For fans of Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers comes a story about mothers and daughters and magical trees that Rebecca Stead calls “an utter delight.”   All Molly wants is to be normal like her friend Ellen Palmer. Ellen, with her neat braids and a tidy house and a mother and father who are home for dinner every night. But Molly’s mom spends her mornings tramping through the woods, looking for ingredients for her potions. Their house is not neat, and their rooster, the Gentleman, runs wild in their yard. And it is the Gentleman that angers their grumpy neighbors, the Grimshaws. So Molly’s mom makes a potion that will grow a tree between their houses.   When Molly’s mom accidentally drinks the potion and turns into the tree, Molly is determined to get her back. But with the Grimshaws planning to cut down the tree branches that reach onto  their property, time is of the essence. With the help of her mysterious classmate Pim Wilder, Molly sets out to save her mother and discovers the wonder that lies in the ordinary.   Praise for Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars:   “Open-hearted and magical—an utter delight.” —Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me and Goodbye, Stranger   “A beautiful, magical story, full of surprises and brimming with wisdom.” —Karen Foxlee, author of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Friendship takes some imagination in this story of two kids who discover they have more in common than they knew, for fans of Stargirl.Joey wants more than anything to talk to someone about music, to be a part of the group. But he''s so shy, something always seems to get in the way. He escapes to a secret place on a hill, until one day he discovers that a strange girl has invaded the hill--and built a fort that looks like a spaceship. The hill is the one place he can be himself, so Joey decides he needs to stake his claim. He confronts the girl, whom he calls Marsh (short for Martian), and finds that she has been busy in her little makeshift "spaceship," building an imaginary world. It''s a world that hides secrets, but might also be the very thing to bring Joey out of his shell. And when Joey decides to follow Marsh home, her real life is not what he expected. But there he finds that they have music in common and he realizes that no distance is so great that music cannot bridge.Martine Murray brings a unique friendship to life in this openhearted, imaginative tale.

A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2025! • From award-winning author Martine Murray (dubbed Australia’s Kate DiCamillo) and artist Anna Luisa Read comes a timeless and timely tale about the monstrousness of envy, and every creature’s—even a monster’s—need for love.It starts with a whisper in your ear. A prickly feeling that something isn’t quite right. And it builds until a sneaky, possessive thought wriggles into your mind, and an insidious want burrows into your heart.Before you know it, you’re discontent, convinced that you’re owed more than what you’ve got. This is the work of the Wanting Monster.One day, the Wanting Monster arrives in a small village, but no one notices him, despite his antics. Feeling snubbed, he starts sowing discontent and envy of one’s neighbor. So infectious is the wanting and greed awakened by the Wanting Monster that even the stars are plucked, one by one, from the sky.Covetousness and distrust reign. Will the village people ever return to their senses? Will they ever learn that it’s the monster of wanting that’s been poisoning their minds? The Wanting Monster almost triumphs . . . fortunately, he is finally seen for what he is, and this recognition unleashes the purifying force of collective lamentation and a coming together to reroot and rebuild.

Hello everybody, it's me. Henrietta the Great Go-Getter, and I'm having a big think. Right now I'm thinking I'd like a baby sister, so I can dress her up in different sorts of hats. But Mum says we'll have to wait and see. I'm terrible at waiting.Meanwhile, I'm an explorer of life, and that includes trees, bugs, animals and all mysteries. I'm going to school for the very first time, which means I might have to go as a spy so that I can have a secret peep inside...When Henrietta sees Olive Higgie crying in the classroom, she goes on a rescue mission and finds that you only need one friend in a room full of strangers to feel perfectly happy.Henrietta's stories are full of funny thoughts and discoveries, and maybe the best are the ones that take a long time to come.

Hello everybody, it's me, Henrietta. I have a baby brother, two white mice, a chocolate-coloured dog, a woolly mammoth, two long green socks with toes, one pickle-eating best friend, a bathtub for sailing in, and definitely a huge HUGE amount of discoveries to discover. And if anyone tells you I make things up, you'd better believe it...These four irresistible stories, full of funny thoughts and adventures, are perfect for curious children with curly imaginations.'Brimming with charm and originality.' The Sunday Age'Filled with the joy of living.' Good Reading

For fans of Katherine Rundell’s Rooftoppers comes a story about mothers and daughters and magical trees that Rebecca Stead calls “an utter delight.”   All Molly wants is to be normal like her friend Ellen Palmer. Ellen, with her neat braids and a tidy house and a mother and father who are home for dinner every night. But Molly’s mom spends her mornings tramping through the woods, looking for ingredients for her potions. Their house is not neat, and their rooster, the Gentleman, runs wild in their yard. And it is the Gentleman that angers their grumpy neighbors, the Grimshaws. So Molly’s mom makes a potion that will grow a tree between their houses.   When Molly’s mom accidentally drinks the potion and turns into the tree, Molly is determined to get her back. But with the Grimshaws planning to cut down the tree branches that reach onto  their property, time is of the essence. With the help of her mysterious classmate Pim Wilder, Molly sets out to save her mother and discovers the wonder that lies in the ordinary.   Praise for Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars:   “Open-hearted and magical—an utter delight.” —Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me and Goodbye, Stranger   “A beautiful, magical story, full of surprises and brimming with wisdom.” —Karen Foxlee, author of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

Friendship takes some imagination in this story of two kids who discover they have more in common than they knew, for fans of Stargirl.Joey wants more than anything to talk to someone about music, to be a part of the group. But he''s so shy, something always seems to get in the way. He escapes to a secret place on a hill, until one day he discovers that a strange girl has invaded the hill--and built a fort that looks like a spaceship. The hill is the one place he can be himself, so Joey decides he needs to stake his claim. He confronts the girl, whom he calls Marsh (short for Martian), and finds that she has been busy in her little makeshift "spaceship," building an imaginary world. It''s a world that hides secrets, but might also be the very thing to bring Joey out of his shell. And when Joey decides to follow Marsh home, her real life is not what he expected. But there he finds that they have music in common and he realizes that no distance is so great that music cannot bridge.Martine Murray brings a unique friendship to life in this openhearted, imaginative tale.

A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2025! • From award-winning author Martine Murray (dubbed Australia’s Kate DiCamillo) and artist Anna Luisa Read comes a timeless and timely tale about the monstrousness of envy, and every creature’s—even a monster’s—need for love.It starts with a whisper in your ear. A prickly feeling that something isn’t quite right. And it builds until a sneaky, possessive thought wriggles into your mind, and an insidious want burrows into your heart.Before you know it, you’re discontent, convinced that you’re owed more than what you’ve got. This is the work of the Wanting Monster.One day, the Wanting Monster arrives in a small village, but no one notices him, despite his antics. Feeling snubbed, he starts sowing discontent and envy of one’s neighbor. So infectious is the wanting and greed awakened by the Wanting Monster that even the stars are plucked, one by one, from the sky.Covetousness and distrust reign. Will the village people ever return to their senses? Will they ever learn that it’s the monster of wanting that’s been poisoning their minds? The Wanting Monster almost triumphs . . . fortunately, he is finally seen for what he is, and this recognition unleashes the purifying force of collective lamentation and a coming together to reroot and rebuild.

Hello everybody, it's me. Henrietta the Great Go-Getter, and I'm having a big think. Right now I'm thinking I'd like a baby sister, so I can dress her up in different sorts of hats. But Mum says we'll have to wait and see. I'm terrible at waiting.Meanwhile, I'm an explorer of life, and that includes trees, bugs, animals and all mysteries. I'm going to school for the very first time, which means I might have to go as a spy so that I can have a secret peep inside...When Henrietta sees Olive Higgie crying in the classroom, she goes on a rescue mission and finds that you only need one friend in a room full of strangers to feel perfectly happy.Henrietta's stories are full of funny thoughts and discoveries, and maybe the best are the ones that take a long time to come.

Hello everybody, it's me, Henrietta. I have a baby brother, two white mice, a chocolate-coloured dog, a woolly mammoth, two long green socks with toes, one pickle-eating best friend, a bathtub for sailing in, and definitely a huge HUGE amount of discoveries to discover. And if anyone tells you I make things up, you'd better believe it...These four irresistible stories, full of funny thoughts and adventures, are perfect for curious children with curly imaginations.'Brimming with charm and originality.' The Sunday Age'Filled with the joy of living.' Good Reading