Book picks similar to
Ariel, Zed & the Secret of Life by Anna Fienberg


childrens
childrens-fiction
fantasy
reread-project

Magic Tree House: #45-48


Mary Pope Osborne - 2013
    When the magic tree house whisks them back to India over four hundred years ago, they discover an amazing and exotic world filled with great danger. Dogs in the Dead of NightJack and Annie must find a rare flower to save one of their best friends! So when the magic tree house whisks them back in time to the Swiss Alps, they’re confused. How can they find a flower buried under ice and snow? Jack thinks their mission is hopeless!  Abe Lincoln at Last!When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie back to Washington, D.C., in 1861, Jack can’t wait to meet Abraham Lincoln himself! But the new president is too busy to see them, as he is desperately trying to save a nation in crisis.When Jack and Annie ask for some magical help, they go back even further in time to a mysterious woods.  A Perfect Time for PandasJack and Annie are off to a village in the mountains of southeast China, close to a world-famous panda reserve. Will it be their easiest adventure yet? Not a chance! Jack and Annie don’t know it, but they’ve arrived on the day of a historic earthquake!

The Blacksmith and The Apprentice - Life Inside Minecraft!: Legends & Heroes Issue 1 (Stone Marshall's Legends & Heroes)


Stone Marshall - 2015
     The Stone Marshall Studio is developing a new series: Legends & Heroes A hybrid of comic-book style illustrations and short stories. Each issue is fun, challenging, and engaging. These interrelated stories follow a series of characters on a journey through life in Minecraft. Relatable characters, thrilling action, and colorful illustrations will suck in readers and leave them excited to read the next adventure! Secrets await! Solve the puzzle, uncover secrets! The Blacksmith and The Apprentice: Issue 1 The ancient art of blacksmithing is a thing of beauty. A lot of hard work goes into the process. It’s very complicated, really. Stoking the flames to many small, contained fires—making lumps of metal into differently shaped items of metal—hitting said lumps of metal with hammers to turn them into different weapons. You can shape metals into whatever item you want. Okay, it might not be a very interesting job, but apprenticing with the best blacksmith in the kingdom is a huge opportunity. Blacksmiths make the tools everyone needs to get about in their day-to-day lives. It’s a very prestigious and impressive position, although this honor is lost when the position is held by Dane, a youthful boy who dreams of greater adventure! Luckily, Dane has a skilled master to reign in his daydreaming. Viegar has quite an interesting past. From his years on the Royal Guard to his close relationship with the previous king, he’s quite a friend to have on your side. There is one other apprentice, Snip, who is much more passionate about his duties than Dane. Between the three of them, they churn out powerful weapons and protective armor, usually with no thanks to Dane. Of course, no cast of characters would be complete without the big man in charge—in this case, a king. By almost anyone’s account, he’s a good and fair ruler, but there is no one in power without enemies. Though Viegar and his workers only want to help their wonderful king, there are still plenty who wish to do him harm. But Dane can only imagine such things. It’s not as if he’d ever be in the position to really make any sort of difference or be in any place of power. Right? And though his apprenticeship is mundane and boring, the young man gets a few moments of excitement. Every once in a while, his master Viegar lets him venture out past the village to visit the caravan, where he can trade and buy supplies. It’s the most excitement Dane ever gets in his line of work. Sometimes, he gets to meet interesting people. Sometimes, he hears interesting things. And maybe, just maybe, he sometimes hears of a new opportunity for himself. But who would want to give up such a life as an esteemed apprentice? But of course, destiny and desire are not always what you expect . . .

The Girl Who Sailed the Stars


Matilda Woods - 2019
    Perfect for fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Penderwicks . When Oona Britt was born in the magical town of Nordlor, where all of the homes are built from wrecked ships, her parents never expected her to be a girl. Having listened to a faulty prediction from a washed-up soothsayer, they were promised a "bold and brave son," so as the youngest of seven sisters, Oona's birth became a disappointment -- especially to her sea captain father, who doesn't believe there's a place for girls aboard ships.But Oona is different from the rest of her family. She longs for adventure and knowledge. So she steals aboard her father's ship just as he's about to set sail for his annual winter whale hunt, and suddenly finds herself in the midst of a grand adventure! The ship has its own sea cat, Barnacles, and a navigator named Haroyld, who show Oona how to follow the stars. But for all that, Oona's father is furious. Can she prove to him that she's worth his love and pride, even though she's not the bold and brave son he was promised?This follow-up to The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker carries just as much heart and charm as Matilda Woods's first novel. The characters, story, and illustrations will dazzle readers.Praise for The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker ★ "Woods has penned a gentle fable, one rich in hope that promotes the strength of kindness. Her magical realism nods to the like of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez, perfectly tailoring the genre for a middle-grade audience. Anuska Allepuz's whimsical illustrations add to the magical feel. Sweet, earnest and not to be missed." -- Shelf Awareness , STARRED REVIEW★ "Elegantly told from start to finish and enhanced by Allepuz's evocative images and decorations, debut author Woods has created a fairy tale that will linger with readers." -- Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW★ "This uplifting book will enthrall readers, enveloping them in its gentle charm." -- Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Possum Magic


Mem Fox - 1983
    But when Hush longs to be able to see herself again, the two possums must make their way across Australia to find the magic food that will make Hush visible once more. “Another treat from Mem Fox that is sure to be treasured. The whimsical illustrations are a wonderful complement.”--Children’s Book Review Service

The Grandest Bookshop in the World


Amelia Mellor - 2020
    And not just any bookshop. In 1893, Cole’s Book Arcade in Melbourne is the grandest bookshop in the world, brimming with every curiosity imaginable. Each day brings fresh delights for the siblings: voice-changing sweets, talking parrots, a new story written just for them by their eccentric father.When Pearl and Vally learn that Pa has risked the Arcade – and himself – in a shocking deal with the mysterious Obscurosmith, the siblings hatch a plan. Soon they are swept into a dangerous game with impossibly high stakes: defeat seven challenges by the stroke of midnight and both the Arcade and their father will be restored. But if they fail Pearl and Vally won’t just lose Pa – they’ll forget that he and the Arcade ever existed.

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition Book Only


Coe Steinwart
    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.

My Name Is Mina


David Almond - 2010
    It's been there for an age. I keep on saying that I'll write a journal. So I'll start right here, right now. I open the book and write the very first words: My name is Mina and I love the night. Then what shall I write? I can't just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I'll let my journal grow just like the mind does, just like a tree or a beast does, just like life does. Why should a book tell a tale in a dull straight line?And so Mina writes and writes in her journal, and through her stories and poems there grows an opus of her life - her lessons, her loves, her beliefs, her mum, her dad, her thoughts and her dreams.In this stunningly designed book, David Almond revisits Mina before she has met Michael, before she has met Skellig, in what is a thought-provoking and extraordinary prequel to his best-selling debut novel, Skellig. From the winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award the Carnegie Medal and the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award comes the extraordinary prequel to the award-winning Skellig.

Meet Catboy! (PJ Masks)


R.J. Cregg - 2016
    Get to know Catboy in this sweet board book based on PJ Masks, the hit preschool series airing on Disney Junior!By his cat’s whiskers… When there’s trouble, Connor becomes Catboy! You can help Catboy, Gekko, and Owlette to go into the night to save the day with this playful shaped board book all about Catboy! PJ Masks © Frog Box / Entertainment One UK Limited / Walt Disney EMEA Productions Limited 2014

Race to the End of the World


A.L. Tait - 2014
    A map of the world? Why did the King want that? Everyone knew if you went too far in either direction you'd fall off the edge, into the jaws of Genesi, the fire-breathing dragon.A reluctant adventurer.A ship captained by a slave.A mysterious sea monster.And a race to the end of the world.The first thrilling book in The Mapmaker Chronicles.

The Wishing Lantern


Jeff Wheeler - 1999
    Deep in the heart of his homeland swamp, he discovers an enchanted lantern with a mean-spirited shimmer faerie trapped inside.

Tracy Beaker & The Dare Game (Radio Collection)


Jacqueline Wilson - 2003
    In the first story she's living in a children's home but wants a real family. In the second story she is living with foster mum Cam, but all is not as well as it should be.

The Little Gentleman


Philippa Pearce - 2004
    Franklin asks Bet to go out to the field and read aloud from a book about earthworms. Why? Who is listening? Soon, Bet becomes the most trusted friend of her listener, who turns out to be a bewitched mole.At first she and the mole simply sit together in their field, reading, talking, sharing hopes and fears. But soon Bet is helping the Little Gentleman unravel his long and legendary past -- a past that includes the death of a king and a pouch of magic herbs. Bet begins to believe the mole's powers are stronger than he knows. She thinks he can even shift her size and take her exploring in his tunnels if he tries. Nothing is impossible. When the mole finally reveals his deepest wish, Bet knows she can help him.But will it change everything?

On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, #4)


Piers Anthony - 1993
    Zane and Luna go on a date and discover some deeply hidden secrets about one another.

Disney Villains: The Evilest of Them All


Rachael Upton - 2018
    . . for better or for worse.WANTED: The most evil, wicked, abhorrent, vile villain to ever curse this world . . . or any others. A villain acting vile is merely part of the job description . . . but which of Disney’s famed scoundrels is the evilest of them all? Dive into the devilish thoughts of The Evil Queen, Jafar, Ursula, and more as they recall their most wicked achievements. With gatefolds and lift-the-flaps, readers can dive into minds of the best of the worst in this fun read for Disney fans of all ages.Villains Include... Evil Queen (Snow White) Jafar (Aladdin) Mother Gothel (Rapunzel) Lady Tremaine (Cinderella) Ursula (The Little Mermaid) Scar (Lion King) Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) Malificent (Sleeping Beauty) Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland) Captain Hook (Peter Pan) Hades (Hercules) Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

Moore Zombies: The Search for Gargoy


Wendy Knuth - 2014
    When Gargoy goes missing, Baby Zom enlists her siblings to help in the search. Follow along with Gothina, the critter loving goth zombie, Broheimer, the nerdy zombie, and Kamper, the messy zombie who enjoys camping. Who, or what, is Gargoy? Read on to find out!!