter books. 3. Reading on Their Own: Exploring what children read—and how they read—by genre and gender. 4. Leaving Them Alone: Respecting the reading privacy of the young adult. Roger Sutton knows how and why children read. He must, as the editor in chief of THE HORN BOOK, which since 1924 has been America’s best source for reviews of books for young readers. But for many parents, selecting books for their children can make them feel lost. Now, in this essential resource, Roger Sutton and Martha V. Parravano, executive editor at the magazine, offer thoughtful essays that consider how books are read to (and then by) young people. They invite such leading authors and artists as Maurice Sendak, Katherine Paterson, Margaret Mahy, and Jon Scieszka, as well as a selection of top critics, to add their voices about the genres they know best. The result is an indispensable readers’ companion to everything from wordless board books to the most complex and daring young adult novels.