But a small cat and a raven are waiting to foil their plans and save the world.

    No one bats an eyelid at her ankle-length black dress (decorated with a pattern of white skulls) or her long silk gloves (black, naturally)or her hair (very long, very straight and very black). And as for her shoes (the clumpiest, highest and--you've guessed it!--blackest platforms you've ever seen) ... well, amongst the rubble and weeds of Vinegar Street, Poppy fits in just fine.Vinegar Street is no ordinary street and Poppy Picklesticks is certainly no ordinary girl, but the two complement each other perfectly. So when Mandy Nylon--all blonde hair, perfect make-up, neon-white teeth, look-at-my-curves dresses and a backside that wiggles so hard you could attach cocktail shakers to it--moves into the street, Poppy's world is rocked. Everyone is charmed by the newcomer but Poppy and the tingling voice inside her head are pretty sure that there is more to this woman than meets the eye and a battle of wills that leaves the reader pretty breathless ensues.Philip Ridley certainly has a way with words and in Vinegar Street he lets rip with a barrage of snappy dialogue and crafty prose that runs like a river of poetry across the pages and into the imagination. Older readers will simply love the sharp and snappy humour, and the tight characterization that drives the unusual and intrepid plot as it races towards its conclusion.A dream of a book for readers like their fiction with a twist, Vinegar Street is a confident and unforgettable story that lets the imagination fly. Age 11 and over. --Susan Harrison

    This satisfying, perfectly executed picture book has something to say to readers of all stripes and all ages.This title has Common Core connections.

    She's swapped puppy fat and pigtails for make-up and hair straighteners and never looked back - until now. Ginger and Shannon are best mates, but when they befriend lonely Emily, everything changes. Even the saxophone-playing boy in the trilby hat can't help - he's part of the problem...Are Ginger and Shannon drifting apart or can they stay best friends forever? A gorgeously tender-hearted story about secrets, friends and fitting in from the new queen of tween, Cathy Cassidy. This book is sure to ring true with readers of 8-13.

    She knows that little girl is she. But how could it be true?Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, until she begins to piece together clues that don't make sense. Why are there no pictures of Janie before she was four? Her parents have always said they didn't have a camera. Now that explanation sounds feeble. Something is terribly wrong, and Janie is afraid to find out what happened more than twelve years ago.In this gripping page-turner, the reader will unravel—as Janie does—the twisted events that changed the lives of two families forever.

    When Thidwick allows a motley collection of creatures to set up home in his antlers, the kindly moose soon finds that his guests have gone too far!

    Elephants never forget - and neither will millions of readers once they've met the slightly annoying elephant.

    But not just any old bank – the food bank. With its shining tins and packets of food stacked from floor to ceiling, Nelson thinks it’s the best kind of bank there is. But there’s a thief in town, and the shelves of the food bank are getting emptier each day, leaving people hungrier than ever. For the sake of his family and everyone else’s, Nelson needs to make them stop. But can he and his friends really be the ones to catch the bank robber?

    This book is a retelling of Shakespeare's classic tragedy, 'Hamlet'.

    In his room for a time-out, Skippyjon Jones lets his imagination take him to a shack where his Chihuahua friends are yipping and yapping and hiding out from the bad Bobble-ito, who has taken over their doghouse. How El Skippito chills the Chihuahuas and banishes the Bobble-ito will make more amigos for this endearing and irresistible rascal, who made his first appearance in the favorite Skippyjon Jones.

    One evening, as she is reading an especially funny tale about a witch with stinky feet, all the lights go out. Before she can recover, a clammy hand grabs one end of her book. She closes her eyes and holds on tight to the other end. Bo and her story book are whisked away to a strange place where she has never been before. When she opens her eyes, she finds herself standing in the Ghost Library, a gigantic, spooky room filled with empty shelves. It isn't long before she meets the friendly ghosts who regularly visit this place. They're constantly looking for more good stories--but their shelves are always empty. Bo is a little girl whose head is filled with ideas. She dreams up the perfect way to help the ghosts fill their library with wonderful stories. David Melling's funny, highly-detailed, full-color illustrations complement his amusing tale. They include a cleverly extended three-panel illustration with a gatefold and three two-page spreads that tell Bo's story in purely pictorial images.

    Her pretty, sweet mum is equally afraid of him.Eventually, after an unbearable birthday party, amidst fears that Dad’s temper is out of control, Mum and Beauty run away. They find themselves in an idyllic seaside resort where their new-found freedom and a moment of culinary inspiration give them a hobby, an income and even a new nickname for Beauty whose dreams all come true — and she deserves it!From the Trade Paperback edition.

    This perfect gift for Percy fans boasts a hidden compartment containing an exclusive Camp Half-Blood map and stickers.

    These ideas can be combined to make new exciting stories. But watch out when the ideas escape the jar—they might get a little rowdy! Adam Lehrhaupt’s newest picture book is sure to inspire creativity, imagination, and adventure.

    He is the perfect candidate to become the world's next supervillain.That is why he ends up at H.I.V.E., handpicked to become a member of the incoming class. The students have been kidnapped and brought to a secluded island inside a seemingly active volcano, where the school has resided for decades. All the kids are elite; they are the most athletic, the most technically advanced, and the smartest in the country. Inside the cavernous marble rooms, floodlit hangars, and steel doors, the students are enrolled in Villainy Studies and Stealth and Evasion 101. But what Otto soon comes to realize is that this is a six-year program, and leaving is not an option.With the help of his new friends: an athletic martial-arts expert; a world-famous, beautiful diamond thief; and a spunky computer genius -- the only other people who seem to want to leave -- can Otto achieve what has never been done before and break out of H.I.V.E.?