Katie McGinty is finally big enough to have her own pet, and she's so excited! But she doesn't want a cat, or a dog, or a hamster. Katie wants a pet that's a little more unusual-and she has the perfect plan for taking care of it!

Once upon a slime, there was a Slodge. The first Slodge in the universe. She saw the first moon and stars, the first fruits and flowers. "Mine, all mine!" she said.But when she meets another Slodge, she might have to learn to share after all....

Meeting strangers makes shy possum Alfred anxious, and he plays dead. So he has trouble making friends—until Sophia the armadillo reveals that when she gets anxious, she rolls up in a ball. A witty friendship tale inspired by animal behavior. In this winsome tale, Alfred, who plays dead, and Sophia, who rolls up in a ball, stand in for shy or anxious humans whose discomfort keeps them from fitting in. Jennifer Black Reinhardt has cast animals with defense mechanisms as characters to tell an imaginative, endearing story about learning to make friends by mastering fear and shyness. Alfred and Sofia open up to each other and go on to help other creatures who have social difficulties by practicing patience, forgiveness, and friendship—tools for overcoming the barriers that keep us from connecting with others. An author’s note lists real animals and their defensive behaviors.

Anna has looked forward to her class field trip to the zoo, but from the time they board the bus she is pulled between her long-time best friend, Sadie, and new best friend, Isabel, who argue about everything and want Anna to take sides.