Diane Stanley – författare

Franny is thrilled when she''s accepted by the Allbright Academy, an elite private boarding school designed to train leaders. But she knows she''s not as smart as the other kids there—or as beautiful, accomplished, confident, or mature. The fact is, the Allbright students—from their shining teeth and flawless complexions to their sky-high test scores and long lists of honors—are absolutely perfect. Then the Allbright magic begins to rub off on Franny, too. The question is: Is this a good thing?

Can Franny and her friends Cal, Brooklyn, and Prescott un-ravel the Allbright Academy''s secret, or will they, too, succumb to its eerie perfection?

The country is at war, terrorists strike at random, widespread rationing is in effect, and the power grid is down. But thirteen-year-old Sky Brightman is remarkably untouched by it all. She lives off the grid on sixty acres of rural New Mexico ranch land with chores to do and horses to ride and no television or internet to bring disturbing news into her family''s adobe house. Sky''s schoolmates think she''s a little weird.

Then a string of mysterious arrests begins, and her new friend, Kareem, becomes a target. Sky is finally forced to confront the world in all its complexity. Summoning her considerable courage and ingenuity, she takes a stand against injustice. With humor, hope, and fierce determination, she proves that even a child can change the world.

In the little village of Castle Down, in a kingdom plagued by war, lives a peasant girl called Bella. Blessed with a kind family and a loving friend, she manages to create her own small patch of sunlight in a dark and dangerous world. Bella is a blacksmith's daughter; her friend Julian is a prince -- yet neither seems to notice the great gulf that divides his world from hers.

Suddenly Bella's world collapses. First Julian betrays her. Then it is revealed that she is not the peasant she believed herself to be: She is Isabel, the daughter of a knight who abandoned her in infancy. Now he wants her back, so Bella is torn from her beloved foster family and sent to live with her deranged father and his resentful new wife. Soon Bella is caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life -- and the kingdom -- forever. With the help of her godmother and three enchanted gifts, she sets out on a journey in disguise that will lead her to a destiny far greater than any she could have imagined.

Strange things have been happening at Franny's new school.

First it was the Jelly Worm Fad.

Then came the exploding headaches that kept students home for days.

When the latest creepy phenomenon lands her sister in the hospital, Franny and her new friend, Beamer, try to get to the bottom of it.

Following a hunch, Franny discovers the one link that all these kids share—they're rabid fans of I. M. Fine, author of the mega-popular Chillers series.

But I. M. Fine is nowhere to be found ... or is he)

Admirers of Diane Stanley's celebrated nonfiction picture-book biographies and her critically acclaimed novel, A Time Apart, are in for a treat as she shows her playful side in this quirky, fast-paced, and humorous mystery.

Molly's exciting story concludes in this final book of Diane Stanley's acclaimed trilogy, which began with The Silver Bowl and The Cup and the Crown—a perfect series for fans of Megan Whalen Turner.

With tensions rising between the kingdoms of Westria and Austlind, Molly and Tobias accompany King Alaric to Cortova, where he hopes to form an alliance with the powerful King Gonzalo—an alliance that would be sealed by Alaric's marriage to Gonzalo's daughter, the beautiful princess Elizabetta. But the devious Gonzalo has plans of his own. Upon arriving in Cortova, Alaric is shocked to find that there is already another suitor vying for Princess Elizabetta's hand: his own cousin, Prince Rupert of Austlind.

As the days pass, Alaric, Molly, and Tobias find themselves trapped in a suspenseful game of courtly intrigue that soon takes a dangerous turn. For once, Molly's magical visions are little help—they reveal nothing beyond hazy threats. Everything turns around Princess Elizabetta, but is she truly a friend or simply another player in her father's crafty game?

"An engaging fantasy. A most worthy and enjoyable entry in the ‘feisty female’ fantasy genre,” said Kirkus Reviews.

Don''t miss The Silver Bowl, which received three starred reviews, was named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews and Book Links Lasting Connections, and was an ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice.

Unwanted at home, Molly becomes a humble scullery maid for the King of Westria. She arrives at the castle with no education, no manners, and a very disturbing secret: She sees visions that always come true.

In time, Molly begins polishing the castle''s fine silver pieces, which include one priceless royal treasure: the king''s great ceremonial hand basin. But whenever she touches it, the silver warms beneath her fingers and the bowl''s designs swirl into a vision that only she can see. A dreaded curse has befallen each generation of the royal family—and now it threatens the handsome Prince Alaric.

Together with her friends Tobias and Winifred, Molly must protect the prince and destroy the curse. Could a less likely champion be found to save the Kingdom of Westria?

Readers who love the adventure in Megan Whalen Turner’s Newbery Honor novel The Thief will be captivated by Molly’s dangerous magical quest in this thrilling sequel to Diane Stanley’s novel The Silver Bowl.

Night after night, Molly has visions of a beautiful goblet: one of her grandfather’s loving cups, which he filled with magic that bound people together. So it hardly surprises Molly when handsome King Alaric asks her to find a loving cup to help him win the heart of the beautiful Princess of Cortova. 

As Molly and her friends Winifred and Tobias journey in search of a loving cup, a mysterious raven joins their quest and appears to guide them all the way to the hidden city of Harrowsgode. There, Molly discovers secrets about her own family as well as the magic of the loving cup. But Harrowsgode is hidden for a reason, and leaving is more difficult than Molly imagined. Will she be able to escape, let alone bring a loving cup to King Alaric? 

From master storyteller Diane Stanley comes a spellbinding tale, based on Shakespeare''s The Tempest, of two princes—one chosen, one lost—and a mysterious girl on a magical island, all caught in a great web of destiny.

On the day of his birth, Prince Alexos is revealed to be the long-awaited champion of Athene. He grows up lonely, conscious of all that is expected of him. But Alexos discovers that being a champion isn''t about fame and glory—it''s about sacrifice and courage.

Alexos follows the course of his destiny through war and loss and a deadly confrontation with his enemy to its end: shipwreck on a magical, fog-shrouded island. There he meets the unforgettable Aria, and faces the greatest challenge of his life.

A heartfelt and magical middle grade novel in the tradition of Tuck Everlasting and Bridge to Terabithia, about family, wishes, and the power of true friends to work magic.

While cleaning out her reclusive grandfather’s house, Joplin discovers pieces of a broken platter in a cookie tin. After having the platter repaired, Joplin wishes that she could both find a friend at school, and befriend the girl pictured in the platter.

The next day, Joplin befriends a boy named Barrett, and also notices a girl outside her apartment. A girl who looks remarkably like the girl in the platter…

The girl introduces herself as Sofie, and she has a terrible secret. Cursed to grant wishes for the owner of the platter for all of time, she has been trapped for centuries. Joplin and Barrett vow to help her, but freeing Sofie is more complicated than they could have imagined, and the three friends end up against a sinister foe who could put them all in terrible danger.

The time by the lake is everything perfect about a childhood summer…and maybe it also holds the answers Max needs. Give this tender middle grade novel to readers who love the mystery, friendships, and touches of magic in novels by Rebecca Stead and Laurel Snyder!

To get Max and Rosie’s minds off their mother’s mysterious disappearance, their grandmother, Mozelle, suggests that they visit the old log cabin where their mom spent her summers as a child. This is a place where, when it gets dark, you go to bed. But according to Mozelle, their mother had her happiest dreams during her nights at the lake. 

That first night, Max and Rosie travel in their dreams to an almost impossibly beautiful place where they meet a wonderful new group of friends. But was it really just a dream? Or is there something extraordinary and magical about this compound by the lake?

As Max slowly grasps what is really going on, he wonders if he might have found the key to the mystery of his mother’s disappearance—and how to bring her safely home.