Their only surviving relative is Uncle John, a wealthy bachelor with little patience or time for children. He puts the girls in Mrs. Monday's Boarding School in Heavenly Valley, persuaded by Mrs. Monday's promises and unctuous manner. But Mrs. Monday is an ogre who pampers her niece, Maribelle, and persecutes the other girls in her custody. Of the two sisters, Plum is the spunky one, leading Nancy on forays for food and initiating their running away. There are lovely characters who are sympathetic and help the girls: Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, who find the girls on their farm and rescue them; Miss Waverly, the school teacher; Miss Appleby, the librarian, and Old Tom, the caretaker at the orphanage.

    At the start of each Christmas season, the elf appears to serve as Santa's eyes and ears, and every night it travels back to the North Pole to report in.

    Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas only thinks his life has been turned upside down after his developer father remarries and moves his new wife and daughter into the soon-to-be completed Mangrove Hollow. But an "expedition" to a nearby lake turns up a little nixie with a giant problem - the huge, lumbering, fire-breathing variety - and it's up to Nick; his stepsister, Laurie; and his big brother, Julian (plus a familiar face from the original Spiderwick Chronicles) to figure out the best way to stop a host of rampaging giants before all of Florida goes up in smoke.

    Follow young Thomas Warvold and his brother as they journey through Elyon, discovering new mysteries, new challenges, and new magical creatures that will change the course of their fate...and the fate of their land. From a humble and unexplained childhood in a very strange orphanage to a series of fearless escapes to a quest full of riddles and exploration, Thomas and Roland find that their identity--and the mysterious tattoos on their knees--are linked to a much greater history than they ever would have guessed. One brother, Thomas, is destined for adventure on land, while the other brother, Roland, is destined for adventure on sea. But before this happens, they must journey into the mist...and find the truth about both their past and their future.Note: Although this seems like a prequel, it is integrual to the Land of Elyon Series as book #4.[Author notes in a video blog at http://www.patrickcarman.com/wp-conte..., about the series reading order that the books in the original trilogy (The Dark Divide #1, Beyond The Valley of Thorns #2 and The Tenth City #3) should be read in that order and that Stargazer #4 read after the original trilogy. Otherwise is up to reader preference. Into The Mist, is a chronological prequel to the trilogy, but the story is told by characters on the boat where The Tenth City left off; it can be read before or after the original trilogy.]

    But one night, a girl named Gurl--a leadfoot, an orphan, a nobody--discovers that she can do something much better than fly.She can become invisible.Along with a new friend, a boy named Bug, Gurl begins a quest that takes her on a wild ride through the magical city, all the way to the handsome but lethal Sweetcheeks Grabowski--the gangster who holds the key to Gurl's past . . . and the world's future.

    For as long as Lottie can remember, the only people who seem to care about her are her best friend, Eliot, and the mysterious letter writer who sends her birthday gifts. But now strange things are happening on the island Lottie calls home, and Eliot's getting sicker, with a disease the doctors have given up trying to cure. Lottie is helpless, useless, powerless—until a door opens in the apple tree. Follow Lottie down through the roots to another world in pursuit of the impossible: a cure for the incurable, a use for the useless, and protection against the pain of loss.

    Explore with Duglit as he takes you into the inner workings of the human body. Winner of the First Prize in the 1994 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for Maikling Kuwentong Pambata.

    In order to pass the time, Sal explores the contents of an old trunk. Searching through the old photographs she comes across a little girl’s winter coat, tries it on, and finds herself transported into the past where she makes an unexpected connection to her heritage and her grandmother.This model tale of time travel was one of Margaret Laurence’s few forays into children’s literature and has remained a favourite of children of all ages. New art by the original illustrator makes this a beautiful book for Christmas and for all seasons. A special treat for Margaret Laurence fans.From the Hardcover edition.

    Half the time she is Kim Andrews, living in her all-white Iowa community-the other half she is Kimi Yogushi, searching for her true identity. She must find out more about her Japanese-American father, who died before she was born, and his family, if there is any. Perhaps then she can solve her inner conflict.

    They live on the same road, are in the same class in school and dislike the same people. So, when Alice's parents separate and Alice has to move away with her Mum, herself and Megan are devastated. Nothing will ever be the same again, or will it? Together they hatch a cunning plan; a plan so clever that everything will be back to normal in no time at all. This is the story of how two friends need to be together and this means living in the same street, going to the same school and being together, forever!

    It’s a rite of passage for every werewolf. For Freddy, however, it’s going to be the most embarrassing night of his life. Because Freddy is not going to turn into a wolf. He’s going to turn into a poodle. Thus begins a funny and fast-paced adventure, wherein Freddy is thrown out of his pack, uncovers the truth about his father’s mysterious death, and finds out that a werewolf hunter is planning to destroy all of his family and friends, and Freddy is the only one who can stop him. He might be small, pink, and groomed, but luckily, Freddy Lupin is 100 % wolf.

    Theatricals and imaginative pageantry are all part of the fun.

    Twelve-year-old Londoner Hope Glover climbs a tree to rescue a kite, but instead finds the kite pulling her into the sky, over the ocean, and into a storm! She is rescued by a beautiful ship -- the Basset -- and sails into a world where a war rages between centaurs and winged horses. It's up to Hope to find a solution that will include an out-of-practice genie, a new pair of wings, and the legendary Pandora's box!

    She believes she is in for brightly colored macaws, enormous butterflies, and "curtains of sweetly scented orchids trailing from the trees." Her British classmates warn her of man-eating alligators and wild, murderous Indians. Unfortunately, no one cautions Maia about her nasty, xenophobic cousins, who douse the house in bug spray and forbid her from venturing beyond their coiffed compound. Maia, however, is resourceful enough to find herself smack in the middle of more excitement than she ever imagined, from a mysterious "Indian" with an inheritance, to an itinerant actor dreading his impending adolescence, to a remarkable journey down the Amazon in search of the legendary giant sloth.

    Each December, families can celebrate the coming of Jesus by opening the book to see a stunning 13-inch, three-dimensional Jesse Tree pop up from the page. At its foot are 25 doors, one for each day of Advent, which hide meaningful, beautifully detailed ornaments--including the Christmas star--that are ready to be hung on the tree. Also inside is a simple devotional book with a reading for each ornament. Create precious holiday memories with The Jesse Tree Pop-Up Book and recapture the sacredness of the Advent season as you celebrate the epic pageantry of the coming of the Messiah.