Book picks similar to
Akimbo: The Elephants, The Lions & The Crocodile Man by Alexander McCall Smith


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Susannah's Garden / Back on Blossom Street / Twenty Wishes: CD Collection


Debbie Macomber - 2009
    She said goodbye to her boyfriend, Jake—and never saw him again. Now, at fifty, she finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Especially the chance to be with Jake.… In returning to her hometown of Colville, Washington, to her parents’ house, her girlhood friends and the garden she’s always loved, she also returns to the past—and the choices she made back then.Back on Blossom Street:There’s a new shop on Seattle’s Blossom Street—a flower store called Susannah’s Garden, right next door to A Good Yarn. Susannah Nelson, the owner, has just hired a young widow named Colette Blake. A couple of months earlier, Colette had abruptly quit her previous job—after a brief affair with her boss. To her dismay, he’s suddenly begun placing weekly orders for flower arrangements!Twenty Wishes:Anne Marie Roche wants to find happiness again. At thirty-eight, her life’s not what she’d expected—she’s childless, a recent widow, alone. She owns a successful bookstore on Seattle’s Blossom Street, but despite her accomplishments, there’s a feeling of emptiness. On Valentine’s Day, Anne Marie and several other widows get together to celebrate…what? Hope, possibility, the future. They each begin a list of twenty wishes, things they always wanted to do but never did. Anne Marie begins to act on her wishes, and when she volunteers at a local school, an eight-year-old girl named Ellen enters her life.

The Minpins


Roald Dahl - 1991
    Come deep into the forest if you dare...but beware the Terrible Bloodsuckling Toothpluckling Stonechuckling Spittler!

Coma / Abduction


Robin Cook
    Abduction is a high-tech thriller about a mysterious transmission from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean that will change everything you know about life on Earth. Two great thriller by the master of the medical thriller.

The Mysterious Howling


Maryrose Wood - 2009
    Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies. But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Goosebumps Series 10 Books Collection Set (Classic Covers)


R.L. Stine - 1997
    Stine's Goosebumps books have had a resurgence of late following the success of the film starring Jack Black. This collection contains 10 of the classic tales of terror - all with refreshed jacket artwork - that will give children a fright! A favourite with generations, among the books to give kids nightmares are Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, The Haunted Car and the seminal Night of the Living Dummy - starring none other than Slappy the dummy. Having sold over 400 million copies around the world, these spooky books will be returned to time and time again by children who love nothing more than to get the creeps. Titles in this collection (10) Stay out of the Basement The Ghost Next Door Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes The Haunted Car Let's Get Invisible The Scarecrow Walks at Night The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb The Blob That Ate Everyone Night of the Living Dummy The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

Jeff Kinney Set of 2 Books


Jeff Kinney
    Titles include #2 Rodrick Rules and #3 The Last Straw.

Encyclopedia Brown Mysteries, Volume 1: Boy Detective; The Case of the Secret Pitch


Donald J. Sobol - 2003
    A cross-eyed baseball pitch...A kid-lover tumed kidnapper...A watermelon stabbing...A trapeze artist's inheritance...These are just some of the brain-twisters included. Try to crack the cases along with him--the answers to all the mysteries are found in the back!

The Boxcar Children, Surprise Island, the Yellow House Mystery


Gertrude Chandler Warner - 2008
    The children make a home for themselves in an abandoned red boxcar they discover in the woods. Ambitious and resourceful, the plucky children make a happy life for themselves-until Violet gets too sick for her brothers and sister to care for her. Surprise IslandAdventure abounds as Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny spend a summer living on their grandfather's island. The kids confidently face everyday challenges armed with only their imaginations and the support of each other. Listeners are in for a suspenseful ride as the Aldens work together to discover the true identity of Joe the handyman before their holiday ends. The Yellow House MysteryHenry, Jessie, Violet and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather and are determined to solve the mystery that surrounds an old yellow house on his property when they find a letter written by the brother of a man who vanished! And that's only the first startling discovery they make!

The Empire Strikes Back - So You Want to Be a Jedi?


Adam Gidwitz - 2015
    You can move things with your mind. Control people with your thoughts. Oh, and the lightsabers. Yeah, those are awesome. But it's not all mind control and weaponized flashlights. Being a Jedi is hard work. Also, there are bad guys. Lots of bad guys. Who want to kill you.Do you still want to be a Jedi?Well, this book tells the tale of one of the greatest Jedi ever. It's also a retelling of the classic film The Empire Strikes Back. But it is more than that. It also teaches you how to become a Jedi. Maybe you don't need to learn how to levitate or sense your surroundings blindfolded. And maybe you don't want to hear a story about lightsabers and murderous snow creatures and spaceships. But maybe you do want to hear such a story. And maybe, just maybe, you do want to learn how to be a Jedi. Well, in that case, this is the book for you. The choice, my young friend, is in your hands. Literally.

Willa of the Wood


Robert Beatty - 2018
    Steal without a trace.Willa, a young night-spirit, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work--the day-folk kill whatever they don't understand--but Willa will do anything to win the approval of the padaran, the charismatic leader of the Faeran people.When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to escape. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her day-folk enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her own Faeran society are crumbling. What do you do when you realize that the society you were born and raised in is rife with evil? Do you raise your voice? Do you stand up against it?As forces of unfathomable destruction encroach on her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is, facing deadly force with the warmest compassion, sinister corruption with trusted alliance, and finding a home for her longing heart.

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole


Michelle Cuevas - 2017
    The black hole swallows everything he touches, which is challenging to say the least—but also turns out to be a convenient way to get rid of those items that Stella doesn't want around. Soon the ugly sweaters her aunt has made for her all disappear within the black hole, as does the smelly class hamster she's taking care of, and most important, all the reminders of her dead father that are just too painful to have around.It's not until Stella, her younger brother, Cosmo, the family puppy, and even the bathroom tub all get swallowed up by the black hole that Stella comes to realize she has been letting her own grief consume her. And that's not the only thing she realizes as she attempts to get back home.

The Water Horse


Dick King-Smith - 1990
    Kirstie and her brother Angus find the egg and take it home. The next day it has hatched into a tiny greeny-grey creature with a horse's head, warty skin, four flippers and a crocodile's tail. The baby sea monster soon becomes the family pet – but the trouble is, it just doesn't stop growing!

The Not-a-Pig


Polly Faber - 2015
    Mango Allsorts is good at all sorts of things, not just karate and chess. Bambang is most definitely not-a-pig and is now lost in a very busy city. When the two unexpectedly meet, a friendship begins, filled with adventures, and of course, plenty of banana pancakes.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise


Dan Gemeinhart - 2019
    That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, crisscrossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box - she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it. Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys.... Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after”.

Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Stories


Terry Pratchett - 2014
    It’s a disaster!Luckily, there’s a spare suit of armour and a very small boy called Ralph who’s willing to fill it. Together with Fortnight the Friday knight and Fossfiddle the wizard, Ralph sets out to defeat the fearsome fire-breathers.But there's a teeny weeny surprise in store . . .Fourteen fantastically funny stories from master storyteller Sir Terry Pratchett, full of time travel and tortoises, monsters and mayhem!‘So funny I dropped my spoon laughing!’ – King Arthur