Author Information
Johanna Hurwitz's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    73 Books (9 Series)
  • First Book:
    March 1976
  • Latest Book:
    May 2023
  • Author Rating:
  • Share:

Full Series List in Order

Aldo

1 - Much Ado About Aldo (Aug-1978)
2 - Aldo Applesauce (Aug-1979)
3 - Aldo Ice Cream (Apr-1981)
4 - Tough-Luck Karen (Sep-1982)
5 - DeDe Takes Charge! (Oct-1984)
6 - Aldo Peanut Butter (Jan-1990)

Ali Baba Bernstein

The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein (Apr-1985)
Hurray for Ali Baba Bernstein (Mar-1989)
Ali Baba Bernstein, Lost and Found (Sep-1992)

Bolivia, Derek, and Rory

1 - The Hot and Cold Summer (Apr-1984)
2 - The Cold and Hot Winter (Sep-1988)
3 - Up and Down Spring (Apr-1994)
4 - The Down and Up Fall (Jun-1996)

Edison-Armstrong School

1 - Class Clown (1987)
2 - Teacher's Pet (Apr-1988)
3 - Class President (May-1990)
4 - School's Out (May-1991)
5 - School Spirit (Apr-1994)
6 - Starting School (Aug-1998)

Emma Meade

1 - Faraway Summer (Apr-1998)
2 - Dear Emma (Nov-2002)
3 - The Unsigned Valentine (Jan-2006)

Monty

1 - Mostly Monty (Jun-2007)
2 - Mighty Monty (Nov-2008)
3 - Amazing Monty (Feb-2010)
4 - Magical Monty (Jun-2012)

Park Pals Adventure

1 - PeeWee's Tale (Aug-2000)
2 - Lexi's Tale (Aug-2002)
3 - PeeWee and Plush (Aug-2002)
4 - Squirrel World (Sep-2007)

Riverside Kids

1 - Busybody Nora (Mar-1976)
2 - Nora and Mrs. Mind-Your-Own-Business (1977)
3 - New Neighbors for Nora (Aug-1982)
4 - Superduper Teddy (Jan-1980)
5 - Rip-Roaring Russell (Aug-1983)
6 - Russell Rides Again (Sep-1985)
7 - Russell Sprouts (Sep-1987)
8 - Russell And Elisa (Sep-1989)
9 - E Is for Elisa (Sep-1991)
10 - Make Room for Elisa (Sep-1993)
11 - Elisa in the Middle (Sep-1995)
12 - Ever-Clever Elisa (Sep-1997)
13 - Summer with Elisa (Aug-2000)
14 - Elisa Michaels, Bigger & Better (Nov-2003)

Roz and Ozzie

1 - Roz and Ozzie (Jan-1992)
2 - Ozzie on His Own (May-1995)

Book List in Order: 73 titles



  • "

    ""What is your name?""

    That''s what Nora asks her neighbors as she rides up and down the elevator of her apartment house. She doesn''t mean to be a busybody. She just wants to be like doorman Henry and know all the people in ...












  • During baseball season Ezra has a big problem -- his father. Mr. Feldman doesn't understand baseball, having grown up in Europe, and he doesn't understand Ezra's love of the game. When his father gives him an electronic chess game for his tenth birt...









  • This fourth novel about the popular Sossi family focuses on 13-year-old Karen and the bad luck she encounters when she ignores her schoolwork for cooking and babysitting. "Skilled in making everyday occurrences interesting, the author has written a p...



  • Look out world, here comes Rip-Roaring Russell! Russell Michaels is growing up fast and a lot of new experiences are coming his way. Like going to nursery school where he loses, among other things, his two front teeth, and where he finds, among othe...



  • Rory and Derek are best friends forever.... At least that's what they think -- until they meet Bolivia. She's visiting next door all summer and everyone wants the three of them to be buddies. But since she's a girl, Rory and Derek decide to ignore...



  • DeDe thought being in charge would be easy. Instead, it's a disaster! DeDe's mother and father got divorced a year ago and now everything's all changed. Her mom has to work odd hours. Her dad expects DeDe to talk to a telephone answering machine whe...



  • Eight-year-old David Bernstein discovers life is much more exciting when he calls himself Ali Baba Bernstein. Only Ali Baba would have dared to grab the class snail and escape to the boys' room for his own magic experiment. David would never have inv...












    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy

    It's hard to be serious when you're the class clown! Lucas Cott is one of the smartest kids in Mrs. Hockaday's third grade -- but he's always in trouble. He races pencils, cracks jokes, and calls out in class without raising his hand. Lucas doe...






  • Cricket has always been the teacher’s pet. Cricket Kaufman isn't popular with her classmates. She's too busy being the teacher's pet. Cricket always knows the right answer. And the teacher always picks her to go on important errands. Now that Cri...



  • Friends...forever? Bolivia has been best buddies with Derek and Rory ever since last summer when she was visiting next door. This winter she's back again for more adventure. But first -- presents! Bolivia comes up with a great way to make Christmas...



  • Ever since David Bernstein changed his name to Ali Baba, his life hasn't been the same! Who but Ali Baba could solve the mystery behind his suspicious neighbor in Apartment 7G? Or have a cup of hot chocolate with the real Santa Claus and turn a bori...



  • Sometimes Elisa gets in even more trouble than Russell! Elisa is almost four years old and ready for action, but Russell, who is seven, usually doesn't enjoy his little sister very much. Elisa does think of exciting games, like playing barbershop ...




  • "

    The fifth-grade class election is shaping up as a close contest between class clown Lucas Cott and one time teacher''s pet Cricket Kaufman. It''s just possible that the student with the greatest leadership ability is Julio Sanchez, but Julio''s t...






  • School's out -- but the baby-sitter is in. There's going to be a French girl named Genevieve living in Lucas's house all summer to help out his mother. Lucas thinks his summer has been ruined. Who needs a full-time baby-sitter hanging around? ...




  • Although eight-year-old Roz usually feels annoyed by the pestering attentions of her Uncle Ozzie, who is two years younger than she is, she finds that there are times when she is glad to have him around...





  • Silvia can't wait to try on her present from Tia Rosita: new shoes as red as the inside of a watermelon. The shoes are too big for Silvia to wear -- but that doesn't stop her from dinfing lots of ways to enjoy them while she waits for her feet to gro...




  • Fearing that Edison-Armstrong School will close and force him into a school away from his closest friends, Julio rallies Lucas, Cricket, and Zoe into a campaign to save the school that tests his school spirit. Reprint....



  • Together again... Spring break is finally here and Rory and Derek get to go to their best friend Bolivia's house -- by themselves! Bolivia doesn't want to waste one minute and plans hours of games, a night at the ballet, and even a trip in her unc...







  • Elisa and her brother, Russell, share many good times, but sometimes Elisa becomes mischievous and does bad things--such as giving Russell's fish a bubble bath--and must find a way to make amends and set things right. Reprint....



  • A traumatic event in the lives of seventeen-year-old Stephen and his fourteen-year-old sister helps them understand and accept themselves and each other. A Parents' Choice Award Winner. Reprint....



  • Rory finds himself jealous when his dear friend, Bolivia, meets DeDe and Aldo and quickly becomes friends with them too, prompting Bolivia to explain to Rory that he should not feel threatened and that their friendship will always be special, no matt...



  • It was going to be the best vacation ever… But two days before her trip to Washington, D.C., with her best friend Zoe's family, Cricket Kaufman trips on a curb and winds up on crutches. Worse still, Zoe invites Sara Jane Cushman to go to Washing...



  • "This unique collection of short stories celebrates the creative power of imagination. At Hurwitz's invitation 10 well-known children's authors have written pieces based on a single premise: a young person finds an empty box among his or her birthday...




  • When a childhood illness leaves her blind and deaf, Helen Keller's life seems hopeless indeed. But her indomitable will and the help of a devoted teacher empower Helen to triumph over incredible adversity. ...



  • Jewish New York City orphan Dossi is sent by the Fresh Air Fund to spend the summer of 1910 in a small Vermont town, during which she records her experiences with new friends and the rural environment in her journal. Reprint....



  • Although placed in separate classes, twins Marius and Marcus prove to be double trouble for their kindergarten teachers, and when they decide to trade places to see whose teacher is better, they make a startling discovery. Reprint....







  • Sixth grader Cricket finds just the right dessert to bake for school events, in a book that features the characters of the Class Clown series and includes sixteen recipes for No Bake Orange Balls, Mystery Ingredient Chocolate Cake, and more....



    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy

    Believing that the surprise waiting for him will be the mountain bike he has been wanting, Adam is shocked when he arrives home to discover a llama in the backyard and tries to figure out how it will change his life. Reprint. PW. C. SLJ. ...



  • All Curtis wants is a dog.

    At the animal shelter, Curtis falls in love with Sammy, a friendly puppy with curly black fur, floppy ears, a wagging tail, and perfect white teeth. He's the best dog in the whole world.

    At h...



  • A guinea pig in Central Park? PeeWee, once a boy's dear pet, has been secretly released into the wilds of Central Park. But instead of relishing his freedom, PeeWee is at first a stranger in a strange land -- until he meets Lexi, a city-wise squirrel...



  • While vacationing in the country, Elisa Michaels attempts to prove that she can do anything her older brother can do, in a rollicking story that invites youngsters to spend the summer with the Michaels family. Reprint....



  • Moving to a new neighborhood means having to make new friends -- which makes klutzy Noah more than a little nervous. And even though Mo -- the little spunky but nosy girl who lives next door -- introduces him to her group of friends, he still has to ...



  • Lexi the squirrel doesn't trust humans. After all, it was a human who abandoned PeeWee the guinea pig in Central Park. So Lexi is outraged when a strange-looking man swipes the apple that the friends were about to eat. But when the stranger rescu...



  • “The joys of a burgeoning friendship and love delightfully unfold through the world of these two fluffy critters” in this chapter book for young readers (Kirkus Reviews).   Here is an all-new Park Pals adventure from the author of PeeWee’s...



  • Four simple stories about playing outside that will make new readers eager to keep going!

    Contains:
    Ethan''s Cat
    Ethan''s Bike
    Ethan''s Birds
    Ethan''s Lunch...



  • Having gone away to a Vermont farm as part of the Fresh Air Fund in 1910, orphan Dossi returns to her sister's apartment in New York City where she must find something interesting in her boring world to write about to her new friend, Emma....





  • Painting a hilarious portrait of family life, six entertaining stories follow Elisa, who is now in second grade, as she deals with inept baby-sitters, an airplane ride with her parents, eating chocolate all day long, and her pesky siblings....



  • Yard sales, ice-skating, and surprise parties are just a few of the things that make fourth grade fun. But Julio and his friends know it’s time to get serious when the class begins preparing for the big statewide test at the end of the year. Just t...



  • In early twentieth-century Vermont, sixteen-year-old Emma confides in her diary both her hopes of becoming a farmer's wife one day and her frustrations with her parents' belief that she is too young to be courted by the handsome Cole Berry....



  • Meet Montgomery Gerald Morris. He is a first-grader who has a nickname (Monty) and a birthday (August 15 -- this year he turned six). Monty also has asthma. which can sometimes make it hard for him to breathe, so he can't always run around outside w...



  • “This solidly written, charmingly illustrated book will appeal to readers clamoring for animal tales” -- from the award-winning author of PeeWee and Plush (Booklist).   Squirrels Lexington (Lexi) and Lenox decide to visit the New York City s...



  • Monty Gerald Morris may be small and shy, but he's a mighty smart kid and an A+ reader. In an endearing follow-up to Mostly Monty, the quiet first-grader continues to come into his own playing the part of a tree in a comically miscued school play, sh...



  • A new sibling is just one of the surprises -- some good, some not so much -- awaiting Monty in another story for early chapter book readers. It’s because six-year-old Monty is such a great reader that he finds out about a free pair of parake...



  • How many different ways can ten leading middle-grade authors tell a story including the line "I fooled you"? Prepare to be surprised! An arrogant prince tries to bluff his way out of paying the bridge troll’s toll, only to find that honesty real...



  • Monty tries to master a magic kit -- and finds some real-life situations tricky -- in this spot-on story about an endearing, utterly relatable first-grader. First grade is almost over, and Monty will soon be seven. He’s now a big brother, to...





  • Johanna Hurwitz invites readers into the world of the funny, lovable Kelly twins, who are truly two of a kind. Second-graders Arlene and Ilene Kelly are twins -- identical twins to be exact -- and they love being a pair. They love to dress ali...



  • What’s the same about identical twins -- and what’s different? Sleepovers, poetry projects, and new haircuts are in play as seven-year-old Arlene and Ilene start coming into their own. Arlene and Ilene love so many things about being identic...



  • “Opens the door to an unusual confluence of worlds, with cats, people, and Jewish identity all intersecting.”  —The Jewish Book CouncilFourth-grader Chaya Ann Tober loves cats. Even her initials, C.A.T., are perfect for her!She ...


Award-Winning Books by Johanna Hurwitz

Class Clown
1989 South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award -- Children's
1989 West Virginia Children's Book Award -- Children's
The Hot and Cold Summer
1987 Bluebonnet Award -- Children's


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Johanna Hurwitz has published 73 books.

Johanna Hurwitz does not have a new book coming out soon. The latest book, The Unexpected Adventures of C.A.T., was published in May 2023.

The first book by Johanna Hurwitz, Busybody Nora, was published in March 1976.

Yes. Johanna Hurwitz has 9 series.