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A sweet, funny illustrated chapter book about a young girl with a lot of optimism--even if sometimes life makes it hard to be happy. Dani is probably the happiest person she knows. She's happy because she's going to start school. Dani has been waiting to go to school her whole life. Then things get even better--she meets Ella. After that, Dani and Ella do everything together. They stick together through wet and dry, sun and rain, thick and thin. But then something happens that Dani isn't prepared for . . .
Dani's been trying her best to stay happy ever since her best friend Ella moved away. But when some girls in Dani's class start being cruel to her, it starts a chain of rather unhappy events... It would all be okay if only Ella would move back. The standalone sequel to the acclaimed illustrated chapter book, My Happy Life (a New York Times Notable Children's Book).
It's spring and Dani is going to Rome for her father's wedding. But Ella is not invited; Dad said no. What will Ella think when she learns she hasn't been invited to her best friend's dad's wedding? In this final book in the acclaimed My Happy Life series, the road between Dani and Ella is getting longer and longer. Dani must make sure their story ends happily.
What do you do if your best friend lives in another city and the adults can't keep their promises about when you'll see her? You have to sort it out for yourself! Dani's father is away and Dani is staying with her grandparents. When she is invited to Ella's party, she thinks of the world's best gift for the world's best friend: she, Dani, will be the present! Her grandmother agrees—if she's brave enough to take the train alone. So Dani sets out on a journey all by herself.
Story of a young girl with a lot of optimism, even though events in her life sometimes make it hard for her to be happy. Suggested level: junior, primary.
A standalone follow-up to the acclaimed and beloved chapter books My Happy Life and My Heart is Laughing. Dani is very happy-it's the second-to-last day of school, and summer is about to start. But then there's a knock on the classroom door, and Dani is told her father has been in an accident. He's in hospital! How can she possibly be happy? A warm and heartfelt story about Dani's love for her dad and her ongoing friendship with Ella. It's a story about sorrow and joy-and how life really is.
Dani and Ella are reunited on a school trip, but it doesn't turn out as they expected.
Grump the Yule Tomte lives all alone, which is exactly how he likes it! He's waiting for Christmas to arrive when all of a sudden a gust of wind steals his mittens from the washing line and his hat from his head. That's the last straw -- he won't be the Yule Tomte any more! Binny and Barty, the rabbit children, live with their family in the forest. They've never heard of Christmas, or the Yule Tomte, until the wind brings them some strange gifts... All the animals in the forest prepare for the arrival of Christmas. They make presents, bake sweet treats and even write a song. But will the Yule Tomte ever bring Christmas to the big forest? This charming and funny Christmas story of a grumpy tomte and the hopeful little rabbits is told over twenty-five chapters -- one for each day of Advent -- with delightful festive illustrations. Perfect for families to share together.
You've Got Grave Issues is a collection of short, humorous stories unified by a single theme: everyday life in the cemetery. The events described take place in the Soviet and early post-Soviet period. The stories are observations of people whose lives are inextricably linked to the cemetery. They work, live, and pray there. Every single day of their lives is spent next to someone else's death. But despite this mournful setting, they are constantly getting themselves into comical situations. The book's serious themes of death, faith, and love are leavened with elements of irony and the absurd. Certain stories were inspired by real events. Among the characters we find a principled journalist who finds freedom begging at the cemetery gates; an accomplished scientist whose true calling is service to God; an enterprising fortune-teller who uses gravestones in her rituals for the matrimonially inclined; a devoted daughter who continues an ongoing dialogue with her departed mother; and more.
From the beloved New Zealand writer, Joy Cowley, DUNGER is a great holiday read for pre-teens. William and Melissa have been roped into helping their old hippie grandparents fix up their holiday home in the middle of the Sounds. They'll have no electricity, no cellphone reception, and only each other for company. As far as they're concerned, this is not a holiday. A finalist in the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards in the Junior Fiction category.