Every little girl goes through her princess phase, whether she wants to be Snow White or Cinderella, Belle or Ariel. But then we grow up. And life is not a fairy tale.
Christine Heppermann's collection of fifty poems puts the ideals of fairy tales right beside the life of the modern teenage girl. With piercing truths reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins, this is a powerful and provocative book for every young woman. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls it "a bloody poetic attack on the beauty myth that's caustic, funny, and heartbreaking."
Cruelties come not just from wicked stepmothers, but also from ourselves. There are expectations, pressures, judgment, and criticism. Self-doubt and self-confidence. But there are also friends, and sisters, and a whole hell of a lot of power there for the taking. In fifty poems, Christine Heppermann confronts society head on. Using fairy tale characters and tropes, Poisoned Apples explores how girls are taught to think about themselves, their bodies, and their friends. The poems range from contemporary retellings to first-person accounts set within the original tales, and from deadly funny to deadly serious. Complemented throughout with black-and-white photographs from up-and-coming artists, this is a stunning and sophisticated book to be treasured, shared, and paged through again and again.

Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty

Teen & Young Adult

Heppermann, Christine

Literature & Fiction

Greenwillow Books

Sadie's Story (Backyard Witch, 1)

A must-have for newly independent readers and fans of Ivy + Bean and Clementine! The first of a new series starring three young girls and a mysterious visitor who appears exactly when you need her—with just the right amount of magic.
Sadie has two best friends: Jess and Maya. But Jess can only take one friend on vacation with her, and Sadie is the one who gets left behind. How will Sadie ever survive the days of loneliness and boredom? But wait . . . what is that in her old playhouse in the backyard? A witch has moved in! A kind and funny witch, who’s looking for her own two lost friends. Together, Sadie and the witch have a curious adventure, one that makes Sadie see her neighborhood—and herself—with new eyes. Acclaimed authors Ron Koertge and Christine Heppermann—writing together and for younger readers for the first time—have created a heroine to rival Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle. Short chapters, a satisfying mystery, gentle humor, magical dazzle, and adorable black-and-white illustrations throughout by debut artist Deborah Marcero make this an ideal pick for readers of Ivy + Bean, Just Grace, and Kate DiCamillo’s young novels.

Children's Books

Koertge, Ron

Animals

The second book of the Backyard Witch series, by acclaimed authors Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge, starring Ms. M, the witch who the Horn Book calls “a combination of Mary Poppins and a stand-up comedian.” A must-have for newly independent readers and fans of Ivy + Bean, Clementine, and the Food Network!
Jess is a superstar on the field and on the court. Soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis—you name it, she loves it. But she’s a disaster in the kitchen, much to the dismay of her chef mother. When Jess’s mom gets a chance to work in a famous kitchen for a week, Jess and her friends, Sadie and Maya, try to help out by making dinner. And . . . let’s just say that it goes up in flames. Enter Ms. M, the mysterious witch who appears right when you need her! Ms. M is a heroine to rival Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle. She doesn’t save the day herself, but she helps everyone save it for themselves.
Short chapters filled with illustrator Deborah Marcero’s striking, lively black-and-white illustrations make the Backyard Witch series a must-have for young middle grade readers. Includes a recipe and information about cooking and gardening.

Jess's Story (Backyard Witch, 2)

The second book of the Backyard Witch series by acclaimed authors Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge, starring Ms. M, the mysterious witch who appears just when you need her. Booklist called Jess’s Story a “humorous, bewitching tale.” A must-have for newly independent readers and fans of Ivy + Bean, Clementine, and the Food Network!
Jess is a superstar on the field and on the court. Soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis—you name it, she loves it. But she’s a disaster in the kitchen, much to the dismay of her mother, who is a chef. When Jess’s mom gets a chance to work in a famous kitchen for a week, Jess and her friends, Sadie and Maya, try to help out by making dinner. And . . . let’s just say the attempt goes up in flames. Enter Ms. M, the mysterious witch who appears right when you need her! Ms. M is a heroine to rival Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Ms. Frizzle. Ms. M doesn’t save the day herself; she helps everyone save it themselves.
Acclaimed authors Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge have a knack for sly, gentle humor; satisfying challenges and triumphs; and magical dazzle. Short chapters filled with illustrator Deborah Marcero’s striking, lively black-and-white illustrations make the Backyard Witch series a must-have for young middle grade readers. Includes a recipe and information about cooking and gardening.

Maya's Story (Backyard Witch, 3)

The third book of the Backyard Witch series stars a spelling bee almost-champion, an imaginary chicken, and Ms. M, the mysterious witch who always appears when you need her.
From acclaimed authors Christine Heppermann and Ron Koertge, this fun-filled friendship story is just right for fans of Ivy + Bean, Dory Fantasmagory, and Clementine.
Maya has been preparing for the school spelling bee F-O-R-E-V-E-R. She spells every unusual word she hears and even enlists her best friends, Sadie and Jess, to help her practice. But on the day of the bee, something terrible happens—Maya loses. To Sadie.
Enter Ms. M, who is substituting for the school librarian. Ms. M always knows just how to make everyone feel better . . . but she also always brings a little mischief. This time it involves a library poltergeist and an imaginary chicken!
Short chapters filled with illustrator Deborah Marcero’s striking, lively black-and-white illustrations make the Backyard Witch series a must-have for young middle grade readers.

How do you define yourself? By your friends? Your family? Your boyfriend? Your grades? Your trophies? Your choices? By a single choice? From the author of the acclaimed Poisoned Apples comes a novel in verse about a young woman and the aftermath of a life-altering decision. Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins will find the powerful questions, the difficult truths, and the inner strength that speak to them in Ask Me How I Got Here.
Addie has always known what she was running toward, whether in cross country, in her all-girls Catholic school, or in love. Until she and her boyfriend—her sensitive, good-guy boyfriend—are careless one night, and she gets pregnant. Addie makes the difficult choice to have an abortion. And after that—even though she knows it was the right decision for her—nothing is the same. She doesn’t want anyone besides her parents and her boyfriend to know what happened; she doesn’t want to run cross country anymore; she can’t bring herself to be excited about anything. Until she reconnects with Juliana, a former teammate who’s going through her own dark places. Once again, Christine Heppermann writes with an unflinching honesty and a deep sensitivity about the complexities of being a teenager, being a woman. Her free verse poems are moving, provocative, and often full of wry humor and a sharp wit.

Ask Me How I Got Here

How do you forgive yourself--and the people you love--when a shocking discovery leads to a huge mistake? Acclaimed author Christine Heppermann's novel-in-verse tackles betrayals and redemption among family and friends with her signature unflinching--but always sharply witty--style. For fans of Elana K. Arnold, Laura Ruby, and A. S. King. When Jorie wakes up in the loft bed of a college boy she doesn't recognize, she's instantly filled with regret. What happened the night before? What led her to this place? Was it her father's infidelity? Her mother's seemingly weak acceptance? Her recent breakup with Ian, the boy who loved her art and supported her through the hardest time of her life? As Jorie tries to reconstruct the events that led her to this point, free verse poems lead the reader through the current morning, as well as flashbacks to her relationships with her parents, her friends, her boyfriend, and the previous night. With&nbsp;Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ask Me How I Got Here,&nbsp;Christine Heppermann established herself as a vital voice in thought-provoking and powerful feminist writing for teens. Her&nbsp;poetry is surprising, wry, emotional, and searing.&nbsp;What Goes Up&nbsp;is by turns a scorchingly funny and a deeply emotional story that asks whether it's possible to support and love someone despite the risk of being hurt. Readers of Laura Ruby, E. K. Johnston, Elana K. Arnold, and Laurie Halse Anderson will find a complicated heroine they won't soon forget.

What Goes Up

“Animal-loving city and country kids alike will find this worth clucking about.” —The BulletinJust outside of downtown Minneapolis, follow the sound of crowing and you will find Mary Britton Clouse’s Chicken Run Rescue. Over the years, Mary and her husband have given hundreds of homeless birds a safe place to rest until they can be adopted by caring families. Each chicken has a story to share, and the author (who adopted her own chicken) has crafted a spare, moving, and at times humorous text that will open young readers’ eyes and also inspire them to help all creatures great and small.

City Chickens

Clarion Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Heppermann, Christine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Heppermann, Christine

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Heppermann, Christine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty

Sadie's Story (Backyard Witch, 1)

Sadie's Story (Backyard Witch, 1)

Jess's Story (Backyard Witch, 2)

Jess's Story (Backyard Witch, 2)

Maya's Story (Backyard Witch, 3)

Maya's Story (Backyard Witch, 3)

Ask Me How I Got Here

What Goes Up

City Chickens