Murder Most Unladylike


Robin Stevens - 2014
    When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.)But then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder has happened in the first place before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally),But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

The Gift of the Wondrous Fig Tree


Magda Szabó - 1965
    But Lala is no ordinary fairy child. He shows very little interest in the spells he learns in fairy school and prefers the company of humans, befriending a recently orphaned girl, Beata, and her uncle. The queen hopes her sons behavior will improve after she marries Amalfi, the captain of the palace guard, who already loves the prince as his own.Meanwhile the power-hungry Adderpater, wizard, scholar, and coregent of the land, identifies the cause of the princes strange behavior: Lala has a human heart. The punishment for having a human organ is cruel in Fairyland. Iris will do anything to save her son, even marry the ancient wizard and banish Gigi, the truth-telling unicorn. Will the lights of Fairyland go out forever? Or will Lalas human heart give him the courage to restore justice and happiness?

The Pinballs


Betsy Byars - 1977
    Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgement, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.

The Amazing Adventures of Chilly Billy


Peter Mayle - 1980
    Once you’ve met Chilly Billy and heard of his adventures inside the refrigerator, you’ll never open the fridge door in quite the same way again. Chilly Billy is a fun and lovable character with adventures like the Fridge Olympics and the Frozen sports contest against his arch rival The Mad Jumper. Seven short chapters geared to children under ten.This is a re-issue of a formerly out-of-print book that Peter Mayle wrote for his own children in 1980.

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket


John Boyne - 2012
    Normal, respectable, and proud of it, they turn up their noses at anyone strange or different. But from the moment Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he's anything but ordinary. To his parents’ horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and floats.Desperate to please his parents, Barnaby does his best to keep both feet on the ground – but he just can't do it. One fateful day, the Brockets decide enough is enough. They never asked for a weird, abnormal, floating child. Barnaby has to go . . .Betrayed, frightened and alone, Barnaby floats into the path of a very special hot air balloon – and so begins a magical journey around the world, with a cast of extraordinary new friends.

The Boggart


Susan Cooper - 1993
    When Emily and Jess Volnik's family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart - an invisible, mischievous spirit who's been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a rolltop desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks' home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same - for the Volniks or the Boggart.In a world that doesn't believe in magic, the Boggart's pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home - but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic.

The Do-Over Day: a children's book about surviving the worst day ever


Julia Inserro - 2019
    But some days are the worst! Sometimes everything just goes wrong: your little sister presses the elevator button first your favorite socks are missing you're not allowed to wear your mermaid costume to the dentist you can't wear your snorkel in the bathtub But how great would it be if we could learn how to have a good do-over day? Think of all the moaning and groaning and fussing and grumping we could avoid.The Do-Over Day is a great book for kids ages 3-9 and can teach us all how to handle the occasional worst day ever. It even comes with practice cards, so you can begin to have better do-over days, too.

Carney's House Party


Maud Hart Lovelace - 1949
    She's looking forward to hosting a month-long house party, with guests including her Vassar college roommate Isobel Porteous and old chum Betsy Ray. With lots of the old Crowd and a new friend--wealthy, unkempt, but lovable Sam Hutchinson--around, the days are filled with fun. And romance seems to be in the air. But Carney can never be romantic about anyone but Larry Humphreys, her high school sweetheart, who moved to California four years ago. Then Larry returns to Deep Valley and sets the town abuzz. Will Larry propose? And will Carney say yes? In addition to her beloved Betsy-Tacy books, Maud Hart Lovelace wrote three more stories set in the fictional town of Deep Valley: Winona's Pony Cart, Carney's House Party, and Emily of Deep Valley. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be delighted to find the Deep Valley books available again for the first time in many years.

Eva


Peter Dickinson - 1988
    Her mother leans over the bed and begins to explain. A traffic accident, a long coma . . .But there is something, Eva senses, that she’s not being told. There is a price she must pay to be alive at all. What have they done, with their amazing medical techniques, to save her?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland


Lewis Carroll - 1865
    As mind-bending as it is delightful, Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel is pure magic for young and old alike.

Where the Red Fern Grows


Wilson Rawls - 1961
    Old Dan had the brawn. Little Ann had the brains, and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. Where the Red Fern Grows is an exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.

Dawn Raid


Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith - 2018
    All of sudden it's 4 o'clock in the morning and there's banging and yelling and screaming. The Police are in the house pulling people out of bed ..." Like many 13-year-old girls, Sofia's main worries are how she can earn enough pocket money to buy the groovy go-go boots that are all the rage, and if she will die of embarrassment giving a speech she has to do for school! It comes as a surprise to Sofia and her family when her big brother, Lenny, talks about protests, overstayers and injustices against Pacific Islanders. Through her spirited and heartfelt diary entries, we join Sofia as she navigates life in the 1970s and is inspired by the courageous and tireless work of the Polynesian Panthers as they encourage immigrant families across New Zealand to stand up for their rights. My New Zealand Story is a series of vividly imagined accounts of life in the past ... making history come alive.

Hairy Maclary: Five Lynley Dodd Stories


Lynley Dodd - 1996
    She is enormously popular for her rhyming stories of the unforgettable HAIRY MACLARY and his friends. She worked as a teacher before beginning to write her own books in 1974.Read all the Hairy Maclary and Friends books by Lynley Dodd!Hairy Maclary's Bone; Hairy Maclary Scattercat; Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper; Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet; Slinky Malinki; Hairy Maclary's Showbusiness; Slinky Malinki, Open the Door; Sniff-Snuff-Snap!; Schnitzel Von Krumm Forget-Me-Not; Slinky Malinki Catflaps; Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers; Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks; Scarface Claw; Schnitzel Von Krumm, Dog's Never Climb Tress; Hairy Maclary, Sit; Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack; Magnet Fun with Hairy Maclary; Hairy Maclary, Shoo; Hairy Maclary and Friends Little Library; Slinky Malinki, Open the Door; Slinky Malinki Early Bird; Where is Hairy Maclary?; Sticker Fun with Hairy Maclary; My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes

Best Friends


Mary Bard - 1955
    Someone to vent to, giggle with, and someone to help her face Millicent and the Select Seven at school every day. Those girls are boy crazy, talk in codes, and call Suzie “teacher’s pet.” It’s not easy being a teacher’s kid! And it’s not easy being eleven, going on twelve, without a best friend. Then Co Co Langdon moves in next door. Suzie has never met anyone like Co Co. First, she’s from France and has traveled all over the world. And second, she’s never been to school, having been tutored by the ultra-strict Mademoiselle. But now that Co Co is in America, she will go to school for the very first time. And Suzie will finally have a best friend by her side! First published in 1955, Best Friends follows two girls through one unforgettable school year as they take on mean girls, a cranky neighbor, boys, and a missing beloved neighborhood dog—but most of all, as they find out what it truly means to be best friends.

Watership Down


Richard Adams - 1972
    Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.