Behind the walls of Saint Petersburg's famous theater live the world's tiniest dancers - including Esmeralda, who has finally been accepted into the ranks of the Russian Mouse Ballet Company. A new ballet called The Nutcracker is set to debut at Christmastime, and Esmeralda has won the role of Clara. But when she learns that The Nutcracker features mice as villains, Esmeralda fears that the city's ballet-loving mice won't come to see it. Will her first appearance onstage be her last?
Esmeralda finds an unlikely ally in nine-year-old Irina, the daughter of the custodian tasked with ridding the theater of "vermin." Irina alone believes that the Mariinsky mice are special and decides to save their lives - and their production.
From the author of Garden Princess comes an inventive tale of drama, friendship, and adventure.
Princess Adela has always been more than a little unconventional. She would rather work in her garden than find a husband - much to her step-mother's dismay - and Adela's version of happily ever after involves traveling the world and collecting rare plant specimens. So when the opportunity arises to attend a garden party thrown by Lady Hortensia, whose beauty is rumored to be rivaled only by the loveliness of her gardens, Adela cannot resist inviting herself, even if it means wearing a too-tight dress and impractical shoes. But the moment Adela sets eyes on Hortensia's garden, she knows something is amiss. Every single flower is in bloom - in the middle of October! Not only that, but a talking magpie is stealing the guests' jewels. Is it possible that magic is involved? Can Adela get to the root of the mystery before it's too late?
