Books published by publisher Front Street

A serious young boy has to learn to take a stand for his own well-being. In 1952 eight-year-old Peti's Hungarian relatives come to live with his family in America. His older cousin Gabor is a sullen boy who argues with his parents and bullies Peti. Peti's only escape is to the local library, where he reads about everything from the solar system to pinhole cameras and secret codes. Peti wants Gabor to move out, but Uncle Jozsef can't find a job, and Peti's mother has to find work instead. The landlady is threatening to evict them, and the boys in the neighborhood are dreaming up trouble. To top it all off, Peti's mother worries constantly about her father, who is behind the Iron Curtain in Hungary. When the librarian invites Peti to go with her on a tour of the Rankin House, once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the day trip turns into much more than a chance to get away from tension at home. Peti comes back with a new understanding of friendship and family, new insights about human nature, and a new resolve to stand up for himself.

Here is a tale that questions who we are and how we relate to the natural world. He is born on a bare hillside, near the end of the Dry Time. Abandoned by his mother, cared for and suckled only by a dog, he becomes a creature of the wilds. To the poor villagers, he hardly appears human at all, and they reject him. Yet the dogboy, as he is called, proves to be a survivor in this USBBY Outstanding International Book. Against all odds, and despite his savage upbringing, he grows into a "special" child—someone destined to change the lives of all who cross his path.

If it's not one thing, it's a mother! Kit's life is simple--farmwork, school, and dance--until her beloved dance teacher, Ursula, gets sick and her mother decides to homeschool Kit because of an incident at school. Kit doesn't know how she can possibly deal with her mother, the Lady of Sorrows, and she can't stand not dancing. The senior students take over giving lessons at the dance studio, giving Kit some respite from her daily struggles with her mother. The arrival of Luis and Clara, professional dancers who will serve as substitutes at the studio, transforms her days and gives her hope. Luis is gorgeous, a brilliant teacher and dancer, and very supportive of Kit, even encouraging her to apply to a special dance school in Montreal and volunteering to take her to the competition and personally introduce her to the director. And that is when Kit's life gets complicated.Finally! The subs are here! Luis and Clara Coll and baby Lola. When we arrive for class they are simply there occupying the studio, no introduction or grande entrance. Luis just says, "Come in, come in, to the barre, sweatshirts off, please, let's see what we have here." … He says ballet is the most royal of dance. In a black T-shirt and tights his body looks royal, exquisite. Lean, carved muscles look powerful as coiled rope, still, waiting to whip into action. Hers too. They make me think of high-class horses. —FROM THE BOOK

At seventeen, Clara Lorenzo seems to have everything--brains, beauty, and an extraordinary talent for the piano. Her parents have provided her with the finest teacher and rearranged their lives to nurture Clara's genius, and Clara has worked hard--to the point of obsession--to develop her talent. But Clara's many gifts and her obsessive practicing have hidden the truth, a truth so startling that it takes an important piano competition, the confusions of first love, and a mysterious Russian folktale for Clara to begin to understand. By the time she fully sees her predicament, events have taken on a powerful momentum of their own. Winner of the Oklahoma Book Award, Broken Chords is a romance acted out in the highly charged world of an internationally renowned piano competition. Told with suspense, artistry, and an appreciation of the ever-tightening pressures that hold Clara captive, Barbara Snow Gilbert weaves the themes of self-awareness, family bonds, and courage in a classic coming-of-age story that is as lyrical as the music at its heart.

At an elegant party, a little boy's dreamy imagination takes flight—and so do the custard pies. A little boy is a bored and sleepy guest at his Aunt Matilda's charity ball, until … a tiny dog darts across the dance floor, a gentleman's toupee loses its grip, and a lemon custard pie sails through the crowd. Before long, pies are flying through the air at this elegant affair. Jane Morris Udovic's engaging story in rhyme and David Udovic's vibrant, comic paintings show how a young boy's dreamy imagination turns a stuffy party into a boisterously good time.

Giraffe seraches to the ends of the earth to find a mate to join him on the journey with Noah. After Noah insists that Giraffe bring a girlfriend with him on the ark, Giraffe travels the globe in search of her. He explores the oceans, the deserts, the polar regions, the savannas—and along the way makes many acquaintances. But never has he felt as lonely as he does now. Will Giraffe be able to find her before Noah launches the ark?

At seventeen, Clara Lorenzo seems to have everything--brains, beauty, and an extraordinary talent for the piano. Her parents have provided her with the finest teacher and rearranged their lives to nurture Clara's genius, and Clara has worked hard--to the point of obsession--to develop her talent. But Clara's many gifts and her obsessive practicing have hidden the truth, a truth so startling that it takes an important piano competition, the confusions of first love, and a mysterious Russian folktale for Clara to begin to understand. By the time she fully sees her predicament, events have taken on a powerful momentum of their own. Winner of the Oklahoma Book Award, Broken Chords is a romance acted out in the highly charged world of an internationally renowned piano competition. Told with suspense, artistry, and an appreciation of the ever-tightening pressures that hold Clara captive, Barbara Snow Gilbert weaves the themes of self-awareness, family bonds, and courage in a classic coming-of-age story that is as lyrical as the music at its heart.