Mistakes Were Made


Stephan Pastis - 2013
    Created by New York Times best-selling cartoonist Stephan Pastis.Take eleven-year-old Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile — Timmy’s mom’s Segway — and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a no-brainer spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity is accompanied by a whodunit twist. With perfectly paced visual humor, Stephan Pastis gets you snorting with laughter, then slyly carries the joke a beat further — or sweetens it with an unexpected poignant moment — making this a comics-inspired story (the first in a new series) that truly stands apart from the pack.

The Scarecrow and His Servant


Philip Pullman - 2004
    A tattered scarecrow stood in the wind and rain, taking no notice . . . until a bolt of lightning struck his turnip head. The scarecrow blinked with surprise and came to life.So begins the story of the Scarecrow, a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant, and they set out to journey to Spring Valley together. Along the way there's no end of excitement - battle and shipwreck, brigands and tricksters - and it's up to Jack time after time to save the day.

Girl Detective


R.A. Spratt - 2014
    But the biggest mystery yet is Ian Wainscott, the handsomest (and most arrogant) boy in school who inexplicably hates her. Will the homework be found? Can they ever track down the Yeti? And why is Ian out to ruin her?With black-and-white art throughout, this is the launch of an exciting new mystery series!

The Secret Promise


Paula Harrison - 2012
    Her three friends feel the same, so they slip out after dinner. A zip wire in the dark is excellent fun! But things take a serious turn when the girls find a trapped deer in the forest. Who would do such an awful thing, and why?

Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball


Laura Ellen Anderson - 2017
    Welcome to the world of Nocturnia, where darkness reigns supreme, glitter is terrifying, and unicorns are the stuff of nightmares!Amelia Fang would much rather hang out with her pet pumpkin Squashy and her friends Florence the yeti (DON'T CALL HER BEAST!) and Grimaldi the reaper than dance at her parents' annual Barbaric Ball.Then the King's spoiled son Tangine captures Squashy, Amelia and her friends must escape the party to plan a daring rescue!In their race against time, they begin to realize things in Nocturnia may not be quite what they seem...

The Great Chocoplot


Chris Callaghan - 2016
    She lives with her mum and dad and gran, has nosy neighbors who like to gossip, and really needs to think of a science project that will get her a good grade.   But when news breaks of an impending chocopocalypse, her whole world—and the world at large—is thrown into utter chaos.   With only six days left until no more chocolate, Jelly has a sneaking suspicion that something isn’t right. She and her gran investigate, picking up on a mysterious trail of clues.   Is it really the dreaded chocopocalypse, or is there a mastermind behind the madness?

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk


Liesl Shurtliff - 2015
    But if that’s the case, how do you explain the huge, foot shaped pond in the yard, or the occurrence of strange and sudden storms in which the earth quakes and dirt rains from the sky? When his father is carried away in such a storm, Jack gives chase in the only logical way: by trading the family cow for some magic beans that will give him access to a land beyond the clouds. He arrives to find that the giants themselves have giant-sized troubles. With the help of an overachieving little sister, a magic goose and a chatty cook (who is not interested in grinding human bones into bread, thank you very much!) Jack sets out to save his dad and save the day.

Mouse Scouts: Make A Difference


Sarah Dillard - 2016
    Jones comes a brand-new chapter book series: Mouse Scouts!  Violet, Tigerlily, and their friends are ready to earn their Make a Difference badge. If only they could agree on what kind of difference they want to make. But when the troop decides to clean up a local park, they find themselves facing an unusual rescue mission. Will the girls be able to make a real difference, or will this badge prove more than the Mouse Scouts can handle?   Brimming with lively black-and-white illustrations—including pages from the official Mouse Scout Handbook, plus diagrams, games, activities, and more—this darling new series is just right for chapter book readers.

The Butterfly Club


Jacqueline Wilson - 2015
    Her sisters Phil and Maddie are bigger and stronger and better at just about everything. Luckily, they look after teeny-tiny Tina wherever they go - but when the girls start in scary, super-strict Miss Lovejoy's class, they're split up, and Tina has to fend for herself for the first time.Tina is horrified when she's paired up with angry bully Selma, who nobody wants to be friends with. But when Miss Lovejoy asks them to help her create a butterfly garden in the school playground, Tina discovers she doesn't always need her sisters - and that there's a lot more to Selma than first meets the eye.A beautiful, heartwarming story about friendship, confidence and becoming your own person, from the mega-bestselling author of Tracy Beaker, Hetty Feather and Sleepovers.

Precious and the Monkeys


Alexander McCall Smith - 2010
    Here, in this delightful, enchanting tale for children, we find out just who has been stealing her schoolfriends' snacks and how the young Precious became the crafty and intuitive private investigator we all know and love!

The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out


Jill Tomlinson - 1979
    That means it’s his job to look after all the other young penguins. But out in the snow and ice of Antarctica, there’s a lot to learn, and Otto has to discover for himself how to swim, dive, and catch fish before he can teach anyone else.

My Dad's a Birdman


David Almond - 2007
    It's just the two of them, and Auntie Doreen, who pops round to check Lizzie's spellings and tell Dad he's daft. But today there's something unusual going on: why is Dad building himself a pair of wings and studying the birds to see how they fly?

Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen


Chris Riddell - 2015
    They are there preparing for World Frock Night - a lavish ball where everyone dresses up in their finest costumes to compete for the grand prize.Ada has been given money by her father to buy a spectacular outfit for the ball, and she's excited to be in with a chance of winning the prize. But, as usual, nothing goes to plan, and becoming the belle of the ball will prove to be Ada's biggest challenge yet . . .Full of intricate black and white illustrations, Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen is a gorgeous World Book Day book from Chris Riddell, award-winning author of Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse.

Moonpenny Island


Tricia Springstubb - 2015
    Moonpenny is a tiny island in a great lake. When the summer people leave and the ferries stop running, just the tried-and-true islanders are left behind. Flor and her best, her perfect friend, Sylvie, are the only eleven-year-olds for miles and miles—and Flor couldn’t be happier.But come the end of summer, unthinkable things begin to happen. Sylvie is suddenly, mysteriously whisked away to school on the mainland. Flor’s mother leaves to take care of Flor’s sick grandmother and doesn’t come back. Her big sister has a secret, and Flor fears it’s a dangerous one.Meanwhile, a geologist and his peculiar daughter arrive to excavate prehistoric trilobites, one of the first creatures to develop sight. Soon Flor is helping them. As her own ability to see her life on this little lump of limestone evolves, she faces truths about those she loves—and about herself—she never imagined. Tricia Springstubb tells a warm and deeply affecting story about what it means to see, and why the biggest feat of all may be seeing through someone else’s eyes.

The Pranksters Club: The Wimpy Kid Takeover


J.C. Foster - 2014
    And how can that get any worse for this Wimpy Kid? By finding out that you’re getting the meanest teacher in the school this year AND she just moved down the street.Leave it up to Connor, Max and Milo to turn the miserable first week of school into the biggest and most exciting party ever. All while avoiding the bully squad, outsmarting Molly, the teacher’s pet and staying one step ahead of Mr. Mooger, the principal.But everything is not as it seems and the three soon find out that they haven’t been the only one’s pulling pranks.Join Connor, Max and Milo on their new adventures in middle school, watch them out smart the bullies and stay one step ahead of the teachers. This illustrated book is a humorous and fun ride through middle school, never knowing what's just around the corner or under your seat. Connor's Diary of the Wimpy Kids in his prankster's club will keep you guessing and laughing out loud.Also Available: The Pranksters' Club: Ripped - Book 2 of the Series