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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Books for Children
Contents, Winter 2009
Letter from the Publisher inside front cover
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 3
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Fall 2008 Backlist 15
Harcourt Children’s Books 17
Harcourt Children’s Books Fall 2008 Backlist 25
Clarion Books 27
Clarion Books Fall 2008 Backlist 37
Sandpiper 39
Graphia 59
Sandpiper Fall 2008 Backlist 70
Graphia Fall 2008 Backlist 71
Books by Publication Month 72
Authors and Illustrators by State, with Websites 73
Recent Awards and Accolades 74
Valentine’s Day titles 75
Black History Month titles 76–77
Women’s History Month titles 78–79
St. Patrick’s Day titles 79
Children’s Book Council 80
Website Resources 85
Index 82
Ordering Information 86
Bookstore Representatives 87
Notes
Summer Reading–inside back cover
Use our handy colorcoded format key to
determine what type of
book you want.
Board Book
Picture Book
Early Reader
Fiction
Nonfiction
Reference
Paperback
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • 222 Berkeley Street • Boston, Massachusetts 02116 • (617) 351-5000 • www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
Cover illustration © 2008 by Allen Say, from Erika-san
Table of Contents illustration © 2003 by Bruce Whatley from Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
Catalog design by Casey G. and Kat Black
PICTURE BOOK
January
Full-color illustrations
Ages 4–8
PreK–Grade 3
32 pages
11 x 9 1⁄2
ctn qty: 24
B/T/A/M/S: HMH
P: Writer’s House
A4
Picture Book
Caldecott medalist Allen Say creates a
seeks adventure in Japan and discovers
$17.00 Rnf. / $19.50 Canada
978-0-618-88933-4
MARKETING
• Poster
• Author Events: Portland, Seattle,
Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Boston, New York, Phoenix
• Author feature on
www.teachingbooks.net
• Conference promotions
• Publicity outreach including
Japanese-American media
Erika-san
Allen Say
In her grandmother’s house there is one Japanese print of a small house with
lighted windows. Even as a small girl, Erika loved that picture.
It will pull her through childhood, across vast oceans and modern cities, then
into towns—older, quieter places—she has only ever dreamed about.
But Erika cannot truly know what she will find there, among the rocky seacoasts, the rice paddies, the circle of mountains, and the class of children.
For Erika-san, can Japan be all that she has imagined?
Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937, and he came to the United States
when he was sixteen. He illustrated his first children’s book—published in 1972—in a
photo studio between shooting assignments. But in 1987, while illustrating the Caldecott
Honor book The Boy of the Three-Year Nap written by Dianne Snyder, he decided to make a
full-time commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating. Since then, he
has created many books, including Grandfather’s Journey, winner of the Caldecott Medal,
Tree of Cranes, Allison, and Home of the Brave. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
4 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
beautiful story about an American girl who
more than she could have imagined.
More books by
Allen Say:
Tea with Milk
978-0-395-90495-4 $17.00
$19.50 Canada
Tree of Cranes
978-0-395-52024-6 $17.95
$19.99 Canada
Kamishibai Man
2006 ALA Notable Book for Children
2006 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
2005 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
2006 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
978-0-618-479542
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
# “Say’s gift is to multiply themes without struggling
under their weight. . . . His artistry and power of invention are as strong as ever, and so will be his readers’
enthusiasm.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
# “The quietly dramatic, beautifully evocative tale contains a cliffhanger of its own, along with exquisite art in
the style of Kamishibai picture cards that will attract even
the most jaded kid away from the TV screen to enjoy a
good, good book.”—Booklist, starred review
Grandfather’s Journey
Caldecott Medal Book
978-0-395-57035-7
$16.95 CL / $18.95 Canada
978-0-547-07680-5
$7.99 PA / $8.99 Canada
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 5
NONFICTION
January
Full-color illustrations
Ages 4–8
PreK–Grade 3
40 pages
11 x 9
ctn qty: 30
B/T/A/P/M/S: HMH
A4
Nonfiction
An authentic and powerful account of slavery
and how a handmade quilt helps a little girl
leave home for freedom.
$17.00 Rnf. / $19.50 Canada
978-0-618-41903-6
Most Loved in All the World
Tonya Cherie Hegamin Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
With a poet’s keen ear, Tonya Hegamin tells the story of a little girl whose mother
is a secret agent on the Underground Railroad. Before sending her daughter north
to freedom, the mother sews a quilt for her daughter, not only to guide her with
its symbols of moss and the North Star, but also to remind her always that the
smiling girl in the center of the quilt is “most loved in all the world.”
Another book by
Tonya Cherie Hegamin:
Tonya Cherie Hegamin holds an MFA in writing for children from the New School
University. A native of Pennsylvania, she is the author of M+O 4EVR, a young adult novel.
Cozbi A. Cabrera’s beautiful handcrafted cloth dolls have garnered the attention of
collectors around the world and have been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She
attended the Parsons School of Design and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where her unique
work is featured in her eponymous shop and atelier.
M+O 4EVR
978-0-618-49570-2
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
6 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
January
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 4–8
PreK–Grade 3
48 pages
4 5⁄8 x 5 1⁄8
ctn qty: 50
B/T/A/P/M/S:HMH
A4
Picture Book
$6.95 Rnf. / $7.95 Canada
978-0-395-07176-2
MARKETING
• 8-copy counter display
• Valentine’s Day promotions
More than
800,000
copies sold!
I Like You
Sandol Stoddard Warburg Illustrated by Jacqueline Chwast
“Perfect for a special best friend.”—Washington Post
“A happy gift for a special person (any age, any sex) is I Like You . . . a
catalog of exuberantly illustrated and enthusiastic reasons for liking.”
—Chicago Daily News
Not since Elizabeth Barrett asked Robert Browning, “How do I love thee? Let me
count the ways” has there burst upon the waiting world such a glorious and heartfelt catalogue as this. This small book’s adorable black-and-white illustrations
accompany descriptive text that perfectly expresses the true meaning of friendship.
Here is the book that Romeo would have given Juliet; Charlie Brown would have
given Snoopy; and now you can give some very special friend.
Sandol Stoddard Warburg is the author of more than two dozen books, including
several for adults. She lives and writes in Hawaii.
8-copy counter display
978-0-547-22571-5
Jacqueline Chwast lives in Astoria, New York, and has illustrated more than fifty books
$55.60 / $63.60 Canada
for children.
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 7
PICTURE BOOK
Celebrating more than forty years of friendship!
NONFICTION
January
Full-color illustrations
Ages 9–12
Grades 4–7
80 pages
7x9
ctn qty: 36
B/T/A/S: HMH
P/M: Text: HMH
Art: Dystel and Goderich
A4
Nonfiction
The story of the revolution leader Toussaint
L’Ouverture of St. Domingue (now Haiti).
$18.00 Rnf. / $19.95 Canada
978-0-618-60570-5
Open the Door to Liberty
Anne Rockwell Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
The island now known as Haiti was once a French colony called St. Domingue,
where white plantation owners forced hundreds of thousands of African slaves to
farm sugar cane. Toussaint L’Ouverture was one of those slaves . . . but not for
long. The day would come when L’Ouverture would lead his island’s slaves into a
revolution for freedom, and his efforts would influence the course of world history.
Anne Rockwell is the author of more than one hundred innovative books for children.
A passion for history and a fascination with this little-known yet incredibly influential man
led her to research the story of Toussaint L’Ouverture. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.
R. Gregory Christie is a three-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for his
illustrated books, including Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth, also by
Anne Rockwell. Only Passing Through was also honored as Best Illustrated Book of the
Year by the New York Times. Mr. Christie lives in New York.
8 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
February
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 6–10
Grades 1–5
192 pages
5 1⁄2 x 7 3⁄4
ctn qty: 12
B/T/A/S:HMH
P/M: Writer’s House
A4
Fiction
$15.00 Rnf. / $16.95 Canada
978-0-618-95957-0
MARKETING
• Online promotion at
www.justgracebooks.com
launching Fall 2008: will
include “going green” tips,
downloadable activities, special
podcast with Charise &
“Grace”
• A portion of book is printed on
recycled paper
• ARC mailings and giveaways
• Conference promotions
Just Grace Goes Green
More best-selling books about Grace:
Charise Mericle Harper
Lots of exciting things are happening to Grace and her friends. Most exciting of
all, Mimi’s older cousin Gwen is coming to stay with Mimi, and Miss Lois’s class is
GOING GREEN! For their “green” project, Grace and Mimi aim to inspire their
friends and classmates to conserve plastic bottles. But another issue is that Gwen
has taken a strong liking to Mimi’s favorite stuffed toy, Willoughby. Grace uses her
empathy superpower to figure out ways to make her best friend feel better, and
she makes a difference for the environment too.
Yard sales, toy owls, decorated plastic water bottles, a flaming onion tower, and
a very entrepreneurial Sammy Stringer make this another winning entry in the Just
Grace series.
Charise Mericle Harper lives near New York City. She has written and illustrated
many books for young readers. This is her FOURTH book
Just Grace Walks the Dog
978-0-618-95973-0
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
Still Just Grace
978-0-618-64643-2
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
978-0-618-93482-9
$4.99 PA / $5.99 Canada
about Grace! She is also the author of the Fashion Kitty series.
Just Grace
978-0-618-64642-5
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
978-0-547-01440-1
$4.99 PA / $5.99 Canada
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 9
FICTION
Grace can do a lot of things . . . but can she
save the planet?
FICTION
March
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 6–10
Grades 1–5
5 1⁄2 x 7 3⁄4
ctn qty: 40
B/A/P/M/S: Harold Ober
T:HMH
A4
Fiction
The fourth hilarious title in
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
978-0-547-11967-0
MARKETING
• Online promotion at
www.gooneybirdgreene
books.com launching
January 2009
• Series guide for educators
• Advertising
• ARC mailings and giveaways
• Conference promotions
Gooney Bird Is So Absurd
Lois Lowry Illustrated by Middy Thomas
It’s a cold January at the Watertower Elementary School—the perfect weather for
Gooney Bird Greene to break out her special brain-warming hat! It’s a good thing
she has one. Gooney Bird’s brain will need to be as warm as possible this month,
because Mrs. Pidgeon is teaching her class about poetry. Who knew there could be
so many different ways to write a poem? Haikus, couplets, limericks—Mrs.
Pidgeon’s students soon find that writing good poetry takes a lot of hard work and
creative thinking.
Gooney Bird and her classmates are up to the challenge. But just when things
are going well, the kids get some terrible news. Gooney Bird will need all the
inspiration her brain can muster to organize the most important poem the class
has ever written.
Lois Lowry is the author of more than thirty books for children. Ms. Lowry now divides
her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a farmhouse in Maine. To learn more
about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com.
Middy Thomas was born and raised in Maine. In addition to illustrating the Gooney
Bird series, Middy has done cover art and illustrations for several books.
10 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
Lois Lowry’s popular Gooney Bird series!
“Irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in
children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an
amusing and popular favorite.” —Kirkus Reviews
More books about Gooney Bird:
Gooney the Fabulous
978-0-618-76691-8
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
Gooney Bird and the Room
Mother
978-0-618-53230-8
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
Gooney Bird Greene
978-0-618-23848-4
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
An Excerpt from Gooney Bird Is So Absurd
“A poem can be whatever you make it be,” Gooney Bird pointed out. She got up from her desk,
took her turn at the board, and wrote: SNOW DAY! I’LL SAY!
Mrs. Pidgeon looked at Gooney Bird as she stood at the board with her two red ponytails protruding from the ruffled holes. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask this,” she said. “I don’t mean to get a
cheap laugh. But, Gooney Bird, are those underpants on your head?”
Gooney Bird thought for a moment. Then she said, in a patient voice, “Once it was underpants.
Now it’s a two-ponytail hat. It’s like a poem. It can be whatever you want it to be.
“Actually,” she went on, and reached for the ruffled fabric, “I’m going to take it off now. The elastic hurts my forehead.”
“Gooney Bird,” said Mrs. Pidgeon with a smile, “you’re so absurd!”
Gooney Bird grinned. “Poem,” she pointed out.
“Look!” she said suddenly, turning toward the window. Outside, they could see the first flakes of
snow beginning to fall.
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 11
FICTION
February
A supernatural love story
Ages 12 and up
Grades 7 and up
6 1⁄8 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 12
B/T/P/M: Ann Rittenberg
A/S: HMH
A4
Fiction
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
978-0-618-89131-3
MARKETING
• Reader’s guide
• Conference promotions
• ARC mailings and giveaways
• E-card
• Indie Bound promotion
• Bookmark
The Fetch
Laura Whitcomb
“There’s something not right about you,” said Ana. She wasn’t teasing him. She was
concerned about what she detected behind his eyes. This made Calder’s skin tingle.
“You’re not telling me something.”
She was uncanny. Calder silently prayed she could not see how he had broken his Vows
and upset her world and his own.
“You’re lonely,” she told him. “It must be hard to pretend all the time.”
He felt a wave of sadness, sudden and deep.
“Don’t be afraid,” she told him. “Everyone has a secret. I’ll keep yours.”
Calder is a Fetch, a death escort, the first of his kind to step from Heaven back to
Earth.
The first to fall in love with a mortal girl.
But when he climbs backwards out of that Death Scene, into the chaos of the
Russian Revolution, he tears a wound in the ghost realm, where the spirits begin a
revolution of their own.
Laura Whitcomb lives in Portland, Oregon, with her dog Maximus.
12 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
set in Imperial Russia.
An excerpt from The Fetch:
Calder was a Fetch, a death escort, and had been since his own death at the
age of nineteen. He had been a Fetch for three hundred and thirty years and so
had seen many women in the Death Scenes to which he had been sent. He’d
watched women drowning, one with seaweed twisting her gown into a mermaid
tail, another in a pond surrounded by lilies that glowed like funeral offerings
about her floating hair. He’d seen women lost and broken in ivy-choked woods
and in open fields where they lay fallen in the snow, half covered like gravestones. Some died safe in their downy beds, some forgotten in alleys.
He had also seen many women who tended to the dying—this one washing
her sister’s face with lilac water, that one praying and weeping with her father.
Some had been nursing soldiers, others dreaming beside husbands they did not
realize had ceased breathing.
For the last three hundred and thirty years Calder had seen thousands upon
thousands of mortal women, so he did not understand why, on this day, the
sight of this particular woman afflicted him.
Also by Laura Whitcomb:
A Certain Slant of Light
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Book Sense Pick
“A highly sensual, supernatural story of two spirits
caught in purgatory. . . . Mesmerizing.” —Publishers
Weekly
“Whitcomb writes beautifully . . . this will be irresistible
to teens.” —Booklist
978-0-618-58532-8
$8.99 PA / $9.99 Canada
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 13
FICTION
February
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 10 and up
Grades 5 and up
256 pages
5 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 12
B/T/A/S: HMH
P/M: Author c/o HMH
A4
Fiction
The Yggyssey is vintage Pinkwater: laugh-out-loud
funny, with incredible characters and dialogue.
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-618-59445-0
MARKETING
• www.theyggyssey.com: online
serialization
• Podcasts with Pinkwater!
• National drive-time radio tour
• ARC mailings and giveaways
The Yggyssey
More books by Daniel Pinkwater:
The Neddiad: How Neddie Took
the Train, Went to Hollywood, and
Saved Civilization
978-0-618-594443-0
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-547-13367-6
$6.99 PA / $7.99 Canada
How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts,
Found Out Where They Went, and Went There
Daniel Pinkwater
La Brea Woman is missing. Valentino, too. The ghosts of Los Angeles are disappearing right and left!
Iggy Birnbaum is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, no matter
what Neddie Wentworthstein and Seamus Finn say.
There’s just the little matter of traveling to another plane of existence, first . . .
and then, of course, not pissing off a witch once she gets there.
From L.A. to Old New Hackensack, fans of The Neddiad will be delighted to
join up with Iggy, Neddie, Seamus, and the usual apparitional entourage for
another weird and wonderful adventure by Daniel Pinkwater.
Illustrated throughout by Calef Brown.
Daniel Pinkwater’s stories have entertained generations of readers. He is also known to
The Education of Robert Nifkin
NPR-listening, book-buying people around the country for his children’s book commentary
978-0-618-55208-5
$6.99 PA / $7.99 Canada
on Weekend Edition Saturday, on which he and host Scott Simon read aloud from books
that Pinkwater selects.
14 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Fall 2008 Backlist
978-0-618-23378-6
$35.00 CL
978-0-54713344-7
6.99 BB
978-0-54713176-4
$12.99 BB
978-0-618-53242-1
$12.95 Rnf.
978-0-618-86259-7
$15.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-96634-9
$16.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-89195-5
$25.00 CL
978-0-618-96627-1
$12.95 Rnf.
978-0-618-91641-2
$16.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-99923-1
$16.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-80908-0
$16.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-71720-0
$17.00 Rnf.
978-0-395-63313-7
$16.99 CL and CD
Now with stickers!
978-0-395-72952-6
$6.99 PA
978-0-618-98062-8
$15.00 Rnf.
A Scientists in the Field Book
978-0-618-96676-9
$15.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-89130-6
$17.00 CL
978-0-618-71717-0
$22.00 CL
978-0-618-75636-0
$17.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-82362-8
$20.00 CL
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009 15
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Fall 2008 Backlist
978-0-618-80045-2
$17.00 Rnf.
978-0-618-92764-7
$16.00 CL
978-0-547-07663-8
$16.00 CL
978-0-547-13140-5
$20.00 CL
978-0-547-13178-8
$9.95 PA
978-0-618-96635-6
$16.00 CL
978-0-618-99530-1
$16.00 CL
978-0-618-06567-7
$3.95 PA
978-0-547-13279-2
$26.00 CL
978-0-547-13280-8
$11.95 PA
978-0-547-04684-6
$14.00 CL
978-0-618-99877-7
$12.99 PA
978-0-618-99864-7
$3.99 PA
978-0-618-77715-0
$15.00 CL
978-0-618-03851-0
$16.00 CL
978-0-618-91952-9
$7.99 BB
978-0-618-99986-6
$3.99 PA
16 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children • Winter 2009
978-0-547-13351-5
$18.00 CL
978-0-618-99767-1
$16.00 CL
978-0-618-99884-5
$10.99 PA and CD
978-0-618-99848-7
$6.99 PA
978-0-395-91908-8
$3.95 PA and CD
978-0-618-99909-5
$5.99 PA
PICTURE BOOK
February
Harry’s gonna MUNCH, and CRUNCH,
and eat everything in sight!
Full-color illustrations
Ages 3–7
PreK–Grade 3
40 pages
9 3⁄4 x 10 3⁄4
ctn qty: 25
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/A/P/M/S: HMH
Picture book
$16.00 Rnf. / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206257-6
Harry Hungry!
Steven Salerno
Also illustrated by Steven Salerno,
written by Susan Middleton Elya:
Blueberries are a fine snack for some babies. But not “this little guy”. Harry is
hungry! His tummy grumbles and rumbles. Momma asks him to wait just a
minute. But Harry can’t, Harry won’t! Off he goes to munch the flower bed, the
neighbor’s house, the school! Will nothing stop this hungry baby?
Steven Salerno’s entertaining illustrations and spirited story transform a
universal experience into a feast of fantasy that readers of all ages will relish.
Steven Salerno has illustrated many popular picture books for children, including
Bebé Goes Shopping, a Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Book of the Year, and Bebé Goes
to the Beach by Susan Middleton Elya. He lives and works in New York City. For more
Bebé Goes to the Beach
information about Steven Salerno visit www.stevensalerno.com.
978-0-15-206000-8
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
Bebé Goes Shopping
978-0-15-205426-7
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206142-5
$6.00 PA / $6.95 Canada
18 Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009
January
Full-color illustrations
Ages 6–9
Grades 1–3
48 pages
9 x 111⁄2
ctn qty: 30
Territory: US, C, O
B/T: HMH
A/P/M: Text: Gina Maccoby
Art: Writers House
S: Text: Gina Maccoby
Art: HMH
A4
Picture book, nonfiction
$17.00 Rnf. / $19.50 Canada
978-0-15-216583-3
MARKETING
• Email newsletter promotion—
President’s Day
Big George
More books
by Anne Rockwell:
How a Shy Boy Became President Washington
Anne Rockwell Illustrated by Matt Phelan
Before he was the face on the dollar bill, George Washington was a shy boy with a
hot temper. But George had character and adaptability. He taught himself courage
and self-control. At an early age, and without really realizing it, George
Washington gathered the qualities he’d need to become one of the greatest leaders
America has ever known.
Anne Rockwell’s prose is dignified, Matt Phelan’s illustrations are striking, and
the details they reveal about George Washington’s early days are fascinating, sometimes tragic, and always moving.
Includes an author’s note.
Growing Like Me
Illustrated by Holly Keller
978-0-15-202202-0
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
Our Earth
978-0-15-202383-6
$6.00 PA / $6.95 Canada
Anne Rockwell is the author of many beloved picture books, including Only Passing
Through, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, which was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Another book illustrated by
Matt Phelan:
Very Hairy Bear
Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books including the Newbery Medal winner
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Written by Alice Schertle
978-0-15-216568-0
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009 19
PICTURE BOOK
A boy from Virginia becomes our first president.
FICTION
January
Pete the poodle is back!
But where’s the big top?
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 7–10
Grades 3–7
192 pages
6x8
ctn qty: 48
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/P/M: Text: Dystel & Goderich
Art: HMH
A/S: HMH
A4
Fiction
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206177-7
Pete’s Disappearing Act
Jenny Tripp Illustrations by John Manders
Also by Jenny Tripp
and illustrated by John Manders:
Pete the poodle’s beloved life at the circus has suddenly gone sour. So Pete runs
away to become a lapdog for the rich and famous Airhead Heiress. Wait a second:
Pete, a pet? Turns out, Pete does have second thoughts about leaving the spotlight,
but a show stopping twister breezes in and leaves him no choice—it takes Rita the
chimp for a ride, too. From their respective crash landings, the oddly matched
Pete and Rita find themselves on a big adventure—like it or not.
Warm, witty, and humorously illustrated, this spectacularly attractive package
won’t disappoint Pete’s adoring fans—and it’s sure to make him new ones.
Jenny Tripp comes to the field of children’s books from a diverse career that has
included writing humor and travel pieces for various magazines as well as screenplays.
She lives in Essex, Connecticut.
Pete and Fremont
978-0-15-205629-2
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206238-5
$5.95 PA / $6.95 Canada
John Manders has illustrated more than thirty books for children. He lives in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
20 Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009
Inventions, spells, and bullies—oh my!
January
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
978-0-15-205488-5
From Russia with Lunch
A Chet Gecko Mystery
Bruce Hale With illustrations by the author
More Chet Gecko Mysteries:
It all begins when Chet’s favorite teacher is fired, only to be replaced by the
mechanical invention of Dr. Tanya Lightov—a mysterious Russian scientist.
Suddenly, the school seems possessed by forces that are upsetting the natural
order of things: Kindergartners are beating up sixth graders; teachers’ pets are
talking back; and worst of all, Chet’s faithful partner and best friend, Natalie
Attired, has abandoned him in his hour of need.
Will Chet be able to restore his friendship with Natalie and bring Emerson
Hicky back to normal? One thing’s for certain: The crazy, mixed-up mastermind
behind this case will be the last creature anyone expects.
Bruce Hale is the author of Snoring Beauty, illustrated by Howard Fine, as well as the
Hiss Me Deadly
978-0-15-205482-3
$15.00 CL / $16.95 Canada
978-0-15-20642-2
$4.99 PA / $5.99 Canada
fourteen Chet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and
adults, he lives in Santa Barbara, California. For more information about Bruce Hale, visit
www.brucehale.com.
For more books in the Chet Gecko series see page 47.
Key Lardo
978-0-15-205074-0
$14.00 CL / $15.95 Canada
978-0-15-205235-5
$4.95 PA / $5.95 Canada
Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009 21
FICTION
Black-and-white illustrations
Ages 8–12
Grades 3–6
144 pages
5 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 56
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/A/P/M: Writers House
S: HMH
A4
Fiction
FICTION
February
A poignant, humorous collection
by acclaimed poet Gary Soto.
Ages 12 and up
Grades 7 and up
112 pages
5 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 40
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/S: HMH
A/P/M: Bookstop Literary Agency
A4
Teen poetry
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206301-6
MARKETING
• Email newsletter promotion‚—
Poetry month
More books by Gary Soto:
Partly Cloudy
Poems of Love and Longing
Gary Soto
Facts of Life: Stories
978-0-15-206181-4
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
Mercy on These Teenage Chimps
978-0-15-206022-0
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206215-6
$6.95 PA / $7.95 Canada
The fleeting emotions of teenagers, as changeable as the weather, ring true in these
emotionally resonant poems. Told from the point of view of both boys and girls,
narrators of various ethnicities fall in love for the first time, pine over crushes, and
brood over broken hearts. Tender, lighthearted, and surprising, this collection will
capture teens, tweens, and anyone who remembers what it’s like to be a young
person in love.
Gary Soto’s first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, was a breakout book in literature about Latino young people. He has since published many novels,
short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and children. He divides his time
between Fresno and Berkeley, California. For more information about Gary Soto, visit
www.garysoto.com.
Accidental Love
978-0-15-205497-7
$16.00 CL / $18.50 Canada
978-0-15-206113-5
$6.95 PA / $7.95 Canada
22 Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009
January
Jacket to come
Ages 12 and up
Grades 7 and up
272 pages
5 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 48
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/A/P/M/S: Writers House
A4
Teen historical fiction
The True Adventures
of Charley Darwin
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
978-0-15-206194-4
MARKETING
• Educator’s Guide
• Online promotion—podcast
• Email newsletter promotion
Carolyn Meyer
• Publicity outreach
200th Anniversary of Darwin’s
birth and 150th Anniversary of
Origin of the Species
More books by Carolyn Meyer:
The True Adventures of
Charley Darwin
Carolyn Meyer
Young Charley Darwin hated school—he much preferred to be outside studying birds’
eggs, feathers, and insects. And so, at the age of twenty-one, he boarded a ship called
HMS Beagle and spent five thrilling but dangerous years sailing around the world,
studying plant and animal life that was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Here, just in time for Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the
publication of his groundbreaking On the Origin of Species, historical novelist Carolyn
Meyer tells the story of his unconventional adventures. It’s the story of a restless
childhood, unrequited teenage love, and a passion for studying nature that was so
great, Darwin would sacrifice everything to pursue it. Includes an author note.
Carolyn Meyer is the author of more than fifty young adult books. Her many
award-winning novels include Mary, Bloody Mary, an ABA’s Pick of the Lists and an
ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess: Russia, 1914,
a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information about Carolyn Meyer, visit www.readcarolyn.com.
Duchessina:
A Novel of Catherine de’Medici
978-0-15-205588-2
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
In Mozart’s Shadow:
His Sister’s Story
978-0-15-205594-3
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
Loving Will Shakespeare
978-0-15-205451-9
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
978-0-15-206221-7
$6.95 PA / $7.95 Canada
Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009 23
FICTION
The fascinating journey
of a famous naturalist.
FICTION
February
The undead can really screw up your
senior year . . .
Ages 14 and up
Grades 9 and up
368 pages
5 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄4
ctn qty: 32
Territory: US, C, O
B/T/A/S: HMH
P/M: Cornerstone Literary
A4
Teen fiction
$17.00 CL / $19.50 Canada
978-0-15-206384-9
MARKETING
• Bookmark
• Valentine’s Day promotions
• ARC mailings and giveaways
• “Dating Guide” for publicity
campaign and giveaway
Jessica’s Guide to
Dating on the Dark Side
Beth Fantaskey
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-alife” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named
Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess
by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a
copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions,
Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam
European vampire princess.
But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself
fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save
Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction. With sardonic wit and loads of romance
this is a hilarious debut novel.
Beth Fantaskey lives in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and two
daughters. Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is her first book. For more
information about Beth Fantaskey, visit www.bethfantaskey.com.
24 Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009
Harcourt Children’s Books Fall 2008 Backlist
978-0-15-206057-2
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206486-0
$10.95 BB
978-0-15-206504-1
$14.95 CL
978-0-15-206533-1
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-206552-2
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-216246-7
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-205365-9
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206021-3
$16.00 CL
978-15-206545-4
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-216290-0
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-205303-1
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206132-6
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206138-8
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206235-4
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-229678-0
$9.95 CL
978-0-15-206331-3
$17.95 CL
978-0-15-206019-0
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206498-3
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206345-0
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-205808-1
$16.00 CL
Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009 25
Harcourt Children’s Books Fall 2008 Backlist
978-0-15-206402-0
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206368-9
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-205427-4
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206396-2
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206187-6
$17.00 CL
978-0-15-206408-2
$7.95 CL
978-0-15-206161-6
$7.95 PA
978-0-15-206577-5
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-206587-4
$3.95 PA
978-0-15-206547-8
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-206541-6
$3.95 PA
978-0-15-206553-9
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-206559-1
$3.95PA
978-0-15-206571-3
$12.95 CL
978-0-15-206565-2
$3.95 PA
978-0-15-206136-4
$6.00 PA
978-0-15-206124-1
$6.00 PA
978-0-15-206342-9
$6.00 PA
978-0-15-206336-8
$7.00 PA
978-0-15-206461-7
$5.95 PA
978-0-15-204618-7
$16.00 CL
978-0-15-206442-7
$5.95 PA
978-0-15-206455-6
$5.95 PA
978-0-15-202696-7
$6.99 PA
978-0-15-20668-2
$6.95 PA
26 Harcourt Children’s Books • Winter 2009