Grady Flood and his mother have been moving from place to place ever since his father was killed seven years ago. Now Lila has found a job as a housekeeper on Charlie Fernwald's farm. Grady isn't too keen on Charlie's hobby of being a bird enthusiast, but a series of upsetting events make him see things in a new light.

"While there is nothing terribly original in a lonely boy and a cranky elderly man overcoming differences to find common ground, Grady, Charlie, and Lila have sharp edges that reveal their individual personalities. Their emotions are heartfelt, and readers will be encouraged by the hopeful, upbeat ending." -School Library Journal

"What will attract readers like martins to a gourd nest is the author's careful integration of bird lore and the unusual challenges of creating and maintaining a purple martin colony." - Booklist

It is the spring of 1815, and eleven-year-old Remembrance "Mem" Nye is leaving the comforts of her farm in Hartland, Connecticut, to settle in the wilderness of western New York. Lured by the promise of a better life in the Genesee County, Mem and her family set off in a covered wagon.

The book illustrates the hardships of travel in the early pioneer days, when the wilderness was more thickly populated with bears, wolves, and mountain lions than with human beings. As Mem helps her family establish a foothold in the new land, she learns the importance of community and strong family connections.

"Auch offers a refreshingly believable portrait of a family under stress." - The Bulletin , Recommended
"The novel, laced with fascinating details, maintains an engrossing pace and offers insight into a frequently romanticized way of life." - Horn Book
"A well-written, realistic, and thoroughly researched novel, this will fill the bill of sophisticated historical fiction fans ready for a little grit." - Booklist
"It's an exciting tale...good historical details and a rattling good adventure." - Kirkus Reviews

In 1815 Remembrance "Mem" Nye and her family packed up their covered wagon and headed for the Genesee County in western New York for a better life. But their first summer in their new home proves more difficult than they ever imagined. Papa's crops are ruined by the severe frosts, so food is scarce. And since the birth of baby Lily, Mama has been having terrible spells. Now Papa must rely on young Mem to tqake care of her sister and brother, and esepcially her sick mother. Mem's struggles go from bad to worse when Mama and Lily disappear into the woods on a cold and stormy night. It's up to Mem to find Mama and Lily and bring them safely home.

In a powerful companion novel to the highly acclaimed Journey to Nowhere , twelve-year-old Mem comes face-to-face with the hardships that befell the early settlers.
"Even better than its predecessor...Auch's attention to the unromantic details of pioneer life, combined with evocative description and unusually involving dialogue, gives her work uncommon dimension." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"...a refreshing, highly realistic entry in pioneer fiction." - Kirkus Reviews
"A well-paced, bracingly realistic novel." - The Horn Book
"The novel joins Pam Conrad's Prairie Songs as an unflinching look at the price of Western settlement." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

When she arrives on Ellis Island as a seventeen-year-old Irish immigrant, Rose Nolan is looking for a land of opportunities; what she finds is far from all she'd dreamed. Stubborn and tenacious, she refuses to give up. Left alone to fend for herself and her younger sister, Rose is thrust into a hard-knock life of tenements and factory work.
When the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 rushes into Rose's life, her confusions are brought to an all-too-painful head. To whom and to what can she turn when everything around her is in ashes?

Fast-paced, populated by distinctive characters, and anchored in Auch's convincing sense of time and place, this title is a good choice for readers who like historical fiction. - School Library Journal

Students of history may be familiar with the tragic Triangle fire that claimed 146 lives that day. But never, never has the horror been so vividly depicted as through the eyes of young Rose. The final nail-gnawing, painstakingly researched, chapters are so riveting it's impossible to imagine someone putting the book down, except to catch a breath. An amazing read. - Children’s Literature

Ashes of Roses was named one of Booklist's top ten historical fiction for 2002

In this hilarious companion to I Was a Third Grade Science Project , Josh, Brian, and Dougie have a new problem on their hands. Josh wasn't the only one hypnotized during the science experiment--so was Brian's dog, Arful. Now Arful can talk!

"[A] hilarious sequel...This lively, intermediate chapter book is a good choice for introducing readers to the notion of multiple points of view; speaker icons at the bottom of each page reinforce help readers keep track." - Booklist

When Josh pairs up with his best friend Brian to do a school science project, he's sure that "Brian the Brain" will come up with a winning idea. But when Brian's great plan is to hypnotize his dog, Arful, into think he's a cat, Josh is certain that they can kiss first prize goodbye. And things begin to look positively cat-astrophic when the only one who's acting funny is Josh! If Brian is such a genius, why did he come up with such a bird-brained idea? If Arful is really hypnotized, why does he still act like a dog? And if Josh doesn't believe in the power of hypnosis, why is he suddenly craving catnip and raw fish? Illustrated by Herm Auch.

"Auch fuels her novel with funny, flippant dialogue and clever one liners...the characters and their conversations will strike readers as quite real indeed. Auch's fans can only hope that a fourth-grade caper will follow." - Publishers Weekly

Now that Sam's mother has a job and no one is home to keep their golden retriever company during the day, it looks as though Sam will have to give up his dog, Amber. With a hand from his friend Jamie, the son of a psychologist, Sam tries everything to help Amber adapt to being a latchkey dog, from keeping the TV and radios blasting all day to walking her all night in an effort to change her internal clock. Unfortunately, Sam's mother interprets his bizarre behavior as proof that Sam himself shouldn't be home alone so often, and she makes a decision that creates even more heartache for him...

"An appealing cast of characters, the humorous yet believable situations, and a strong sense of family highlight this easy chapter book, making it a good choice as a read-aloud or a read-alone." - Booklist
"...alive with realistic, kid-pleasing antics." - Kirkus Reviews
"Laced with hilarity, the contemporary story also sagaciously addresses issues with which many of today's families must contend." - Horn Book

School barely has started, yet 11-year-old Natalie already has three problems: her fun-loving, disorganized mohter is getting married on short notice, her older sister Christa is going away to college, and her best friend Carla is moving to Cleveland. Natalie's bossy new step-grandmother causes even more problems by trying to redecorate the house, take over the kitchen, and remake the personalities of Natalie and her mother. The hardest thing for Natalie, however, is trying to fill the void left by her sister and friend when they leave.

In this entertaining, upbeat novel, Natalie learns that trying to escape problems can only make them worse, and that it is possible to triumph in the end.
"With a number of subplots certain to have relevance for many young readers, this humorous, comforting novel is sure to please preteens." - School Library Journal
"The straightforward plot has likable characters...and the story goes down smoothly." - Kirkus Reviews

All summer, Katy has been looking forward to vacationing at Whitmarsh Point. The whole Whitmarsh family lives there: Katy's grandmother and all her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Katy especially looks forward to the traditional family lobster bakes and "bailer wars." So it is a shock when Katy and her cousin Julie accidentally discover that Katy's mother was privately adopted and doesn't even know it! Suddenly, Katy is no longer related to the Whitmarshes and her mother wants nothing more to do with them. In the middle of the night, Mom takes Katy and drives to Pennsylvania, where she hopes to find her "real" family.

"[Auch's] contemporary, plausible plot is bound to capture attention." - Booklist
"An innovative idea with an appealing heroine." - School Library Journal

Ryan and Mooch are nervous about visiting their best friend Kevin, whom they haven't seen for two months. Because of a terrible accident, he has been in the hospital and then in a rehab center. Will he look and act differently? Will his personality have changed? Will he be well enough to attend camp later in the summer?

When the three friends finally get together, Kevin is different. He can't move around as well as he used to, and he has problems with his memory. Worst of all, he lets his overprotective mother treat him like a baby. It's clear that she'll never let him go to camp. She doesn't even want him to get dressed by himself. All he does is sit around the house and watch TV.

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"Auch's novel handles a sensitive subject realistically and convincingly." - Booklist
"Through this book, readers will gain a new sense of the reciprocity inherent in lasting friendship...deftly revealing...believable." - School Library Jounral

Kelly and her two best friends are determined to be "the three most popular, most beautiful, most talented, and most brilliant students Riverton Junior High has ever seen," and so they decide to audition for the drama club's musical production of Cinderella . Kelly's friends get parts, but Kelly winds up on the set design and lighting crews. Her carefree grandmother, an artist herself, encourages Kelly's talent, but Kelly's mother stands in her way. She doesn't want Kelly to grow up to be like Gram--preoccupied and irresponsible.

"Middle-grade girls will empathize with Kelly's earnest desire to weave a place for herself in the social fabric of the school and will benefit from observing the rebounding skills of this resilient and ordinary sixth grader." - Horn Book
" "...a solid story of pre-teen friendships and developing self-awareness." - School Library Journal

Twelve-year-old Ben Wagner has problems. His father nevers gives him a break while his older sister Susan always gets her way. And now his family is moving to a new town. Ben has to go to a new school and try to make new friends.

On the shores of Lake Ontario, he meets Regina, who can skip stones better than anyone he's ever seen. But strange things start to happen whenever Regina is around. Ben looks at her pale eyes (which he's sure have changed color) and wonders if the rumors about Regina's home on the sandbar are true: could she come from a family of witches?

"Auch's characterizations are so convincing that even the rather dramatic scene of Ben rescuing his sister from drowning and an unmasking of sibling villainy are believably...This well-paced novel has much to offer: a slender, unimposing format, a plot that lends itself to booktalking, first-person narration that doesn't rely too heavily on Ben's ruminations, and satisfying touches of humor and insight." - Booklist

For eleven-year-old Davey Anderson, the move to the country seemed like a catastrophe from the start. he must get used to a new school, new chores, even a "new" back-to-nature mom who insists on serving one of her 101 disastrous zucchini dishes each night. Then Davey learns that his seventy-four-year-old great-uncle Will is coming to live with them. And he's going to stay in Davey's room!

What could be worse than sharing your room with a seventy-four-year-old man who sometimes forgets his own age and thinks he is your kid brother? But Uncle Will turns out to be wise and a lot of fun, whether it's plotting the perfect revenge on the mean Spider twins or planning a moonlight raid on Mom's zucchini garden. So when Uncle Will almost sets the house on fire and gets lost in the woods, Davey's desperate to find him a new place to live before Mom can put him in a nursing home. And the results are better than anyone could have expected!

"An auspicious debut novel, full of action and humor, with touches of pathos." - Kirkus Reviews
"Auch's story is laden with snug family scenes; the route Davey and his older brother Brad take toward accepting and loving Will is circuitous and believable." - Publisher's Weekly
"An impressive first novel with a welcome touch of humor and more than a little heart." - Booklist
"Middle school readers will laugh aloud...as well as empathize with Davey and his growing love, understanding, and concern for his uncle. This is a promising beginning for a new author." - VOYA

Cat Corwin is eleven years old and enjoys being an only child. She has a huge room that she's making into a ballet studio and the greatest best friend in the world, Noreen. Cat also wants to have a little brother or sister, so when her mother tells her she's going to have a baby, Cat is thrilled.

But soon Cat's not so sure how she feels. When she's chosen for a big part in an upcoming dance recital, her parents are so preoccupied about the baby that they hardly seem interested. On top of that, her mother's stomach is growing bigger and bigger. Could she be having twins? Then something very remarkable happens--and Cat learns that there's always room for one more in the family.

"This well-paced story is a successful blend of dramatic realism and far-out comic touches...A good choice to encourage the middle-grade reader." - Kirkus Reviews
"A positive and upbeat story that is sure to find a large readership." - School Library Journal