Donna Jo Napoli

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Donna Jo Napoli's Latest Book

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  • Bibliography:
    83 Books (5 Series)
  • First Book:
    February 1988
  • Latest Book:
    April 2023
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Full Series List in Order

Angelwings

1 - Friends Everywhere (Oct-1999)
2 - Little Creatures (Oct-1999)
3 - On Her Own (2000)
4 - One Leap Forward (Dec-1999)
5 - Give and Take (Jan-2000)
6 - No Fair! (Jun-2001)
7 - April Flowers (Mar-2000)
8 - Playing Games (Apr-2000)
9 - Lies and Lemons (May-2000)
10 - Running Away (Jun-2000)
11 - Know-It-All (Jul-2000)
12 - New Voices (Aug-2000)
13 - Left Out (Oct-2000)
14 - Happy Holidays (Oct-2000)
15 - Partners (Feb-2001)
16 - Hang In There (Apr-2001)

Prince of the Pond

1 - The Prince of the Pond (Oct-1992)
2 - Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace (May-1995)
3 - Gracie, the Pixie of the Puddle (Jun-2004)

Sly the Sleuth

1 - Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries (Mar-2005)
2 - Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries (Apr-2006)
3 - Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries (Apr-2007)
4 - Sly the Sleuth and the Code Mysteries (Oct-2009)

Soccer Shock

1 - Soccer Shock (Nov-1991)
2 - Shark Shock (Oct-1994)
3 - Shelley Shock (Oct-2000)

Stones in Water

1 - Stones in Water (Oct-1999)
2 - Fire in the Hills (Oct-2008)

Multi-Author Series List

Fairytale Retellings: Beauty and the Beast

Beast (Nov-2000)

Fairytale Retellings: Snow White

Dark Shimmer (Sep-2015)

Fairytale Retellings: Cinderella

Bound (Nov-2004)

Fairytale Retellings: Hansel and Gretel

The Magic Circle (Jun-1993)

Fairytale Retellings: Rapunzel

Zel (Sep-1996)

Fairytale Retellings: The Frog Prince

The Prince of the Pond (Oct-1992)
Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace (May-1995)
Gracie, the Pixie of the Puddle (Jun-2004)

Fairytale Retellings: Rumpelstiltskin

Spinners (Aug-1999)

Fairytale Retellings: The Little Mermaid

Sirena (1998)

Book List in Order: 83 titles

  • The Hero of Barletta

  • Soccer Shock

    Soccer Shock - 1

  • The Prince of the Pond

    Prince of the Pond - 1
    Fairytale Retellings: The Frog Prince

    WHO IS THAT HANDSOME GREEN STRANGER? None of the pond dwellers has ever seen the peculiar new frog before. They found him sitting in a pile of human clothes outside the hag's house. What a strange frog he is! He gets his feet tangled when he tries...

  • The Magic Circle

    Fairytale Retellings: Hansel and Gretel

    If she keeps far enough away from humans, perhaps she won’t be forced to hurt them.   Deep in the woods lives the old witch called Ugly One. All she wants is to forget -- the she was once a loving mother and a healer, blessed and powerful with...

  • When the Water Closes Over My Head

  • Shark Shock

    Soccer Shock - 2

    Eleven-year-old Adam finds it easier to cope with some of his worries when he regains his ability to talk with his freckles and when he makes friends with a blind boy during the family's vacation at Cape May...

  • Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace

    Prince of the Pond - 2
    Fairytale Retellings: The Frog Prince

  • The Bravest Thing

    Can Laurel save her rabbit's newborn babies? Ten-year-old Laurel loves pets more than almost anything, so she's thrilled when her rabbit gives birth. But taking care of the bunnies isn't quite as easy as Laurel thought it would be. When Bun Bun re...

  • Zel

    Fairytale Retellings: Rapunzel

    High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need -- for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected -- until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the mar...



  • Song of the Magdalene

    The story of a teenage Mary Magdalene -- here called Miriam -- is finally told.... When the world goes dark and her mind explodes within her, Miriam's future is shattered. In ancient Israel such seizures make her unclean. If anyone finds out about th...

  • On Guard

    Excited by a fencing demonstration he happens to see, fourth grader Mikey starts taking lessons in hopes that the sport will make him special like his brother and sisters. By the author of Zel. Reprint....

  • Trouble on the Tracks

  • Sirena

    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy
    Fairytale Retellings: The Little Mermaid

    THE LURE OF SONG BRINGS LOVE...AND DEATH Sirena is cursed. She will not become immortal unless she is loved by a human man. The siren song she sings with her mermaid sisters makes men adore her -- yet it leads them to their deaths. That is why she h...

  • For the Love of Venice

    Romance and political action set against the mystery and beauty of modern-day Venice, Italy.

    Percy is reluctant to accompany his family to Venice for the summer until he meets Graziella, a beautiful and passionate girl who leads him into anot...

  • Changing Tunes

  • Spinners

    Fairytale Retellings: Rumpelstiltskin

    Elaborates on the events recounted in the fairy tale, "Rumpelstiltskin," in which a strange little man helps a miller's daughter spin straw into gold for the king on the condition that she will give him her first-born child. Reprint....

  • Crazy Jack

    Once there was a boy named Jack who traded away a cow for a handful of beans. But Jack was no fool, he was haunted since the day his father climbed up into the clouds and vanished. When the beans provide a way for Jack to pursue his father, he enters...

  • Friends Everywhere

    Angelwings - 1

    Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. The Little Angel of Friendship is the most popular angel around. He's pretty sure it won't take much for him to earn a few more feathers and get his flying wings. But there's a tough task ahead of hi...

  • Little Creatures

    Angelwings - 2

    How many feathers will it take? The Little Angel of Freedom can't wait till her wings are full of feathers. Then she'll hear a bell ring, and be able to fly. But to prove she's ready, she has to help out Simone, a little girl with a big problem. Si...



  • Stones in Water

    Stones in Water - 1

    When Roberto sneaks off to see a movie in his Italian village, he has no idea that life as he knows it is over. German soldiers raid the theater, round up the boys in the audience, and pack them onto a train. After a terrifying journey, Roberto and h...

  • One Leap Forward

    Angelwings - 4

    A new angel has to be brave. The Little Angel of Courage is ready for her wings. At least, she thinks she is. But is she brave enough to help Paul with his problem and earn the rest of her feathers? Paul likes to watch his sister's ballet class. Bu...

  • Give and Take

    Angelwings - 5

    The Little Angel of Generosity loves giving gifts to his friends, especially when he gets a gift in return. And he loves helping children, as long as he earns another feather for his wings. He's still learning what giving is all about when he meets a...

  • On Her Own

    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy
    Angelwings - 3

    Earning these feathers might be tough The Little Angel of Independence is used to working with a friend. But to earn enough feathers for his wings, he'll have to help a girl named Elena -- all by himself. Wherever Elena goes, her stuffed animal alw...

  • April Flowers

    Angelwings - 7

    The Little Angel of Understanding gets along with everyone -- except for the Little Angel of Learning. He uses big words, and the little angel doesn't always know what they mean. Will the Little Angel of Understanding be able to earn his wings if the...

  • Playing Games

    Angelwings - 8

    Imagine being a little angel... The Little Angel of Imagination loves to do creative things, like paint pictures and make up stories. And he always comes up with creative ways to help other people. But it will take a lot more than just imagination t...

  • Lies and Lemons

    Angelwings - 9

    he Little Angel of Honesty would never tell a lie. But sometimes she does forget to explain the whole truth to her friends. Before she can earn her wings, this little angel has a lot to learn about what being honest really means. And she has to help ...

  • Running Away

    Angelwings - 10

    A serious job for a little angel The Little Angel of Responsibility has a hard time finishing what she starts. She?s been working on the same knitting project for weeks. But something more interesting always seems to come up. This time, it?s helping...

  • Know-It-All

    Angelwings - 11

    Nick thinks he can figure out everything on his own. Why should he have to read books when he can make things up himself? It will take an important lesson from the Little Angel of Learning to change his mind....

  • New Voices

    Angelwings - 12

    Can T.J. accept her own voice? T.J. has always had a problem with certain words, and rather than say them wrong, sometimes she'd rather not talk at all. Can the Little Angel of Acceptance get her the help that she needs? Accept yourself....



  • Happy Holidays

    Angelwings - 14

    Finding happiness is sometimes hard -- even for angels. Raquel doesn't like the winter holidays. Everyone seems to get better presents than she does. And everyone seems happier than she is. Then one day she receives a mysterious note, telling her th...

  • Left Out

    Angelwings - 13

    Other people's feelings mattter Molly is angry and embarassed that her big sister, Amanda, has a baby. Now some of Molly's friends won't play with her, and they talk about her behind her back. Molly doesn't want anything to do with them, either. She...

  • Shelley Shock

    Soccer Shock - 3

    Adam, the eleven-year-old with the amazing talking freckles, is having girl trouble with one girl who seems to have a crush on him and another one who may take his place on the soccer team, in the sequel to Soccer Shock. Reprint....

  • Beast

    Fairytale Retellings: Beauty and the Beast

    Meet the Beast -- before there was BeautyOrasmyn is the prince of Persia and heir to the throne. His religion fills his heart and his mind, and he strives for the knowledge and leadership his father demonstrates. But on the day of the Feast of Sacrif...

  • Partners

    Angelwings - 15

    Why is everyone always so mean to Drew? Drew is miserable. He and his family have just moved to a new house in Florida and Drew has no one to play with. His sisters are mean and bossy, and his parents are too busy unpacking to pay attention to him. ...

  • Albert

  • Hang In There

    Angelwings - 16

    Everyone's good at something. Stanley can't seem to do anything right. He doesn't draw well, he's not good at sports, and sometimes it feels like his parakeet, Casper, is the only one who listens to him. What's the point of trying new things if he k...

  • No Fair!

    Angelwings - 6

    Even angels have a hard time playing fair The Little Angel of Fairness wants to treat all of her friends the same way, but sometimes it isn't easy. She's trying hard to earn her wings, and she really wants to get the best Angel assignments. But is i...

  • How Hungry Are You?

    A delightful introduction to simple division follows two friends, who decide to have a picnic, as they are joined by ten excited picnickers who each bring a special treat, but when another avid picnicker shows up with nothing to offer, their calculat...

  • Three Days

    While driving in the Italian countryside, eleven-year-old Jackie's father suddenly collapses at the wheel. Fear for her father's life quickly turns to terror when two Italian men kidnap her and drive to their remote home in the countryside.  Jac...



  • Rocky: The Cat Who Barks

    Rocky the dog has a difficult life when he first moves into a house with five cats, but when his stouthearted bark stops the naughty, teasing kids in their tracks, Rocky earns the respect of the felines and his place as an honorary cat....

  • Daughter of Venice

    In 1592, Donata is a noble girl living in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Girls of her class receive no education and rarely leave the palazzo. In a noble family, only one daughter and one son will be allowed to marry; Donata, like all younger daughter...

  • Flamingo Dream

    One day Mamma came early to get me from school. She told me Daddy was in the hospital. I knew that would happen.

    Indeed, the young narrator and her parents have talked about the fact that Daddy has cancer and is dying. Mamma...

  • The Great God Pan

    Pan, both goat and god, is a curious being who roams nature searching, wondering, and frolicking with maenads and satyrs. He plays melodies on his reed flute, wooing animals to listen. He is a creature of mystery and delight. One day in his travels, ...

  • Breath

    Salz is a boy afflicted with cystic fibrosis -- though in the Middle Ages in Saxony no one can identify it as such. Instead he is an outcast, living with his unfeeling father and superstitious brothers in a hovel outside Hameln. His grandmother has k...

  • Hotel Jungle

  • North

    Chanelle laughed. "You'd never have the guts to get near a polar bear in real life. And you'd never travel that far. You the mamma's boy, I hear."

    But Chanelle is wrong. Alvin has more guts than even he realizes. And he isn't a mamma's boy...

  • Gracie, the Pixie of the Puddle

    Prince of the Pond - 3
    Fairytale Retellings: The Frog Prince

    This latest installment in the entertaining Prince of the Pond series finds Gracie the frog attempting to win the heart of her friend Jimmy, who believes he is a prince, but a terrifying cook, an evil hag-turned-crocodile, and a spoiled princ...

  • Bound

    Fairytale Retellings: Cinderella

    YOUNG XING XING IS BOUND. Bound to her father's second wife and daughter after Xing Xing's father has passed away. Bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where the life of a woman is valued less than that of livestock. Bound ...

  • Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries

    Sly the Sleuth - 1

    There are some strange new pets in Sly's neighborhood: a cat on a diet that keeps getting fatter, a fish that seems angry at its owner, and a peculiar pet named Wilson that suddenly disappears! Only Sly the Sleuth can solve these mysteries. Grade-sc...



  • The King of Mulberry Street

    In 1892, nine-year-old Dom’s mother puts him on a ship leaving Italy, bound for America. He is a stowaway, traveling alone and with nothing of value except for a new pair of shoes from his mother. In the turbulent world of homeless children in Manh...

  • Pink Magic

    Nicky wishes he would get something really great in the mail. His sister, Eva, wants to help, so she asks their eccentric mail carrier to bring mail just for him. When the mail carrier finds out that Nicky likes pink, he arrives each day with pink su...

  • Ugly

  • Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries

    Sly the Sleuth - 2

    Sly (a.k.a. Sylvia) has newly set up shop as a neighborhood detective, and the advice from Kirkus Reviews is plain and simple: "Clear some shelf space" for this funny, engaging series.With each zany mystery brought to her by friends and parents -- th...

  • Bobby the Bold

  • Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries

    Sly the Sleuth - 3

    Sly (aka Sylvia) is now famous around the neighborhood for her problem-solving abilities. With her Sherlock Holmes type observations, Sly solves three new cases, each with a foody theme. And there are always lots of funny moments to keep kids laughin...

  • The Wishing Club

    Petey wishes on the first star he sees, but instead of the dollar he hopes for, he gets only a quarter. The next night his little brother Joey wishes for a cookie and gets just half of one. The twins, Sally and Samantha, don't fare much better.

    ...

  • Hush

    Melkorka is a princess, the first daughter of a magnificent kingdom in mediæval Ireland -- but all of this is lost the day she is kidnapped and taken aboard a marauding slave ship. Thrown into a world that she has never known, alongside people that ...

  • Corkscrew Counts

    At Corkscrew's party, everyone wants to play. Every game the kids try needs a different number of players, and they never have the right amount. The little pig and his parrot friend know how to solve the problem--if only they can get the kids to unde...

  • Fire in the Hills

    Stones in Water - 2

    It?s been two years since fifteen-year-old Roberto was kidnapped and forced to work in a German labor camp. After finally escaping, he?s made his way back to Italy. Roberto is desperate to return to the safety of his family, but how can he turn his b...

  • The Smile

    Hers is the most famous portrait in the world. Here, in prose as rich as the high Renaissance, is Mona Lisa's tale--a story of passion, intrigue, loss, and, most of all, love. Elisabetta longs for romance, though she thinks she is too plain. Then, on...

  • Ready to Dream

    Ally is so excited to be in Australia and can't wait to draw all the new animals that she'll see. But when she meets Pauline, an Aboriginal woman who's also an artist, Ally learns that art isn't always made with paints and paper. In this inspiring st...

  • Alligator Bayou

    Talullah, Louisiana. 1899. Calogero, his uncles, and cousins are six Sicilian men living in the small town of Tallulah, Louisiana. They work hard, growing vegetables and selling them at their stand and in their grocery store. To 14-year-old Cal...

  • Earth Shook

    Little Parisa-Farsi for like an angel-goes to bed one night only to be shaken from sleep by an earthquake that rocks her home of Bam, Iran. Frightened and alone-the earthquake has left her town deserted-Parisa knocks on the doors of various animals, ...

  • Sly the Sleuth and the Code Mysteries

    Sly the Sleuth - 4

    Is there a code to crack? Sly is on the job!

    What do a six-year-old boy speaking nonsense, a secret note, and symbols on a bathroom door all have in common? They are all codes that Sly (aka Sylvia) has to crack in order to solve a bigger mystery. ...

  • Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya

    Through artful prose and beautiful illustrations, Donna Jo Napoli and Kadir Nelson tell the true story of Wangari Muta Maathai, known as “Mama Miti,” who in 1977 founded the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization that has empower...

  • The Wager

    Don Giovanni was once the wealthiest and handsomest young man in Messina. Then a tidal wave changed everything. When a well-dressed stranger offers him a magical purse, he knows he shouldn’t take it. Only the devil would offer a deal like this, and...

  • The Crossing

    This young, lyrical picture book reveals the adventure and natural wonders that Lewis & Clark encountered on their Western expedition in the early 1800s. Told from the point of view of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the baby on Sacagawea's back, this sto...

  • Mogo, the Third Warthog

    Mogo may be the runt of the litter, but he's determined to make it in the tough African savanna. His bossy and lazy older brothers don't have what it takes to survive, so he ventures off on his own. Mogo must learn to battle not only lions, cheetahs,...

  • Lights on the Nile

    Kepi is a young girl in ancient Egypt, content to stay home with her family, helping her father, who was wounded in the construction of a pyramid for the cruel pharaoh Khufu. But that was before she and her pet baboon, Babu, were kidnapped and held c...

  • A Single Pearl

    In a vast ocean, a single grain of sand seems hopelessly small and unimportant. But over time, the sand begins to change. Layer by layer, it grows and transforms. Its beauty starts to shine. Exquisitely crafted by an award-winning author-illustra...

  • Skin

    My lips are white. Sixteen-year-old Sep stares into the bathroom mirror on the first day of school. It’s not some weird lipstick (she never wears lipstick), she didn’t bump her lips or chew on ice. Her lips are just -- white. In a panic, she digs...

  • Treasury of Egyptian Mythology

    The new National Geographic Treasury of Egyptian Mythology is a stunning tableau of Egyptian myths, including those of pharaohs, queens, the boisterous Sun God Ra, and legendary creatures like the Sphinx. The lyrical storytelling of award-winning aut...

  • Storm

    A sixteen-year-old stowaway discovers her destiny on Noah’s ark in this riveting reimagining from award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli, available in time for the March 2014 major motion picture Noah. The rain starts suddenly, hard and fast. Afte...

  • Hands & Hearts

    A mother and daughter spend a sunny day at the beach together where they swim, dance, build sandcastles, and, most importantly, communicate. But their communication is not spoken; rather, it is created by loving hands that use American Sign Language....

  • Hidden

    A young girl must learn to survive and find her family against all odds in this heartbreaking companion to Hush from award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli. Lost at sea when her sister is taken captive on a marauding slave ship, Brigid is far remove...

  • Dark Shimmer

    Fairytale Retellings: Snow White

    Set in medieval Venice, this captivating fairy tale retelling by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli explores belonging, beauty, and the transformative power of love through the eyes of a teenage girl. Dolce has grown up hidden away on an island in ...

  • Tales From the Arabian Nights

    Classic stories and dazzling illustrations of princesses, kings, sailors, and genies come to life in a stunning retelling of the Arabian folk tales from One Thousand and ...

  • Fish Girl

    The triple Caldecott winner David Wiesner brings his rich visual imagination and trademark artistry to the graphic novel format in a unique coming-of-age tale that begins underwater. A young mermaid, called Fish Girl, in a boardwalk aquarium has a ch...

  • Hunger

    Through the eyes of twelve-year-old Lorraine this haunting novel from the award-winning author of HIDDEN and HUSH gives insight and understanding into a little known part of history -- the Irish potato famine. It is the autumn of 1846 in Ireland. ...

  • In a Flash

    A riveting and dramatic story of two devoted sisters, Italian citizens, who must survive in WWII Japan.In 1940, when Simona is eight and her sister, Carolina, is five, their father becomes the cook to the Italian ambassador to Japan, and the family l...

  • Words to Make a Friend

    A clever and innovative bilingual English/Japanese picture book about a Japanese girl and an American girl who prove you don't need to speak the same language to understand each other.When a young Japanese girl moves into her new house, she is h...

  • Treasury of Magical Tales From Around the World

  • As Night Falls

    A NEW YORK TIMES/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOK • This picture book is for the littlest nature aficionado. Bursting with vibrant illustrations, it offers an inviting look into the secret world of how nature goes BERSE...

Award-Winning Books by Donna Jo Napoli

Stones in Water
1998 Sydney Taylor Book Award -- Older Readers
Storm
2015 Sydney Taylor Book Award -- Teen


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Donna Jo Napoli has published 83 books.

Donna Jo Napoli does not have a new book coming out soon. The latest book, As Night Falls, was published in April 2023.

The first book by Donna Jo Napoli, The Hero of Barletta, was published in February 1988.

Yes. Donna Jo Napoli has 5 series.
Author Series
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