Books with author Kevin Henkes

Blaze Werla is having a typical summer. He lives in the country with his father and grandmother. He spends his days alone, wandering around the hill beside his home.Then the message appears on the side of the hill. And Blaze's summer suddenly takes a turn toward the mysterious. By the time Blaze meets Joselle Stark, the unexpected seems almost normal.

Fanny has wanted a dog all her life. For a brief moment her dream came true, but then her father decided the puppy brought too much chaos to his neat, ordered home. Fanny has never been able to forgive him for it. So when Fanny's father brings home a new, older dog, she's not sure she can trust him. She reasons that perhaps she shouldn't get too attached, in case this one is taken from her as well. But how can she help falling in love with the perfect dog?

"Fanny sensed that from the moment she was born she was meant to have a dog. It was as though some unique and independent organ deep inside her, like a tiny heart, couldn't thrive properly without one."With humor and compassion Kevin Henkes tells Fanny's story. But this is not just a dog story. This is a story about a girl and tier father. This is a story about growing up. This is a story about wanting and getting and realizing that nothing is simple or easy.

"Olive Barstow was dead. She'd been hit by a car on Monroe Street while riding her bicycle weeks ago. That was about all Martha knew."Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends. But they weren't -- and now all that is left are eerie connections between two girls who were in the same grade at school and who both kept the same secret without knowing it.Now Martha can't stop thinking about Olive. A family summer on Cape Cod should help banish those thoughts; instead, they seep in everywhere.And this year Martha's routine at her beloved grandmother's beachside house is complicated by the Manning boys. Jimmy, Tate, Todd, Luke, and Leo. But especially Jimmy. What if, what if, what if, what if? The world can change in a minute.

It had been only two months since Spoon Gilmore's grandmother died, but already he was worried that he would forget her. That's why he needed something of Gram's - something special that had belonged to her, something to remember her by.Spoon wasn't quite sure what the something was, though he knew he would know it when he saw it. But Spoon's little sister, Joanie, did not leave him much time to look. She was always following him, demanding attention. Spoon didn't have the time he needed to think, or perhaps he wouldn't have done what he did.02 Nutmeg State Children's Book Award Masterlist and 00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist

Going camping sounds great to Bailey. But he's too young to join his Bunny Scout brother and sister—so Mama and Papa show him him to camp right at home.Kids stuck at home for whatever reason will relate to Bailey, and parents will smile at the successful improvised solution created by his loving parents."You're too little" and "You can go in a few years" are no fun to hear. No wonder Bailey cries "It's not fair!" Good thing Bailey and his parents find a way to make a tough situation fun after all.“A cozy, comfortable book that will leave youngsters smiling.” —Booklist

The Vorlob family is making preparations. Preparations for the new baby, soon to arrive. Getting ready includes painting a mural in the baby's nursery and making a list of possible names. Adine, age ten, is used to the routine -- she has four sisters already: Bernice, Carla, Dot, and Effie. This time, however, the routine is broken. In more ways than one. Most significantly, Aunt Irene will be staying with the Vorlobs until Mrs. Vorlob is rested and back on her feet. Aunt Irene arrives, as does the baby, but nothing goes quite as expected. Especially for Adine.