May Bird, Warrior Princess


Book Description

At Hog Wallow Middle School, May Ellen Bird was always slightly invisible. Then she went on a long trip to the land of the dead, where ghost towns glowed blue in the dark dusk and spooky specters dwelled in cities on the Dead Sea. Back on Earth at last, May and her hairless cat, Somber Kitty, are now famous, their faces plastered across souvenirs and sportswear that read "May Bird Went to the Land of the Dead and All She Brought Me Was This Lousy T-Shirt." But, finally in the spotlight, May feels more than ever that she doesn't belong. Every night she sits by her bedroom window, gazing at the sky and dreaming of another place, wishing -- despite herself -- to be back among the ghosts. And then one night she gets her heart's desire in a way she would never have wished for. Only the Ever After isn't anything like the world May left behind three years ago. The spirits have vanished, and the towns -- once full of every manner of things that go bump in the night -- are deserted. Evil Bo Cleevil has made the Ever After as cold as his own frigid soul, and put up a bunch of tacky malls to boot. Now, with her friends missing and enemies all around her, May must find her way to the edge of the universe, where night swallows the stars, where allies are few and often have bad breath, where endings can also be beginnings, and where the truest hero lurks in the unlikeliest of souls. But Bo Cleevil's got one last trick up his sleeve -- one that no one on Earth is ready for. With the worlds of the living and the dead in the balance, will May's courage fail her one last time? Or will she finally become the warrior she was always meant to be?




Warrior Princess


Book Description

May Bird returns to the Ever After for a ghostly showdown in the conclusion to an otherworldly trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson. Three years after May Bird found her way home from the Ever After, she is still quiet and introspective, though she’s gained an awkward fame in her hometown of Briery Swamp. But even though May Bird and Somber Kitty were happy to reunite with her mother, May is still haunted by thoughts of the friends she left behind. And then one night, through a most unexpected means, the Ever After is once again more than a memory... But what May Bird discovers is devastating: the Ever After seems deserted, and evil Bo Cleevil is close to making his reign supreme. Now, with her friends missing and enemies all around her, May must find her way to the edge of the universe, where night swallows the stars, where allies are few and often have bad breath, where endings can also be beginnings, and where the truest hero lurks in the unlikeliest of souls. And Bo Cleevil’s got one last trick up his sleeve—one that no one on Earth is ready for. With the worlds of the living and the dead in the balance, will May find the courage to become the warrior she was always meant to be? [Warrior Princess was originally published as May Bird, Warrior Princess and now features an updated cover and title.]




May Bird and the Ever After


Book Description

Lonely and shy, ten-year-old May Ellen Bird has no idea what awaits her when she falls into the lake and enters The Ever After, home of ghosts and the Bogey Man.




Warrior Princess


Book Description

At Hog Wallow Middle School, May Ellen Bird was always slightly invisible. Then she went on a long trip to the land of the dead, where ghost towns glowed blue in the dark dusk and spooky specters dwelled in cities on the Dead Sea. Back on Earth at last, May and her hairless cat, Somber Kitty, are now famous, their faces plastered across souvenirs and sportswear that read "May Bird Went to the Land of the Dead and All She Brought Me Was This Lousy T-Shirt." But, finally in the spotlight, May feels more than ever that she doesn't belong. Every night she sits by her bedroom window, gazing at the sky and dreaming of another place, wishing -- despite herself -- to be back among the ghosts. And then one night she gets her heart's desire in a way she would never have wished for. Only the Ever After isn't anything like the world May left behind three years ago. The spirits have vanished, and the towns -- once full of every manner of things that go bump in the night -- are deserted. Evil Bo Cleevil has made the Ever After as cold as his own frigid soul, and put up a bunch of tacky malls to boot. Now, with her friends missing and enemies all around her, May must find her way to the edge of the universe, where night swallows the stars, where allies are few and often have bad breath, where endings can also be beginnings, and where the truest hero lurks in the unlikeliest of souls. But Bo Cleevil's got one last trick up his sleeve -- one that no one on Earth is ready for. With the worlds of the living and the dead in the balance, will May's courage fail her one last time? Or will she finally become the warrior she was always meant to be?




The May Bird Trilogy (Boxed Set)


Book Description

Journey to the Ever After with the fantastical and otherworldly May Bird trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson, now available in a collectible boxed set! When May Bird and her faithful companion, Somber Kitty, encounter the ghostly world of the Ever After, their (after)lives will change forever. This collectible boxed set includes paperback editions of: The Ever After: Shy, precocious May Bird wants nothing more than to be accepted. One day she falls through a lake into the Ever After, a world of ghosts. As she journeys through fantastic lands, she gathers an unusual group of new friends who join together to overcome the chillingly evil Bo Cleevil and find their way home. Among the Stars: May Bird continues her adventure through the Ever After in pursuit of home. Along the way, she and her friends encounter all sorts of places and ghosts, from the terrifying to the hilarious. Finally May learns that the only way home is through the evil Bogey’s personal portal, which he uses to scare kids in their nightmares. Warrior Princess: Now thirteen and home in Briery Swamp, May is still haunted by thoughts of the friends she left behind in the Ever After. Then one night May travels back to the Ever After—only to learn that the evil Bo Cleevil is close to making his reign supreme. At last, May is ready to live up to the prophecy that placed the fate of the Ever After in her hands, and battle Bo Cleevil himself to save not only this world but her own as well.




The Palace of Dreams


Book Description

This “thoroughly satisfying…out-of-this-world” (Kirkus Reviews) third and final book in the Thirteen Witches trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson follows Rosie in her last stand against the Nothing King—perfect for fans of Newbery winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon. After barely escaping Earth with the League of Witch Hunters, Rosie and her friends are hiding out from the Nothing King and his witch followers on a barely inhabited planet. Then a messenger arrives with the unexpected news that Earth survived the Nothing King’s black hole, but only because he wants one last treasure before dragging everything into oblivion: the Museum of Imagined Things. Rosie saw the museum once when she visited the Brightweaver in the clouds. It’s infinitely tall and made only of mist and figments, so Brightweaver was able to bundle it up and hide it for safekeeping. The League of Witch Hunters, joined by a gaggle of the world’s last ghosts picked up from Limbo along the way, cross the galaxy in search of the museum and in preparation for their last showdown with the Nothing King. As Rosie and her allies weather surprises and betrayals while fighting to maintain their trust in each other, they may find the museum has one last secret in store.




Loser/Queen


Book Description

Cammy Hall is what anyone would describe as a loser. She lives with her grandparents and has adopted their way of life… right down to the comfortable shoes and early bedtime. And can she help it that she actually likes to knit? At school, her skills with knitting needles and some yarn go completely unappreciated: people like Bekka Bell reign while Cammy and her best friend, the fearless Danish exchange student Gerdi, watch from the sidelines. Cammy’s used to being an outsider; after years of humiliating moments, her goal is simply to fly under the radar. Then she suddenly starts receiving mysterious text messages that lead her right to all the embarrassing secrets about the most popular kids in school. Cammy never expected to be able to climb up the high school food chain, and the agenda of the texter may be questionable—but how can she possibly give up the chance to be Queen? This is the print version of the groundbreaking online interactive serial LOSER/QUEEN that premiered in July 2010 on www.loserqueen.com. Each week, readers voted on major plot twists. The winning choice was then encorporated into the next week's chapters. Now that voting—and the book—are complete, LOSER/QUEEN will be published as a paperback and packed with extras from the author… and readers will have the opportunity to own the book they helped create! Jodi Lynn Anderson, the national bestselling author of Peaches and The Secrets of Peaches, has lived in Georgia, Costa Rica, and New York, but she currently lives in Washington, D.C. Brittney Lee is a designer and animator. She lives in Emeryville, CA.




Appalachian Children's Literature


Book Description

This comprehensive bibliography includes books written about or set in Appalachia from the 18th century to the present. Titles represent the entire region as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission, including portions of 13 states stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi. The bibliography is arranged in alphabetical order by author, and each title is accompanied by an annotation, most of which include composite reviews and critical analyses of the work. All classic genres of children's literature are represented.




Reaching Reluctant Young Readers


Book Description

Reaching Reluctant Young Readers features 150 middle-grade books. Each profiled title has the potential to hook the reluctant reader and lure them to read the entire book. To specifically encourage elementary and middle-school-age reluctant children to read, there is first a pitch to get the reader’s attention. That is followed by a short reading passage to “set the hook” and encourage the young person to read the rest of the book on their own. Further, the book contains several hundred additional recommended titles. The books selected for this collection were chosen following the criteria of reluctant reader books created by the Quick Picks committee sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association. While these guidelines were designed for young adult books, they also work well for middle-grade books. The criteria include: clear writing (no convoluted long sentences with sophisticated vocabulary), high interest “hook” in the first few pages, well-defined characters, interesting plot, and familiar themes.




The Ever After


Book Description

Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten. There, she is safe from school and the taunts and teases of kids who don't understand her. Hidden in the trees, May is a warrior princess, and her cat, Somber Kitty, is her brave guardian. Then May falls into the lake. When she crawls out, May finds herself in a world that most certainly does not feel like a fuzzy mitten. In fact it is a place few living people have ever seen. Here, towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people -- people? -- walk through walls. Here the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifyingly evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into nothing. May Bird must get out. Fast. Within these pages, Jodi Lynn Anderson shares with us the beginning of May Bird's daring journey into the Ever After, a haunting place where true friends -- and one terrible foe -- await her on every corner.