Froggy Dearest (Kiss me, my love!)


Scott Gordon - 2014
    Soft spoken and ever courteous, you've never met a creature quite so charming. But tread carefully, for this frog has quite a secret to share!Approximately 40 pages in all. Originally this picture book was intended for children 3 to 6, but as I wrote it, I realized that it's really meant for all children AND their parents. (Read it together. You'll get a big laugh at the end!)Descriptions of my other popular children's books are included after the main feature (an additional 5 pages).

Anna and the Tooth Fairy


Maureen Wright - 2017
    Sophie is always up at night, her rattle looks just like a magic wand, and she’s even learning to fly! So Anna begins to teach her little sister all the skills she’ll need to be the best Tooth Fairy ever. But what will happen when Sophie is no longer in training? Will she go away? It’s up to the big sister to make sure that never happens!Maureen Wright’s charming text and Anna Chernyshova’s adorable artwork combine in this sweet story of sibling friendship.

Amelia Bedelia Goes Back to School


Herman Parish - 2004
    But don't give Amelia Bedelia any problems. Or ask her to take her seat. Or tell her to paint anything. Amelia Bedelia is ready to learn, but it's the class that getsa lesson -- in reading, writing, and ridiculousness! Pull back the flaps to peek at Amelia Bedelia's school day.

The Altar In The Hills and Other Weird Tales


Brandon Barrows - 2014
    Lovecraft, the most-fevered mind of 20th century horror and weirdness! These weird tales blend horror, science-fiction and fantasy to weave stories of darkness and terror that will alternately leave you checking dark spaces for hidden horrors and wondering at the nature of reality itself. From the horror/mystery of The Altar in the Hills to the private confessions and revelations of one of mankind's most brilliant minds in Through the Ether, these seven stories bring with them Old Gods, strange twists and interesting characters that will both surprise and delight fans of horror fiction.

I Don't want to Sleep


Sigal Adler - 2017
    His mother would read him one book, or two, His father would sing ‘till his face turned blue, All day Michael ran and played and kicked ball, But then he’d just shrug: “I’m not tired at all.”

Maya's Magical Adventures


Malcolm McCoard - 2017
    Like nothing you've read before! A fast moving, laugh-out-loud magical comedy and fantasy adventure that will keep your "heart thumping like a bongo drum strapped to the back of a runaway camel!". Join Maya a young Scottish girl and her know-it-all talking cat Mischief, her living wand Spell and dragon Blink on a series of magical adventures and mishaps as she discovers her magical powers and their hilarious pitfalls. Find out what lies behind the forbidden door. Solve a series of strange riddles and journey across Ayrshire and Arran landmarks in search of clues. How will each of her friends meet with their inevitable sticky end? Can she figure out who the mysterious shadow is and how to defeat it? Is Aunty Dot really that shallow and can Maya really trust her? Or is she destined to be lost in the strange nightmare of the mirror maze? There's only one way to find out, read it! Failure to do so may lead to feelings of disappointment, delusions of sanity and the loss of a potentially right good giggle! This a previously published edition of ASIN B06X9F4GQ7.

Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City


Rob Biddulph - 2021
    Fizzing with magic, danger, friendship and art, this exciting, funny, middle-grade debut is from the bestselling creative genius behind #DrawWithRob.Some legends are born, some are drawn . . .Drawing feels like magic to Peanut Jones. But art can't fix her problems. Her dad has gone missing, and she's stuck in a boring new school. Until the day she finds a unique pencil turbo-charged with special powers. Suddenly she's pulled into a world packed with more colour, creativity, excitement and danger than she could ever have imagined. And maybe, just maybe, she might find out what happened to her dad.

The Angels' Share


Rayme Waters - 2012
    As she grows older, and her make-believe worlds are not enough to protect her, she descends into drug addiction and eventual resignation. When this finally leads her to be physically beaten near the point of death, she is saved by a compassionate neighbor named Sam who gives Cinnamon the opportunity to reclaim her life. Now, working at Sam s vineyard in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley, Cinnamon Monday attempts to put her life in order, find the will to overcome past demons, and utilize her strengths to live a positive, successful life on her own terms.

27 (Twenty-Seven): Six Friends, One Year


R.J. Heald - 2012
    Kurt Cobain. Amy Winehouse. Janis Joplin. They died at 27. Six friends reunite in London. From the outside their lives are enviable; from the new father, to the rich entrepreneur to the carefree traveller. But underneath their facades, they are starting to unravel. Dave is made redundant, Renee's marriage is crumbling and Katie is forced to return home to her parents after six years abroad. In a world fuelled by social media and ravaged by recession, the friends must face up to the choices they must make to lead the lives they truly want to live.“The characters are sharply observed and as I read, I quickly came to feel they were my friends too… All along we feel we are in the hands of an accomplished storyteller, and of course there is a satisfying climax.” "Well written and interesting...this was great and I wanted to read more." - Amazon Breakthrough Novel Expert Reviewer“This is a fantastic read for the summer holidays. A genuinely lovely warm surprising story. I loved the characters and felt part of their journey. Can highly recommend.” “An enjoyable read for a generation who are obsessed with how others perceive them and who measure success in terms of job titles and relationship statuses.”“27 is one of those books that you really want to finish so that you can find out what's happened but on the other hand, you want it to carry on so that you can stay with the characters that little bit longer!” “The characters are realistic, their dramas riveting and the writing profoundly charming as Ruth Heald expertly takes you through a tumultuous year-long journey through the lives of the modern daytwenty-something.

Monster Junkies


Erik Daniel Shein - 2014
    This is a place where the magical is real and the bizarre is normal. Welcome to the Monsterjunkie Manor. Ah, but all is not well in the quirky, gothic Monsterjunkie world. Outside forces are scheming to rid them from the area while the teens and their friends cope with harassment for being different. Of course, the name itself brings suspicion and rumors about what goes on at this mysterious residence. Will their private world be exposed? And how will Crow Monsterjunkie come to grips with his name, his family legacy, and the masks that people wear to hide their true selves?

Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Stage Adaptation)


Tim Supple - 1998
    With the help of David Tushingham, he has adapted Salman Rushdie's classic children's novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories for the stage. Set in an exotic eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Rushdie's novel inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way he encounters many foes, intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.

Missing


Shelley MacKenney - 2014
    An inspirational tale of her journey through extreme personal crisis."You can run, but you can't hide from yourself."Abandoned by her mother as a young child and with a father constantly on the run, Shelley's life was never normal. Her family's involvement with South London's criminal underworld left her isolated, vulnerable and lonely. Falling deeper and deeper into depression and despair - she snapped.Shelley got on the first coach out of London with only the clothes she stood up in and £30 in her pocket. She didn't care where she was going, as long as she could disappear completely from her oppressive life. For years, she lived anonymously in refuges, hostels and on the streets. It would take something remarkable to bring her back to the real world.

Aroon


M.B. Gibson - 2016
    A desolate maid. And one cold corpse. Richard Lynche, heir of an 18th century Tipperary estate, can find no peace. His bookish ways disgust his bullying letch of a father. His heartsick mother sinks ever-deeper into a drug-induced lethargy. The teen’s only solace are the loving arms of the homesick new maid, Eveleen. Meanwhile jealousy, lust, and oppression lead to gruesome visions, causing Richard to question his own sanity. Desperate to prevail over his demons, he determines there is only one way to stop the torture—a killing. Aroon is a cauldron of old-fashioned Irish stew. Spiced heavily with Downton Abbey, sprinkled with Shakespeare’s Hamlet and a dash of The Godfather’s Michael Corleone, it explores the underbelly of life during the Protestant Ascendancy.

The Book of Kindly Deaths


Eldritch Black - 2014
    Magic. A Midnight Land of Monsters. When Eliza Winter finds a hidden room in her missing grandfather’s Gothic house, her world is turned upside down. Inside, below a stained glass window where moonlight shines no matter the hour, awaits The Book of Kindly Deaths, a terrifying collection of darkly sinister tales. Desperate for clues to solve her grandfather’s disappearance, Eliza opens the book of ominous, enchanted stories and discovers that nothing is what it seems, and that sometimes fairy tales are true… Soon, Eliza is forced to battle her darkest fears to save her family from the book’s guardian, the horrifying ghoul Grim Shivers. And as the pages turn, she finds herself tumbling into the heart of the Grimwytch, a haunted world of terrifying monsters where it’s forever midnight. The Book of Kindly Deaths is a fast-paced YA dark fantasy novel brimming with mystery, spine-chilling horror, and a land of magical adventure.  Buy The Book of Kindly Deaths and enter its darkly enchanted world today!

Phobia


C.A. Shives - 2012
    But the discovery of a woman's dead body, bound and covered with snakes, sends panic through his community and ignites his investigative instincts.As the serial killer continues to target his prey, Herne must confront his haunted past to uncover the pattern in the deaths. He soon discovers that every victim suffers from a phobia. And every murder transforms the victim’s worst fear into reality.Tormented by his personal demons, Herne is forced to face his own fears as he hunts for a murderer who uses terror for a weapon.