When Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, he thinks that maybe it’s going to be a bad day. When he trips on the skateboard by his bed and drops his sweater in the sink, he knows it’s going to be even worse than he thought. His brothers find fabulous prizes in their cereal boxes; he finds cereal. His best friends get fancy desserts in their lunch boxes; Mom forgets dessert. From being scrunched in the car on the way to school all the way to lima beans for supper and kissing on TV (yuck!), the day just keeps getting worse. It’s enough to make him want to move to Australia. A popular and prolific author of children’s books, Judith Viorst writes so that kids can recognize themselves in her stories. Johnny Heller’s sympathetic reading lets the child in everybody identify with Alexander’s predicament and his temptation to go somewhere far away.

Judith Viorst’s most adored book is undoubtedly the children’s classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In this new book, fans will recognize and be drawn to the Alexander they know and love-only now he’s all grown up, with three kids of his own.
When Judith’s son Alexander announces that he, his wife, Marla, their daughter, Olivia (age five), and their two sons, Isaac (age two) and Toby (four months), would be staying with her and her husband for ninety days while their house was being renovated, Judy doesn’t know quite how to repond. “I tried to think of it as a magnificent, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only to strengthen family ties and not only to really get to know the grandchildren, but also to further my personal growth while also achieving marital enrichment.” She decides that she’ll have to learn to let go of her excessive devotion to domestic neatness and adherence to carefully planned schedules.
As Judith’s tightly run home turns into a high-octane madhouse of screaming grandkids, splattered floors, spilled milk, and tripped-over toys, she begins to understand that, despite the chaos, what she’s been given truly is an amazing thing, an opportunity to know her children and grandchildren a little better than before, but also to reconnect with her husband as they hold hands, close their eyes, and wait patiently for move-out day.
When the “Alexander Five” make a final departure to their newly refurbished home, Judith realizes that Alexander’s wonderful, marvelous, excellent, terrific ninety days might have been the greatest gift her son could have given her-the gift of discovering forgotten memories, making loving families, and a chance to live life a little more deeply.

Alexander’s two brothers have money in their pockets. All he has are bus tokens. It isn’t fair. He had money last Sunday when his grandparents gave them each a dollar. Now it’s all gone. At first he was saving the money for a walkie-talkie. But saving money is hard. He bought gum with some of the money, but when it stopped tasting good, he had to buy more. Good-bye 15 cents. Then Eddie offered to rent him his snake for an hour, and he couldn’t pass up a chance like that. Betting his brother that he could hold his breath while he counted to 300 wasn’t a good idea, either. He’ll never own that walkie-talkie! Judith Viorst has a gift for getting inside a little boy’s head and making sense of what goes on there. Paired with Johnny Heller’s acting talent, the result is a good chuckle, laced with real compassion, for the child in everyone.

Alexander’s dad has a new job a thousand miles away, so now his family has to move. Alexander would rather have poison ivy. Maybe he could live with the Baldwins and their dog. He’s always wanted a dog. How can he leave Rachel, his favorite baby-sitter, who taught him to stand on his head and whistle with two fingers (but not at the same time)? And his best friend Paul, who’s like a brother, except that he doesn’t call Alexander “puke-face” like his real brother does? Just as Alexander is ready to hide from his parents, Dad decides that a boy might need a dog to make the move easier. And Mom says he can call Paul long distance. He’s already memorized the number. Johnny Heller’s interpretation of this popular best-seller is a fun listening experience for children of all ages. Judith Viorst’s remarkable empathy for children shines brilliantly once again.

New York Times best-selling author Judith Viorst is well-known for her popular children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Here Viorst crafts a magnificent tale about a young girl determined to get her way. It’s Lulu’s birthday, and she wants a pet for a present. Not just any pet will do, though-Lulu MUST have a brontosaurus. But when her parents tell her that’s impossible, Lulu makes her way through the forest to prove them wrong.

Lulu is getting the sister she never asked for in this hilarious illustrated chapter book filled with hilarious hijinks and fiesty twists from Judith Viorst. Lulu has received the worst. News. EVER. She’s getting.a baby sister. No one ever asked HER opinion on this debacle. But she’ll tell you anyway, because she no how, no way, no thank you wants a sibling. Undeterred, and to prepare Lulu for big sisterhood, her parents bribe-AHEM, ask-Lulu to attend Camp Sisterhood, a.k.a. big sister training camp. As a Sister-in-Training (SIT), Lulu is assigned a variety of temporary little “siblings” who are supposed to be so much fun Lulu will become excited to have a permanent sibling of her own. Well, no one ever said Camp Sisterhood was supposed to teach Lulu how to be a good big sister, so Lulu resolves to be a bad big sister. She insults her little siblings. She taunts them with secrets. She even tricks one of them into carrying both of their backpacks up a mountain! But no matter what Lulu does, she can’t shake the little terrors. Then some BITs (brothers-in-training) from the neighboring Camp Brotherhood start picking on Lulu’s siblings, and Lulu responds by doing her red-faced, steam-coming-out-of-her-ears thing and showing those BITs who’s boss! After all, Lulu’s siblings may be duds, but they’re her duds, and sisters have to stick together. Besides, in the end, Lulu figures that having a little sister probably won’t be as bad as a getting a tooth pulled. Probably.

Feisty Lulu sets out to earn some cash in this chapter book from children’s book legends Judith Viorst and Lane Smith. The stubbornly hilarious Lulu has decided it’s time to buckle down and earn some cash. How else can she save up enough money to buy the very special thing that she is ALWAYS and FOREVER going to want? After some failed attempts at lucrative gigs (baking cookies, spying, reading to old people), dog walking seems like a sensible choice. But Brutus, Pookie, and Cordelia are not interested in making the job easy, and the infuriatingly helpful neighborhood goody-goody, Fleischman, has Lulu at the end of her rope. And with three wild dogs at the other end, Lulu’s patience is severely tested. Will she ever make a friend-or the money she needs? In this standalone sequel to Lulu and the Brontosaurus, industry legends Judith Viorst and Lane Smith once again prove that even the loudest, rudest, and most obstinate of girls can win us over.

This irresistible illustrated chapter book starring Judith Viorst’s Lulu is full of hilarious hijinks, delightful twists, and a top-secret mission! Eeny meeny miney mo, That babysitter’s got to go. Lulu has put her tantrum-throwing days behind her. That is, until her parents announce that they are going on vacation-WITHOUT LULU. Not only that, but they are leaving her with the formidable Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky, who says hello by bellowing, “The Eagle has landed,” and smiles at you with the kind of smile that an alligator might give you before eating you for dinner. The second her parents are out of the house, Lulu tries out several elaborate schemes to bring them straight back. But just when she seems to finally be making some headway, her babysitter reveals an astonishing secret.one that has Lulu crossing her fingers that her parents will go on vacation all the time-without her!

Drawing on psychoanalysis, literature, and personal experience, Necessary Losses is a philosophy for understanding and accepting life’s inevitabilities.
In this book, Judith Viorst turns her considerable talents to a serious and far-reaching subject: how we grow and change through the losses that are a certain and necessary part of life. She argues persuasively that through the loss of our mothers’ protection, the loss of the impossible expectations we bring to relationships, the loss of our younger selves, and the loss of our loved ones through separation and death, we gain deeper perspective, true maturity, and fuller wisdom about life. She has written a book that is both life-affirming and life-changing.