Thirteens


Kate Alice Marshall - 2020
    Her birthday, which falls on Halloween, is just around the corner, and she hopes that this year will be a fresh start at a new life. But then one morning, an ancient grandfather clock counting down thirteen hours appears outside of her bedroom. And then she spots a large black dog with glowing red eyes prowling the grounds of her school. A book of fairytales she's never heard of almost willingly drops in front of her, as if asking to be read. Something is wrong in the town of Eden Eld.Eleanor and her new classmates, Pip and Otto, are the only ones who see these "wrong things," and they also all happen to share a Halloween birthday. Bonded by these odd similarities, the trio uncovers a centuries-old pact the town has with a mysterious figure known as Mr. January: every thirteen years, three thirteen-year-olds disappear, sacrificed in exchange for the town's unending good fortune. This Halloween, Mr. January is back to collect his payment and Eleanor, Pip, and Otto are to be his next offering...unless they can break the curse before the clock strikes thirteen.

Mama Loves You Always


Lindsey Coker Luckey - 2020
    Take your child on a journey about a mother’s love in this sweet, touching children’s picture book filled with beautiful watercolor illustrations and warm and engaging rhymes that speak to the power of a mother’s love and explain to children in terms that they understand just how immense that love is.Written for children of any age, this beautifully illustrated book will inspire, comfort, and make a young heart sing with joy and love.

Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle


Washington Irving - 1819
    In the first of these stories from the Catskill Mountains, a superstitious schoolmaster encounters a headless horseman; in the second, a man sleeps for twenty years, waking to a much-changed world.

Hardly Haunted


Jessie Sima - 2021
    She’s a little spooky. She’s a little cobwebby. Oh, no! What if she’s haunted? She’s not sure, but…her hinges creak. Her pipes bang. And on windy days, the branches scritch-scratch at her windows. She tries to hold her breath and be as still as possible. If she’s on her best behavior, maybe a family will move in. How will House ever find a family that doesn’t mind being haunted?

Lizzie and Lou Seal


Patricia Keeler - 2017
    They go shuffle shuffle across the rug, smack smack on the floor tiles, and thwap thwap down the stairs. Lizzie also loves her blow-up toy, Lou Seal. Lizzie and Lou Seal are off to the beach, but beach fun turns to beach disaster when Lizzie loses her flip-flops and Lou Seal starts losing air! It’s a sink or swim scenario. What will Lizzie do?This is a beautiful book with mixed media art and a lovely retro feel, for fans of Ladybug Girl at the Beach. Children will relate to Lizzie’s independence and creative problem solving and fall in love with Lou Seal themselves. Filled with lots of fun words and sounds, this is a perfect read aloud book for parents and children alike.

The Secret Path


Christopher Pike - 1995
    Adam has just moved to the small town of Springville. The first day there, he meets Sally, who tells him the city's real name is Spooksville, because of the all the spooky things that go on in it. Adam doesn't believe her until they team up with Watch and go in search of the Secret Path - a magical path that leads to other Spooksvilles. Together, Adam, Sally, and Watch will take the Secret Path and pass through a dark doorway. On the other side they will find a terrifying Spooksville where there are huge spiders, living skeletons, evil black knights, and a witch who just loves to make dolls - out of kids.

Scary Godmother: Omnibus


Jill Thompson - 2006
    Later, Hannah joins forces with Orson, the vampire boy, to unravel a mystery near and dear to their hearts. Some of Scary Godmother's closest (and most frightful) pals get in on the fun too, including Bug-A-Boo, the Boozle, and Skully Pettibone.• Four of Thompson's Eisner Award-winning, fully painted children's books are collected here, in their entirety, for the first time (Scary Godmother, The Revenge of Jimmy, The Mystery Date, and The Boo Flu). This deluxe edition also features some of the earliest concept designs for this haunting and imaginative series.• Thompson's Scary Godmother series resulted in a successful stage show and two animated specials shown on Cartoon Network, Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular and Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.• "Jill Thompson's Scary Godmother is another of this comics maestro's knockout punches. Thompson delivers a series that shrugs off the censors like the dead weight they are and writes and draws directly at readers of all ages, all experience. Her work is always a delight, and much more: her craft, her precision, her delicious whimsy, all serve as a goad to the rest of us cartoonists to have as much fun as she's obviously enjoying, and to work our butts off as hard as she does. She only makes it look easy. That's the sign of a master."—Frank Miller• "A beautiful and ambitious piece of work."—Alex Ross• Eisner Award-winning series!

Budding Reader Book Set 1: Cat and Rat


Melinda Thompson - 2011
    So, it isn’t surprising that many children find learning to read difficult. Make learning to read more fun with award-winning Budding Reader eBooks, arguably the easiest learn-to-read book series on the market. These research-based eBooks were developed in consultation with Cecilia Minden, Ph.D., the former Director of Language and Literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They were illustrated by artist, Doug Oglesby, winner of one Emmy, five Emmy nominations, and three international awards from the Broadcast Designers Association. Budding Reader eBooks use an innovative format to ease children into reading. Using research-based best practices identified by the National Reading Panel, each of the five Budding Reader eBook sets (one for each short vowel sound) tells an original story over the course of ten books. Previewing a book dramatically improves reading comprehension, so Book 1 in each set is a wordless picture book which introduces the story through colorful illustrations. Repetition aids brain development, so the story is retold in Books 2-10 with an ever-expanding vocabulary. By repeating words and gradually adding new ones, Budding Reader eBooks help new readers (even reluctant ones) experience success from the very start.In total, the Budding Reader eBook series introduces more than 60 simple words including dozens of common sight words. Learning is reinforced with free companion writing worksheets (available at buddingreader.com) which provide a multisensory experience and enable children to practice both reading and writing. A free parent guide with tips for working with new readers is also available on the website. The first set in the series, Cat and Rat, introduces the short “a” vowel sound and is designed to be a child’s very first reader. With only eleven words (and, at, can, cat, look, rat, see, stop, that, the, you) introduced over the course of ten books, Cat and Rat aims to provide even the most reluctant reader with a positive first introduction to reading. Series: •Set 1: Cat and Rat (Short a; 11 words) •Set 2: Wit and Kit (Short i; 17 words) •Set 3: Bugs (Short u; 18 words) •Set 4: Hop! (Short o; 18 words) •Set 5: Hens (Short e; 22 words) For every eBook set sold, Budding Reader donates one to a child in need. One for You. One for the World. A Better World with Every Purchase. Gold Mom’s Choice Award Winner: The Mom’s Choice Awards has named Cat and Rat among the very best in family-friendly media, products and services. This content is optimized for tablets.

What The Fox Learnt: Four Fables from Aesop


Aesop - 2011
    These are short stories that are fun and easy to read. Each story is summarized with a moral that you might have even heard of.

Cougar Cub Tales: Lost and Alone


Sharon Cramer - 2009
    They have ungrounded apprehension about whether or not the blind bobcat is a real cougar cub . By the end of the tale, they realize that they really ARE the same, overlooking their fears and differences as they embrace their new friend. Eighteen watercolors.

Little Witch


Anna Elizabeth Bennett - 1953
    ...It may sound like fun to be the daughter of Madam Snickasnee and be forbidden to go to school, to wash behind your ears, or go to bed at night. You might even like to see certain people you know turned into potted plants and have your own flying broomstick. ...But Minx didn't like riding around in the dark or cooking up horrid pots of Black Spell Brew. Even a witch's child rebels, and one day, Minx sneaked off to school. ...The principal was certainly surprised to see his newest pupil arriving on a broomstick, and life got much more exciting for a lot of people - the school-children, Mr. Beanpot the detective and Mrs. Sputter of the Parent-Teachers' Association. ...Anyone who ever longed to cast a spell or experiment with a magic kettle will delight in the wonderful story of Minx and how her dearest wish came true. Helen Stone's gay line drawings make the little witch and her friends come alive with humor and Hallowe'en spirit.

The Year of Shadows


Claire Legrand - 2013
    A heartfelt, gently Gothic novel from Claire Legrand.Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year.Her mother’s left, her neglectful father—the maestro of a failing orchestra—has moved her and her grandmother into the city’s dark, broken-down concert hall to save money, and her only friend is Igor, an ornery stray cat.Just when she thinks life couldn’t get any weirder, she meets four ghosts who haunt the hall. They need Olivia’s help—if the hall is torn down, they’ll be stuck as ghosts forever, never able to move on.Olivia has to do the impossible for her shadowy new friends: Save the concert hall. But helping the dead has powerful consequences for the living…and soon it’s not just the concert hall that needs saving.

The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip (Tell Me A Story, #4)


Josh Kilen - 2011
    Imagine your child hanging on your every word and captivating them every night with an easy to tell bedtime story. Spend quality time with your kids and make memories they will never forget. About The Lost Princess in Winter's Grip Annabeth lives a normal life as a happy girl in a small town. Then one day her life is turned upside down by a Royal pronouncement that she is in fact a Princess! With evil nipping at her heals, Annabeth and Prince Ryan must battle Stone Monsters, Bandits, and the dreaded Ice Witches in order to reclaim her title and dispense True Justice throughout the land. Look for Other Titles in the Tell Me A Story Series: The Tales of Big and Little - Doom of the Three Stones Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight OR Buy All Four First Stories for One Low Price!

Diary of a Zombie Steve: Book 1


M.C. Steve - 2016
    Now Zombie Steve, too nice to abandon young Beep, has to play babysitter on a new quest to reunite the precocious child with his worried parents. But there will be spiders, silverfish, a miner and even a friendly wolf or two along the way.Zombie Steve knows he needs to do the right thing and bring Beep to his parents, unfortunately, his parents are avid zombie hunters!Will Zombie Steve be able to return Beep home by protecting his own (zombified) skin? Read “Beep” to find out.A hilariously written page turner, this book would be the perfect gift for Minecraft lovers of any age.Disclaimer: This book is a work of fanfiction; it is not an official Minecraft book. It is not endorsed, authorized, licensed, sponsored, or supported by Mojang AB, Microsoft Corp. or any other entity owning or controlling rights to the Minecraft name, trademarks or copyrights.

Beauty and the Beast


Bayard Taylor - 1872
    "You've got to get the girl to fall in love with you!"The Beast's only chance to break the spell is for him to fall in love with Belle and earn her love in return.