Grubbies

Victoria's Works

• Fenway and Hattie

  Fenway is an excitable and endlessly energetic Jack Russell terrier. He lives in the city with Food Lady, Fetch Man, and—of course—his beloved short human and best-friend-in-the-world, Hattie. But when his family moves to the suburbs, Fenway faces a world of changes. He’s pretty pleased with the huge Dog Park behind his new home, but he’s not so happy about the Evil Squirrels that taunt him from the trees, the super-slippery Wicked Floor in the Eating Room, and the changes that have come over Hattie lately. Rather than playing with Fenway, she seems more interested in her new short human friend and learning to play baseball. His friends in the Dog Park next door say Hattie is outgrowing him, but that can’t be right. And he’s going to prove it! Get a dog’s-eye view of the world in this heartwarming, enthusiastic “tail” about two best friends. “A fun, fresh frolic that animal-loving kids are sure to enjoy.” —Publishers Weekly “Readers will relate to Fenway’s impulsivity and delight in descriptions from his dog’s-eye view. Teachers and adults will appreciate generous sprinklings of rich vocabulary.” —School Library Journal

  Type: Book

• Fenway and Hattie and the Evil Bunny Gang

  Life is pretty much a bag of treats when you’re an endlessly energetic Jack Russell Terrier. For Fenway, days are filled with important things like defending the Dog Park from wicked squirrels, snuggling with Hattie, and catching up on the neighborhood gossip with the next-door dogs Goldie and Patches. But that all changes the day a fiendish new intruder enters Fenway’s turf: he’s fluffy, he twitches evilly, and he smells worse than squirrels… He’s a bunny. An evil bunny. And Fenway can’t fathom why, but Hattie ADORES him. Goldie and Patches warn him that short humans are fickle: sometimes they love a new pet more than an old one. Fenway can’t believe his own Hattie would choose another pet over him. But taking matters into his own paws just makes everything worse. Is his heart big enough to accept that Hattie can love another pet too–and is he tough enough to take on an entire gang of evil bunnies? Get a dog’s-eye view of the world in this heartwarming, enthusiastic “tail” about two best friends.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and Hattie Up to New Tricks

  Fenway’s favorite short human, Hattie, has a few tricks up her sleeves in this adorable and heartwarming paperback, perfect for fans of Humphrey and Og, the Frog. Fenway has two jobs. He must love and care for his best friend and favorite short human, Hattie. And he must protect his human family, especially from the thieving chipmunks. The chipmunks strut around like they own the place but Fenway will not have it. He begins a daring chase to get rid of the pesky chipmunks, which lands him in a bush filled with bees. Poor, heroic Fenway suffers a paw injury but even worse, his humans will not let him lick the pain away! Instead, they take him to the Place of Fear and then Hattie doesn’t even help him take off the Cone of Doom! Fenway never would have expected Hattie to do these things to him. Doesn’t she love him anymore? But even though his family is acting weird, Fenway is determined do whatever it takes to make them all happy again.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and Hattie in the Wild

  Fenway gets a taste of the wild when he goes on a back-to-school camping trip in the fourth book in this adorable middle-grade series, now in paperback! When Hattie starts using a word Fenway hasn’t heard in a long, long time – “skool” – some other things change as well. The family fills the Food Box with yummy hot dogs and loads it in the car! Fenway is thrilled that he gets to go along wherever they are going, and is even more excited when they arrive in the wilderness with tons of new scents to investigate, dogs and humans to meet, and lots of meat cooking over fires. Hattie seems excited about it all, too, and happy her friend Angel also came, but when more families arrive with lots of new kids, she starts to smell nervous. Especially when one certain kid that all the others seem to follow everywhere starts bossing everyone around. Fenway can sympathize, because a tiny dog is doing the same thing to all the other dogs. Fitting in can be a tough business, but luckily both Fenway and Hattie come around to realizing that being true to themselves is much more important.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and the Bone Thieves (Make Way for Fenway! #1)

  A Bank Street College "Best Book" of the Year The little dog with a GIANT personality from Fenway and Hattie is starring in his own chapter book series! There’s nothing better than a brand-new bone! And nothing worse than sneaky squirrels trying to steal it! But Fenway is smarter than those squirrels, and he finds the perfect place to hide his bone. The only problem is the hiding place might be too hard for Fenway to find, too! With an easy reading level and lively illustrations, emerging readers will be eager to get their paws on the Make Way for Fenway! chapter books.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and the Frisbee Trick (Make Way for Fenway! #2)

  A Bank Street College "Best Book" of the Year Amazon Editors' Pick Fenway is ready to learn a new trick! When Fenway sees a dog leap into the air and catch a Frisbee, he wants to do it, too. But catching a Frisbee is harder than it looks. Good thing Fenway is willing to keep trying, and he impresses everyone with a special trick of his own! With an easy reading level and lively illustrations, emerging readers will be eager to get their paws on the Make Way for Fenway! chapter books.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and the Loudmouth Bird (Make Way for Fenway! #3)

  Winner of the SCBWI Sid Fleischman Honor Award for Humor The little dog with the GIANT personality has some competition for his short human’s attention—a bird who speaks human! Usually Fenway has a great time visiting Nana with his short human, Hattie. But this time is very different—a bird is living inside Nana’s house. And it speaks human! Fenway doesn’t know how any of this happened, but he vows to keep Hattie safe from that bird, Merlin. Except Hattie wants them to be friends. Fenway can’t believe that could even be possible, but when Merlin gets upset and Fenway realizes what’s wrong, it turns out that a bird and a dog can understand each other. With an easy reading level and lively illustrations, emerging readers will be eager to get their paws on the Make Way for Fenway! chapter books.

  Type: Book

• Fenway and the Great Escape (Make Way for Fenway! #4)

  The little dog with the GIANT personality from Fenway and Hattie just knows he is meant to roam freely off-leash . . . but how can he get his short human to agree? One day on a hike, Fenway finally convinces Hattie to take off his leash so he can run free with other dogs, and as always, keep his humans safe from any squirrels. He has an amazing time and gets treats whenever Hattie calls his name! But the next time Fenway is off leash, things don’t go so well. Hattie calls right when Fenway is chasing the most dangerous squirrel in the forest. Then, suddenly, Hattie is missing. Could it be that Fenway needs a leash to keep track of her? With an easy reading level and lively illustrations, emerging readers will be eager to get their paws on the Make Way for Fenway! chapter books.

  Type: Book

• Writing Kidlit 101: A Self-Guided Course

  Do you want to write the book that kids (or teens) want to read? Writing Kidlit 101 is a 10-session, self-guided course that will help you learn the craft of writing fiction for children and young adults – aka kidlit. As passionate kidlit authors & writing teachers, we’ve developed a series of user-friendly narratives, tips and tricks, hands-on exercises, and calls to action that you can put into practice as you go. That’s the secret sauce! A solid understanding of craft and a process that works for you. (Co-written with Cheryl Lawton Malone)

  Type: Book

• Writing Kidlit 102: Your First Draft

  Writing a book for children or young adults – no matter how long or short – is a challenge. Sure, you could sit down and let the words flow. But the reality is – except for a lucky few – first drafts rarely happen that way. We know – and you know – there’s no “one way” to write a picture book or novel. That’s where Writing Kidlit 102 comes in. This book will help wrangle that story out of your heart and onto the page. On your terms. In your time. In a way that sets you up for success. (Co-written with Cheryl Lawton Malone)

  Type: Book