Rachel Vail

Phoebe Avery has always been a lucky girl. Popular, smart, and beautiful, Phoebe has it all. She's even planning the hottest party ever with her four best friends to celebrate their middle school graduation. With the perfect green dress picked out at Neiman Marcus and half her class clamoring for invites, plus a new guy to crush on, Phoebe could not be in a better mood-until it looks like the party might be over before it can even start. When Phoebe's family is suddenly faced with losing it all, she discovers that there is more at risk than just her designer jeans. In a town where gossip rules, Phoebe needs to keep everything a secret, or she may lose her friends too. Can lucky Phoebe really be out of luck?

Everybody knows who Quinn Avery is. She's the smart, calm, responsible Avery sister, the one who's kept it together in spite of all that's happened since their mom lost her job. But when the family house goes up for sale and Quinn faces the prospect of losing the home she loves, something snaps inside her, and a new, wild, reckless Quinn emerges. Soon Quinn's lying, sneaking out, and partying with a brand-new crowd. When Quinn adds ditching her best friends and kissing the wrong boys-including her sister's boyfriend and her own piano teacher-to her list of crimes, she may finally have gone too far. Can Quinn find her way back to the family that needs her and the only boy she's ever loved?

From the bestselling author of Sometimes I'm Bombaloo comes another sweet and heartwarming tale about dealing with BIG feelings Katie Honors is a really sweet kid. She has a smile for everyone, almost all the time. She can clean right up and say goodbye at a playdate when her mom says so. But sometimes Katie isn't ready to finish playing and doesn't feel sweet at all. When this happens, she becomes Stinkeroo She slams the door shut and hides in the curtain. Her emotions feel uncontrollable until they EXPLODE... and Katie Honors is back to herself again. But her friend, James, assures Katie that sometimes he's Stinkeroo, too, and she is not alone in her feelings. Rachel Vail and Hyewon Yum have teamed up once again for Sometimes I'm Stinkeroo to show that even the sweetest kids can have a tantrum with unexpected consequences and that it's always possible to make amends.

“Don’t boop this book away! Embrace this lively, creative look at asserting one’s boundaries.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“The clever art is an ideal partner to highly readable, percussive text that emphasizes the harmony that can arise from respecting others’ spaces and needs.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A lyrical lesson on personal boundaries with illustrations guaranteed to help enhance young readers’ vocabularies and imaginations.” —School Library Journal (starred review)Bestselling author Rachel Vail and multiple Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka shine a spotlight on the importance of personal space in this SEL standout that also celebrates the ocean and sea life. Includes back matter.Don’t want to be booped? No problem! A sea anemone in the ocean confidently sets itself some personal boundaries, encouraging young readers on land to do the same.You and Me, Anemone is a nuanced, thoughtful, playful picture book for young children about the delicate challenge of boundaries—having them, maintaining them, and respecting them in others. The playful, rhythmic, interactive text by award-winning author Rachel Vail pairs the science of sea life with social-emotional learning for terrific classroom potential. Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka’s illustrations—created by painting and stitching on burlap—are a visual and emotional showstopper with a ton of kid appeal. Back matter includes an author’s note and facts about the incredible sea anemone.

Friendship, cliques, and middle school drama with a heavy dose of heart--perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead Niki Ames can't wait to start eighth grade, that all-important year before high school. She and her best friend, Ava, have shared so many plans for the coming year. But then the unthinkable happens: at gym class pair-up, Ava chooses someone else to be her partner. Niki is devastated. It's clear that Ava wants to be part of the popular group, leaving Niki behind. Niki has to decide who her real friends should be, where her real interests lie. Meanwhile, life at home is complicated. Niki's nine-year-old brother Danny continues to act out more and more publicly. Their mother refuses to admit that Danny is somewhere on the autism spectrum, but it's clear he needs help. Niki doesn't want to be like her brother, to be labeled as different. She just wants to be popular Is she a bad sister and a bad best friend?

A sweet and touching exploration of the scariness of BIG feelings and overcoming the pressures to do everything "just right," in this companion title to bestselling picture book Sometimes I'm Bombaloo.Katie Honors is a really nice kid. But there's one little secret that sometimes makes her feel not-so-nice deep inside: her little brother, Chuck. Katie loves her brother and works hard to be the perfect big sister but it can be hard. Chuck can sometimes be just so icky and messy. Sometimes it makes Katie secretly wish she had a trampoline or a treehouse or a giraffe instead of a brother. When all these emotions bubble up to the surface, Katie can no longer grumblesquinch them down. She explodes, but she also learns an important lesson: that there's room for ALL of her feelings, even the scary ones.Sometimes I Grumblesquinch masterfully explores the pressure children often feel to be perfect all the time and helps them realize that it's okay to share frustrating, and at times, not-so-nice thoughts and seek comfort from adults to help them manage those feelings. This story explores key social emotional skills that kids need to navigate complicated feelings, and will live alongside bestsellers like When Sophie Gets Really Really Angry and How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad. Once again, Rachel Vail taps into universal childhood experiences that are often left unexplored, and does so with sensitivity, humor, and respect for the wide range of emotions kids face today.

Cat Ears on Elizabeth is the third in Rachel Vail's A Is for Elizabeth chapter book series--featuring illustrations by Paige Keiser. Cat ears on your headband is not the only way to look great.But it is a very good way. Mallory has glitter folders and bright orange sneakers and a huge pink eraser. And Mallory has cat ears on her headband. Then Anna comes to school with cat ears on her headband, too.Everybody loves how they look in those cat-ear headbands. Especially Elizabeth. Elizabeth doesn't have cat ears on her anything. She doesn't even have any headband at all anymore. (They squish her head too much). Elizabeth needs a cat-ears headband It's an emergency Maybe a surprise I Love You present from her grandparents will fix everything. Or maybe Elizabeth doesn't need to be fixed at all.

Doodlebug Elizabeth is the fourth title in Rachel Vail's A Is for Elizabeth chapter book series--featuring illustrations by Paige Keiser. Class 2B is getting pets What pets will they be? Elizabeth does not like surprises, but she does like pets.And she loves butterflies Even when they are baby butterflies and just look like smudges. (But, honestly, less.) When Elizabeth gives her teacher a great idea with her doodles, every kid in 2B gets to choose one animal each to learn about Elizabeth ends up with...JELLYFISH. She does not feel a little disappointed with her choice. Elizabeth has never felt a little ANYTHING in her entire life. While the smudges grow into butterflies, Elizabeth is growing too - discovering that she can use her love of doodling to help deal with all her big feelings. Even her feelings about goodbyes, and surprises...and jellyfish

The first in a new chapter book series spinning off of the Justin Case books, starring Justin's little sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is in second grade. Class 2B It's great Friends, recess, homework Even a big project: Make a poster of your name. Yayyy Hang on. The name Elizabeth has a bajillion letters in it The name Anna has only four letters. Plus, Anna's first letter is A, which is also the first letter of Alphabetical Order. But Anna can't always be first That's not fair In A is for Elizabeth, Elizabeth makes more than a poster. She also makes some important choices--about fairness, rules, speaking up, and glue.But the most important thing she makes is...a friend With copious line art by Paige Keiser, this first book in a new series--spun off from Rachel Vail's beloved Justin Case series--is sure to delight fans of Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, and Clementine.

Big Mouth Elizabeth is the second in a new chapter book series spinning off of the Justin Case books, starring Justin's little sister, Elizabeth. Second-grader Elizabeth longs to be a member of the Big Mouth Club, which is made up of kids who have lost at least one baby tooth. Elizabeth is WAY behind on losing her baby teeth, and so is Cali, a quiet girl who is also left out of the Big Mouth Club. Elizabeth thinks Cali is so much more babyish than she is--in fact, Elizabeth SHOULD be in the Big Mouth Club because she's NOT babyish. But when she understands how bad it feels to be left out, Elizabeth's attitude shifts. Here is a story about fitting in in unexpected ways. With copious line art by Paige Keiser, this second book in Rachel Vail's Elizabeth series is sure to delight fans of Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, and Clementine.

Gracie has a crush on A.J., but when she finds out that A.J. likes her best friend Sienna, she decides that the two are perfectly suited and her role as sidekick will be to help Sienna write clever texts that will dazzle A.J. To her surprise, A.J.'s texts prove to be surprisingly smart and witty. Could it be that he is getting help from his brainy best friend Emmett? There's many a twist and turn before the real perfect couple get together! Set in the tumultuous world of eighth grade, Rachel Vail's delightful take on Cyrano de Bergerac is laugh-out-loud funny, but also perceptive and touching.

Justin Case made it through third grade and summer camp in the previous two books. Now he's in fourth grade, and there's even more to worry about: friends, bullies, grades, tests--and did we say bullies? Once again, Rachel Vail and Matthew Cordell bring to life all the worries and triumphs of elementary school life, in diary form. Fans will relate to Justin and his adventures.

Kiss Me Again, the sequel to Rachel Vail's beloved contemporary teen romance If We Kiss, follows Charlie (Charlotte) Collins as she struggles with her feelings for her longtime crush Kevin Lazarus after their parents marry and he becomes her stepbrother. It was complicated enough when their parents were only dating and Kevin was going out with Charlie's best friend, Tess. Now, living under one roof, Charlie and Kevin are crossing paths and crossing lines, sneaking around at night and then sitting down to breakfast together as a family. It feels so crazy--exciting, confusing, impossible, and romantic. It can't last, not like this, but if anybody discovers their secret, everything could explode. . . . Praised for her wit and realism, award-winning author Rachel Vail delivers a poignant tale of first love and powerful kisses, at long last answering the question of what happens when a crush so off-limits it has to be fantasy suddenly becomes very real.

In Rachel Vail's Justin Case: Shells, Smells and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom, Justin is going to start fourth grade--but first, he has to survive the summer. He "gets" to go to camp every day on a bus. He "gets" to experience all sorts of new things: Bugs. Mess hall food. Flip-flops (they hurt the space between his toes and they're hard to walk in). And (gulp ) swimming. Justin's little sister, Elizabeth, seems to deal with camp just fine. So do his friends. Justin is trying very hard not to be a worried kid anymore, especially when it comes to making friends at camp, including a new kid who is kind of . . . rough. After all, Justin is going to be in fourth grade. It's time to be brave. Right?

Completely aware that he is off limits because her best friend has a crush on him and her mother is dating his father, Charlotte has a hard time keeping her feelings in check and often wonders what would happen if she dared to cross over the line of their invisible barrier. Reprint.

It's the start of the school year, and nothing feels right to Justin. He didn't get the teacher he wanted, he's not in the same class as his best friend, and his little sister, Elizabeth, is starting kindergarten at his school. Elizabeth doesn't seem nervous at all. Justin is very nervous about third grade. And to top it off, he's lost his favorite stuffed animal, but he can't tell anyone, because technically he's too old to still have stuffed animals. Right?Here is third grade in all its complicated glory the friendships, the fears, and the advanced math. Acclaimed author Rachel Vail captures third grade with a perfect pitch, and Matthew Cordell's line art is both humorous and touching. As Justin bravely tries to step out of his shell, he will step into readers' hearts."Justin Case" is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year."

Allison Avery's cell phone is possessed-literally. Maybe. Growing up between two sisters of blond beauty, fiery and sarcastic Allison is fed up with being invisible. When the devil appears in a dream and offers to trade Allison good looks for her cell phone, she makes the deal. How much damage can a little phone do anyway? Allison begins to get tons of attention: new friends, a boyfriend, a chance to win a modeling contest. Is it all the devil's work, or is something more mysterious happening?

Edward and Meg are like night and day. How could such different people be twins? Well, they are, but they don't have to like it -- or each other.For seventh grade, brainy Meg is attending ultra-competitive Fischer, while freewheeling Edward goes to an alternative school downtown. But it's just when they're finally out of each other's shadows that the trouble begins. Meg's aspirations for popularity and a boyfriend combine with Edward's devious planning and lack of singing ability to set off a showdown the likes of which twindom has never before seen. Why is this final showdown so much fun? Could it be that Meg and Edward are more alike than they thought?

A tender story that explores BIG feelings and includes a wise take on tantrums and learning how to feel like yourself again Katie Honors is a really good kid -- most of the time. But sometimes... well, sometimes, say when her little brother knocks down her beautiful castle after she told him not to touch it and she knows she'll never be able to make it look that good again... sometimes Katie gets so mad she's BOMBALOO, she's just not herself. Sometimes she uses her feet and her fists instead of words.Being Bombaloo is scary. But a little time-out and a lot of love and understanding from Mom calms Bombaloo down and help Katie feel like Katie again This is a warm book about losing your temper and how to feel like yourself again. With Yumi Heo's bright illustrations and Rachel Vail's sweet text, this title is the perfect read aloud for librarians, teachers, and parents.