POPPY

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner * ALA Notable Book * ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice * School Library Journal Best BookIn the second book in the Tales of Dimwood Forest by Newbery Medal-winning author Avi a tiny deer mouse named Poppy dares to stand up to a tyrannical owl.  The story is accompanied by inviting illustrations from Caldecott Medal-winning artist Brian Floca. “This exciting story is richly visual. The underlying messages to challenge unjust authority and to rely on logic and belief in oneself are palatably blended with action and suspense.” — School Library JournalPoppy knew she was taking a risk following her beloved Ragweed to Bannock Hill but a night of dancing with the handsome golden mouse was just too tempting. So when Ragweed is scooped up by the sinister owl Mr. Ocax who rules over Dimwood forest she’s devastated. Her whole life she was warned of Mr. Ocax’s evil ways…how could she have been so foolish to put herself and Ragweed at risk?To make matters worse when Poppy attempts to move with her family to a different part of the woods where the food supply is richer Mr. Ocax refuses to let them go. Despite what she’s been led to believe for years Mr. Ocax is not as strong as he wants the mice to think he is. Armed with the bravery gumption and wit of a hero Poppy embarks on a dangerous quest—joined by the irascible but lovable porcupine Ereth—to defeat Mr. Ocax and lead her family to a better home. A perennially popular story of courage and determination Poppy is a fixture on state award lists and in classrooms across the country.