Books with author Wendy Orr

From the moment she's born, the adorable beagle puppy named Bella has a lot of energy. She runs, she chases, she somersaults, she chews, and she sniffs . . . and sniffs and sniffs and sniffs. Her new owners love her, but they soon realize that Bella is bored while they're out of the house all day, and that their small apartment might not be the best home for an energetic puppy. Luckily, Mona at the Rainbow Street Shelter can help! She keeps an eye out for the perfect place for Bella, and soon she finds her not just a home but a job―the best job in the world for a dog who loves to sniff.

I wonder if the first day of Learning is always like this - do the girls on the hill always feel the ground tremble under their feet?Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess hasn't finished with the island yet.With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.A thrilling Bronze Age survival story from the acclaimed author of Dragonfly Song.

In her third gripping adventure, Nim unearths an amazing opalized fossil, but this discovery puts her island in terrible dangerNim lives on an island with her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, and their friend Alex Rover, the adventure writer. Nim's island is the most beautiful place in the world, and she wouldn't live anywhere else. When Jack invites a group of scientists to visit, they bring their children as well. But two of the scientists have plans other than studying algae. By the time Nim discovers what they really want, and what they will do to get it, the children are in grave danger. And so is the island! Nim must choose between saving a natural treasure and saving someone's life.

Now in paperback, a USBBY Outstanding International Book set in the myth-rich culture of Bronze Age Crete. When a volcano cuts short the coming-of-age training of a young priestess, she must find the strength within herself to ensure the survival of her family.Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home―and her family―in pieces. And the earth goddess hasn't finished with the island yet.With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born are reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira must find the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.A thrilling new Bronze Age survival story from the award-winning author of Dragonfly Song and Nim's Island.

Sam wants a pet for her birthday, but her mom and dad have already said that their apartment is too small for a cat or a dog. A trip to Rainbow Street Shelter to look at the smaller animals can't hurt, though!At the shelter, Sam finds the perfect pet for her, a fluffy black guinea pig named Henry. But she can't help noticing how happy her little brother is when he's reading to Nelly, the Rainbow Street dog. Why can't he read like that when he's in school? Nelly looks happy, too. Sam starts to wonder . . . can a dog go to kindergarten?

Mona's uncle Matthew works in a circus, and he always gives pretty great birthday presents. But when Mona turns eight, he gives her something better than juggling balls or stilts―a baby lion cub! His note says that the cub's mother couldn't care for it properly, and he knows Mona and her grandparents can help. Mona names the lion Kiki, and at first Kiki is like any other kitten. As she grows bigger and bigger, though, Mona realizes that Kiki needs a home which will allow her to be the wild animal she was born to be. Fans of the Rainbow Street Shelter books will love reading about how the shelter started and how its owner, Mona, has always loved animals―starting with an adorable baby lion.

Nim lives on an island with her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, and their friend Alex Rover, the adventure writer. Nim's island is the most beautiful place in the world, and she wouldn't swap live anywhere else.When Jack invites a group of scientists to visit, they bring their children as well. But two of the scientists have plans other than studying algae... By the time Nim discovers what they really want, and what they will do to get it, the children are in grave danger. And so is the island! Nim must choose between saving a natural treasure and saving someone's life.

Raven's sister and stepfather are trapped on the mountain top and their lives depend on Raven, in a gripping wilderness-adventure by the author of Nim's IslandRaven is the first to reach the mountain top. Her sister and stepdad are still climbing the trail below. She is alone on top of the world. So she dances—a crazy, jumping, spinning dance, because if you can climb a mountain you can do anything! But then there is a rumble and the earth shakes. Rocks are falling, and so is Raven, in a terrible tumble down the side of the mountain. When she comes to, no one answers her calls. The rockfall is covering the trail where she last saw Lily and Scott. This is the dramatic story of a girl who goes beyond her limits to save her family, and along the way, discovers a mysterious bond with a family of bears and a raven.

Jenny rushes in; stops and turns pale at the sight of my scaffolded neck. This isn't what she expected to see - and for a moment Jenny, sunny, effervescent, ever-optimistic Jenny, stares at me and can't speak.'They made a mistake - I broke my neck after all.'Jenny begins to cry. And I think that maybe this is what best friends are for, not to be brave for you, but to tell you this is real, and it stinks.Anna is used to being athletic, popular, 'normal'. Now she feels the layers of her familiar self being peeled away; nothing is normal or easy. Can she pick up the pieces of her life? What part will Hayden and Luke play? And who, now, is Anna Duncan?

There are two ways of looking at Aissa's story. She's the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she's the cursed child who called the Bull King's ship to the island.The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly.Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned - but for Aissa it is the only escape.Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast - but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature.A riveting, mythic Bronze Age adventure from award-winning author Wendy Orr.

A gripping upper-middle-grade fantasy set in Bronze-Age Crete from Nim's Island author Wendy Orr The girl has had many selves in her short life. The first she remembers is Aissa, the daughter of Mama and Dada, sister to Zufi who watched the goats. Then the Bull King's raiders came, and Mama said, "Don't make a sound till I come back." And when the villagers found her she was silent as stone, because Mama never came back again. So the villagers cursed her as back luck and made her No-Name, lowest of the servants to the Lady, the island's priestess. But there were whispers, as she grew, of another self: of the Lady's rejected first daughter, born imperfect with two extra thumbs. The silent girl looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders, but she has more pressing concerns. The villagers blame her bad luck for the tribute the Bull King now demands of them: two youths given each spring to dance with his bulls and die for his god's glory. And the servants hate and fear the unnatural way the animals all come to her. For Aissa, though, this bond with creatures of fur and scale is the first clue in finding the true self that no one else can give to her, or take away. Wendy Orr, the author of Nim's Island, introduces a resourceful and resilient heroine for slightly older readers. Inspired by an archeological trip to the island of Crete, where frescoes show figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Orr weaves an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.

In the myth-rich culture of Bronze Age Crete, a volcano cuts short the coming-of-age training of a young priestess. When her world is shattered and her future appears lost, she must find the strength within herself to ensure the survival of her family. Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home--and her family--in pieces. And the earth goddess hasn't finished with the island yet. With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born are reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira must find the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety. A thrilling new Bronze Age survival story from the award-winning author of Dragonfly Song and Nim's Island.