But one stormy August day, furious flood water carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness--he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones--Abel can't find a way to get back home. Days, then weeks and months, pass. Slowly, his soft habits disappear as he forages for food, fashions a warm nest in a hollow log, models clay statues of his family for company, and continues to brood on the problem of how to get across the river--and home. Abel's time on the island brings him a new understanding of the world he's separated from. Faced with the daily adventure of survival in his solitary, somewhat hostile domain, he is moved to reexamine the easy way of life he had always accepted and discovers skills and talents in himself that hold promise of a more meaningful life, if and when he should finally return to Mossville and his dear Amanda again.

    Mem and her mother see it as a journey to nowhere since there won't be any houses or neighbors, just endless forest. Their journey is filled with the uncertain danger of wild animals, raging storms, and cruel strangers. When Mem is unexpectedly separated from her family, she must face every danger alone while hoping to find her family again.

    . . Hayley's world is far from perfect: her parents have divorced, her mom has lost her job, and she and her sister Chloe are stuck sharing a bedroom in their grandmother's apartment. Luckily, Hayley has a knack for baking cupcakes -- and cupcakes always make life just a little sweeter! But when she and her best friend Artie start drifting apart, she realizes that it's going to take more than sugar and spice to make things nice.

    Whenever he goes anywhere, he always relies on what Garis describes as "his candy-striped walking cane" - this is a cane striped red and white like a peppermint candy cane.The books are illustrated by August Lenox.

    Every night Kirsty wakes up screaming. Every night she has the same terrible nightmare - of falling downstairs. But does she fall? Or is she pushed? Then Kirsty discovers that her grandma died falling downstairs and she begins to wonder: is the dream hinting at a dark secret in her family? She has to know the truth. But tracking a murderer is a dangerous game, and as she delves into the past, Kirsty uncovers a secret more terrible than anything she can imagine.A terrifying read from one of today's master storytellers. WINNER OF THE SHEFFIELD CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD FOR BEST SHORTER NOVEL'Cleverly put together - funny as well as gripping' The Sunday Times

    . . her mum brings her nothing but trouble and her dad thinks he's Elvis! All she wants is a hassle-free life – but it's not easy when she's chasing a trail of broken promises. Things go from bad to worse, but could the floppy-haired boy from school be her knight on shining rollerblades . . . ?