Despite opposition from parents and friends, they finally overcome all obstacles and win a drama competition. It is a tale of triumph over adversity.

    From small beginnings, it grows rapidly, enjoying all sorts of exciting adventures and mishaps.

    Getting into trouble is much easier that getting out of it in George Layton's bestselling collection of funny, bittersweet stories about growing up in the Fifties.

    Though it looks to most people like a white goat with a bump on its head, young Joe is certain it will make the dreams of his friends and neighbors come true—a reunion with his father in Africa, a steam press for a tailor shop, a ring for a girlfriend. Others may be skeptical of the unicorn’s magic, but with enough effort, Joe believes he can make it all real.

    Twins Nicola and Lawrie arrive at their new school determined to do even better than their distinguished elder sisters, but things don't turn out quite as planned.

    Instead, 11-year-old Willie must work in the coal mines of Cape Breton, hardly ever seeing the light of day. But with the help of Gem, a gentle pit pony, he discovers that things aren't always as bad as they seem. And a surprising event reveals that miracles can happen, even in a coal mine.

    Ten-year-old Jenny's new foster mother dosen't live up to her expectations until Jenny discovers that there are more important things in life than lavish gifts and fancy homes.

    But then Alison Ashley shows up, and right from the start, seems to threaten Erica's position. Can these classmates ever see past their difficulties and find friendship?

    Orphaned by an automobile accident in Australia, fifteen-year-old Megan returns to her family's native Wales where, with the help of a new friend, she discovers her true destiny and the meaning of her terrifying dreams.

    In Bronze Age Britain, young Drem must overcome his disability-a withered arm-if he is to prove his manhood and become a warrior.

    Unrest is spreading among the peasants of Southern England, who are tired of the injustice they suffer at the hands of landlords. Rebellion is in the air, and life is about to change for man and dog.

    After moving around to several towns in the UK, the family finally emigrates to Australia, but trouble still follows them there.

    Retta, Johnny and Roy are the night swimmers: three children whose father leaves them alone while he performs as a singer."Byars has the uncanny ability to know the secret lives...the outward postures, and the exact words her characters would surely use."-- "The New York Times Book Review."A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, An American Book Award, Parents' Choice Award, A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, An IRA-CBC Children's Choice, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

    At first the island seems a paradise, with its plentiful foods and wealth of natural wonders. But then a party of cannibals arrives, and after that a pirate ship...what is to become of them?

    A beloved time travel story that has endured for generations.