Books with author Catherine Hapka

Brooke has major boy problems—from her brothers to her crush to her horse—in this sixth book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague.Boys + ponies = trouble. Lots of it. Brooke’s parents force Brooke to share Foxy with her little brothers and Brooke is none too happy. But she is happy that her friend Adam has been hanging around more again. She even lets him talk her into entering Foxy in a local show. But it doesn’t help that the twins riding Foxy so much lately is making the pony backslide in her training and act up a bit. And then: disaster! Adam backs out of attending the show, and Brooke almost backs out as well when Foxy throws her off for the first time ever! Will Brooke give up on riding for good?

In At First Sight, when Lauren meets the perfect guy at the planetarium, she feels like the stars have finally aligned in her favor. The only problem is she met him in the dark and they never got a good look at each other… or got each other’s names. Now, Lauren must take matters into her own hands and find the mystery guy before she loses him forever.

From the creators of Ice Age and Epic, Rio 2 flies into theaters in April 2014. Join Blu, Jewel, and all your favorite Rio characters for a wild adventure in this retelling of the movie, perfect for young fans!When a wild blue Spix's Macaw is spotted in the Amazon jungle, Blu and Jewel head off to search for more of their kind. But who they meet is the biggest surprise of all.Based on the movie, Rio 2: One Big Blue Family is a Level 2 I Can Read book, perfect for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

When all of Haley’s time goes to training her pony, keeping an eye on the prize causes problems in this third book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague.For months, Haley Duncan has been saving up to ride with her pony Wings in a clinic with a world-famous event rider. On top of that, she wants to make sure Wings is as fit and ready as he can be, which means extra trot sets before school and training and cleaning tack all weekend. So what if Haley’s friends complain that she doesn’t have time for them anymore? So what if she has to miss her very first ever school dance, or skip a favorite family tradition, or leave early from her BFF’s first boy-girl party? Everyone will get it when they see her in the Olympics someday. But when Haley’s overscheduled existence and exhaustion causes an accident, she may have to say good-bye to her dreams…

Homeward Bound meets Elf in this heartwarming tale for the whole family. Can Chris, Holly, and Ivy help Santa’s dog, Peppermint Bark, jingle all the way home to the North Pole before Christmas Day ends? For 364 days of the year, Santa and his best friend, Peppermint Bark, are inseparable. Santa’s fluffy white dog helps herd the reindeer, keep tabs on the elves, and check the list—twice. But though Peppermint Bark asks every Christmas, he never gets to join Santa on his sleigh ride around the world. Until the dog decides to stow away . . . When eight- and eleven-year-old Chris and Holly Kerstman discover a small white dog wedged in their chimney on Christmas morning, they can’t imagine where he came from, until he tells them. Peppermint Bark is unlike any dog they and Holly’s best friend, Ivy, have ever met: His breath smells of mint, faint jingle bells can be heard when he wags his tail, and he can talk! He tells the kids all about his secret sleigh ride and how he got accidentally left behind on their rooftop, but when it comes to answering the question of how he’ll get home to the North Pole, Peppermint Bark is stumped. It’s up to the kids to work together to get Peppermint Bark home before the last magical portal to the North Pole closes at midnight on Christmas Day. A Christmas tale with enough heartwarming moments and heart-pounding action to entertain the entire family this holiday!

From the creators of Ice Age and Epic, Rio 2 flies into theaters in April 2014. Join Blu, Jewel, and all your favorite Rio characters for a wild adventure in this retelling of the movie perfect for young fans!Blu and Jewel are taking the kids on a trip to the Amazon jungle. Jewel wants the kids to know what it was like for her growing up in the wild, but Blu is missing the comforts of home. Will this vacation be one to remember?Based on the movie, Rio 2: Vacation in the Wild is a Level 2 I Can Read book, perfect for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

It’s Christmas season and all the Santa Pups--Hope, Jingle, Charity, and Noble--want is to be appointed Santa’s Helpers and earn their own magic crystals that grant children's Christmas wishes. So the Pups decide to secretly go to the town of Pineville to prove they are ready. When they arrive, they start granting joyful wishes to the townspeople, using a crystal they borrowed. But the Santa Pups’ adventure goes horribly wrong after they accidentally give Carter, a young boy who has lost his Christmas Spirit, his wish to make Christmas go away. And if the Pups don’t reverse the spell soon, Christmas will be gone forever! This action-packed junior novel is filled with Christmas spirit and includes 8 pages of full-color photos of the adorable Santa Pups!

Going to dolphin school under the sea is a magical experience for Pearl and her friends!Pearl is a magical dolphin of the Salty Sea, and today is her first day of school. Her classmates Echo and Splash make great new friends! Together they start learning dolphin skills like magic, music, and jumping.But another student, Flip, just won't stop bragging. And when he accepts a dare from an older student, he ends up in terrible danger from a shark! Can Pearl and her friends save him? It's an exciting first day at Dolphin School!

When her horse show performance goes horribly wrong, Nina wonders if a Halloween ghost could be involved in this fourth book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague.Nina Peralt’s boarding and lesson barn will be putting on a horse show this fall, and she can’t wait to show off how well she and her pony, Breezy, have been doing lately! Bonus: the cute older brother of one of her fellow riders will be helping out as jump crew. Unfortunately, once the show starts, everything goes wrong for Nina in the most embarrassing ways possible. Could something supernatural be to blame? New Orleans is always a little spooky around Halloween, but this year Nina slowly becomes convinced she’s being haunted by the ghost of an angry ancestor. Can her Pony Post pals help her banish her fears and live down her terrible show day?