Erika M Szabo

According to the hundred-year-old legend, children disappeared in Seven Pines every year to never be found again. People suspected that the old bakery in the woods was under the spell of evil forces and warned their children not to go near the old building. Best friends Albert and Timmy were mean bullies and nobody liked them. One day a group of children that were fed up with the daily torture of name calling and pushing and shoving, dared them to go into the old building at night to see if it's really haunted. Albert accepted the dare and although Timmy had his doubts, he went along with his best friend. What will they find in the old bakery? Is the legend true and they will disappear forever as many children did who had entered the building? For teachers and parents, a literary enrichment kit is available for this book, created by Lorraine Carey, author and Literacy Specialist. The kit includes: List of comprehension questions from the story (story comprehension) Character analysis for Timmy, Albert or Donny (compare and contrast) Vocabulary word study and concept words (vocabulary) Write a letter to the witch (letter writing) Do some research on Virginia and Seven Pines area (Geography target) Make a poster to announce the opening of the new bakery (art) Students write a script for reader's theatre (active participation) Request the literary enrichment kit via email: [email protected]

Golden Book Award Winner heroic fantasy adventure for kids 8-17. A fun, humorous and touching story with plenty of character interaction woven into a backdrop of scary danger, heroic action and lessons to be learned. Nikki and Jack conquer their fears, gain courage, and become warriors in the battle against evil.

Nikki and Jack return to Creepy Hollow in this new, action-packed fantasy adventure for middle-grade children and young adults. On her 13th birthday, Nikki discovers she has magical powers. During a surprise attack by the giant Mutanto, his henchmen Howler and a gang of Werewolves, Wishbone, Ghoulina and Catman arrive to save the kids and tell them about Evila the Grim Witch's plans to conquer Creepy Hollow. Nikki also learns the truth about what happened to her parents twelve years ago. She and Jack go back to Creepy Hollow with their friends to help them defeat Evila. Jack discovers he can talk to animals when they meet a herd of Wild Horses and he becomes friends with Champ, the clumsy young colt, and Sparky, the orphaned dragon. Together, Nikki and Jack conquer their fears and gain courage, and in the final battle against Evila and her minions they grow into the warriors they were destined to become.

Golden Book Award Winner, spooky and funny heroic fantasy adventure for middle-grade children and young adults. Nikki and her impish cousin, Jack, find a mysterious black pumpkin in the forest on Halloween. A wise talking skeleton, Wishbone, tells them that the ghosts of the Trinity of Wishmothers are trapped inside. The children offer their help, so the skeleton takes them on a journey to the realm of Creepy Hollow to retrieve the three wands he hid long ago in Red Crow Forest, the Tower of Shadows, and the Cave of Spooks. On her 13th birthday, Nikki discovers she has magical powers. Nikki and Jack return to Creepy Hollow. They conquer their fears and gain courage, and in the final battle against Evila and her minions they grow into the warriors they were destined to become.

Nikki and Jack return to Creepy Hollow in this new, action-packed fantasy adventure for middle-grade children and young adults. On her 13th birthday, Nikki discovers she has magical powers. During a surprise attack by the giant Mutanto, his henchmen Howler and a gang of Werewolves, Wishbone, Ghoulina and Catman arrive to save the kids and tell them about Evila the Grim Witch's plans to conquer Creepy Hollow. Nikki also learns the truth about what happened to her parents twelve years ago. She and Jack go back to Creepy Hollow with their friends to help them defeat Evila. Jack discovers he can talk to animals when they meet a herd of Wild Horses and he becomes friends with Champ, the clumsy young colt, and Sparky, the orphaned dragon. Together, Nikki and Jack conquer their fears and gain courage, and in the final battle against Evila and her minions they grow into the warriors they were destined to become. Editorial review: I had the pleasure of editing The Power of the Sapphire Wand: Creepy Hollow Adventures 2, by Erika M. Szabo and Joe Bonadonna, and was instantly swept up into an adventure of limitless possibilities. Though written for children, I as an adult felt drawn into a mystical place where anything can happen-where children can be mighty warriors, and battle the forces of evil; where animals talk, and join in the fight; where queens and princesses join forces with commoners to save their people and their land; and where wishes really do come true. The Power of the Sapphire Wand is a wonderful, imaginative tale of adventure that is filled with exquisite original illustrations by Erika Szabo, and though it is the perfect Halloween treat, I find that it is a timeless tale that can be enjoyed by children of all ages anywhere, at any time of year. Lee Porche

Golden Book Award Winner, spooky and funny heroic fantasy adventure for middle-grade children. Nikki and her impish cousin, Jack, find a mysterious black pumpkin in the forest on Halloween. A wise talking skeleton, Wishbone, tells them that the ghosts of the Trinity of Wishmothers are trapped inside the pumpkin and can't be freed without their wands. The children offer their help, so the skeleton takes them on a journey to the world of Creepy Hollow to retrieve the three wands he hid long ago in Red Crow Forest, the Tower of Shadows, and the Cave of Spooks. Ghoulina, the beautiful vegetarian ghoul, and Catman, who was once a man, join them on their quest. They must face danger and conquer evil every step of the way as they search for the Wands before the wicked Hobgoblin and his henchman, a Tasmanian Devil, can get their hands on them. This is a fun, humorous and touching story for kids, with plenty of character interaction woven into a backdrop of scary danger, heroic action and lessons to be learned." Szabo and Bonadonna's story crackles with action and excitement. Their storytelling moves with the speed of lightning, but never lets the reader get lost. The atmosphere is just spooky enough to be fun but never enough to be too scary.""As a teacher, I look for books that teach a good lesson and this one will not disappoint. I recommend this book for home or school libraries.""A cast of endearing (and some not so sweet) characters, non-stop action and plenty of twists and turns engages and delights.""This story is intriguing and adventurous. It is engaging, well written and easy to read."

Terry is struggling to learn numbers. Pansy, Terry's dog, and Pansy's best friend, Oliver, the hedgehog, want to help but they don't know how. When Terry wakes up in the morning, she tells her mother that the fairy showed her the numbers in her dream. Her mother doesn't believe her, but her grandmother says with a playful smile on her face, "Maybe there is a Number Fairy, sweet pea... Maybe there is." From the proceeds the author donates paperback books to non-profit book charities for children.

Sarah, Emma's mom, promised to bird-sit Pico for two weeks but soon regrets her decision because the noisy parrot keeps screeching and squawking all day, annoying her family and the neighbors. When Pico makes a mess of Emma's room, Emma gets very angry, but her friends help her. Charlotte notices that Pico seems sad, and Pedro finds out why Pico is shrieking so loudly all the time. The parrot is frustrated because nobody pays attention to him, and nobody understands what he wants. The purpose of this English and Spanish bilingual book is to show children the beauty of another language, and that learning a new language doesn't have to be boring, it could be fun. The story also delivers a message that when we don't take the time to listen to each other, we tend to judge others quickly before we get to know them. Sarah, la mam de Emma, prometi cuidar de Pico durante dos semanas pero pronto se arrepiente de su decisi n porque el ruidoso loro se pasa todo el d a parloteando y chillando, molestando a su familia y vecinos. Cuando Pico desordena la habitaci n de Emma, ella se enfada mucho pero sus amigos la ayudan. Charlotte se da cuenta de que Pico parece triste y Pedro averigua porqu Pico est chillando tan alto todo el tiempo. El p jaro est frustrado porque nadie sabe lo que quiere ni le presta atenci n. La propuesta de este libro biling e ingl s y espa ol es mostrar a los ni os la belleza de otra lengua y que aprender un nuevo idioma no tiene que ser aburrido, y puede ser divertido. La historia tambi n transmite el mensaje de que cuando no nos tomamos tiempo para escucharnos los unos a los otros, tendemos a juzgar r pidamente antes de llegar a conocernos.

Sandra ensena a su familia y amigos a comunicarse con personas con discapacidad auditiva. Este divertido libro ilustrado lleva un importante mensaje para los ninos, como aprender a no juzgar o burlarse de alguien solo porque es diferente. La vida de algunas personas con discapacidad no es divertida y vivir con una discapacidad conlleva muchos retos, pero nosotros podemos hacer sus vidas mas faciles en vez de mas dificiles. Cuando la abuela Rosa perdio la audicion, Los padres de Sandra se sintieron frustrados y tristes. No sabian que hacer y como aprender a comunicarse mejor con ella. Ellos intentaban gritar, cambiar el tono de voz o acercarse a su oido cuando se dirigian a ella, pero no servia de nada. Rosa podia oir algunos sonidos claramente, pero otros no podia escucharlos bien. Para ellos se convirtio en una lucha diaria poder comunicarse y empezaron a echar de menos las reconfortantes conversaciones de sobremesa.

Sandra ense a a su familia y amigos a comunicarse con personas con discapacidad auditiva. Este divertido libro ilustrado lleva un importante mensaje para los ni os, como aprender a no juzgar o burlarse de alguien s lo porque es diferente. La vida de algunas personas con discapacidad no es divertida y vivir con una discapacidad conlleva muchos retos, pero nosotros podemos hacer sus vidas m s f ciles en vez de m s dif ciles. Cuando la abuela Rosa perdi la audici n, Los padres de Sandra se sintieron frustrados y tristes. No sab an qu hacer y c mo aprender a comunicarse mejor con ella. Ellos intentaban gritar, cambiar el tono de voz o acercarse a su o do cuando se dirig an a ella, pero no serv a de nada. Rosa pod a o r algunos sonidos claramente, pero otros no pod a escucharlos bien. Para ellos se convirti en una lucha diaria poder comunicarse y empezaron a echar de menos las reconfortantes conversaciones de sobremesa. -Mira, abuela -le dijo entusiasmada-, puedo mostrarte las letras con mis dedos cuando no puedas escuchar lo que te digo. - Qu quieres decir con "mostrar las letras con tus dedos"? -la abuela Rosa pregunt . -He encontrado una p gina web para personas con discapacidad auditiva y explica c mo pueden comunicarse entre ellos sin hablar. Hay un signo para cada letra y cada n mero, que ellos pueden hacer con sus manos. Podemos aprender los signos juntas, y cuando no puedas escuchar el sonido, yo puedo mostr rtelo -Sandra sonri feliz. -Oh, creo que es una idea maravillosa, Sandra. -Los ojos de la abuela Rosa brillaron con entusiasmo- Pero parece un poco dif cil, t crees que yo podr a aprender los signos? -Por supuesto que puedes, abuela; y podemos aprender juntas. Y lo hicieron. Ellas demostraron que con amor, compasi n y trabajando duro se pueden superar los obst culos que conlleva la discapacidad auditiva.