Firefly. Cricket. Vole. Peter. Can four creatures from four very different Nations help one another find their ways in a world that can feel oh-so-big? Delve into this “wise and lovely reading adventure” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review) in the tradition of Charlotte’s Web and The Rats of NIMH , from the author of the New York Times bestselling Someday . “ Firefly Hollow will set your heart aglow” ( ALA Booklist , starred review). Firefly doesn’t merely want to fly, she wants to touch the moon. Cricket doesn’t merely want to sing about baseball, he wants to catch. When these two little creatures with big dreams wander out of Firefly Hollow, refusing to listen to their elders, they find themselves face-to-face with the one creature they were always told to stay away from…a giant. But Peter is a Miniature Giant. They’ve always been told that a Miniature Giant is nothing but a Future Giant, but this one just isn’t quite as big or as scary as the other Giants. Peter has a dream of his own, as well as memories to escape. He is overwhelmed with sadness, and a summer with his new unlikely friends Firefly and Cricket might be just what he needs. Can these friends’ dreams help them overcome the past? Firefly Hollow is nothing short of enchanting, reminding us all that the very best friend is the one who encourages you to achieve your dreams. Full-color tip-in illustrations and dozens of black-and-white drawings provide added glow. Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday , as well as Dear Sister , What I Leave Behind , Pablo and Birdy , Where We Are , Maybe a Fox with Kathi Appelt, Firefly Hollow , Little Boy , So Many Days , Star Bright , A Very Brave Witch , Dear Brother , and the Bink and Gollie books. Her other children’s books include All Rivers Flow to the Sea , Countdown to Kindergarten , and Snap! . She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Laguna Beach, California. You can visit her at AlisonMcGhee.com. Christopher Denise is an award winning children’s book illustrator and visual development artist. His books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and have been recognized by Bank Street College of Education, Parents’ Choice Foundation, and the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition. Christopher Denise lives with his family in Rhode Island. Firefly Hollow CHAPTER ONE I COULD FLY THAT HIGH? Swoop! Firefly flitted through a knothole in the hollow tree, straight out into the clearing and straight back in again. The night air outside the hollow tree was cool, and the air inside was warm. She whooshed back and forth from cool to warm, outside to inside, faster and faster and faster until—yikes—she accidentally sideswiped Elder. “Whoa!” he said. “Watch where you’re going there, Firefly.” His tone was stern. But when no one else was looking, he blinked their secret code at her: three fast and two long. “Sorry, Elder,” said Firefly, and she blinked the secret code back. Most of the other elders viewed Firefly as slightly crazy and a clear threat to the safety and well-being of the youth of the firefly nation, but not Elder. He had been her hero since the night when she, as a one-centimeter-round baby, long before it was time to learn to fly, rolled right out of her spiderweb hammock and flung herself off the edge of her cubby. “Careful there, little one,” Elder had said, swooping underneath her just in time. “Yeehaw!” she had yelled. “Higher! Higher!” And she had waved with one wing to the other baby fireflies, who were gaping from their spiderweb hammocks, as Elder piggybacked her around and around the inside of the hollow tree. He finally returned her to her cubby and tucked her in, pulling the milkweed blanket up to her chin. “Will you teach me how to fly by myself, Elder?” she had whispered. “Soon,” he had said. “When the time is right.” “But I want to learn now.” “Soon,” said Elder again, and he smiled. “Promise?” “Promise.” Before she fell asleep that night, she turned her head so that she could look out the knothole into the dark night sky. There were the moon and the stars, shining high above. “They’re so beautiful,” she whispered. “That they are,” agreed Elder. “But don’t let the others hear you say that.” And he blinked an hypnotic pattern to lull her into sleep. Elder kept his promise. Eventually she and all the others learned to fly. None of the other little fireflies flew as well as Firefly did, but at least they flew. Firefly spread her wings now and zipped back outside. She loved the feel of the wind whooshing her up into the air. Imagine if she had to plod along the creature path on her spindly legs. Imagine not being able to fly, when flying was all she had ever wanted to do! Midair flips, loop-de-loops, figure eights—all these were moves she had made up and practiced, at first in a corner of the clearing with Elder hovering nearby, ready to catch her if she fell, and then