The Wizard of Oz meets The Wind in the Willows in this next middle grade novel from the author of The Simple Art of Flying, in which a theater-dwelling, Oz-loving hedgehog goes on the journey of a lifetime to find his way home in this tale of loyalty, friendship, loss, and hope.

Marcel the hedgehog used to live with his beloved owner Dorothy, but since getting hopelessly lost, he’s tried to forget the happy home he left behind. Now, Marcel lives a quiet life in the abandoned balcony of The Emerald City Theater where he subsists on dropped popcorn and the Saturday showings of The Wizard of Oz.

But when he’s discovered, Marcel is taken far away from everything he knows and ends up lost once more. His quest to return to the theater leads him to Mousekinland, where he meets Scamp, a tiny mouse armed with enormous spirit (and a trusty sling-shooter). Before long, they’re joined by an old gray squirrel, Ingot, who suffers from bad memories and a broken heart and Tuffy, a baby raccoon lost and afraid in the forest. If that weren’t difficult enough, the travelers attract the attention of an owl named Wickedwing, who stalks them at every turn.

From field to forest, glittering theater to the gutter, the animals’ road home is a dark and winding journey. But sometimes you need to get a little lost . . . before you can be found.

Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Release date: 02/23/21
Length: 400 pages (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781534467590

Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Release date: 02/12/19
Length: 361 pages (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781534420991

Quirky characters, plucky humor, and a heartwarming message come together in this big-hearted debut novel about friendship and the true meaning of family.

Sometimes flying means keeping your feet on the ground…

Born in a dismal room in a pet store, Alastair the African grey parrot dreams of escape to bluer skies. He’d like nothing more than to fly away to a palm tree with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by twelve-year-old Fritz, and Alastair is adopted by elderly dance-enthusiast and pie-baker Albertina Plopky, the future looks ready to crash-land.

In-between anxiously plucking his feathers, eating a few books, and finding his own poetic voice, Alastair plots his way to a family reunion. But soon he’s forced to choose between the life he’s always dreamed of and admitting the truth: that sometimes, the bravest adventure is in letting go.

How can your dreams fly free when you’re a bird in a cage? This quirky, unique, sad/funny story is about Alastair, a grey parrot who’s born in the back of a pet store but dreams of escape. But being sold isn’t what he meant! One day, he’s bought by an elderly widow, Mrs Albertina Plopky – and even worse, his sister Aggie is bought by a young boy named Fritz. Will Alastair ever find Aggie again? Will they ever fly free? Right now, Alastair’s anxiously plucking his feathers out, trying to think of a plan. But maybe all isn’t lost quite yet.

One fierce parrot. One spirited old lady. One big-hearted boy.

A funny, heart-shattering novel about three lonely misfits learning to live fully-fledged lives. This debut novel is a heart-felt, bird's-eye view of love and what it means to break free from the cages we build for ourselves—and the courage it may take to finally let go.

• A soaring debut novel about love and breaking free

• A tale of escaping from the cages we build for ourselves

• This tear-jerker has ‘modern classic’ written all over it

• Perfect for fans of Charlotte’s Web and The Last Wild

Publisher: Scholastic UK
Release date: 02/07/19
Length: 350 pages (paperback)
ISBN: 9781407186719

*Nominated for the CLIIP Carnegie Medal