Johnny was a bell-boy, you see, and he carried all of Countess Kandinsky's things to her room.But Johnny didn't expect to end up with Kaspar on his hands forever, and nor did he count on making friends with Lizziebeth, a spirited American heiress. Pretty soon, events are set in motion that will take Johnny - and Kaspar - all around the world, surviving theft, shipwreck and rooftop rescues along the way. Because everything changes with a cat like Kaspar around. After all, he's Prince Kaspar Kandinsky, Prince of Cats, a Muscovite, a Londoner and a New Yorker, and as far as anyone knows, the only cat to survive the sinking of the Titanic…

    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.

    While engaged in this dreadful task, he loses his way and emerges in the bedroom of Ellie, the young daughter of the house who mistakes him for a thief. He runs away, and, hot and bothered, he slips into a cooling stream, falls fast asleep, and becomes a water baby.In this new life, he meets all sorts of aquatic creatures, including an engaging old lobster, other water babies, and at last reaches St Branden's Isle where he encounters the fierce Mrs Bedonbyasyoudid and the motherly Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby. After a long and arduous quest to the Other-end-of-Nowhere young Tom achieves his heart's desire.

    In the magic Faraway Tree live the magical characters that soon become their new friends – Moon-Face, Silky the fairy, and Saucepan Man. Together they visit the strange lands (the Roundabout Land, the Land of Ice and Snow, Toyland and the Land of Take What You Want) atop the tree and have the most exciting adventures – and narrow escapes.

    Nicholas". No one claimed authorship until 13 years later. Clement Clarke Moore, a professor and poet, said that he wrote the piece for his children. Unbeknownst to him, his housekeeper had sent it to the newspaper to be published. However, the family of Henry Livingston Jr. contended that their father had been reciting “A Visit from St. Nicholas” for 15 years prior to publication. Regardless of the true author, the poem is now a Christmas classic.

    Eddie Dickens is sent off to stay with his aunt and uncle and a riotously funny comedy of errors ensues. When both Eddie Dickens's parents catch a disease that makes them turn yellow, go a bit crinkly around the edges, and smell of hot water bottles, it's agreed he should go and stay with relatives at their house, Awful End. Unfortunately for Eddie, those relatives are Mad Uncle Jack and Even-Madder Aunt Maud. . . . This hilarious historical spoof, the first in the Eddie Dickens trilogy, has been called ""a scrumptious cross between Dickens and Monty Python.""

    And when Danny discovers his father’s secret, he’s off on the adventure of a lifetime. Here’s Roald Dahl’s famous story about a 9-year-old boy, his dad, and a daring and hilarious pheasant-snatching expedition. Just as important, it’s the story of the love between a boy and his father who, in Danny’s own words, is “the most marvelous and exciting father a boy ever had.”

    This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.This title has Common Core connections.

    Somewhere there must be a smart, strong, wonderful, magical little girl waiting to be best friends. In fact, far away (but not too far), a real little girl believes there is a unicorn waiting for her. This refreshing and sweet story of friendship reminds believers and nonbelievers alike that sometimes wishes really can come true.

    But now they must decipher a mysterious prophecy—a message that will send one young medicine cat apprentice on a quest to determine the fate of all the warrior Clans.Full of epic adventure and thrilling intrigue, the beginning of this fifth Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world, while for dedicated fans, it’s a long-awaited return to the era of Bramblestar’s ThunderClan, after the events of Omen of the Stars.

    The first novel of a 'thriller' trilogy.Nicky is asked to read some of her work aloud in class. She dreads it-and, just as she starts-she finds herself elsewhere. Transported. For Nicky is one of a select few people who can will themselves away not just in mind, but in body. She has the gift of teleportation. It's a rare, genetic ability, and a sinister, anonymous group called the Project want to use her 'gift' for their own ends. Nicky finds herself whisked off to a nameless desert site. Here, she and four other teenagers, who are also 'travellers', are educated and trained for search and rescue missions. As these missions grow more frightening, more perilous, the five start to form closer friendships. Yet it is only when they realise that the Project wants them to breed more travellers like themselves, that Nicky, Paul and the others, find the impetus to form an escape plan. In a stark, direct style, Thieves pulls you right in to this strange, sinister world of gifted young adults exploited by an anonymous group. This novel is above all a thriller. It comments on much that is surreal in our own supposedly ordinary times. A remarkable and original debut and the first in a trilogy that includes Anywhere But Here (2008) and Real Life (2009) .". . . the best teenage science fiction novel I have read this century." Trevor Agnew, Magpies"My teenager read it almost in one sitting (getting up at 5am to continue)." Tania Roxborogh, Otago Daily Times"Not many debut novels make it onto the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards shortlists, but Thieves, by Ella West, fully deserves its place." Tessa Duder, the Australian Women's Weekly"As readers we are in the same predicament as the five teens and we are left to grapple with the sort of questions and interesting possibilities raised by novels such as Slaughterhouse 5 and more particularly The Time Travellers Wife." Steve Langley in English in Aotearoa

    By chance she comes across the most marvellous shop, run by Madame Pamplemousse, which is quiet, discreet, yet full of delicious and otherworldly 'edibles' - Pterodactyl Bacon, Scorpion Tails in Smoked Garlic Oil, and Great Squid Tentacle in Jasmine-Scented Jelly. A quiet comradeship develops between Madeleine, Madame Pamplemousse, and Madame's cat, Camembert. And together they create some wonderful culinary magic. Exquisite, beautifully formed prose that has echoes of Angela Carter belies a narrative that is full of pace. A wonderful fairy tale that will appeal to both adults and children.

    Caroline finds a pair of magic spectacles which reveal a hidden world at the center of New Zealand, a world threatened with destruction if the spectacles fall into the wrong hands.

    And adventure, he has heard, is the key to a happy life. So with his new friend Edward the ant, Avon sets out on a journey to find the excitement his life has been missing. The travelers meet all manner of wise, weird, and intriguing creatures--including a dragon!--and it's not long before their adventures begin. In the tradition of such classics as "The Little Prince," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and "Winnie-the-Pooh," this completely original story--a modern fable for our time--brims with wit, wisdom, and profound insights about the meaning of things . . . great "and" small.

    Pictorial cover with Rudolph lighting the way for the sleigh with his wonderful nose.