The Magic School Bus Gets Cold Feet: A Book About Hot- and Cold-Blooded Animals


Tracey West - 1988
    Frizzle's class become reptiles themselves and discover what it's like to be cold-blooded.

Grimm's Fairy Tales


Jacob Grimm - 1909
    By 1807 there was a growing interest in German folk tales. The Grimm brothers were academics who invited friends to their home and asked them to relate stories they had heard. They soon published their first collection of tales and from there several more volumes followed.This compilation of fairy tales which includes the complete canon of over 200 tales has become a beloved set of classical stories the world over. Included in this collection are Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, The Fisherman and His Wife, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, and many more. These stories are a delight to read and will rekindle up many childhood memories as they are reread. Presented here in this edition is the faithful translation of Margaret Hunt.

While Mortals Sleep: Unpublished Short Fiction


Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - 2011
    In these previously unpublished gems, Vonnegut’s originality infuses a unique landscape of factories, trailers, and bars—and characters who pit their dreams and fears against a cruel and sometimes comically indifferent world.Here are stories of men and machines, art and artifice, and how ideals of fortune, fame, and love take curious twists in ordinary lives. An ambitious builder of roads, commanding an army of bulldozers, graders, and asphalt spreaders, fritters away his free time with miniature trains—until the women in his life crash his fantasy land. Trapped in a stenography pool, a young dreamer receives a call from a robber on the run, who presents her with a strange proposition. A crusty newspaperman is forced onto a committee to judge Christmas displays—a job that leads him to a suspiciously ostentatious ex-con and then a miracle. A hog farmer’s widow receives cryptic, unsolicited letters from a man in Schenectady about “the indefinable sweet aches of the spirit.” But what will she find when she goes to meet him in the flesh?These beautifully rendered works are a testament to Vonnegut’s unique blend of observation and imagination. Like a present left behind by a departed loved one, While Mortals Sleep bestows upon us a shimmering Kurt Vonnegut gift: a poignant reflection of our world as it is and as it could be.

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival


Dene Low - 2009
    After all, fashionable friends are arriving at her country estate near London, teas are being served, and her coming out party promises to be a resplendent affair. Everything is falling nicely into place, until, suddenly—it isn't. For Petronella discovers that her guardian, Uncle Augustus T. Percival, has developed a most un-Victorian compulsion: He must eat bugs. Worse still, because he is her guardian, Uncle Augustus is to attend her soiree and his current state will most definitely be an embarrassment.During the festivities, when Petronella would much rather be sharing pleasantries with handsome Lord James Sinclair (swoon), important guests are disappearing, kidnapping notes are appearing, many of the clues are insects, and Uncle Augustus is surreptitiously devouring evidence. It's more than one sixteen-year-old girl should have to deal with. But, truth be told, there is far more yet to come . . .

Ghosts! Ghostly Tales from Folklore


Alvin Schwartz - 1991
    . . These spooky -- and funny -- tales about singing ghosts, toast-eating ghosts, and ghosts no one even guesses are sure to send shivers up and down your spine.Why not retell them to your friends and see if you can make their spines tingle, too?

The 7th Guest


Matthew J. Costello - 1995
    Each of them would pay dearly. Who would go willingly to a place of such evil? What dark enticements draw the fated guests? What appalling destiny awaits them? Martin Burden, the small-town beauty who had learned how to please men, but not well enough to keep up her New York City lifestyle; Edward Knox, a kind man with a bad habit of losing other people's money at the races, and his dear, sensitive wife, Elinor; Brian Dutton, the cut-throat businessman who watched his brother die beneath the ice of a frozen lake; Hamilton Temple, the once-great magician still searching for true magic; Julia Heine, the fading, lonely alcoholic, forever dreaming of a new life and of being young again; and the little boy, Tad, who came to the house on a dare, only to be hunted as a sacrifice to Stauf's monstrous evil. Seven guests will become entwined in a dark inferno tonight...

They Twinkled Like Jewels


Philip José Farmer - 1954
    Now and then he moved a little to quiet the protest of cramped muscles and stagnant blood, but most of the time he was as motionless as the heap of rags he resembled. Not once did he hear or see a Bohas agent, or, for that matter, anyone. The predawn darkness had hidden his panting flight from the transie jungle, his dodging across backyards while whistles shrilled and voices shouted, and his crawling on hands and knees down an alley into the high grass and bushes which fringed a hidden garden. For a while his heart had knocked so loudly that he had been sure he would not be able to hear his pursuers if they did get close. It seemed inevitable that they would track him down. A buddy had told him that a new camp had just been built at a place only three hours drive away from the town. This meant that Bohas would be thick as hornets in the neighborhood.

The Early Years


Jamie Thomson - 2011
    It is not for the faint of heart or for the whining masses. It is for those willing to serve as my devoted minions while I plan my greatest feat yet: surviving life as a human boy and returning to my rightful place as the ruler of the Dark Lands. Before I can exact my revenge, I must infiltrate this world and learn its ways.How, you might ask, is it possible that I, the Dark Lord, the Master of the Legions of Dread and Sorcerer Supreme, could be reduced to human form? And how is it possible that the Lord of darkness could be forced to attend school and befriend such pitiful life forms?Only by reading my tale will you learn the truth behind the cataclysmic defeat that left me stranded on this accursed planet, Earth. But make no mistake, revenge will be mine... as soon as I finish my homework. Mwah, hah, ha!Yours insincerely,Dirk Lloyd(aka the Dark Lord)

Double Trouble Squared


Kathryn Lasky - 1991
    The twins try to discover the source of the voice only they can hear--a voice that needs their help. Using telepathy and their individual talents, the twins uncover a long-lost manuscript of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, along with the ghost of Sherlock Holmes’s forgotten twin brother.

Behind the Bookcase


Mark Steensland - 2012
    Her parents have to fix the place up before they can sell it, and Sarah and her brother, Billy, have to help. But the tedious work turns into a thrilling mystery when Sarah discovers an unfinished letter her grandmother wrote: Strange things are happening behind the bookcase. . . . Sarah's mother dismisses the letter as one of Grandma Winnie's crazy stories, but Sarah does some investigating and makes a remarkable discovery: behind the bookcase is a doorway into Scotopia, the land where shadows come from. With a talking cat named Balthazat as her guide, Sarah begins an unforgettable adventure into a world filled with countless dangers. Who can she trust? And can she face her fears, not only in Scotopia, but also back at Grandma Winnie's house, where more secrets and strange goings-on await her?

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang


Emma Thompson - 2010
    The Green family is trying to survive the war in their house in the country, but unfortunately they are not out of harm's way. A wicked uncle is intent on getting his hands on the family fortune and the children miss their father who is away fighting who knows where, and then their horrible cousins arrive! Life is not easy in the Green household ...Thank heavens for Nanny McPhee!

House of Teeth


Dan Jolley - 2019
    In this supernatural tale of magic and mysticism, Henry Lemarchand grew up in Philadelphia knowing very little of his family—his father disappeared when he was young, leaving behind only a strange pouch of animal teeth. When he is sent to the Louisiana bayou to spend the summer with his eccentric uncle and cousin in their decaying ancestral mansion, Henry learns about his family’s supernatural legacy—he is part of a long line of rootcrafters, folks who can absorb the powers and memories of anyone whose teeth they touch. In delving into his family’s strange legends, Henry soon discovers that some secrets bite back, especially in the swamplands. This tale of identity awareness and the need for belonging, is set in a world where everything is not as it seems.

Goldie the Unicorn


Mary K. Smith - 2015
    One day she was playing and became lost. She finds a pink castle and a lovely little fairy named Angie. Angie and the other fairies decide to help Goldie find her family. Find out what happens next!This book is especially great for traveling, waiting rooms, and reading aloud at home. Books For Kids: Goldie the Unicorn: Illustrated Kids Fantasy Books Ages 2-4 4-6 6-9 9-12 (Kids Books, Children's Books, Bedtime Stories For Kids) Excellent for beginning and early readers Great for reading aloud with friends and family Illustrated story book great for a quick bedtime story Scroll up and click 'buy' and spend some quality time with your child!

A NASCAR Holiday 2: Miracle Season/Season of Dreams/Taking Control/The Natural


Pamela Britton - 2007
    Now he's entered the biggest race of his life… the one to win her heart!Season of Dreams by Gina Wilkins Tom Wyatt's racing year has taken a toll on his romance with Melissa Hampton. But it turns out that love is the real driving force in his life.Taking Control by Ken Casper Aidan O'Keefe doesn't like sharing his team with Ellie Satterfield. So he's as surprised as she is that he'll do anything to stop her from selling out…even pursue her! The Natural by Abby Gaines When Danny Cruise appears at her animal clinic, Madison Beale is convinced it's nothing more than a publicity stunt. Until Danny changes her mind with a kiss under the mistletoe.

The Twelve Terrors of Christmas


John Updike - 1994
    This long out-of-print classic is the perfect stocking-stuffer for any bah humbug.