• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Aunt Sally is beyond any of Melissa, Amanda, and Pee Wee's expectations. She has come all the way from Vancouver Island, Canada, to take care of the children while their parents are away, and right from the start, Aunt Sally enchants them with tales of her childhood with their father. Odd characters figure largely in the stories, like Maud, a hunter rumored to have killed eighty cougars; Great-uncle Louis, a health nut who insists everyone should gnaw on sticks for extra fiber; and Fat Little Mean Girl, the star of a cautionary tale involving witchcraft and candy. All of Aunt Sally's reminiscences lead up to a crucial story about trolls, sinister creatures who supposedly lurked along the shore at night. The trolls had the power to change Aunt Sally's life forever, and their legacy may change the lives of the three present-day children as well.

Polly Horvath is one of the most highly acclaimed authors writing today. Her books include The Canning Season (winner of the National Book Award and the CLA Young Adult Book Award), Everything on a Waffle (a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book and winner of the Mr. Christie's Book Award and the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize), The Trolls (a National Book Award finalist), My One Hundred Adventures (a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Editors' Choice, a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of the Year and winner of a NAPPA Gold Award and the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize), and Northward to the Moon (an Oprah's Book Club Kids' Reading List selection and winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award). Her most recent book is Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire!

Polly Horvath's profile page

• Long-listed, Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List
• American Library Association Notable Children's Books
• Long-listed, ALA Notable Children's Books
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award
• Winner, BCCB Blue Ribbon Award
• Long-listed, Boston Globe - Horn Book Award
• Short-listed, National Book Awards - Finalist
• American Library Association Notable Children's Books
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award
• National Book Awards - Finalist
• Long-listed, Booklist Editors' Choice
• Boston Globe - Horn Book Award
• Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List

“An unconventional aunt blows in from Vancouver to pinch-hit as babysitter, and offers two sisters and their brother an entrancing view of family history . . . Most sections are . . . hilarious, as is the snappy and perfectly timed dialogue. After the last laugh, Aunt Sally's hard-won understanding of human nature will leave readers with plenty to ponder.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Original and entertaining . . . [A] witty, clever, and involving book.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“Horvath's dry humor runs like a current through the book, sweeping readers along in the breathless anticipation of the next bit of absurdity.” —Publishers Weekly
“Polly Horvath has produced a small gem. She knows just how to twist language to make readers sit up and take notice. . . . She draws her characters with such precision that they peak without ever going over the top.” —New York Times Book Review