The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship


Philip Pullman - 2017
    In the ocean of the modern day, John rescues a shipwrecked young girl his own age, Serena, and promises to help.But returning Serena to her own time means traveling to the one place where the ship is in most danger of destruction. The all-powerful Dahlberg Corporation has an ambitious leader with plans far greater and more terrible than anyone has realized, and he is hot on their trail. For only John, Serena, and the crew know Dahlberg's true intentions, and only they have the power to stop him from bending the world to his will.

The Girl of Ink and Stars


Kiran Millwood Hargrave - 2016
    As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.

Mandie and Mollie and the Angel's Visit


Lois Gladys Leppard - 1998
    When Mollie visits Mandie for Easter, anything can happen! This fun and illustrated holiday story includes the full script of a play Mandie fans will love to perform.

Portal Through the Pond


David K. Anderson - 2013
    They said her grandmother was crazy. Christy knows better. When 13-year-old Christy's grandmother dies, she leaves Christy a mysterious packet of information revealing an amazing secret: the pond in her yard is in fact a portal to another world. And what's more, her grandfather had disappeared in that world nine years earlier. Christy is determined to honor her grandmother's wish to keep the secret, even if it means alienating her best friend Trevor. However, things spiral out of her control when nosy classmate Rob accidentally crosses into other world, the grown-ups think he has drowned, she's forced to tell Trevor, and Danny--the nine-year-old deaf boy next door--follows her through the portal to rescue Rob. Will Trevor be able to convince the grown-ups to trust Christy to get them all home? Or will they let the police drain the pond, stranding the children in an alien world?

Diary Of a Wickedly Cool Witch: Bullies and Baddies (The Wickedly Cool Witch series, #1)


Kate Cullen - 2015
    She has a typical suburban family with a crazy Mom who has stupid rules, a dad who always has to be funny, even though he’s not; a big, dopey brother who is the world’s worst pain in the neck, and a cute baby brother who does nothing but poop all day. Life would be pretty normal for Lily if it wasn’t for one small difference. She’s a witch! But no-one is allowed to know that minor detail. She’s not one of the evil, grotesque witches who strive to turn populations into wart infested toads and children into ants. Lily is a good witch who finds herself on a mercy mission everywhere she goes. She encounters all sorts of life-saving situations from saving people from their death, from accidents, even from themselves. In the first of the series, Lily has to save another girl (Kaitlyn) from the school’s meanest bullies. But helping Kaitlyn means giving up her chances of getting on the cheerleading team. But it's not all disastrous, as along the way she makes a new friend and maybe even discovers that boys aren’t so bad after all.

The Wednesdays


Julie Bourbeau - 2012
    Perfect for fans of Ransom Riggs and Maryrose Wood.Max’s village is absolutely normal in every single way and on every single day—except Wednesday. Most of the townsfolk shutter their windows and lock their doors to hide away from the many peculiar things that happen—things like cats getting stuck in the vacuum cleaner and birthday cakes meeting fiery and horrific ends. But Max is too curious for that, and so, breaking every rule in the village, he searches out the cause of all the Wednesday weirdness. What he uncovers is a secret so devious—so dastardly and mischievous—that life as he knows it will never be the same. Max himself is not the same. Suddenly the mysterious little accidents so common on Wednesdays are happening to him on Thursdays, Fridays—even Saturdays! What’s come over Max? And more importantly, is there any cure for a case of the Wednesdays?

Playing with Fire


Bruce Hale - 2013
    After being wrongly accused of setting a fire, he is sent to the Merry Sunshine Orphanage — on his thirteenth birthday, no less. But what kind of group home offers classes in surveillance techniques, lock picking, and mixed martial arts? When the staff announces a “field trip” that involves breaking and entering, Max knows this is no ordinary orphanage. Yet Max has something more important on his mind. Someone has slipped him a message stating that his father is still alive. Max is eager to find Simon Segredo, even though it might mean betraying everyone at Merry Sunshine. Because when it comes to family, blood is what counts. Right?

Just for Boys


Matt Crossick - 2008
    Packed with advice, tips, facts, and a special Q&A section, this book makes an ideal gift for your young one.