Mary Jane Auch Books In Order

Novels

  1. Journey to Nowhere (1997)
  2. Frozen Summer (1998)
  3. The Road to Home (2000)
  4. Ashes of Roses (2002)
  5. Wing Nut (2005)
  6. A Dog on His Own (2008)
  7. I Was a Third Grade Spy (2009)
  8. One-handed Catch (2009)
  9. Guitar Boy (2010)
  10. One Plus One Equals Blue (2013)

Picture Books

  1. Bird Dogs Can’t Fly (1993)
  2. Eggs Mark the Spot (1996)
  3. Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey’s Cautionary Tale (2007)
  4. The Easter Egg Farm (2008)
  5. The Plot Chickens (2009)
  6. The Princess and the Pizza (2012)
  7. The Buk Buk Buk Festival (2015)

Novels Book Covers

Picture Books Book Covers

Mary Jane Auch Books Overview

Journey to Nowhere

It is the spring of 1815, and eleven year old Remembrance ‘Mem’ Nye is leaving the comforts of her farm in Hartland, Connecticut, to settle in the wilderness of western New York. Lured by the promise of a better life in the Genesee Country, Mem and her family set off in a covered wagon. Here is the story of Mem’s unforgettable journey as she becomes separated from her family and then, after being reunited, almost loses them in a flood. The book illustrates the hardships of travel in the early pioneer days, when the wilderness was more thickly populated with bears, wolves, and mountain lions than with human beings. As Mem helps her family establish a foothold in the new land, she learns the importance of community and strong family connections. One of Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year

Frozen Summer

In 1815 Remembrance ‘Mem’ Nye and her family pack up their covered wagon and head for the Genesee Country in western New York for a better life. But their first summer in their new home proves more difficult than they ever imagined. Papa’s crops are ruined by the severe frosts, so food is scarce. And since the birth of baby Lily, Mama has been having terrible spells. Now Papa must rely on young Mem to take care of her sister and brother, and especially her sick mother. Mem’s struggles go from bad to worse when Mama and Lily disappear in the woods on a cold and stormy night. It’s up to Mem to find Mama and Lily and bring them safely home. In a powerful companion novel to the highly acclaimed Journey to Nowhere, twelve year old Mem comes face to face with the hardships that befell many early settlers. Mary Jane Auch writes about mental illness during pioneer times with compassion and hope in this gripping historical novel.

The Road to Home

Following Journey to Nowhere and Frozen Summer, this is the third novelin a powerful American pioneer trilogy.’I knew I couldn’t count on Papa any more, because no matter what he promised, he wasn’t reliable. But he had given me enough money to provide us food and shelter for a week. I held in my hand the power to get us home.’Since her mother passed away, thirteen year old Remembrance ‘Mem’ Nye is looking forward to the comfort of her grandmother’s arms, and help in caring for her two younger siblings. But when her family’s covered wagon reaches Rome, New York, just as the digging of the Erie Canal gets under way, Mem’s father decides to delay their journey home to join the canal crew. Soon it becomes apparent that Papa has no intention of making the rest of the trip to Connecticut, or of watching over his family. Mem resolves to take the children to Connecticut herself even if it means traveling by foot with very limited funds. Will the challenges be too much for even Mem’s courageous spirit?Mary Jane Auch brings her gripping pioneer trilogy to a satisfying close in this realistic portrayal of a brave young woman’s struggle during a difficult period in history.

Ashes of Roses

The honest and compelling story of a young girl’s newfound independence, from her entrance into a new country to her frightening involvement in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. My heart filled with fear and hope at the same time. I had the feeling that I was brought to America for a purpose. Something important would happen to me here.I remembered the words of the poem, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled mas*ses…
”Here we are, America,’ I whispered. ‘We’re just exactly what you ordered.’When she arrives on Ellis Island as a seventeen year old Irish immigrant, Rose Nolan is looking for a land of opportunities; what she finds is far from all she’d dreamed. Stubborn and tenacious, she refuses to give up. Left alone to fend for herself and her younger sister, Rose is thrust into a hard knock life of tenements and factory work. When the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 rushes into Rose’s life, her confusions are brought to an all too painful head. To whom and to what can she turn when everything around her is in ashes?

Wing Nut

rady Flood and his mom, Lila, have been on the road ever since Grady’s dad died seven years ago. When their old car breaks down, they find themselves stranded in rural Pennsylvania where Lila gets work as a cook and caretaker. There’s nothing out of the ordinary in that, unless you factor in her new employer. Eighty five year old Charlie Fernwald, a skilled mechanic and bird enthusiast, is definitely out of the ordinary. In fact, if Grady’s not mistaken, Charlie is a certifiable ‘Wing Nut.’ Grady and Lila plan to leave as soon as they have enough money to repair their car. For the time being, Grady figures, he can help Charlie with his birds and maybe even learn how to fix a car engine. But before he can do either, something goes terribly wrong. In her warm and engaging style, MJ Auch crafts a compelling novel about family, forgiveness, and the true meaning of home.

A Dog on His Own

‘I m not a stray, I m a free and independent dog!’ At least, that’s what K 10 likes to tell himself. But as his adventures bring him into contact with a range of dogs tiny but big hearted and hilarious Peppy, wise old Tucker, and most of all tart tongued Pearl, he begins to wonder if he might want to have a home after all. Then K 10 meets Adolf and Rotter, and his troubles really begin. Can A Dog on His Own survive a pair of ferocious bullies to find his way back to a home he never had? Filled with loveable canine characters, this dog s eye view of the world is both laugh out loud funny and deeply touching. Audie Award winning narrator William Dufris brings his unique blend of sensitivity and wacky humor to a charming novel that Booklist called ‘A compelling, affectionate story of opening not just one s home, but also one s heart.’

I Was a Third Grade Spy

Believe it or not-and you better believe it-Josh’s dog Arful can talk! This is very useful to Josh and his pals who want to win the school talent contest. First the boys have to find out what the girls are planning for the contest. That’s when they send Arful to get an earful by spying on the girls. Just wait until show time to see what Arful the spy uncovers.

One-handed Catch

Not even losing his hand can keep Norm from trying out for the baseball team What would life be like with only one hand? That’s exactly what eleven year old Norm finds out when he loses his left hand in an accident at his family s store. It s July 4, 1946. World War II has ended, and life is getting back to normal. But for Norm, the pressing question now is whether he will ever be able to play baseball again, or be an artist. It s up to Norm to find the strength to get beyond this roadblock and move on with his life.
Set against the quickening pace of life after wartime constraints, this inspiring novel is about an optimist who overcomes his misfortune with discipline and humor and fulfills his dreams in ways no one could have expected.

Guitar Boy

Travis Tacey doesn’t have it easy: his mom’s in the hospital suffering from brain trauma after a terrible car accident, and his father has lost his good sense in the aftermath and kicked him out. Homeless, penniless, and only fourteen years old, Travis tries to make money off of his singing and guitar playing skills. But when his beloved guitar-a family heirloom-is stolen, Travis grows desperate. By a stroke of luck, he gets a job helping a guitar maker. Through Travis’s love of music, his devotion to his family, and the kindness of strangers, he begins to find his way in the world. But how will he keep his family together?

Bird Dogs Can’t Fly

When his master shoots a wild goose and injures its wing, Blue, a hunting dog, refuses to retrieve the bird and instead keeps her company until her wing is healed. By the author of Peeping Beauty.

Eggs Mark the Spot

In a companion volume to The Easter Egg Farm, Pauline, a hen that can lay an egg with an image of whatever she is looking at, becomes a hero*ine when her special talent provides the vital clues to a burglary.

Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey’s Cautionary Tale

Beauty and her friends think Lance is the most conceited bird in the hen yard. From the moment the turkey arrives on the farm, he spends his time swaggering around The Chic Hen beauty shop, boasting that he is the only bird invited to a special feast. Determined not to let Lance ruffle her feathers, Beauty practices her favorite eggsercise flying and accidentally discovers just what kind of guest Lance will be at the feast. Can Beauty come up with a plan to save Lance before his life eggspires?

The Easter Egg Farm

Pauline the hen can’t concentrate well enough to lay an egg. The other hens call her lazy. But, then a wonderful thing happens. Pauline concentrates very hard and lays a most unsual egg, one with a pattern on it. Soon she lays more and a lady offers to buy all her eggs for the town’s annual Easter egg hunt. Then, the unexpected happens…
. Full color throughout.

The Plot Chickens

Henrietta loves to read. When she clucks buk, buk, buk at the library, the librarian knows exactly what to recommend. Then Henrietta decides to write a book. With the help of her three aunties, she hatches a plot. But when Henrietta publishes her story, the critics say she’s laid an egg! Is this the end of Henrietta’s career as an author?

The Princess and the Pizza

An out of work princess applies to become the bride of Prince Drupert, but first she must pass several tests, including a cooking contest.

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