Our Blog

An army of toys, a menacing threat, and a thrilling adventure collide in the high-stakes sequel to Spark and the League of Ursus.

Spark may be a cute and cuddly teddy bear, but she’s also a fierce protector. Weeks after rescuing her human owner—a budding young filmmaker named Loretta—from a hideous monster, everything seems to be returning to normal. But then Spark is summoned before the mysterious Grand Sleuth, the high council of teddy bears, who task her with a dangerous mission: locating the portal to the monster’s world.

During her daring quest, Spark discovers a terrible secret that changes everything. In order to keep Loretta and their whole town safe, she must enlist the help of her loyal toy friends and team up with an unexpected ally. As the menace grows, Spark realizes that Loretta has a hidden power that may be the key to saving them all . . .

This dark middle grade fantasy is perfect for fans of the Nightmares! series and Holly Black’s Doll Bones.

If you could have an adventure in New York City, where would you go? Curious readers will find plenty of sights, smells, and tastes to explore in this illustrated pick-your-own-path travel guide series.

Would you walk the Brooklyn Bridge for a huge slice of pizza, see the dazzling lights in Times Square, or visit the whale at the Museum of Natural History? With Little Kid, Big City!: New York you can create your own itinerary by choosing where to go next at the end of every page! Whether you're an armchair traveler or a real-life tourist, here are dozens of ways to explore iconic sights, venture to nearby locales, and wander off the beaten path. 

In this first book in the Little Kid, Big City series—in which travel guides collide with an interactive format—kids are empowered to imagine, create, and explore their own routes through the world's greatest cities. Featuring whimsical illustrations, lovable characters, an invaluable resources section, and a foldout map, Little Kid, Big City has everything you need to invent your own adventure! 

Coming in June 2021, Little Kid, Big City!: London

Moving, funny, and totally true childhood biographies of Bill Gates, Madam C. J. Walker, Hedy Lamarr, Walt Disney, and 12 other international innovators. 

Throughout history people have experimented, invented, and created new ways of doing things. Kid Innovators tells the stories of a diverse group of brilliant thinkers in fields like technology, education, business, science, art, and entertainment, reminding us that every innovator started out as a kid. Florence Nightingale rescued baby mice. Alan Turing was a daydreamer with terrible handwriting. And Alvin Ailey felt like a failure at sports.

Featuring kid-friendly text and full-color illustrations, readers will learn about the young lives of people like Grace Hopper, Steve Jobs, Reshma Saujani, Jacques Cousteau, the Wright Brothers, William Kamkwamba, Elon Musk, Jonas Salk, and Maria Montessori.

Comic Quests is a series of interactive, pick-your-panel graphic novels for middle grade readers, full of adventure, puzzles, and fun! Knights Club is a hilarious, medieval-themed quest for bravery and glory.

You’ve been training to be a valiant knight, and now the prince of Nekashu needs your help: the princess of the orcs has been taken by a band of vikings! Solve riddles, traverse mountains, and fight giants and dragons to reach the princess and bring her safely home. Your success depends on your choices alone, because the hero is you!

From 12-year-old dog-loving Gideon Kidd of the viral Twitter account I’ve Pet That Dog comes a guide for young readers to befriend and care for dogs of all shapes, sizes, and personalities!   

Pet That Dog! A Handbook for Making Four-Legged Friends is an illustrated guide to meeting, petting, and caring for dogs by Gideon and his mom, Rachel Braunigan. Learn how dogs communicate through body language, helpful tips for safely interacting with dogs, and fun facts about dogs to share with friends. (Did you know that all-white dogs are more likely to be deaf? Or that dogs poop in alignment with the north-south axis of the Earth’s magnetic field?) You can even keep track of the pups you meet with your very own Dog Tracker.

With an interactive format and joyful illustrations of lovable dogs, Pet That Dog! makes a perfect gift for dog lovers and dog-curious kids.

“Grab a flashlight and burrow under the covers! Spark and the League of Ursus is the perfect bedtime adventure, with a fierce, fluffy hero you’ll want by your side when the lights go out.”—Kirsten Miller, New York Times bestselling co-author of Nightmares!

Toy Story meets Stranger Things in this epic tale of warrior teddy bears and the children they protect.

Spark is not your average teddy bear. She’s soft and cuddly, sure, but she’s also a fierce warrior. At night she fulfills her sacred duty: to protect the household from monsters. But Spark’s owner Loretta is growing up and thinks she doesn’t need her old teddy anymore.

When a monster unlike any other descends on the quiet home, everything changes. Children are going missing, and the monster wants Loretta next. Only Spark can stop it. She must call upon the ancient League of Ursus—a secret alliance of teddy bears who are pledged to protect their human friends. Together with an Amazon-princess doll and a timid sock monkey, the bears are all that stands between our world and the one that lies beneath. It will be a heroic chapter in the history of the League . . . if the bears live to tell the tale.

The adventure continues in Spark and the Grand Sleuth.