List Price: 5.99*

* Individual store prices may vary.

Another adventure starring irrepressible third-grader Marty McGuire, with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca.

After visiting a sanctuary for retired lab chimpanzees, Marty wants to follow in the footsteps of her idol Jane Goodall and help with their care. But "adopting a chimp" is expensive, so Marty and her third-grade pals hatch a plan to raise money by holding a talent show at school and opening a pet-sitting business in Marty's basement. It turns out that each pet has a personality of its own, and wrangling them is much harder than Marty expected. How will Marty keep her latest great idea from going to the dogs?

Praise for the MARTY MCGUIRE series:* "A quick, amusing read . . . a perfect match for its young intended audience." --KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review"Messner makes the most of Marty's story with a nicely differentiated cast of empathetic characters and plenty of dramatic range. The line-and-gray-wash illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winning artist Floca capture moments of anxiety, despair, and happiness with equal grace." --BOOKLIST"The standout here, however, is Marty herself, whose spirit and confidence carry . . . the novel. While the book is clearly targeted at early chapter-book readers, the spirited dialogue and hilarious descriptions make this a fine read-aloud candidate as well." --BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Kate Messner is the author of The Seventh Wish; All the Answers; The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., winner of the E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Older Readers; Capture the Flag, an SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner; Hide and Seek; Manhunt; and the Ranger in Time and Marty McGuire chapter book series. A former middle-school English teacher, Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and loves reading, walking in the woods, and traveling. Visit her online at katemessner.com.
Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal-winning book Locomotive. He also wrote and illustrated Lightship and Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, both Sibert Honor Books, and illustrated Avi's Poppy Stories series as well as Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan's Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring, also a Sibert Honor Book. Brian grew up in Texas and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Find him online at www.brianfloca.com.