Janet Taylor Lisle: 17 books

After their violin teacher is attacked, two sisters stumble on dark secrets from her girlhood in France during World War II Elsie and Mary’s lives are changed when they meet Miss Fitch, a fascinating Frenchwoman who makes her living teaching children the violin. She seems to be everything...

When their best friend changes drastically, the Investigators suspect extraterrestrial trouble Georgina and Poco should not be climbing an apple tree in the dark. But Poco, who talks to animals, has recently developed a serious crush on a robin, and she gets worried when the bird doesn’t...

On the unforgiving coast of Twill, a boy is sucked into a fantastic adventure The country of Twill has a notoriously treacherous coastline: rough, rocky, and primed for shipwrecks and drownings. In the salt-scarred port town of Twickham, the locals are dependent on fishing. Everyone pitches...

While searching for her fairy godmother, a young girl uncovers a world of magic It starts with chocolates. Dreaming of a box of chocolates that never empties, Angela writes a letter to her fairy godmother asking for one. To her surprise, the fairy writes back! A letter appears on her mantelpiece...

From Newbery Honor author Janet Taylor Lisle comes a lyrical story about one girl’s discovery of her startling past—and her search to understand her complicated present. Joelle’s height and dark skin set her apart from everyone in Marshfield. It’s no secret that she’s adopted, but...

In “this enchanting story about friendship,” two fourth grade girls discover a magical world hidden in one’s backyard (Publishers Weekly). No fourth grader trusts Sara-Kate Connolly. Her boots are dirty, her clothes are weird, and she’s so maladjusted that the school had to hold her...

In search of the truth about his heritage, Walter only finds more mystery Walter Kew has grown up without a past. Orphaned since birth and raised by his grandparents, he knows nothing about his parents, who died in an accident. Obsessively curious about the mother he never knew, he turns to...

Poco is horrified when Angela’s cat disappears while under her watch. Is magic involved? Together, Angela, Poco, and Georgina have investigated some peculiar happenings. They are just on the verge of a major magical breakthrough when Angela’s father moves to Mexico, taking Angela and breaking...

An ALA Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017 “Striking, enigmatic, and haunting all around.” —Booklist (starred review) “A suspenseful, realistic, finely crafted story exploring friendship, trust, and how we judge others.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Newbery...

In a forgotten small town, one girl and a hundred cats are about to do something spectacular Applesap is a small town smack dab in the middle of New York state, and beyond that geographical oddity, there isn’t much special about it. It has a dress shop, a run-down movie theater, and two old-fashioned...

War is coming, and it will take two very unusual friends to avert a showdown in the town of Forest Upper Forest is the kingdom of an ancient clan of squirrels. For years they have lived and died in the trees, building an elaborate civilization high above the earth. Since man came to Forest,...

An ancient oak tree has seen glory and tragedy—but nothing quite as spectacular as the showdown that’s brewing For nearly a thousand years, the Dimpole Oak has towered over this small East Coast town, witnessing the passage of history: duels and revolution, lovers’ trysts and traitors’...

When three kittens are carelessly thrown off the back of a truck, none of the highway cats know what to make of them. They seem to have some sort of appeal?an energy, even?that Khalia Koo, Jolly Roger and the rest of the mangy, feral cats don?t understand. But there are bigger issues to figure out...

The War At Home Fear permeates the Rhode Island coastal town where Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war with his paternal grandparents: Fear of Nazi submarines offshore. Fear of Abel Hoffman, a German artist living reclusively outside of town. And for Robert, a more personal...