By Lois Lowry

People are constantly asking Newbery medalist Lois Lowry where she gets her ideas. In this fascinating memoir Lowry answers many of these questions, through recollections of childhood friends and pictures and memories that explore her rich family history. She recounts the pivotal moments that inspired her writing, describing how they magically turned into fiction along the complicated passageway called life. Lowry fans, as well as anyone interested in understanding the process of writing fiction, will benefit from this poignant trip through the past and the present of a remarkable writer.

By Lois Lowry

At first Anastasia is sure that her problem is her family. They used to be just fine, but suddenly they've become, well, really embarrassing. After all, who else has to put up with parents who won't do normal things like play bridge? Who else has to cope with a troubled three-year-old genius for a little brother? Why is she the one stuck with such weird relatives?

Then, in a flash of insight, Anastasia realizes the problem is herself, her thirteen-year-old, hormone-ridden self. She has clearly become a seriously disturbed person, and she needs help, psychiatric help, right away. But nobody else seems to appreciate this, least of all her parents, who refuse to send her to an analyst. Undeterred, the resouceful Anastasia takes matters into her own hands. For most of her seventh-grade year, she secretly undertakes a course of psychiatric therapy with the most famous analyst of them all.

By Lois Lowry
Illustrated by Middy Thomas

Gooney Bird Greene knows exactly where she likes to be, "right smack in the middle of everything." Sure enough, her colorful fashion sense, exuberant personality, and "absolutely true" stories land her at the center of attention most of the time, but as Mrs. Pidgeon's second grade class prepares for their Thanksgiving pageant, the lead role of Squanto is up for grabs. And so is the role of Room Mother, but with each of the children's parents already overloaded, there are no volunteers to bring cupcakes to their play. So Gooney Bird promises to find one -- in exchange for the lead. There's just one catch: the person she convinces to be Room Mother insists on remaining incognito. As the class struggles to decorate the mural, make costumes, and learn their songs for the play, the suspense builds: will the pageant be a success? And who is their mysterious Room Mother?