Heather is such a whiny little brat. Always getting Michael and me into trouble. But since our mother married her father, we're stuck with her ... our "poor stepsister" who lost her real mother in a mysterious fire. But now something terrible has happened. Heather has found a new friend, out in the graveyard behind our home—a girl named Helen who died with her family in a mysterious fire over a hundred years ago. Now her ghost returns to lure children into the pond ... to drown! I don't want to believe in ghosts, but I've followed Heather into the graveyard and watch her talk to Helen. And I'm terrified. Not for myself, but for Heather...

    Who ever heard of a peasant marrying a princess? But Pong Lo is wiser than the Emperor knows. And when he concocts a potion that saves the Princess's life, the Emperor gladly offers him any reward he chooses--except the Princess.   Pong Lo makes a surprising request. He asks for a single grain of rice, doubled every day for one hundred days. The baffled Emperor obliges--only to discover that if you're as clever as Pong Lo, you can turn a single grain of rice into all the wealth and happiness in the world! Praise for A Grain of Rice: "Clever and quietly told in simple, yet evocative language."-Kirkus Reviews"Pittman invites readers into her story through her choice of concrete objects, sensory images, and universal messages. She borrows from the motifs of oral literature, and also weaves in information about arithmetical progression and 15th-Century Chinese people, patterns, and traditions. Pittman's well executed pencil drawings ooze with emotion, and there is a fusion of text and illustrations...[A] book that is wise and humorous, and one to be perused and savored."-School Library Journal"Gracefully illustrated with finely shaded drawings, this picture book tells of Pong Lo, a poor Chinese peasant who wins the hand of the emperor's daughter through his knowledge of mathematical principles."-Booklist

    by Jeri Massi When Penny Derwood and her seventh-grade class tour a button factory, she accidentally gets involved in a mystery that she and her brother, Jack, are determined to unravel. In their efforts to solve the mystery, they undergo a series of hilarious adventures and at the same time begin to learn something about teamwork, family unity, and accepting one another. The Peabody Series, named for the imaginary town of Peabody, Wisconsin, centers on a group of Christian young people who attend the same local church. Each book focuses on a new adventure that involves several members of the youth group. The characters in these books do not find quick solutions to their difficulties. Like all Christians, they struggle to grow, sometimes losing ground, but ultimately coming to a deeper knowledge of the Lord. For ages 9 to 12.

    So journey to the magical, mystical land of Serendipity(tm) with these four cherished editions featuring newly revised text from the author. Fanny, a kitten with only three legs, and her friend Ruby, a puppy, help the other farm animals learn that being handicapped is only a state of mind.

    She gives no thought to the men and women that protect her father's throne. Then one day, invaders from the enormous kingdom across the river storm across the Bridge and conquer the royal castle. Alone and in danger, Rosalynn sets out on foot to find her father. Driven by fear, she finds the Bridge and crosses it. In the enemy kingdom, she meets an unexpected friend--a woman who has discovered a secret way to save Rosalynn's kingdom. Together Rosalynn and the wise woman face enemy soldiers, wicked outlaws, and the wilds of the river on their quest to save her tiny kingdom. Their goal is the Bridge itself and the secret that it holds.

    Contents:- The Selfish Giant- The Nightingale and the Rose- The Devoted Friend- The Happy Prince- The Remarkable Rocket- The Young King

    Every day the piles grow higher and higher. Then one tidy old man realizes he has the power to get rid of all the trash forever. Wartville will finally be cleaned up once and for all!

    Lucy, repeating the fourth grade after a malady of the nervous system has left her with a withered arm, finds herself and her siblings in the midst of a power struggle with agents of an ancient evil.

    This is a boxed set of three of Roald Dahl's children's books: "The Witches"; "The BFG"; and "Matilda".

    He is quick and smart, he looks like his mother rather than his father, and he wears a rune that his mother left him when he disappeared the night Gom was born. And Gom can talk to animals and to the wind. They are his friends, more so than the village children, who think him strange. Gom's father is a woodcutter, and everyone expects Gom to follow in his father's footsteps. But Gom is sure that his destiny lies elsewhere. Why else would he have such gifts and talents? An evil man comes to the little village of Clack, and Gom leads him on a dangerous chase into the very depths of the mountain. Amidst pitch-black tunnels, caverns, and endless abysses, Gom must loose his mad pursuer or perish in the bowels of darkness. Will he ever live to see daylight and begin his quest for his mother?

    A small kingdom based on the principles of King Arthur's Round Table sends out its knights on a quest for the legendary substance called gasoline.

    Ruth Heller shows how toads, salamanders, and other interesting amphibians are experts at camouflage. Watch them disappear! Full color.

    Poor tenant farmer Joseph so reveres the day of rest that he spends his meager earnings on the best foods for his weekly holiday meal.

    There are more than 450 projects, experiments, games, puzzles, and stories! They cover all areas of science, including matter and energy, the human body, the environment, rocks, plants, animals, insects, weather, stars and planets, and technology.Activities range in length from the popular "Quickies" to projects that can be done over several days or weeks. They've all been tested and use simple materials. Easy-to-follow explanations, engaging illustrations, and fun facts -- did you know that a cockroach can live for nine days without its head? -- make this a book you'll turn to again and again.Bestselling author and educator Susan V. Bosak, M.A., has worked with teachers, youth leaders, parents, and children, and researched more than 1,000 science books, to create one super science activity book that captures the interest of both young and old."This book belongs in every home, every classroom. The definitive motherlode book to turn children on to the adventure of science." -- Childsplay Magazine"An innovative book.... Youngsters will be intrigued by the exciting activities crammed into this book." -- Today's Parent"An excellent reference source for parents and teachers!" -- School Library Journal"A powerful and practical resource.... Will enrich any school science curriculum. Highly recommended!" -- Appraisal, School of Education, Boston University"Exciting and fun to use....A gold mine of activities.... An excellent book. Highly recommended!" -- California Classroom Science"Once in a while, a book comes along which everyone should have. Consider Science Is... a treasure whose time has come. This book is a must!" -- Science Education International, ICASE"Very accessible for parents and teachers.... Sure to spark everyone's interest.... This is an excellent book. The approach to science is exciting and thought-provoking." -- Science & Children, National Science Teachers Association (Washington, DC)

    Sara Stein, author of The Science Book and The Body Book, involves children, who are earth's newest inhabitants, in exploring beaches, mountains, woodlands, and swamps and unlocking the ancient secrets of the world. Scores of fascinating projects range from raising tadpoles and preserving snake skins and paw prints to making a plankton net, a plant press, and seaweed pudding. Hundreds of drawings and photographs are featured throughout. Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. Winner of the New York Academy of Sciences Children's Science Book Award, First Prize. Suitable for ages 10-14. 73,000 copies in print.

    When a night-roaming monster is seen in various sections of the city, few people suspect that it is the creation of the local bagel maker, Harold Frankenbagel.

    On an archeological dig, Brother and Sister Bear dig up a medieval knight's suit of armor and donate it to a museum with surprising results.

    "Reflecting incidents true to children (making a bet with a friend, sending a message in a bottle, attempting to be brave), these stories are the sort that will make children ask for more."--School Library Journal,starred review

    Grace begins to feel left out when her best friend, Laura, gets a part in the school play and spends all her time rehearsing with a new friend.

    Full-color illustrations.

    Children receive a double dose of Dahl with these two delightfully wicked tales where things are not always as they seem, delivered by the master storyteller himself.

    Jo is ill and has to stay in bed for the day, but her mum promises to bring her home a surprise to make her feel better. All day long Jo looks out of the window waiting for her mum to return, and in the meantime sees all her friends from the neighbourhood, including the postman, the window cleaner and Mrs Ali from next door. But when will Mum be back with her surprise for Jo?

    Describes the Stone age settlement preserved almost intact in the sand dunes of one of the Orkney Islands, how it came to be discovered in the mid-nineteenth century, and what it reveals about the life and culture of this prehistoric community.

    And while the people dream of daytime things, the nighttime world awakens. Owls swoop, a rabbit patters, and in the yard an apple falls -- pump! -- from the tree. Listen. Go to the window. Across the field a light glows. Who else is up so late? Who else watches and hears the sights and sounds of night in the country -- the many stirrings of silence, the many colors of the dark? Lyrical text and velvety pictures present a very different kind of nighttime: a mysterious, moving night that will lull small children to sleep.

    Three children play the game Key to the Kingdom and have an amazing adventure.

    Madai lives on Bali and dreams of life beyond his island paradise. Yet his wildest dream could not prepare him for the odyssey that lies ahead after he finds a moonstone amulet that introduces him to the spirit world.

    When Alex and his friends try the spells in an old book, things don't happen quite as they'd thought, but they decide to try the bully spell on the school bully anyway.

    David's little sister, Liz, proves that she is more than just a pest when she rescues a baby from walking over a bed of sea urchins at the beach.

    

    The Bible's nativity story has been retold in simple, beautiful text with soft, sensitive illustrations.

    Five stories and rhymes told in rebuses introduce numbers, colors, parts of the body, and other things familiar to a child.

    Explains how optical illusions trick the eye and fool perception and provides examples and instructions for readers to make their own.

    Prince Khian needs the help of a woman, an Earthman, and the Stonewraiths to drive the Earthling Outworlders from Taan and restore peace.