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25,900 | 2 | Scieszka and Smith (Math Curse) unpack a bin of old toys and comics for this characteristically oddball entry. Their title page, which depicts a pair of scissors beside a sheet of Western Heroes paper dolls and an undersea comic book, reveals the origins of Cowboy and Octopusboth are paper cutouts that pose the same way throughout this episodic volume. Blond, cinematic Cowboy wears pressed jeans tucked into fancy boots and a fringed paisley shirt suitable for the rodeo. Sky-blue Octopus, with a tangle of tentacles, is shaded with pre-digital lavender dots. After cooperating to ride a seesaw, they shake hands, and shake hands, and shake hands a total of eight times, cementing their friendship. Octopus wears a doily and tiara for a Halloween costume, proclaiming himself the tooth fairy (Now that's scary, Cowboy quips) and attempts to tell Cowboy a knock-knock joke (Ain't nobody there! the dude protests). At Chow Time, Cowboy cooks Beans and Bacon, Bacon and Beans, and just plain Beans... with a little bit of bacon for Octopus; the cephalopod, who likes neither, licks one bean because Cowboy has worked so hard just for him. Greeting-card sentiments about friendship, punctuated by classic cowboy-isms dot the text. Those who love Scieszka and Smith's absurd humor will get the joke, but this is a lesser entry in the pair's pantheon. All ages. (Sept.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Grade 15Picture-book readers meet an unlikely pair of friends here: a refined octopus and a cowboy who is a little rough around the edges. The two are actually paper cutouts: the title page reveals that Cowboy has been snipped from a Western Heroes paper-doll book and Octopus from a comic strip. Seven hilarious short stories are presented, beginning with the origin of the friendship, in which Cowboy is confused about a teeter-totter that doesn't seem to work until Octopus "repairs" it by sitting on the opposite end, and concluding with the pair gazing into the sunset of a picture postcard. All of the vignettes are silly and perfectly absurd; Scieszka captures a childlike dialogic cadence and ends the pieces with the sudden, agreeable solutions to problems that kids often come up with. Incorporating mid-20th-century illustrations, graphic art, newspaper clippings, and toys, the collage and mixed-media artwork perfectly matches the wacky text. The colors are slightly muted and the paper appears to have yellowed with age. The delightful paper protagonists never change poses, though Smith occasionally dresses them in zany paper hats and silly costumes, and their static nature adds to the humor. Share this title with devotees of Scieszka's and Smith's other collaborations and with fans of Mini Grey's Traction Man Is Here! (Knopf, 2005). Cowboy and Octopus prove that we all get by with a little help from our friends.Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Cowboy and Octopus | [
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25,901 | 2 | Rosemary Wellshas created her best-loved characters in the popular bunny siblings, Max and Ruby, who are featured in more than forty books and star in their own television show on Nick Jr. She is also the author of many other books for young readers, ranging from board books to young adult novels. Ms. Wells travels widely as a well-known advocate for literacy and for pre-school education. She lives in Connecticut. Visit her at www.rosemarywells.com.; Title: Max's Birthday (Max and Ruby) | [
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25,902 | 9 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Secret of Candlelight Inn (Nancy Drew Mystery #139) | [
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25,903 | 10 | Gr. 3^-5. Koller's illustrated chapter book continues the story begun in The Dragonling (1991) and A Dragon in the Family (1993). Jealous of the growing affection between his little dragon, Zantor, and the chief elder's daughter, Rowena, young Darek turns down the village leader's offer to buy Zantor as a gift for Rowena's birthday. Darek's refusal sets in motion a dragon hunt that will end in violence for the hunted, the hunters, or both. Written with regard for ethical concerns as well as headlong adventure, this full-of-action fantasy reads well. The delicately shaded pencil drawings sensitively depict the characters and underscore the drama. The ending is a bit of a cliff-hanger, but readers will look forward to the sequel that must be in the works. Carolyn PhelanThe dragonling is everyone's darling....Now that the villagers have finally accepted Darek's dragonling, Zantor, they've all fallen in love with him. Especially Rowena, the spoiled daughter of the chief Elder -- so much that she wants the dragonling for her very own.But Darek can't give him up! He and Zantor are so close that he can almost get inside the little dragon's mind. So the Chief Elder orders Darek's father to find another dragonling. Even though a dragon mother will have to die -- and maybe some villagers, too. Darek can't let that happen. But how can he stop them...unless he joins the dragon quest?; Title: The DRAGON QUEST DRAGONLING 3 | [
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25,904 | 7 | He'd better watch out... Santa is watching Kenny Frobisher this year. Watching him do rotten, nasty things. Kenny's the biggest bully in Shadyside. And he's out to ruin everyone's holiday. Until he gets himself trapped in a closet in Dalby's Department Store on Christmas Eve. When Kenny finally gets out, the store is locked. Deserted. And Kenny is alone. Until the three most frightening ghosts of Fear Street arrive -- to wish Kenny a Scary Christmas.; Title: Fright Christmas RL Stine's Ghosts of Fear Street 15 (Ghosts of Fear Street) | [
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25,905 | 7 | She was warned...Wendy is excited when she spots the cat charm in Mrs. Bast's booth. It will be the perfect addition to her cat collection.But Mrs. Bast refuses to sell it to her. She warns Wendy that it isn't a cat charm -- it is a werecat charm. And it is dangerous.Wendy doesn't care. She has to have it. She grabs the charm, throws down some money, and runs.And that night -- at the stroke of midnight -- Wendy starts to change...R.L. STINE, the creator of Ghosts of Fear Street, has written almost one hundred scary novels for kids. The Ghosts of Fear Street series, like the Fear Street series, takes place in Shadyside and centers on the scary events that happen to people on Fear Street.When he isn't writing, R.L. Stine likes to play pinball on his very own pinball machine, and explore New York City with his wife, Jane, and fifteen-year-old son, Matt.; Title: Night of the Werecat (R.L. Stine's Ghosts of Fear Street, No 12) | [
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25,906 | 0 | School has finally started in Spooksville. For Adam and his friends the first day is disturbing. Their science teacher seems to be an alien monster! He is some weird kind of reptillian creature from another planet. A creature who not only grades hard, but eats his students as well.At least this is what Adam and his friends think.The alien must be evil. He must be destroyed.Unfortunately, their science teacher is not so easy to stop!Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Creature in the Teacher (Spooksville, #13) | [
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25,907 | 0 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: Invasion of the No Ones (Spooksville) | [
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25,908 | 10 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Evil House (Spooksville, No. 14) | [
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25,909 | 10 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Thing in the Closet: Spooksville# 17 (Pike, Christopher. Spooksville, No. 17.) | [
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25,910 | 7 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: Phone Fear (Spooksville, Book 23) | [
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25,911 | 10 | No one leaves Krad alive....When Darek's beloved dragonling, Zantor, and Darek's best friend, Pola, disappear into the mists of Krad, they are given up for dead. But Darek knows Zantor and Pola are alive. He can hear the Dragonling's cries for help, deep inside his own head. And much to his surprise, Rowena -- the cause of all the trouble -- hears them, too.Together they sneak into Krad to rescue their friends. But they soon find Krad is even more dangerous than they'd feared. So dangerous that it may be impossible to save anyone, even themselves....; Title: DRAGONS OF KRAD (DRAGONLING 4) | [
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25,912 | 7 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Dangerous Quest: Spooksville# 20 (Pike, Christopher. Spooksville, No. 20.) | [
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25,913 | 7 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Living Dead (Spooksville No. 21) | [
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25,914 | 7 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Witch's Gift (Spooksville No. 24) | [
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25,915 | 7 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: Attack Of The Killer Crabs Spooksville 18 (Spooksville Series) | [
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25,916 | 0 | Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: Time Terror (Spooksville No. 16) | [
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25,917 | 7 | Commander Sisko has made Jake an offer he can't refuse -- the chance to attend Starfleet Academy Summer Space Camp on Rijar, once home to an ancient civilization, now an archaeologist's dream. Jake's father has even agreed to send Nog. Jake is looking forward to the adventure and maybe finding something in the ruins to write a story about. But from the day they arrive it's a disaster! The best friends are on their way to becoming worst enemies -- until an accident triggers the countdown of a megabomb that threatens the entire planet! Jake and Nog lead an expedition into the catacombs under the base in a desperate race against time. Their only hope is a terrifying voyage into cyberspace to gain control of the ticking bomb that is about to explode...; Title: Space Camp (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) | [
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25,918 | 7 | It's Cadet Kathyrn Janeway's last chance to prove her fitness as a future Starfleet officer: a field study on a wilderness planet involving alien animals and their handlers. Captain Holbrook's menageries of snarling, exotic beasts doesn't bother her. Their unruly alien handlers do. With an arrogant Klingon, an aggressive Talarian and an insecure Betazoid on the team, the war has begun even before they're beamed down to Diehr IV. How can I prove myself when I'm saddled with this bunch? Kathyrn wonders. It seems like an impossible mission as she desperately tries to get everyone to cooperate.... Time is running out as Kathyrn leads her mission through treacherous territory to the exit point -- only to discover that they are marooned on the alien planet! Now they must pull together -- or perish!; Title: The Chance Factor (Star Trek Voyager: Starfleet Academy No. 2) | [
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25,919 | 0 | Chapter One: Squishy Mud"One minute of school left," eight-year-old Nancy Drew whispered. It was Thursday afternoon."That's only sixty seconds," Bess Marvin whispered back. Bess was one of Nancy's two best friends. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement.George Fayne was Nancy's other best friend. George sat at the front of the row. Nancy could tell George was excited, too. Her shiny dark curls bounced as she moved around in her seat."Fifty-five seconds," Nancy whispered. "Fifty-four, fifty-three..."Nancy tried to sit still, but she was too excited. She and Bess and George were taking their first riding lesson after school."May I have your attention, please?" Mrs. Reynolds asked. She was the girls' third-grade teacher at Carl Sandburg Elementary School."Tomorrow morning is our classroom spelling bee," Mrs. Reynolds said. "I want everyone to get plenty of sleep tonight -- "Brring! The final bell rang."And come to school tomorrow with your spelling caps on," Mrs. Reynolds finished. "Class dismissed!"Nancy, Bess, and George jumped up from' their seats. They put on their jackets and gathered their things. Then they hurried out of the classroom. They walked as quickly as they could down the hallway."See you at the stables!" Katie Zaleski called as they opened the front door to the school and stepped outside. She was starting riding lessons that afternoon, too.Katie hurried toward her mother's car. Nancy, Bess, and George sat on the front steps of the school."I hope Hannah comes soon," Nancy said. "I don't want us to be late getting to the stable."Hannah Gruen was the Drew family's housekeeper. She had lived with Nancy and her father ever since Nancy's mother had died, five years earlier. The girls piled into the car as soon as Hannah pulled up. As Hannah drove, the girls chattered about their new after-school activity."What did you girls have for lunch today?" Hannah asked."Jumping beans," George said with a giggle.Hannah looked at them through the rearview mirror. Nancy could see that Hannah was smiling.Nancy, Bess, and George settled down and looked out the window for the turnoff.Soon the car reached the part of town where the houses were spread far apart. Hannah slowed the car. Then she turned into a drive marked with a sign that said River Heights Riding Academy. She parked in front of the stable.Inside, ponies and horses stood in stalls. Nancy heard them snorting and stomping.A tall, red-haired man came out of the office. He was followed by a woman with blond hair. "May I help you folks?" the man asked."We're here for our first riding lesson," Nancy told him."Great!" the man said. "My name is Red. I'll be your instructor." He turned to the blond woman. "And this is Sue, my assistant. She'll show you around the stable. ""You can keep your school things in the tack room," Sue told the girls. "I'll show you where it is."Nancy and her friends followed Sue into the stable and into a tiny room. The room was filled with brooms, buckets, brushes, and saddles. The floor was muddy. Cubbies lined one wall.Bess and George put their jackets and knapsacks away. Nancy didn't have to. Her things were still in Hannah's car.The girls hurried to the riding ring. A few boys and girls were already waiting to begin their lesson.Katie was standing with Mandy Trout. Mandy was a girl Nancy knew from iceskating. Katie and Mandy were talking to Jackie Taylor. Jackie lived near George. They sometimes played basketball together in George's driveway.George, Bess, and Nancy walked over to join the other girls."Are you excited about your first riding lesson?" Bess asked Mandy."This isn't my first lesson," Mandy said. "I've been riding for two months already.""It's my first," Jackie said."I knew that the minute you walked in," Mandy told Jackie.Mandy pointed to Jackie's white pants. "Nobody wears white pants for riding," she said. "Those are going to get good and dirty."Jackie looked down at her pants. Her face turned pink. Nancy knew Jackie felt embarrassed."I didn't know what to wear, either," Nancy said. She wanted to make Jackie feel better."All you have to do is look at me," Mandy announced. She spun around so that everyone could see what she was wearing. "This is the perfect riding outfit.""What's so perfect about it?" George asked."First of all, I always wear riding boots because of the mud," Mandy said."My shoes are already dirty," Bess said unhappily.Mud was oozing up around the sides of Nancy's gym shoes, too. But Nancy was too excited to think about it."You should wear jeans because they're easy to wash," Mandy went on. "But the most important thing of all is my special sweatshirt with a horseshoe sewn on it.""I have a sweatshirt like that," Katie said. "Only mine has a parrot on it.""A horseshoe is better than a parrot," Mandy said. "Parrots aren't lucky. Horseshoes are.""Hi, everyone!" Just then Red and Sue came into the ring. They were each leading a line of ponies. And they were each carrying round, black hats that looked like helmets.Bess opened her eyes wide. "I didn't know ponies were so big!""Don't be scared," Nancy said."I'm...not," Bess said. But she stayed close to her friends as Sue gave everyone a riding hat that fit just right."These hats are to be worn at all times when we ride," Sue said. "Just like when you go Rollerblading or bicycle riding."Then Red explained how to get up on the ponies."Wait until an adult is holding the pony's head," Red said. "Then take the reins with your left hand. Put your left foot into the stirrup. Pull yourself up, and swing your right leg over the pony's back.""It's easy," Mandy whispered to the others."Sue and I are going to help each of you mount," Red announced. "Please wait your turn."Sue started to help Jackie.Red smiled at Bess. "Ready?""I'm not sure," Bess said. "I feel a little scared.""Don't worry," Red said. "Some of the best riders were nervous when they first began. I think we'll put you on Butterscotch.""Butterscotch is my pony!" Mandy said.Red smiled at Mandy. "You're the most experienced rider in the class. I was counting on you to ride Rebel. He's a little friskier, but I know you can handle him.""Okay, Red. If you think I'm such a good rider, then I'll do it," Mandy said. Nancy watched Bess mount Butterscotch."Take the reins in your left hand," Red was saying to Bess. "Good!"Nancy hardly noticed when Mandy walked over to a glossy black pony."What's Mandy doing?" George asked. "She's not supposed to get on the horse by herself."Nancy turned in time to see Mandy climbing up on Rebel's back. The pony let out a low whinny and pranced sideways.Nancy saw Mandy try to pull herself up, but she was slipping as Rebel moved! Nancy had to do something fast, or Mandy was going to fall off.Copyright 1998 by Simon and Schuster Inc.; Title: The Lucky Horseshoes (Nancy Drew Notebooks #26) | [
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25,920 | 0 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Hidden Treasures (Nancy Drew Notebooks #24) | [
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25,921 | 7 | PEG KEHRET's popular novels for young people are regularly nominated for state awards. She has received the Young Hoosier Award, the Golden Sower Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award, the Celebrate Literacy Award, the Sequoyah Award, the Land of Enchantment Award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award. She lives with her husband, Carl, and their animal friends in Washington State, where she is a volunteer at the Humane Society and SPCA. Her two grown children and four grandchildren live in Washington, too. Peg's Minstrel titles include Nightmare Mountain: Sisters, Long Ago; Cages; Terror at the Zoo; Horror at the Haunted House; and the Frightmares series.; Title: The Blizzard Disaster | [
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25,922 | 7 | PEG KEHRET's popular novels for young people are regularly nominated for state awards. She has received the Young Hoosier Award, the Golden Sower Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award, the Celebrate Literacy Award, the Sequoyah Award, the Land of Enchantment Award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award. She lives with her husband, Carl, and their animal friends in Washington State, where she is a volunteer at the Humane Society and SPCA. Her two grown children and four grandchildren live in Washington, too. Peg's Minstrel titles include Nightmare Mountain: Sisters, Long Ago; Cages; Terror at the Zoo; Horror at the Haunted House; and theFrightmaresseries.; Title: The Volcano Disaster | [
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25,923 | 7 | Grade 3-4?In this sixth book in the series, young Darek of Zoriac, his friends, and their dragons must guide an army against the cruel Kradens of the Black Mountains, who keep Zorians as slaves. The commander of the army is Zarnak, a Zorian tyrant who wants to rule his country and conquer the Kradens. Luckily, Darek's previous adventures in the Black Mountains have earned him knowledge and friendships that aid him and his dragon in bringing peace and taking away Zarnak's power. This title begins slowly, with much explanation of the characters' previous exploits, and continues to move sluggishly until the very end, when the resolution comes about with dizzying speed. Furthermore, there isn't much here about the bond between Darek and his dragon, which is a staple of dragon lore, and the characters remain flat and uninteresting. Suggest Bruce Coville's Sarah and the Dragon (HarperCollins, 1984; o.p.) or Ruth Stiles Gannett's oldie-but-goodie, My Father's Dragon (Random, 1986) to young dragon lovers. The truly enraptured will quickly move on to the more challenging but supremely satisfying "Pit Dragons" series (Harcourt) by Jane Yolen or Patricia Wrede's "Enchanted Forest Chronicles" series (Harcourt).?Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: DRAGONS KINGS DRAGONLING 6 | [
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25,924 | 2 | Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.; Title: Upchuck and the Rotten Willy | [
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25,925 | 0 | Grade 4-6-Lawlor's writing distinguishes this first offering in yet another new historical fiction series. Eleven-year-old Duck is one of the seven sisters and three brothers who make up the Scott family. The narrative begins following the death of their mother and covers their journey from Independence Rock into the Oregon Territory. Duck's older sister Maggie, once her close friend, is changing and she is often distracted by the young hired hand. More importantly than she herself may even realize, Duck needs to gain appreciation from her family, especially her father, who laments what a trial it is to have seven daughters. The Scotts experience their share of hardship during their trek, losing oxen and horses, eating flour soup because of dangerously low rations, and trying to nurture the two youngest children. Based on a real family's experiences, the story includes excerpts from diaries, letters, and The Prairie Traveler, a handbook from the period. These primary sources add authenticity to the text, but occasionally interrupt the flow. The story is a bit anticlimactic, ending after Duck finally proves herself worthy to her father, but prior to the family reaching their final destination. Still, Lawlor's well-researched text and readable writing style make this book an excellent choice for fans of the "Dear America" series (Scholastic) and historical diaries that are currently so popular.Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OHCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: West Along the Wagon Road, 1852 (American Sisters) | [
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25,926 | 0 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: Alien in the Classroom (Nancy Drew Notebooks #23) | [
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25,927 | 0 | Grade 3-6-In this fourth installment in the series, Elizabeth Poage, 11, and her family join the first group of pioneers to travel the Wilderness Road to settle in Boonesborough. Prior to leaving home, Elizabeth receives a copy of Gulliver's Travels, which has extra pages in the back so that she can keep a journal of her own travel experiences to Kentucky. Throughout the journey, Elizabeth and her younger sister face the unexplored land and the often-hostile Indians who live there. By reading Gulliver's Travels as they make their way into unknown territory, Elizabeth helps her family and friends to persevere over their fears and exhaustion. Her journal entries, which are few and scattered, give readers greater insight into the daily hardships in 1775. Although the characters are not well developed, the novel has a fresh story line that involves the earliest pioneers who opened the West on Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road. Readers will devour the Poage girls' adventures. This book presents a historically accurate setting and helps youngsters of today better relate to those of yesterday.Betsy Barnett, Eads School District, CO Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4^-6. Continuing her American Sisters series, Lawlor draws on authentic historical records about the Poage family, who traveled west through the wilderness in 1775 to join Daniel Boone's settlement in Kentucky. The story is told from the viewpoint of 11-year-old Elizabeth, who describes the arduous, lonesome journey by foot with her parents, her pesky sister, Martha, and her two younger brothers as they join up with another small group and make their way together through the dark, dangerous forest and over the mountains. Lawlor's research is meticulous, and her narrative is true to the white child's viewpoint of the family adventure. A final author's note points out that the Indian way of life was threatened and that atrocities were committed by both Indians and whites. Still, the racism is hard to read: on the first page, and on nearly every page after that, the whites are afraid of panthers and wolves, but even more so of the lurking savage Indians with scalping knives. When the pioneers share an evening campsite with a small group of Cherokee, Elizabeth does learn, to her amazement, that the Indians are "people"; but, as in the Little House books, the Indians' displacement is barely registered: there are "no more houses, no other settlements," when the whites leave "civilization" behind and head west. This story is set before Erdrich's Birchbark House (reviewed on p.1427), and the Indians here are Cherokee and Shawnee, but it would be fascinating for middle-graders to read both books and talk about how it was for the Ojibwa sisters and their family before the whites drove them out. Hazel Rochman; Title: ADVENTURE ON THE WILDERNESS ROAD 1775: AMERICAN SISTERS #4 | [
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25,928 | 21 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: Mystery on Maui Nancy Drew 143 | [
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25,929 | 7 | Geordi LaForge has been given the chance of his lifetime! He's been chosen to join the training vessel Benjamin Franklin as assistant engineer, an opportunity rarely given to plebes. Geordi is determined to live up to Commander Sanchez's expectations. Their mission is to chart a neglected sector of the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter. That night, Sanchez calls up s history of the old starship and Ben's first commander, the heroic Ike Ikushima, who died saving his crew from disaster. The next night Geordi sees Ikushima's ghost, arm raised, pointing directly at him! When he tells Sanchez, everyone begins to doubt Geordi's reliability...until the ghost reappears, pointing a warning finger at them all!What does it mean? Is the ship haunted? Is it an alien invasion? The cadets are about to make history themselves--if they escape with their lives!; Title: The Haunted Starship (Star Trek: The Next Generation: Starfleet Academy, No 13) | [
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25,930 | 7 | Grade 9 Up-Mark Charm is not your average high school student, even in the Los Angeles of the near future. Nor is he your average pyromaniac. This teen is able to start fires with the power of his mind. This pyro-kinetic ability leads him and his girlfriend into a crusade to free Earth from alien domination. The story is so convoluted that it is hard to follow. The premise is implausible-aliens have harvested human brains and are keeping them in vats, but the humans don't realize this has happened-but this is not what has really happened at all. Fans of the genre may enjoy this book, but average thrill-seeking students will soon lose interest in its twisted plot.Lynn W. Zimmerman, Southeast Middle School, Greensboro, NC Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.; Title: Magic Fire | [
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25,931 | 2 | Chapter One: The Ghost Rider"I hope we're not late," Nancy Drew said as she eased her foot off the brake of her blue Mustang and inched the car forward a few feet. "The bus gets in at nine-thirty."Nancy's friend George Fayne glanced at her watch. "We've got plenty of time, Nan," she said. "Thirty seconds, to be exact."Nancy smiled. "Thirty whole seconds. What a relief." She steered the car into the right-hand lane.The smell of exhaust filled the Mustang, and the morning sun glared brightly off the rear window of the car in front of them."This chess tournament has turned downtown into one giant traffic jam," George said. "It's a much bigger deal than I thought.""If River Heights were hosting a major volley-ball tournament instead of the International Junior Masters Chess Championship, you wouldn't be so surprised," Nancy replied with a sly smile."Right, and if this were volleyball, I'd be playing, not watching," George said."That's true." Nancy held her right hand up to block the glare. She could tell it was going to be an unseasonably warm day for spring. She was glad she'd dressed in cotton shorts and a light denim jacket."We've got to get out of here," George said, tilting her sunglasses up on her forehead and scanning the situation. "There," she said, pointing to an alley next to the convention center. "Cut through to Riverside Park."Nancy deftly wheeled the car into the narrow space and accelerated, missing an obstacle course of metal trash cans."Good driving," George said as the car popped back out into the bright sun."Good scouting," Nancy said as she turned down the quiet boulevard running between the park and the wide Muskoka River. She looked out the driver's-side window, then slowed the car. "Ever see anything like that before?""What're they doing?" George asked. "Spraying for bugs?"Workers with shiny steel tanks strapped to their backs were spray-painting rows of alternating black and white squares on the ground in the middle of the park. Each square was about four feet on a side, and each row had eight squares."No, not bugs," Nancy said, laughing. "It's a chessboard. They're painting a big chessboard on the grass."George pointed to some painted figures that stood in the shade under a couple of tall oak trees. "Those must be the game pieces. Look at how tall they are. They're bigger than real people."Two men were unpacking a crate while a third removed a large wooden box from a truck in the parking lot. As the girls drove past, they saw the workers lift a statue of a robed woman from the crate and set it on the grass.Nancy recognized the chess piece the figure represented immediately. It was the queen. She wore a crown and was much taller than the other pieces. She appeared to be nearly seven feet tall."She's so calm and beautiful," Nancy said. "I could imagine her leading a battle to protect her empire.""Me, too," George said. "But some of the other ones look kind of creepy. I see pawns, a couple of bishops, the knights. What are the names of the pieces that look like castles? I always forget.""Those are the rooks," Nancy said."Oh, right," George said. She settled back into her seat. "That was amazing. This tournament's going to be fun."Nancy pulled into the bus station parking lot behind a television news van. A crowd had gathered at the front door of the station lobby."Looks like we're right on time," Nancy said as she parked the car.The two friends stepped out of the Mustang just as a silver bus with a bright red stripe down the side pulled up in front of the station. It said Chicago-River Heights above the windshield.The crowd surged forward from the station platform, lining up beside the bus door. Young children with their parents, teenagers, and even some older people pushed against one another, holding tournament programs and ballpoint pens in the air. The bus driver forced the door open, pushing a few eager kids back. "Give us room, folks," he said.Nancy and George stood up on the platform, out of the way. As the passengers started to get out, someone bumped into Nancy, elbowing her in the ribs. "Watch it!" a voice snapped.Nancy turned to see Brenda Carlton, the reporter for Today's Times, making her way to the front of the crowd."I've got a story to cover, Drew," Brenda said. She tossed her head, flipping her long, dark hair back at Nancy. "What are you doing here? Are you a chess groupie?"Before Nancy could answer, passengers began to step off the bus. Most of them were regular travelers from Chicago, but a few were obviously tournament participants. A little girl with red curly hair, no more than seven years old, climbed down the steps, holding her mother's hand. She had a fluffy teddy bear cradled in one arm. Camera flashes went off. Cries went up from several people in the crowd, asking for autographs."That must be Emily Drexler," Nancy said. "I think she's the youngest kid in the tournament."The little girl smiled and handed the bear to her mother so she could sign her name on the back of a boy's chessboard.More calls went up from the crowd as a tall, willowy girl stepped from the bus, carrying an overnight bag. She was followed by another girl and a plump, balding man."There they are," Nancy said to George. "That's Donna Winston and her sister, Danitra. Come on."Nancy had never met Donna and Danitra, but her father, Carson Drew, a well-known criminal lawyer, had tried several big cases with their father, Howard Winston, in Chicago.Mr. Winston had called a couple of weeks earlier to say that the whole family was coming to River Heights to watch Donna compete in the tournament. However, at the last minute Mr. and Mrs. Winston had had emergencies at their jobs and couldn't make it. At Nancy's urging, Mr. Drew offered to let Donna and Danitra stay with them.Nancy had been looking forward to meeting the Winstons, and sixteen-year-old Donna looked just as her father had said she would: slender, about five foot nine, with black shoulder-length hair cut to frame her pretty face, and chestnut-colored skin. She wore a navy blue suit that gave her the appearance of being a young businesswoman.At fourteen, Danitra was shorter and dressed more casually than her sister. She had on a red sweatshirt and wore her hair in rows of braids, each ending with four or five red or white beads.Nancy and George tried to get through to Donna, but the crowd was going wild. People were yelling her name, grabbing at her arms, and holding up objects for her to sign. Nancy could only wave from the platform, hoping Donna would catch sight of her and realize who she was.Finally Nancy caught Donna's eye. "Over here!" she called.Donna gave back a girl's pen and then held her hand out toward Nancy, pretending she was drowning in a sea of people.Nancy reached forward and pulled Donna up onto the platform.Donna smiled. "You must be Nancy. Thanks for rescuing me.""It's great to finally meet you, Donna," Nancy said. "I'm so glad you guys are going to stay with us.""So am I," Donna said. "This is my sister," she said, gesturing toward Danitra. "And this is my high school coach, Norris Stricker."The man's face was flushed from the heat. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and nodded to Nancy and George."Will you be staying with us, too?" Nancy asked Coach Stricker."No, no. I'm registered at the Ambassador Hotel downtown," Stricker said. "By the way, I certainly hope there's a quiet place at your house where Donna can practice."He's certainly all business, Nancy thought. "Yes, I think so," she replied. "Donna can use my dad's office whenever she wants."Danitra piped up. "Don't mind Coach Stricker. He thinks chess is Donna's entire life."Stricker frowned. "I'll have none of that smart talk this week, young lady. Donna must focus on winning this tournament.""That's right, Danitra," Donna said gently to her little sister. "Dad said you could come and watch, but I've got to focus on my matches."At that moment Brenda Carlton pushed past Nancy again and stuck a tape recorder in Donna's face."Donna Winston," she said. "How does it feel to be the number-one-ranked junior player in the United States?"Donna shrugged. "It feels great, I guess. I play chess because I love it, so I really don't feel that much extra pressure."Nancy saw Norris cringe."What about the Dutch champion, Greta van Leeuwen?" Brenda asked. "If you beat her, you could be the highest-ranked teenager in the world. How do you feel about that?""I'd love to be number one," Donna replied. "But I've got to win first.""She'll win," Norris said into the microphone. "She's the best.""That's quite a guarantee," Brenda said. She seemed to have more questions, but Donna ended the interview."We need to get our bags off the bus now," Donna said."Yes, let's get back to my house and get you settled in," Nancy suggested.Once the crowd had finally cleared away, the girls were able to grab the Winstons' bags and load them into the Mustang.Coach Stricker insisted on taking a cab to the hotel. "Call when you get settled in," he said to Donna. "We'll set up a practice schedule for this week."Donna got into the front passenger seat and nodded. Nancy pulled out into the street."Sounds like your coach pushes you pretty hard," George said from the back.Donna sighed as she smoothed her hair back. "He just wants to help me play better.""He wants her to play chess twenty-four hours a day," Danitra said to Nancy and George. "He even makes her play tapes of famous chess games while she sleeps."Nancy laughed. "Does it work?" She headed toward the park so she could show Donna the huge chess set before heading home.Donna shook her head. "I don't know.""How long have you been playing?" George asked."Since I was a little girl." Donna reached into her bag and withdrew a leather case the size of a notebook computer. "My grandfather gave this to me when I was three."Nancy drove to the side of the park farthest from the river this time. She wanted a good look at the giant chess pieces under the trees. Up ahead, she watched a worker open a crate in the back of the truck and position a dolly to bring a chess piece down the ramp to the street.Nancy took her eyes off the road for a split second to look over at Donna."Watch out!" Danitra cried from the backseat.Nancy looked out the window in time to see what looked like a horse -- a gleaming white stallion -- charging right at her side of the car!Copyright 1999 by Simon & Schuster Inc.; Title: The CASE OF THE CAPTURED QUEEN: NANCY DREW #147 | [
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25,932 | 10 | Todd Strasser has written many critically acclaimed novels for adults, teenagers, and children, including the award-winning Cant Get There from Here, Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, If I Grow Up, Famous, and How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, which became the Fox feature film Drive Me Crazy. Todd lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools. Visit him at ToddStrasser.com.; Title: Grizzly Attack (Against the Odds) | [
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25,933 | 2 | "A surefire winner of a tale... The author has created characters whom readers come to know and care about. He has spun a story filled with small escapades interspersed with heart-stopping excitement and terror".-- School Library JournalFACE TO FACE WITH FEAR....The bullies called him coward. Even his brothers thought eleven-year-old Bailey Trumbull was scared of his own shadow. Exploding firecrackers sent him jumping as high as a kite. He hated July 4th. But it was on that day at a carnival in Abilene that an old Indian medicine man made an astonishing prophecy: "Some men spend their lives searching for who they are -- searching for their courage. You will see yourself in the eye of the great bear".What did he mean? Bailey nearly forgot the prophecy when Daddy got heatsickness and the family had to move to Montana. Suddenly everything became topsy-turvy. Bailey's whole life changed except the bullies and the "sissy" reputation that followed wherever he went. Until the day the medicine man's prophecy came true and Bailey had to make a choice that risked his life....; Title: Eye of the Great Bear | [
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25,934 | 0 | Laurie Lawlor has published more than thirty books for children andyoung adults. Magnificent Voyage: An American Adventurer on Captain James Cook's Final Expedition was a VOYA Nonfiction Honor Book called"fascinating" by the New York Times. Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit was named an American Library Association Notable Book and a BestBook for Young Adults. Shadow Catcher: The Life and Work of Edward S. Curtis won a Golden Kite Honor Award and the Carl Sandburg Award. Ms.Lawlor lives in Evanston, Illinois.Chapter OneEda peered through the opening in the canvas at the back of the wagon. In the yawning valley below, the line of other white-topped wagons looked no bigger than a struggling parade of tiny pale bugs. She hunched forward and scribbled secret code into the journal in her lap:Woh raf seod a nogaw llaf erofeb ti sehsams ot stib?Translated, this meant:How far does a wagon fall before it smashes to bits?"Get out and push, Eda!" her sister Belle shouted.Eda tapped her pencil on her knee, stalling for time. "Harriet Adelle Hitchcock." Ma paused, out of breath from using Eda's full name. "We're all walking. You walk, too.""What about Lucy?" Eda whined.Her oldest sister gave her a glare that meant trouble. Lucy, who seemed impossibly ancient at age twenty, sat ramrod straight inside the wagon beside Ma's precious melodeon. The pump organ was shrouded with canvas and trussed with ropes. Lucy's pale folded hands gave the impression that she was seated on a hard pew at church rather than in a wagon balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff."You know Lucy can't get out and push!" Belle roared.Eda avoided Lucy's hawklike eyes and wrote:Belle does not sound one bit like the sweet selfless maiden everyone admires so much at home. Rolling bandages, knitting socks for soldiers. A seventeen-year-old saint."Eda!" Pa boomed. "You may be the youngest, but you're adding weight."Eda scowled. She didn't like to be reminded that she was the youngest. Was it her fault that she was thirteen and everyone else was older and seemed to live in a different, and larger, world? Her sisters and parents worked together to make her life miserable. It was so unfair. She sighed, closed the journal, and slipped it into her dress pocket. There was no escape now that Pa was angry, too. She had to get out.Lucy snickered. "Spoiled brat-baby."Eda smiled angelically, not wishing to give Lucy the slightest hint of how she seethed with anger and terror. She gripped the back of the wagon and lowered herself to the ground, knees shaking. She tried not to think about her nightmares. She tried not to think about the drawings in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, which had made the impossibly narrow tip of Pikes Peak look no bigger than a pen mark. What would happen if her family's two wagons and all their belongings crawled up an equally tall mountain and became stuck at the top?It was a horrible question she wished she could ask someone. But who? She couldn't ask Pa. He was too busy. She couldn't ask Ma. That kind of question always gave her a fit of nerves. Eda couldn't ask Dick or Harry, the hired men, because they would surely make fun of her. As for her two sisters, she knew better than to ask them anything.Eda kept her eyes straight ahead. Was this the way the Rocky Mountains would be from now on -- all uphill? Her heart pounded in her ears and she could scarcely breathe. She held tight to the wagon and pretended to push. All the time she kept planning what she would do if the wagon started to tip over. If it went off the edge, she'd let go right away. Then she wouldn't be dragged into the valley with Lucy. Eda practiced opening and shutting her hands to make sure they'd come ungripped. She couldn't take any chances."What a view!" Belle said, almost laughing as she walked beside Eda in the thin, bright sunshine. Dust coated her curly brown hair. Dirt and sweat streaked her pretty face.Eda refused to look at the view. She wanted to go back to flat, predictable Erie County, Pennsylvania, where there were no dizzy mountain passes to make her hands sweat.Suddenly a rear wheel skittered out into thin air. The wagon groaned and pitched. Lucy screamed. Dirt and rocks cascaded downward and vanished over the cliff. Pock-pockety-pock. Pebbles and loose stones hurtled down from the wagons on the switchback above them. Ping-pock-pock-ping. Eda hunched her shoulders forward. Rocks bounced and ricocheted. She imagined wagons tumbling, twisting, and splintering as oxen writhed and lowed piteously. And beneath the wreckage she saw herself and her family squashed flat."Steady!" Pa commanded.Harry, the bowlegged hired man who drove the first wagon, cracked the whip. The oxen plodded forward, pulling all four wheels back onto the trail. Red-haired Dick, the hired man in charge of the second wagon, threatened the oxen with colorful oaths. Miraculously the wagons kept moving.Eda forced her legs to work again. She trudged up the endless incline. Hours seemed to drag by. Hot sun bored through the top of her floppy bonnet. Her throat was parched, and her teeth felt gritty with dust."How much farther?" Lucy whined from inside the wagon."Shut up, Lucy," Eda said in a low voice. "At least you don't have to walk."Lucy thrust her head out of the back of the wagon."What did you say?""Nothing."Lucy turned and spoke to Ma as if Eda had suddenly become invisible. "I hope Eda is not making fun of my infirmity. That would be very un-Christian of her."Ma sighed. She adjusted her crushed feathered hat. Her fashionable blue hoopskirt fluttered in the wind like a dirty kite. "Apologize," Ma rasped at Eda. Even though they were 12,000 feet above sea level and barely able to breathe, Ma seemed determined to keep up appearances and maintain her dignity. She was, after all, a Derleth -- a member of the finest, oldest family in Erie County."Why do I have to say I'm sorry?" Eda squinted and pushed harder. Maybe with enough muscle, she'd shove Lucy right over the edge."Say it," Ma commanded. Her mouth moved, as if she was going to gasp something else, but no words came out. Still, Eda knew exactly what her mother wanted to say. She would tell Eda how poor martyred Lucy suffered her lameness like a true saint, how her sister had to be respected and protected from life's discomforts. Lucy was, after all, living proof of God's goodness, the most pious young woman in all of Erie County. Lucy was never allowed to leave the house or travel alone or visit anyone, for fear someone would comment on her unfortunate condition. Her lameness was a cross she would bear all her life."Mother! Make Eda say she's sorry!"Sorry...sorry...sorry! Lucy's peevish whine echoed among the mountains."Must you always fight?" Pa shook his head. He stared at his wife and daughters as if they were strangers. Then he retreated to safety at the front of the first wagon."Sorry," Eda said in a squeezed-lemon voice. But deep down in her brat-baby heart, she wasn't sorry in the least.Late that morning they finally arrived at the top of the pass. "Here we are!" Pa cried and waved his hat in the air. His shiny pink bald head gleamed in the sunlight.The wagons stopped, and the exhausted oxen were unharnessed. Eda staggered a few feet away from the wagon and flopped down on the ground, breathless and glad to have solid, flat earth beneath her. When she opened her eyes, she saw miniature flowers that seemed to hug the mountaintop. Some were bright yellow with fat furry stems and quivering petals. Others were as sturdy as reeds. They shivered in the wind smelling of hot sun and something spicy, like sage and Christmas trees and dust.Eda lifted her head and looked about. A clear, cold breeze cut right through her. She sat up, hugged her elbows against herself, and surveyed the strange treeless meadow flecked with rocks covered with orange lichens. To her amazement, she spied familiar white heaps. Snow -- in summer!Cautiously she stood up. More snow-topped mountains gnawed the horizon and rolled away one after the other in shades of gray and blue and black. She could see forever. She turned, marveling at the way the galloping clouds headed for distant valleys. It seemed like a strange, secret landscape that no one else had ever seen. Deep in the valleys, miles and miles and miles away, she could just make out spindly white gashes she knew must be roaring rivers.Splat! Something stinging cold smacked Eda on the back of her neck. She screamed.Belle shrieked with laughter. She packed another snowball and let it fly. Eda leaped to her feet and scooped up her own handful. She stuffed the crusty snow down her sister's dress, then ran away before Belle could catch her."Girls!" Ma called. "Don't go near the edge."The edge! Eda stopped. She had forgotten about the edge. She shielded her face with her arms as her sister pummeled her with more snow. "Stop!" she cried. "I give up! You win!"Belle pelted her hard with one last icy snowball."I said stop!" Eda said. She didn't want her sister to see her cry. It was foolish to cry now. She hadn't fallen over the edge. She was safe, wasn't she?"All right, all right," Belle said in a gentle voice. She brushed the snow from Eda's hair as if she were a very young child. Then Belle sat down on a flat rock and patted a grassy place. "Sit here and rest," she said. "I won't throw any more snow. I promise."Before she sat down, Eda quickly looked away so her sister wouldn't see her wipe away her tears with her sleeve.From her pocket, Belle produced a folded piece of paper. "I'd like to hear what you think about my first column for the North East Gazette. I want you to be completely honest -- but please don't tell Ma. I'm getting paid one dollar, Mr. Mead said, for every hundred words I write. Ma wouldn't approve."Eda rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms. A dollar sounded like an incredibly large amount of money to her. "Does she think Mr. Mead should pay you more?"Belle laughed. "Ladies don't write for newspapers. Ma says it's unseemly."Eda sighed. Belle seemed to have all the luck. She was writing and getting paid. What more could anyone ask? I won't tell Mother."Belle glanced quickly over her shoulder and read aloud: July 14, 1864Dearest Readers:We have traveled across the plains and are well on our way into the rugged mountains to find riches in the Pikes Peak region. We have taken a roundabout way, which I will take pains to recount. We journeyed from our Pennsylvania home near the New York border by train to Cleveland. Having heard that the steamboats on the Great Lakes are quite luxurious and used by the best people, we boarded a boat named Dean Richmond. This splendid craft, costing $100,000, was 280 feet long. Immediately, it ran into a sand bar. Once we freed ourselves, our conveyance took us safely up the Detroit River, where we could see Canada.Our voyage took us through Lake St. Clair and River St. Clair and arrived in Lake Huron. Heavy fog forced us to don life jackets. We did not make good time as we had to stop constantly for wood. Finally, we passed through the Straits at Mackinac and made the long uneventful journey south to Milwaukee. The cost of this lake trip was nearly $400, but worth every penny for a group of travelers who have no servants yet wish to be surrounded by the finer things of life. I can not recommend Chicago -- a filthy swamp town. Gratefully, we left Chicago and made our way by train posthaste to the tiny burg of Quincy, Illinois. We crossed the Mississippi River on a boat named the Rosa Tyler. On the opposite shore we again found ourselves traveling by noisy train to St. Joseph, Missouri. Here our covered wagon adventure began.We saw no buffalo as they have been driven south by Indians. We passed Kearney City and on through Julesburg on a road filled with emigrants -- all bound for the same place and the same object: gold. We spied quite a number of Indians on the Great American Desert. They appeared friendly but they are an ignorant miserable race of beings. Once in Colorado, however, the Indians became more brutish. We camped at one spot where a family was massacred only two weeks ago. I did not relish my dinner much on account of fear, but we were not molested.Once we reached Denver, the great metropolis of the West, the sight of some decent buildings seemed very cheering after our long journey through a barren, empty land. Some buildings were made of sod; others are made of brick. There are ten thousand people in Denver from different parts of the world -- from the well dressed lady to the barefoot beggar. My sister and myself were invited by a young gentleman of my father's acquaintance to attend a concert in Denver given by the Colorado band (as this gentleman read the advertisement). We looked in at the window before entering and found it was a colored band. Since we did not wish to be seen in such an establishment, we walked around the city instead.This morning we commence our first experience climbing mountains -- an adventure which I will save for my next installment...Faithfully submitted by Correspondent S.B.H. Colorado Territory"Not bad," Eda said."Not bad? That's all you have to say?""You forgot to tell about the rattlesnake under the wagon," Eda said, trying to be as completely honest as she could. "And what about the time we threw a bucket of water down a hole to capture a prairie dog? Remember how the prairie dog walked away, dripping wet and glaring at us? I bet he never had such treatment from girls before.""That was childish," Belle said coldly. "I'm writing for grown-ups, you know."Eda flashed her sister a conciliatory smile. She didn't want to upset Belle, especially when for once she was treating her like a real person. "The part about the Indian massacre was very vivid. Your readers will certainly enjoy that."Belle folded her paper and tucked it back inside her pocket. "You think so?""Absolutely. All the papers are full of Indian massacre stories. But" -- Eda paused cautiously -- "why don't you use your name at the end? Why don't you write 'Sarah Belle Hitchcock' instead of 'S.B.H.'?""Because," Belle said, leaning back on her elbows, "lady writers sign just their initials. And of course I don't want Ma to know about my splendid new career.""Of course," Eda mumbled. She was sure that if she had a splendid new career like Belle's, she'd sign her whole name in big letters, just for the thrill of seeing it in print. She wouldn't care what Ma said.Eda and Belle sat together in companionable silence watching from a distance as Lucy climbed clumsily out of the wagon. Pa helped her down to the ground. When Lucy stood up, she was almost as tall as Pa. He was a small man with broad shoulders. He had fine laughing blue eyes and a ruddy beard, which he kept trimmed and neat. "Pa would look very handsome in a soldier's uniform, don't you think?" Belle asked.Eda nodded. But deep down she didn't care what anybody whispered back home. She was glad that Pa had not gone away to fight."From here Lucy looks like anybody else," Belle said. She plucked and twirled a little yellow flower, gazing at it the same way she admired her lovely reflection in a mirror.Eda had to agree with Belle. From a distance, Lucy appeared almost pretty. Her thick auburn hair somehow looked lustrous against her somber gray dress. It was only when Lucy gripped her walking stick and took a few steps that she revealed her handicap. Lucy rocked in an exaggerated way when she walked. Since birth one of her legs had been shorter than the other. One foot was so badly deformed she had to wear a special shoe.Eda could not see Lucy's expression, but she knew that her pale face was tense and concentrated. She could imagine how Lucy's mouth looked, screwed tight and hard and determined, and how she shifted her brown eyes every which way, hoping desperately that no stranger was watching."Eda, you must be kinder to our eldest sister," Belle announced, sounding suspiciously like Ma.Eda frowned. "I think everyone is kind enough to Lucy. I think Lucy should be kinder to us.""She can't.""Why not?""Something's wrong with her heart."Eda looked at her sister quizzically. What was she talking about? It was Lucy's leg not her heart that was damaged. Eda was silent for several moments desperately trying to think of something interesting to say so that her sister wouldn't become bored and walk away. To Eda, Belle seemed like a creature from a more fortunate sphere. Belle had her own interests, her own pleasures. She seemed so grown up and self-assured that sitting beside her made Eda feel small and insignificant. Now that Belle had shared her newspaper column, Eda wanted to share one of her two deepest, darkest secrets. "Someday," she said and took a deep breath, "I'm going away to college.""College? Whatever for, little one?" Belle said, smiling unpleasantly. She reached over and twirled the yellow flower under Eda's chin.Eda pushed Belle's hand away. She jumped to her feet and gave her skirt a fierce shake. When would her sisters stop treating her like a baby? She stomped away."Where do you think you're going?" Belle called after her."As far away as I can," Eda replied and kept walking. She was on an important errand. She needed to be alone so that she could write something right away in her journal before she forgot: Thoughts by the way. And why not! Others think and why not I! Artists are wrong. When you look at the top of a mountain from a distance, it seems like a sharp point but when you arrive, you discover there's a good deal of land. A perfect place to strand all the older sisters in the world.Copyright 1999 by Laurie Lawlor; Title: Crossing the Colorado Rockies 1864 (American Sisters) | [
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25,935 | 1 | Grade 2-5-The young cat introduced in The Flying Flea, Callie, and Me (Minstrel, 1999) is back. It is Christmas, and Gray finds that decorated trees and packages are great playthings. Also, the children and grandkids are visiting, and there is a lot of excitement in the house. This means that everyone is too busy to play with a kitten. When the family gives Mama the gift of a new puppy, Gray's world really turns upside down. He is sure that the pup will get all of the attention, so he plays a trick on the dog and gets him banned from the house. Gray has second thoughts, though, when he realizes that the puppy has been put in the rat-infested barn. The plot revolves around such issues as fear, a new sibling, and doing the right thing. The simple vocabulary and nondemanding story line make it a good choice for readers just graduating to chapter books. One full-page, black-and-white cartoon illustration appears in each chapter.Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Chapter 1 "Ring...Ring." The loud, shrill noise made my ears twitch. "Ring...Ring." The sound came from the ringy-box on the wall. It was a strange, little white box that hung in the kitchen. Every time it said, "Ring...Ring," the Mama would pick it up and start talking to herself. Sure enough... Mama left the dishes she was working on in the sink and wiped her hands on the towel. She picked up the little ringy-box and held it against the side of her head. "Hello," she said to herself. Suddenly a smile crept across her face. "Well, hi." Her tone was light and happy. "It's good to hear your voice, too." Her eyes got big. "Really? You're going to have that much time off at Christmas? How wonderful! Hang on a second." Cupping a hand to the side of her mouth, she turned toward the living room. "Owen, get the other phone. It's the kids!" The smile on Mama's face stretched from one ear to the other. She grinned and giggled. She leaned against the wall. She turned in circles and got the cord on the ringy-box all wrapped around herself, but Mama never seemed to notice. She just kept talking to herself with the ringy-box against her ear. The more she talked to herself, the more happy and excited she seemed to get. People were really hard to understand. I mean...well...I guess I talked to myself sometimes, too. I didn't get all excited about it. I didn't meow and talk out loud, and I didn't go flittering all over the house. Mostly, I just told myself that I wasn't really afraid of the big rats that lived in the barn. I told myself that I was getting stronger and braver each day. Soon I wouldn't be scared of them. They would be scared of me! That's what Callie told me to do. Callie was the old cat who was already here when I came to live with my new family. She was wise and brave. She knew a whole lot more than I did. Callie told me to keep telling myself how brave and strong I was, and that sooner or later I would believe it. I did. Only I still didn't believe -- not really. Callie also told me that my friend Flea would come back before I knew it. Each day I climbed onto the windowsill in the playroom. The Mama had a feeder that hung from a limb on the pecan tree. I watched out the window as the birds fluttered around. They flittered and hopped from one limb to the next. They chirped and ate the seeds. Sometimes they even flew about and chased each other. But Flea wasn't with them. I kept telling myself that she would come back. When I didn't see her, it made me feel sad inside. All right...I know it's kind of weird for a cat to have a mockingbird as a friend. Flea was different, though. She wasn't just any old mockingbird -- she was kind of like my adopted family. When we first met, Flea wanted me to eat her. That was because she was afraid to fly. Her family went "south" without her. She was scared and lonely and so hungry she was about to starve. Since I don't eat birds, she finally talked me into feeding her instead. I had fun helping her learn to fly. It wasn't easy, but with some help from Callie and Mr. Bullsnake, we finally taught her. She started her trip south a few weeks after the rest of her family. I worried that she might be cold or even lost some place. But Callie promised that she would be fine. She said that Flea would be back. Winter followed fall, and spring followed winter. It was winter. Flea had only been gone a few months, but it seemed to me that winter was forever and spring would never come. So, I kept telling myself that Flea would be back, and I kept telling myself that I wasn't afraid of the big rats. Only I didn't smile and laugh and get all excited when I talked to myself. Mama was weird. My tail flipped as I watched her almost dance around the kitchen, holding the ringy-box and jabbering away. The Mama talked to herself for a long time. When she finally put the box back on the wall, she let out a squeal. The Daddy came in and grabbed her in his arms. "I can't believe it. They'll all be home for Christmas! I can't wait!" Daddy spun Mama around once, then put her down. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and patted her bottom. Mama pushed his hand away. "Quit...we don't have time for any of your nonsense. There's lots to do and not much time to get ready!" Mama jumped around and started working again. I looked up at the Mama and Daddy. There was excitement in the house. There was a happy feeling. I liked this. I liked the good feeling. For a while it seemed as if there was nothing but sad in the house. I was sad because my Flea flew south for the winter. The Mama and Daddy were sad because of Muffy. Muffy was the brown dog who lived in the backyard. She was very old and not very friendly to me. I think it was because Muffy's bones and legs hurt so bad. I think it was because she didn't feel well. The Mama and Daddy had to take Muffy to the vet. Even before they left the house, the sadness had crept in. They moved slow -- as if they really didn't want to go. When they came home, the sad feel in the house was even worse. Water leaked from the Mama's eyes when they came inside. I don't know what happened to Muffy. I don't know why she didn't come home from the vet. I do know that the Mama and Daddy were very, very sad. Now, for the first time in a long while, they were happy. It made me happy, too. It made me feel good. Fact was, it made me feel so good that I marched straight to the front door. I put my paws on the wood and meowed as loud as I could. "Let me out!" I demanded. "Out. Now!" It wasn't long before Mama came. She leaned down and stroked my head, then she opened the door for me. Feeling bigger and braver and stronger than I had ever felt before, I pranced down the sidewalk. I marched straight to the big barn and stood at the crack between the two giant doors. The smell of rodents was everywhere. I pushed my head in through the crack. I knew the rats were there. This time I was sure I could handle them. With a little wiggle, I slipped inside. I paused a moment, letting my eyes get used to the dark. Four large, dark forms sat by the grain bin. Crunching sounds came to my ears. I guess the rats were gnawing on some kernels of corn. A knot kind of stuck in my throat when I swallowed. These creatures were even bigger than I remembered. I eased closer. The rats didn't seem to notice as I inched toward them. Suddenly two of them spotted me and darted for a hole in the corner. When they ran, it made me feel big and brave. But... The two other rats stopped eating and looked up. They didn't run. "Hey, Nora. Look at the little kitty cat!" "Yeah, Smitty. I've seen him before. He's the fraidy-cat, remember?" The one called Smitty took a step toward me. "Yeah, he's the one we chased. Nearly got him, too. Reckon he's slower now? He's a lot fatter, almost big enough to eat." Smitty licked his lips. Nora's yellow eyes pierced like hot embers as the two rats glared at me. My stomach did a flip-flop. I backed slowly toward the door. Both rats inched forward. They moved apart -- one came at me from the right, the other from the left. I felt my tail fuzz. It sprang straight up behind me, almost as big around as the rest of me was. They stopped and stared. Not even their whiskers twitched. Then they moved again, quicker this time. I felt a shiver as I suddenly realized they were trying to surround me. They were trying to block my escape from the big, dark barn. Without taking my eyes from them, I backed up. "Now!"' Nora hissed in her ratty voice. "Let's get him!" Copyright © 1999 by Bill Wallace and Carol Wallace; Title: That Furball Puppy and Me | [
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25,936 | 2 | "Coville develops a sustained mood of excitement and suspense... readers will devour this breezy read". -- School Library JournalBRAVE NEW WORLDTim Tomkins has always wanted to visit outer space -- but he didn't plan to go as the captive of an evil alien genius!But that's just what Tim, Pleskit, Maktel, and Linnsy have become -- captives in an interstellar struggle for control of Earth. Can four kids from two very different planets learn to work together? They're going to have to, if they want to survive on the strange new world where they've been trapped. But even if they do survive, how will they ever find their way back home?And if they do, will home even be there?Join Pleskit and his friends for a race against time and incredible danger -- with the fate of Earth hanging in the balance!; Title: Snatched from Earth (I Was A Sixth Grade Alien) | [
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25,937 | 9 | Chapter One: A Ghostly Surprise "I always feel as if my car is a time machine when I come here," Nancy Drew said. She stepped out of her Mustang. Its shiny blue color matched her T-shirt and her eyes. "It's as if I've traveled back in time." Her reddish blond hair swung as she shook her head in amazement. Ahead was Persimmon Woods Pioneer Village, a living-history museum located in the country twenty miles south of River Heights, Nancy's hometown. "I know," Nancy's friend Bess Marvin said, standing beside the passenger side door. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "It's really going to be fun working here for a week and pretending to be one of the villagers." "Just don't forget," Nancy said, "that our main job is to investigate and gather clues." She remembered her conversation with Anita Valdez, her neighbor from across the street in River Heights. "Anita is sure that all the so-called accidents and thefts here have been caused to cover up the fact that money is being stolen." "Okay, Nancy, we're ready to help. Aren't we, George? George? Come on." George Fayne unwound her lanky frame from its curled-up position in the small backseat. "I'm coming," she said. George had short, dark curly hair and brown eyes, and Bess had long blond hair and blue eyes. It would be hard to guess they were cousins. They headed toward the large igloo-shaped Visitors Center, the only modern building in sight. Inside were a gift shop, theater, restaurant, and museum gallery. Nancy, Bess, George, and the fifteen other volunteers walked the dirt path from the Visitors Center to the one-room log schoolhouse in the village. They sat down on long log benches that ran the width of the room and faced the slateboard wall in front. "Hi, I'm Cory Worth," said the boy sitting next to Bess on the long bench. He was tall and very cute and looked as if he was about eighteen, Nancy and her friends' age. Thick blond hair hung straight to the shoulders of his T-shirt. His green eyes shone with a friendly gaze. "This is my sister, Amy," he said, nodding to the girl sitting on his other side. "Is this your first time as a volunteer?" he asked Bess. "Yes," Bess answered. She introduced herself, Nancy, and George. "How about you?" "Our first time, too," Amy answered. She looked enough like Cory to be his twin, except for her hair. It was long and wavy and a rich dark brown. The schoolhouse door opened and a woman walked in and went to the slateboard. "My name is Mabel Tansy and I'll be your trainer," she said. "Welcome to your volunteer jobs as Persimmon Woods villagers during the Festival of the Golden Moon. We have two days during which the village will be closed before the festival begins." She smiled as she paced in front of the slateboard. "I play Mrs. Herman, the doctor's wife," she continued, "and you'll call me by that name during the festival. That's your first lesson and the most important one. While you work here, you will always stay in character. Always pretend to be the person you are assigned to be and treat the other villagers as if they are really the people they are playing." She looked around the group, as if to make sure they understood. Then she smiled. "The rest of the time, please call me Mabel," she said. Nancy thought Mabel looked and sounded just like a woman from the past. She wore a long dress in dark green with a lighter green border and a white apron. Her face was framed with the heart-shaped brim of a bonnet the color of butter. "We appreciate your help and don't expect you to be experts," Mabel continued. "You don't have to memorize any exact lines. We just want you to act as if you live in 1830. There will always be regular villagers with you. When you're stumped by a tourist's question and you don't know what to say, just let the villagers take over." Nancy remembered the times she had visited the site on school tours or with family and friends. It was going to be so different this time, living as one of the actual "villagers." "Many of you have probably visited us before," Mabel said, as if reading Nancy's mind. "You know that we villagers go about our pretend life in spite of the tourists. When it's time to cook our noon meal, we cook it. When the food is cooked, we sit and eat. We treat the tourists as friendly strangers passing through. But we don't let them keep us from our chores and activities." "When do we find out where we'll be working?" Bess asked. "Do we get to pick the place?" "We try to assign our regular employees in the areas where they have special skills," Mabel answered. "For these special events, though, I'm afraid you'll have to go where you're needed." "Now," Mabel continued, "from this moment on, let's take a trip back to 1830s America. There are no cars, no telephones, or television -- " "Yikes! No video games," Cory said with a mock groan. "How did they survive in those days?" "They made their own fun," Mabel said with a grin. "It didn't come in a box -- unless they made the box, too, of course." She motioned them to follow her. "Let's start with a little tour." Mabel took them through all the buildings in the village. There were twelve log cabins. Most had two rooms. Handmade wood chairs and tables were placed around one room, which was used for living, cooking, and eating. The other room was for sleeping. A few cabins had two with a sleeping loft up above. All were with a fireplace and lit by candles. Water in buckets from the icehouse spring. "Feel this mattress," Mabel said. It was lumpy and made a crackling noise when Nancy pushed on it. "It's stuffed with cornhusks," Mabel pointed out. She lifted up the mattress, which rested on ropes threaded across the bed frame like laces on sneaker. "After a few nights, these ropes get loose and start to sag," she said, picking up a tool that looked like a wrench made of wood. "You can tighten them with this," she added, twisting the wrench. "Now they don't sag." She smiled, her eyes twinkling. "And that's what the phrase 'Sleep tight' means." "So that's where that saying came from," George said. "I always wondered what it meant." Mabel showed the volunteers other buildings besides the residence cabins. They walked through the general store, also made of logs. Its walls were lined with shelves holding fabric and thread, tools and nails, teapots and raw sugar. A large cast-iron stove sat in the middle of the room. The stove was surrounded by rockers and benches, where customers could "sit a spell, store up some heat, and catch up on village gossip," according to Mabel. The tour continued for the rest of the morning. Mabel walked the volunteers through the barns, which were filled with horses, cows, oxen, and goats. They toured the potter's studio, which had a kiln in the back, and a doctor's wood frame house. "Now, this is where I'd like to work," Cory said as they entered the blacksmith's workshop. "The hinges, door pulls, and tools used in the village are made here by our smithy," Mabel said. They all watched as the blacksmith walked over to where he was making a fireplace poker. His fire pit almost looked like a barbecue pit. It was made of bricks and was about waist high. A bellows hung above it. With one strong arm, he pulled on the bellows, forcing air down to fan the flames. His other arm turned the long iron rod that was resting in the flames. The end of the rod glowed yellow-white in the fire. The blacksmith pulled the rod from flames and placed it on an iron block called an anvil. The end of the rod was so hot that it had become soft. As Nancy and the others watched, he pounded the rod with a huge hammer to flatten and shape it. Each stroke filled the air echoing ring and a shower of sparks. "This is definitely where I want to work," Cory murmured. Finally Mabel took the group to Windbreak, a house that sat on a small hill next to the village. It had been the original home in the area built by Brandon Parrish, who had settled there in 1825. "The windows look a little blurry," Amy said. The glass has waves in it." "They are the original windows," Mabel pointed out. "All windows looked like that back then." Windbreak was quite fancy compared to the cabins they had seen so far. It had woven rugs, wallpaper, and upholstered furniture. There were two rooms plus a large kitchen downstairs. A central staircase led to two large sleeping rooms upstairs. One bedroom was for the parents. There was also a cradle for a baby in that room. The other bedroom was for the children. Several beds lined one wall, surrounded by old dolls, wagons, and other toys. Clothes were hung on hooks along all four walls. In one corner was a single bed with a little chest and a rocker. "That was for the children's nanny," Mabel explained. "All right, everyone," Mabel said as they left Windbreak, "let's go outside. We have a small picnic waiting." Some of the volunteers sat at picnic tables, but Nancy, Bess, George, Cory, and Amy joined others on the soft grass. As they dug into their sandwiches and sodas, they gazed at the village. "Again I feel like I'm drifting back in time," Bess said dreamily. "Then you should make a great volunteer," Cory said. "We come here all the time," his sister commented. "I love it here. In fact, I plan to major in history in college, and then I'd like to work full-time in a place like this." "We've heard there have been some pretty strange things happening around here," Nancy said. "Yeah, there was a bomb scare phoned in recently," Cory said. "It caused a minor panic." And how about the time someone threw all the quilts from the weaver's cabin and the pottery from the kiln into the river," Amy said. "There's been a lot of weird stuff going on." "That must have been some sight," Cory said. "All those things flaoting downstream." "It must have been terrible," Bess said, frowning. All those beautiful handmade things ruined." "I think the worst was the musket accident," said. "We were here when it happened, and it was pretty bad." "Tell us about it," Nancy prompted as she finished her soda. "Well," Amy answered, "it was during one of the target-shooting competitions they hold here occasionally. One of the muskets misfired and the shooter's hand was burned pretty badly." "And he was lucky at that," Cory said. "He could have lost an eye. Or worse!" "But that might have been an accident," George pointed out. "Not according to the man who was hurt," Amy said. "He swore his musket was tampered with. There was even an investigation, but they just chalked it up to another of the 'unexplained incidents.'" "What about the Lantern Lady?" Cory asked. "Maybe she did it. Oooooeeeeeooooo. The village ghost strikes again." "The Lantern Lady?" George repeated. "Who's that?" "Now, never mind about her," Amy said, glancing around quickly. "She's just an old legend. I don't really believe there's such a thing as a village ghost. The people who run this place probably thought her up to bring in the tourists." She smiled, but Nancy could see she was a little nervous. They finished their lunch, went back to their training until six, and then were ushered back to the barn. "We thought you'd enjoy an evening hayride through the orchard," Mabel said. "Then you'll come back for an authentic pioneer meal by the campfire." The volunteers piled into a wagon filled with hay that was pulled by a large reddish brown horse. The sun was going down and a breeze rustled the leaves, filling the orchard with dancing shadows. It got darker and darker as the horse pulled them deeper into the dense orchard. The chattering voices of the volunteers softened to a rustle of whispers. Nancy took a deep breath. The sweet smell of hay on the cool evening breeze filled her nose. She leaned back against the edge of the wagon and looked around. At first all she saw were dark shadows. But then something through the trees caught her eye. It was flickering and bobbing like a huge firefly. She squinted to watch it as the others noticed it and began pointing and murmuring. As Nancy watched, she felt her nerves dancing just under her skin. Suddenly Bess grasped Nancy's arm tightly. Out from behind a tree floated a figure draped in greenish cloak with billowing sleeves. The of the figure was concealed by a hood cascading down over the shoulders. Hanging at the end of a long sleeve was a tin lantern. In the light of its flame, the ghostly figure glowed. Copyright © 1998 by Simon & Schuster Inc.; Title: The Ghost of the Lantern Lady (Nancy Drew #146) | [
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25,938 | 2 | IT'S A STICKY SITUATION!Pleskit's quest to sample all things earthling -- especially earthling foods -- inevitably leads him to...peanut butter. He adores it. There's only one problem: He has an allergic reaction to the stuff that ends up making him feel incredibly romantic.Before long, the purple alien is chasing girls around the playground, trying to kiss them. He gets a slap in the face, which snaps him back to reality. But the damage has been done. The school is in an uproar, and unless Tim and Pleskit can find a way to convince Principal Grand that it's not really Pleskit's fault, the world's first alien student may be looking for a new classroom -- on a new planet!Bruce Coville has published more than one hundred books, which have sold more thansixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are My Teacher Is an Alien, Into the Land of the Unicorns, and The Monsters Ring. Bruce also founded Full Cast Audio, a company that creates recordings of the best in childrens and young adult literature. He lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, Katherine.; Title: Peanut Butter Lover Boy (I Was a Sixth Grade Alien, 4) | [] | Train |
25,939 | 2 | Chapter OneBecause my daddy went to work so early, my mother was always the one left with the responsibility of waking me, if I didn't rise and shine on my own for school. She would usually wake me up by making extra noise outside my bedroom door. She rarely knocked and she almost never opened the door. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand how many times my mother had been in my bedroom while I was in it too, especially during the last five years.Instead, she would wait for me to leave for school, and then she would enter like a hotel maid after the guests had gone and clean and arrange the room to her liking. I was never neat enough to please her, and when I was younger, if I dared to leave an undergarment on a chair or on the top of the dresser, she would complain vehemently and look like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz."Your things are very private and not for the eyes of others," she would scowl, and put her hands on me and shake me. "Do you understand, Cathy? Do you?"I would nod quickly, but what others? I would wonder. My mother didn't like any of my father's friends or business associates and she had no friends of her own. She prized her solitude. No one came to our house for dinner very often, if at all, and certainly no one visited my room or came upstairs, and even if they had, they wouldn't see anything because Mother insisted I keep my door shut at all times. She taught me that from the moment I was able to do it myself.Nevertheless, she would be absolutely furious now if I didn't put my soaps and lotions back in the bathroom cabinet, and once, when I had left a pair of my panties on the desk chair, she cut them up and spread the pieces over my pillow to make her point.This morning she was especially loud. I heard her put down the pail on the floor roughly, practically slamming it. She was cleaning earlier than usual. The mop hit my door, swept the hard wood floor in the hallway and then hit my door again. I looked at the small clock housed in clear Danish crystal on my night table. The clock was a birthday present from my grandmother, my mother's mother, given only weeks before she had passed away from lung cancer. She was a heavy smoker. My grandfather was twelve years older than she was and died two years later from a heart attack. Like me, my mother had been an only child. Not long ago I found out I wasn't supposed to be, but that's another story, maybe even one that's more horrible than what's happened to me recently. Whatever, one thing was certain: we didn't have much family. Our Thanksgiving turkeys were always small. Mother didn't like leftovers. Daddy muttered that she threw away enough food to feed another family, but he never muttered loud enough for Mother to hear.Part of the reason for our small Thanksgivings and Christmas holidays was because my father's parents had nothing to do with him or with us; his sister Agatha and his younger brother Nigel never came to see us either. My father had told me that none of his family members liked anyone else in the family and it was best for all of them to just avoid each other. It would be years before I would find out why. It was like finding pieces to a puzzle and putting them together to create an explanation for confusion.When my mother hit the door with the mop again, I knew it was time to rise, but I was stalling. Today was my day at Doctor Marlowe's group therapy session. The other three girls, Misty, Star and Jade, had told their stories and now they wanted to hear mine. I knew they were afraid I wouldn't show up and to them it would be something of a betrayal. They had each been honest to the point of pain and I had listened and heard their most intimate stories. I knew they believed they had earned the right to hear mine, and I wasn't going to disagree with that, but at this very moment, I wasn't sure if I could actually gather enough courage to tell them my tale.Mother wasn't very insistent about it. She had been told by other doctors and counselors that it was very important for me to be in therapy, but my mother didn't trust doctors. She was forty-six years old and from what I understood, she had not been to a doctor for more than thirty years. She didn't have to go to a doctor to give birth to me. I had been adopted. I didn't learn that until...until afterward, but it made sense. It was practically the only thing that did.My chills finally stopped and I sat up slowly. I had a dark maple dresser with an oval mirror almost directly across from my bed so when I rose in the morning, the first thing I saw was myself. It was always a surprise to see that I had not changed during the night, that my face was still formed the same way (too round and full of baby fat), my eyes were still hazel and my hair was still a dull dark brown. In dreams I had oozed off my bones and dripped into the floor. Only a skeleton remained. I guess that signified my desire to completely disappear. At least that was what Doctor Marlowe suggested at an earlier session.I slept in a rather heavy cotton nightgown, even during the summer. Mother wouldn't permit me to own anything flimsy and certainly not anything sheer. Daddy tried to buy me some more feminine nighties and even gave me one for a birthday present once, but my mother accidentally ruined it in the washing machine. I cried about it."Why," she would ask, "does a woman, especially a young girl or an unmarried woman, have to look attractive to go to sleep? It's not a social event. Pretty things aren't important for that; practical things are, and spending money on frilly, silly garments for sleep is a waste."It's also bad for sleep," she insisted, "to stir yourself up with narcissistic thoughts. You shouldn't dwell on your appearance just before you lay down to rest. It fills your head with nasty things," she assured me.If my daddy heard her say these things, he would laugh and shake his head, but one look from her would send him fleeing to the safety and the silence of his books and newspapers, many of which she didn't approve.When I was a little girl, I would sit and watch her look through magazines and shake her head and take a black magic marker to advertisements she thought were too suggestive or sexy. She was the stern censor, perusing all print materials, checking television programs, and even going through my schoolbooks to be sure nothing provocative was in them. She once cut illustrations out of my science text. Many times she phoned the school and had angry conversations with my teachers. She wrote letters to the administrators. I was always embarrassed about it, but I never dared say so.Yawning and stretching as if I were sliding into my body, I finally slipped my feet into my fur-lined leather slippers and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I know I was moving much slower than usual. A part of me didn't want to leave the room, but that was one of the reasons I had been seeing Doctor Marlowe in the first place: my desire to withdraw and become even more of an introvert than I was before...before it all happened or, to be more accurate, before it was all revealed. When you can lie to yourself, you can hide behind a mask and go out into the world. You don't feel as naked nor as exposed.I wasn't sure what I would wear today. Since it was my day in the center of the circle, I thought I should look better dressed, although Misty certainly didn't dress up for her day or any day thereafter. Still, I thought I might feel a little better about myself if I did. Unfortunately, my favorite dress was too tight around my shoulders and my chest. The only reason my mother hadn't cut it up for rags was she hadn't seen me in it for some time. What I chose instead was a one-piece, dark-brown cotton dress with an empire waist. It was the newest dress I had and looked the best on me even though my mother de; Title: Cat | [
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25,940 | 9 | Chapter One: Too Steep To HandleGeorge Fayne woke up with a start as her friend Nancy Drew slowed the car. "Are we there yet?" George asked hopefully. "I mean, it's been hours since we left Heathrow Airport."Eighteen-year-old Nancy rounded a curve in the narrow road, then shot George a quick grin. "How would you know how long it's been? You've been sleeping the whole time."George yawned, then peered impatiently out the window at the steep green hills rushing by. "Give me a break, Drew. After that marathon flight from Chicago to London, I'm allowed some shut-eye." She paused, then added, "Anyway, it seems like this whole trip has taken forever. I can't wait to see Moorsea Manor."Nancy smiled. "I'm eager to get there, too. From Aunt Eloise's description, the place sounds awesome -- a luxury inn on a four-hundred-acre sheep farm with tennis courts and four-star cooking. The Petersons grow all their own vegetables and herbs. And the picture in Aunt Eloise's brochure shows a cool-looking gray-stone manor house on a bluff above the sea.""I guess that's why the place is called Moorsea," George broke in. "Because it's between the sea and the moors.""Uh-huh," Nancy said. "It's between the English Channel and Dartmoor, the largest national park in Devonshire. Dartmoor is supposed to have some great places to hike, and even though Moorsea isn't actually in Dartmoor, you can ride or hike to nearby moors. Dartmoor has kind of a creepy reputation. There are a ton of ghost stories about it. Lots of mysterious things seem to happen there."George frowned skeptically. "I guess that Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, did take place there, didn't it?" She shrugged, then continued, "Anyway, everyone was super impressed when I told them where we're staying. The man I sat next to on the plane told me there's a real buzz going on about Moorsea in London. He said it's the cool place to weekend."Nancy nodded, remembering the conversation. "Moorsea Manor is incredibly popular. Aunt Eloise made her reservation to stay there months ahead of time.""I feel bad for your aunt Eloise," George went on, sitting up straight. "She must have been so disappointed when she sprained her ankle and had to cancel at the last minute.""You're not kidding," Nancy agreed. "But she was glad we could take her place on short notice. And I'm glad, too. I'm really up for a vacation.""Ditto," George said, with a toss of her short dark hair. Then she flashed Nancy a knowing smile. "Let's hope it really is a vacation, if you know what I mean, Nan."Nancy laughed. "I think I can guess," she said slyly. Though she was still a teenager, Nancy was already an accomplished detective. George and Bess Marvin, Nancy's other best friend and George's cousin, often helped Nancy solve mysteries that had stumped much older detectives."It's just that wherever you go, Nan, a mystery usually follows," George added with a grin.Nancy's blue eyes sparkled. "I promise you, George, that I'll do my best this time to have a mystery-free vacation."Rolling her eyes, George said, "Yeah, right. It's too bad Bess couldn't join us. She might have helped me keep you in line."At that moment Nancy caught sight of a wide expanse of blue glittering in the distance. Tiny white patches constantly appeared, then disappeared, on the the smooth surface. "Look, George," she said, "there's the sea -- with whitecaps even. We might be able to take a boat out once we get to Moorsea. I'll bet there's a good wind today.""Super!" George exclaimed happily. "Do you think they'll have other sports besides tennis and boating?"Nancy grinned. Typical George, she thought -- always thinking about sports. "Let me see," she answered. "Well, there's riding, hiking, croquet, biking -- you name it. When Annabel and Hugh Peterson turned their manor house into an inn, they went all out. That's why it's got such an awesome reputation.""What else did your aunt Eloise tell you about Moorsea?" George asked curiously. "Didn't you say she had a friend in common with the Petersons who gave her the lowdown on it?""That's right," Nancy said, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she negotiated another hairpin curve. "According to Aunt Eloise's friend, Annabel inherited Moorsea from her parents, Colonel and Mrs. Trevellyan, five years ago when they died. It has been in Colonel Trevellyan's family since the seventeen hundreds.""Wow. And to think the Fayne estate has been in the family since the nineteen hundreds," George quipped.Nancy smiled. "Some places in England have been owned by the same family for even longer than Moorsea has." She pushed a lock of her shoulder-length reddish blond hair behind an ear and stole a quick look at George. "But Annabel almost lost Moorsea," she continued. "After her parents died, she had to settle all the debts and inheritance taxes. She was really strapped for cash and couldn't pay the taxes on the place."George let out a low whistle. "I'll bet the real estate taxes on four hundred acres are astronomical.""I'm sure they're enormous," Nancy replied. She glanced out the window at endless green hills dotted with rocks and high granite outcroppings. Every now and then patches of forest, dark and forbidding even in the bright afternoon sun, would flash by, nestled in valleys or alongside hills. Nancy shivered, remembering the tales she had heard about nearby Dartmoor -- its ghosts -- and also about the dangerous thieves and smugglers who had roamed the Devonshire coast years ago.A sudden bend in the road caught Nancy by surprise. With a quick turn of the steering wheel, she managed to keep the car in control as she rounded the curve. "Whew," she said, "these roads aren't easy. Especially since I'm not used to driving on the left-hand side.""I keep wanting you to move over to the right, like in the States," George said, "but then, of course, we'd hit another car."Nancy smiled. "Luckily, the roads seem pretty empty, but I'll do my best not to hit another car, George, and to remember to stay on the left. Anyway, the Petersons loved Moorsea Manor," she went on, "and they were desperate to keep it. The thought of her childhood home being sold off to raise taxes practically killed Annabel. So the Petersons came up with this plan -- they used the rest of Annabel's inheritance to turn Moorsea Manor into a money-making luxury inn.""Well, it sounds like they succeeded," George said. "If it's as popular as everyone says, they must be making a fortune on it.""I don't know about that," Nancy said, pursing her lips. "I'm sure most of the money they make gets poured back into the inn. The Petersons raise all those sheep, and they even make their own cheese and process wool right on the farm. They've got stables, vegetable and flower gardens, first-class accommodations, and a fabulous restaurant. It must cost them a fortune to run.""True, but I'm sure they're operating in the black or else they'd have lost Moorsea by now," George reasoned.Nancy nodded in agreement, then added, "But the Petersons aren't running the business just for the money. I've heard they love being innkeepers. In fact, what makes Moorsea so special for visitors isn't just the amazing setting and the luxury. It's the Petersons as hosts.""What's so special about them?" George asked."They're supposed to be friendly and warm and also incredibly stylish and fun," Nancy told her. "Apparently, the Petersons have this knack for making guests feel as if they're totally special, as if they've all been invited to a private house party."As Nancy spoke, the narrow road, which was now running between two enormous privet hedges that blocked all views, suddenly widened into a fork. Nancy paused and peered at a sign up ahead that was on the right-hand side of the fork."Hmm," George said, squinting into the sunlight. "That sign says 'A Road, Avoiding the Ramsgate Hill.' But the road to the left is unmarked."Nancy leaned forward. "Not totally," she said, pointing to the left-hand side of the fork. "See that hole in the ground? It looks like there could have been a sign there.""You're right," George said. "I wonder what happened to it.""Me, too," Nancy said, then shrugged. "Well, we probably want the A road as it's the main road -- and we've been on it since leaving the highway from London. The other road might be a B road, which are usually smaller and windier.""I wonder what the Ramsgate Hill is," George said. "Sounds like it must be something major if a sign mentions a way to avoid it."Nancy arched an eyebrow as she stared at George. "That doesn't sound like you, Fayne -- to be scared of a hill."George laughed. "I'm curious to see it, actually. Let's see which road goes by Moorsea Manor." After rummaging in the glove compartment, she took out a colorful brochure and quickly scanned it. "Well, the driveway to Moorsea Manor is definitely off the A road. We're supposed to turn right on it two miles after leaving Lower Tidwell. Obviously we should stay on the A road. But I wonder how much farther it is to Lower Tidwell? The brochure says it's about four hours from London."Nancy glanced at her watch. "We've been on the road four hours. It's one o'clock now. We should be getting there any second.""Hooray!" George said, in a tone of relief. "So what are we waiting for? The A road it is."Nancy pressed the accelerator of the small silver-colored sedan, guiding it onto the right-hand fork. After she took the turn, the road suddenly narrowed. "Weird," she commented, eyeing the high privet hedge that was now inches from her window. "If this is the main road, I'd hate to see what the other road is like.""We'd have been squished, for sure," George said. Twigs from the hedge scraped against her half-opened window, shedding tiny leaves into her lap as the car went by.The road veered sharply left. Nancy swung the steering wheel hard. With its wheels squealing, the car followed the curve.Nancy's eyes widened in disbelief. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, she was heading up the steepest hill she'd ever driven on. The car appeared to shoot straight into the air, at what seemed to be a ninety-degree angle, although Nancy realized that would be impossible. Are we going to flip over backward? she wondered.The car skidded. Nancy caught her breath, her thoughts racing. If these wheels can't get traction, she realized, the car will slip backward -- all the way down the long, steep hill.Copyright 1999 by Simon & Schuster Inc.; Title: Mystery at Moorsea Manor: Nancy Drew #150 | [
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25,941 | 9 | Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books.; Title: The Caribbean Cruise Caper (The Hardy Boys #154) | [
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25,942 | 0 | Grade 3-6-A story set in England in the 1830s. Faced with the prospect of being left with relatives whom she cannot stand while her father takes her ailing mother to France, almost 12-year-old Emma disguises herself as a boy and decides to stow away on her parents' ship. On her way to the docks, some ill-intentioned sailors direct her to a ship headed for Africa, and she sneaks aboard. Once discovered, she becomes the cabin boy. Unbelievably, none of the crew suspects that she is a girl. During a storm, the vessel goes down and only Emma survives. She is washed ashore, where she builds herself a lean-to and forages for food. After saving a baby chimpanzee, its mother then cares for her when she is stricken with malaria. Once she is well again, Emma forms the word "help" out of vines and hangs it from the trees and is finally rescued after four months in the jungle. On her return to England, she is surprised to learn that her mother and father have not been told of her disappearance and are expecting her to join them in France. Despite some implausibility, the story is adventurous and enjoyable. The hanging suspense at the end of each chapter encourages readers to continue, and the fast pace will appeal to reluctant readers.Sarah Smith, Harrison Community Library, MI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.Twelve-year-old Emma can be headstrong. Therefore, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise when she decides to stow away on the ship taking her parents to France. Unfortunately, Emma's innocence makes her an easy mark along the 1834 Liverpool waterfront. Wickedly led astray, she mistakenly stows away aboard a slave trading ship bound for Africa. Once discovered, Emma crops off her hair, fools the crew, and works hard as the ship's boy. When a storm destroys the ship along the coast of Liberia, Emma washes ashore, the sole survivor. Until her rescue four months later, the plucky young girl survives in the jungle, observing and learning from the chimps. A fast-paced adventure, with superb backdrop details, the book becomes all the more fascinating when one reads the author's immensely illuminating notes about how she conducted her research to make the story as authentic as possible. Karen Simonetti; Title: The Secret Journey (FRIGHTMARES) | [
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25,943 | 2 | Chapter One"There's no beginning. I don't know as there was ever a time in my house when there wasn't trouble between my momma and daddy," I started. "I saw them be sweet to each other sometimes, but as my granny says, it was like waiting on rainbows after storms. Sometimes the rainbows came, but most of the time not. I think I got so I was surprised to hear them talk to each other without one or the other shouting before they were finished."I heard Misty say yesterday that sometimes people get divorced because of money problems. Well, that wasn't the only reason my parents broke up, but it sure didn't help any that my daddy didn't make good money and was out of work often. He was a painter and a carpenter mostly but did other types of work. He could be handy everywhere except around his own house. When he did work, he worked hard, long hours. I think he had a good reputation as far as that goes, but he didn't belong to any unions and he wasn't part of any company that guaranteed him regular work. So there were long periods when times were hard for us and my momma wasn't what you'd call an efficient housewife. I don't know if Daddy would even call her a housewife. He had other names for her and none of them were nice."My daddy's a good-looking man, a strapping six-feet four. Anyone would take one look at him and think he must have been a ballplayer in high school, but he always told me he was just too slow to be a good athlete. He said his problem was he thinks too long before he does something. He says he likes being precise and that helps him in all the work he's done as a painter and a carpenter."Momma's completely different. She doesn't think so much before she decides to do something. Most of the time, I don't believe she thinks at all. She just does what she wants when she wants. They got into lots of arguments because of that. Daddy said she had a brain that was like a house without any doors. Stuff just went in and out. She'd say she was bound to be on old age Social Security before he did anything worthwhile. Granny used to call them Oil and Water."They probably shouldn't have gotten married in the first place, but my momma was pregnant with me before they got married and the way Daddy talked sometimes, I thought he blamed her for all their hard times because of it. If she complained about anything, he would sure always be reminding her that she was the one who had gotten pregnant, as if men could also get pregnant, but had the good sense not to."Misty laughed and Jade smiled. Cathy smiled too."That would be good. That would be fair," Misty said. "At least they would know what it's really like. I know my mother would like that. She'd love to see my father have morning sickness and labor pains.""Men are babies," Jade declared as if she was standing on the top of some mountain. "If they were the ones who had to get pregnant, the human race would be listed as an endangered species."We all laughed, including Doctor Marlowe. It made me feel easier about talking, but I still hesitated and looked at Doctor Marlowe for encouragement before I started to talk in great detail about Momma.It wasn't just because I was ashamed of her, which I had every tight to be. Momma had done so many things to make me want to stick my head in the sand. I used to hate to meet up with any friends of mine from school whenever I was with Momma. Not only was there no telling what she would say or do, she usually had bloodshot eyes and smelled like One-Eyed Bill's Bar and Grill down on the southeast corner from our apartment in West Los Angeles. There was a barstool in the place that practically had Momma's name on it. I heard that if she came in and there was someone sitting on it, he or she would just move off and look for another stool -- or stand.When I was just seven, Daddy used to send me to fetch her when he had come home and found she wasn't there making dinner for us. I hated going there, but even then I knew Daddy was sending me because if he had gone instead, they would have had an all-out fight that would turn physical. Daddy would even get into a fight with some other bar customer who felt he had to protect Momma or might even have been flirting with her and wanted to show off.Sometimes it took so long for me to get her to leave and go home with me, I would start to cry. That usually made her mad because all the other barflies would make fun of her and tell her to go. There was nothing Momma hated more when she drank than anyone telling her what to do. It was like lighting a wick on a dynamite stick. She'd fume and fume and she'd get real nasty and explode into curses and maybe even throw something or swing at someone, especially Daddy, or me for that matter. When Rodney was a baby, I'd have to worry about him crawling around on the kitchen floor because there still might be pieces of plates she had smashed against the wall.But my hestitation over telling things about her came from another place inside me. Despite what I always told Granny, I hated hating Momma. Mixed with all the bad memories were lots of good ones. There were many times when she had held me and had sung to me and had fixed my hair and kissed me. She used to call me her Precious and she used to dream big dreams for me. All those memories were planted in someplace special in my heart too, and I couldn't help feeling like I was betraying them when I told about all the bad things.For now, though, that seemed to be what Doctor Marlowe wanted me to do. From the way she talked about it, holding the bad down was like trying to keep poison in your body."I can't remember exactly when my momma, started drinking," I began, "but it was always a lot and it was always bad, especially for me and my brother Rodney."They all lost their smiles and their eyes became hard and cold like the eyes of those who had seen terrible things happen and knew what I was going through in just talking about it, for there was no way to talk about it without reliving it. Remembering made me a five-year-old girl again, brought back all the demons, all the dark shadows that haunted my bedroom after something awful had happened between Momma and Daddy.The monsters were a part of me now, dormant, lying around and waiting to be nudged by the sound of someone shouting, by the sight of some poor child playing in the gutter because his mother was neglecting him, by the wail of ambulance sirens or police sirens, or merely by the sounds of someone crying in the darkness, someone as alone and afraid as I had been and maybe forever would be."When I think back on it now, it seems to me that there was always a lot of drinking going on. Momma smelled from it so much, I used to think it was a kind of perfume she wore," I said.Misty laughed."Of course, I wasn't very old when I thought that."Sometimes, she would just let me stand there by the door and pretend she didn't know who I was. I was afraid to call to her. I knew how mad that made her. Finally, she would look at Bill and say, 'My ball and chain is home from work,' and they would all cackle and tease her, and she would blame me."'Why did he have to send you here?' she would snap at me."'He wants you to come home and make us supper, Momma,' I would tell her and she would shake her head and mimic me."She'd stare at herself in the mirror behind the bar for a few moments and then finish her beer in a gulp and get up a little wobbly."'What's for dinner, Aretha?' someone would shout."'My heart,' she'd scream back and whoever was there would laugh and laugh. 'Go on,' Momma would tell me. 'Get outta here. You made enough trouble for me.'"I'd wait for her on the sidewalk. Sometimes she'd come right out and sometimes, she'd start up again and I'd have to go back inside and then she'd come."Usually she wouldn't say much as we w; Title: Star (Wildflowers) | [
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25,944 | 2 | PEG KEHRET's popular novels for young people are regularly nominated for state awards. She has received the Young Hoosier Award, the Golden Sower Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award, the Celebrate Literacy Award, the Sequoyah Award, the Land of Enchantment Award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award. She lives with her husband, Carl, and their animal friends in Washington State, where she is a volunteer at the Humane Society and SPCA. Her two grown children and four grandchildren live in Washington, too. Peg's Minstrel titles include Nightmare Mountain: Sisters, Long Ago; Cages; Terror at the Zoo; Horror at the Haunted House; and theFrightmaresseries.; Title: Saving Lilly (Aladdin Fiction) | [
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25,945 | 2 | PEG KEHRET's popular novels for young people are regularly nominated for state awards. She has received the Young Hoosier Award, the Golden Sower Award, the Iowa Children's Choice Award, the Celebrate Literacy Award, the Sequoyah Award, the Land of Enchantment Award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, and the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award. She lives with her husband, Carl, and their animal friends in Washington State, where she is a volunteer at the Humane Society and SPCA. Her two grown children and four grandchildren live in Washington, too. Peg's Minstrel titles include Nightmare Mountain: Sisters, Long Ago; Cages; Terror at the Zoo; Horror at the Haunted House; and theFrightmaresseries.; Title: The Hideout | [
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25,946 | 2 | CALLING LOST AND FOUND-HAVE YOU SEEN MY BRAIN?Some kids lose their homework. Some kids lose their math book, or their sneakers, or their lunch.Pleskit Meenom, first alien kid to go to school on Earth, has a bigger problem: He's lost his grandfather's brain!Of course, that's not Pleskit's only problem. He's feuding with his best friend Tim. Someone is leaking stories about him to a sleazy supermarket tabloid. And sixth grade is turning out to be a bigger challenge than interplanetary navigation.But if Pleskit can't find that missing brain, none of those other problems will matter, because his life won't be worth a plug skeelrag!Bruce Coville has published more than one hundred books, which have sold more thansixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are My Teacher Is an Alien, Into the Land of the Unicorns, and The Monsters Ring. Bruce also founded Full Cast Audio, a company that creates recordings of the best in childrens and young adult literature. He lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, Katherine.; Title: I Lost My Grandfather's Brain (I Was A Sixth Grade Alien) | [
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25,947 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Chocolate-Covered Contest (Nancy Drew Digest, Book 151) | [
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25,948 | 0 | Laurie Lawlor has published more than thirty books for children andyoung adults. Magnificent Voyage: An American Adventurer on Captain James Cook's Final Expedition was a VOYA Nonfiction Honor Book called"fascinating" by the New York Times. Helen Keller: Rebellious Spirit was named an American Library Association Notable Book and a BestBook for Young Adults. Shadow Catcher: The Life and Work of Edward S. Curtis won a Golden Kite Honor Award and the Carl Sandburg Award. Ms.Lawlor lives in Evanston, Illinois.; Title: Pacific Odyssey to California, 1905 (American Sisters) | [
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25,949 | 2 | A STALKING WOLF! MONSTER SPIDERS AND SNAKES! THIS GAME IS REAL -- AND DEADLY!LEGENDARY COMPUTER GAME DESIGNER STEVEN ROYAL HAS DISAPPEARED -- WITH THE ONLY COMPLETE NEW GAME IN THE CHAOS SERIES. WITH JUST TWO WEEKS TO GO BEFORE THE GAME GOES INTO PRODUCTION. VIKING SOFTWARE, WHERE FRANK AND JOE'S FRIEND CHELSEA WORKS. IS IN BIG TROUBLE. THE BOYS MUST FIND THE MASTER DISK -- NOW!STRANGE E-MAILS LEAD THE BOYS INTO A DARK STEAM TUNNEL AND THEN TO A REMOTE STATE PARK, WHERE WEIRD CREATURES ATTACK THEM. AFTER BARELY ESCAPING WITH THEIR LIVES, THEY END UP IN A CREEPY NEW ENGLAND GHOST TOWN. TIME IS RUNNING OUT, AND DANGER LURKS AROUND EVERY CORNER. BUT THE MOST AWESOME MONSTER OF ALL IS READY TO DOWNLOAD REAL CHAOS!Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books.; Title: A Game Called Chaos (The Hardy Boys #160) | [
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25,950 | 1 | Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.; Title: Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (That's Me!) | [
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25,951 | 1 | Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.Chapter 1I strolled toward the porch with my trophy. My feet and tail were wet from the morning dew. The night hunt had been a good one. I climbed the steps and dropped the remains of the last mouse on the mat. The House Mama would be so proud of me when she found it. From the porch I could see the hayfield where the mice played every night. Most of them were sleeping now, but when it got dark I would return for another hunt.The leaves of the apple tree near the driveway shook from the gentle summer breeze as I walked down the sidewalk away from the house. My whiskers twitched when I saw Mocking-bird fly back and forth from the pasture to the apple tree. I sat down to wash my front paws.She seemed to be working very hard adding twigs to the pile she was collecting on a branch. I trotted toward the woodpile under the apple tree. As soon as Bird flew off to the pasture once more, I hopped up the stacked logs to take a look for myself. A soft hissing sound came from beneath the woodpile. I stopped, frowning at the strange noise. Suddenly Bird swooped down at me. I flattened myself as close to the woodpile as I could. My ears pressed down against my head. With every muscle tensed, I waited for her next attack. Sure enough, she hit me. I flinched. It was only a warning peck on the side of myface.Bird flew at me again, fast and accurate. This time she pecked me on the top of my head. I swished my tail as I stretched my claws, trying to hold on to the woodpile. She started on another fly-by. The wind from her wings made myhair rustle. "Leave my nest alone, Gray Cat!" Bird screamed.I really wanted to see what she was doing with the messy pile of twigs. Instead I hopped to the ground and fluffed my fur. My tail flipped back and forth when I walked to the holly bushes in front of the house. I needed a quick nap beforegoing back to the tree. Bird watched me as I nestled behind a bush. I was safe here from her attacks.I had been on the farm for just a short time. The House People had picked me out of my litter to be a mouser. My mother was the best mouser ever. She had taught me how to sneak up, without making so much as a sound. She had taughtme how to crouch. Best of all she had taught me how to pounce. She could catch a mouse every time she went hunting -- well, almost every time. I wasn?t quite that good yet, but I got better every day.The House People had said that Callie was getting too old to keep up with the mouse problem. Most of her days she spent sleeping in the sun. At night she slept inside on a bed.Bird?s shrill call woke me. My whiskers sprang up. I opened one eye and watched her swoop. She pecked Callie as the old cat walked from the field to the house I stretched both front legs and stood up. "Hey, leave Callie alone. She?s old. She isn?t bothering you!""Mind your own business, Gray Cat! I have my work to do, and Callie knows it!"I quickly trotted out to meet Callie. When Bird swooped again, I swiped at her with my sharp claws."You missed me, Cat!" she scoffed as she flew up to the apple tree. Callie strolled to the porch and jumped onto the rocking chair. "Thanks for the help. Bird has been working hard on her nest in the apple tree. She will belaying her eggs soon. That should keep her busy for a while so we can get somerest."Laying eggs? Nest? After a short catnap I just had to see what Bird was doing with the twigs. The grass felt dry on my paws now. I crept around the long way, through the pine trees, so Bird wouldn?t see me. If I took a quick peek, I could be back on the porch before she ever spotted me.As I neared the woodpile, I noticed something brown. It looked like the garden hose that the Mama used to water her flowers. A gentle rustling sound came to my ears when it moved. My head tilted to the side, and my whiskers sprang up. The garden hose doesn?t move, I thought with a frown. I leaned forward for a closer look when the brown hose stopped, turned, and glared at me. When I blinked and took a step back, the hose slid toward the woodpile. Crouching close to the ground, I inched toward the end of the thing. I slapped at thepointed tip as it disappeared between two of the logs.The hose hissed at me, really loud. I jumped back."Leave me alone!" the hiss said.I couldn?t see anything, but I knew a hose couldn?t talk. Again I leaned closer. Bird swooped down at me. I backed up, then scampered for thepine trees."Cat, leave my nest alone!" Bird screamed again."I didn?t do anything. I was looking at the hose under the woodpile!""Stay away!" Bird warned.For three days Bird worked on the nest. She made trips to the field, then back to her tree. Callie and I were easy targets for her if we happened to cross her path. Callie didn?t even flinch when Bird hit her. I tried to scare Bird with my claws. Sometimes I spun around, pretending to bite at her.On the fourth day things were different. Callie noticed it first. "Bird hasn?t been after us today.""Where do you think she is?" I asked."She?s probably laying her eggs." Callie stretched and yawned. "She usually has four or five eggs in her nest.""How do you know?" I twitched my whiskers."The Mama Mockingbird has been coming back to that old tree for years. She thinks it is the best home for her family." Callie closed both eyes and curled up into a ball."Have you seen the eggs?""A few times," she answered without opening her eyes. "When I was younger, Iwould try to check out her eggs every year. Now it is too dangerous for me to climb very high. The people put the woodpile under the tree last year. It is a little easier to get to the nest now, but I would rather eat the nice soft cat food that I can get inside.There is no reason to risk getting caught up in the tree for those little birds. Besides, I like Bird. She is just doing her job, protecting her family.The Papa Mockingbird is around somewhere. He pecks, too. He watches from the pines."Callie slept for a while. I listened for the Papa Mockingbird. The warmsunshine felt good on my coat. I took a long bath, washing with my tongue and paws. I would check that nest when Bird finished laying her eggs. I was almost asleep when a sound in the grass made my ears perk up. Listening, I held my breath and tilted my head to one side. I saw the brown hose moving slowly across the yard. My ears were up, my legs ready to pounce. What was that strange hose that could move by itself?I crouched, my tail twitching nervously. The brown hose slithered across the driveway and into the dirt. I followed it, one step at a time. The green garden hose that the Mama used to water her flowers didn?t move by itself. Somethingdeep inside told me to be careful. As I eased closer, the brown hose disappeared back under the woodpile. Just then another bird dropped down and pecked me on the back near my tail. This wasn?t a fly-by -- this was a peck! Ithurt, too. It also caught me by surprise. I had been concentrating so hard on the brown hose that I forgot all about the birds. When the peck came, my front end stopped and backed up -- only my back end jumped. It jumped really high,too. First thing I knew, my tail went over the top of my head. I saw it, but there was nothing I could do. My tail went, then my rear end. I was flat on my back.We cats don?t like to land on our backs. We are supposed to land on all fours. Quick as the blink of an eye, I twisted and scrambled to my feet. My tail flipped as I glanced around, hoping no one had seen me."Cat, get away from my family!" Papa Mockingbird sharpened his beak on thebranch where he was perched. He glared at me with his black eyes.Copyright © 1999 by Carol and Bill Wallace; Title: The Flying Flea, Callie and Me | [
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25,952 | 2 | Chapter One:Festival WeekendNancy Drew spotted the green-and-white sign she'd been looking for: Exit 9A -- Emerson College. She put on her blinker and steered her blue Mustang convertible off the interstate onto the exit ramp. As she neared the intersection, the light changed to red. She braked to a halt and tucked a strand of reddish blond hair behind one ear."We're almost there," she announced.From the backseat, Nancy's friend Bess Marvin said, "Good thing. I'm starved!"Bess's cousin George Fayne was in the front passenger seat. She laughed at Bess's announcement. "Duh," she said. "Admit it, Bess -- you're always starved!"Nancy glanced over her shoulder. The warm breeze had tousled Bess's long blond hair and put a gleam in her bright blue eyes. Bess folded her arms across her chest and gave a little shiver."Are you chilly?" Nancy asked with concern. "Should we put the top up?""Chilly? No way!" Bess replied. "I'm excited, that's all. I love world music, but I practically never get to hear any of it live. Why don't we have a festival like this back in River Heights?""Nobody to organize one, I guess," George said. She pulled her red-and-blue cap a little lower over her dark brown curls.The light changed. Nancy turned right onto Campus Road.George leaned forward to switch radio stations. A burst of syncopated drumbeats sounded over a thumping bass, and then a high voice wailed in a language Nancy didn't recognize. After a few moments the music faded."It's Friday and you're tuned to ECR, Emerson College Radio," the announcer said. "And that was the Rai Rebels, from Algeria.""Wow!" Bess exclaimed. She grabbed George's shoulder. "I've got their CD. They are awesome!""The Rai Rebels are just one of the big attractions at this weekend's Worldbeat Festival," the announcer continued. "We'll tape all the performances for future broadcast. But if you want to hear them and all the other fantastic bands live, better get your tickets today. They're going fast!""Uh-oh -- I hope we can get in," George said."Don't worry," Nancy replied. A tune with a strong Latin beat came on. "Ned took care of getting tickets. He lined up places for us to stay, too."Ned Nickerson was Nancy's longtime boyfriend. He was a student at Emerson College."I didn't know Ned was such a fan of world music," George remarked."He's not especially," Nancy told her. "But the president of the club that's sponsoring the festival is a friend of his -- a guy named Cyril. He's from Australia.""An Aussie?" Bess said. "Cool. Is he cute? Does he have an accent?""Does he have a pet kangaroo?" George joked.Nancy grinned. "No idea. You'll have to find out for yourselves. Anyway, it's really important to him for the festival to be a big success. So naturally Ned's pitching in. And, I don't know...I got a feeling there may be something funny going on. The kind of thing we might be able to help with.""A mystery, you mean?" George asked quickly.Nancy had a big reputation as a detective, and both George and Bess often helped in her investigations."Nothing I can put my finger on," Nancy said. "But it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for any problems.""That's exciting," Bess said eagerly. "What about the Rai Rebels? Will they be around all weekend? Do you think I could meet them?"Nancy and George laughed."Where are we meeting Ned?" George asked."He said to call him when we got there," Nancy replied. "Would you do it?"George's shoulder bag was on the floor in front of her seat. She rummaged around and pulled out her cell phone. "What's the number?" she asked.After Nancy told her, she punched in the numbers. In a second she said, "Hi, Ned, it's me, George. We're here, on Campus Road. Um, let me look....We just passed Harding Lane. Okay, see you."She disconnected and turned to Nancy. "He says to park by the gym. He'll meet us there."Nancy turned through a stone arch onto the Emerson campus. The lawns on either side of the tree-lined road were thick with students talking, reading, and playing Frisbee in the spring sunshine. Nancy followed the signs to the gym parking lot and pulled into a vacant space."Emerson College," she said, reaching for the button that raised the top. "Last stop."Nancy got out of the car and straightened up. As she glanced around, she felt her heart give an extra thump.Ned was striding across the parking lot toward them. A huge grin lit up his handsome face and dark eyes."Hey, there," he called. A moment later he was giving Nancy a hug that lifted her off her feet. As he put her down, he whispered in her ear, "I've missed you so much.""I've missed you, too," Nancy whispered back.After Ned said hi to Bess and George, the three girls retrieved their backpacks from the trunk. Then the group set off across campus."I told Cyril and some of the others we'd meet them at the student center," Ned said. "Are you hungry? We can get a bite while we're there.""Sounds good," Nancy replied. Bess gave her a grateful look. "What's the program?""After you meet some of the gang, we'll get you settled in," Ned said. "I've got a festival steering committee meeting at six. You wouldn't believe how many last-minute details we have to take care of.""What should we do about dinner?" Nancy asked."No problem," Ned assured her. "If you can wait, we can all grab something after the meeting. Then a local Afro-Cuban group is jamming at Holden Hall -- that's one of the dorms. Last time they played, they let me sit in on conga drum.""Why, Ned," George said, "I didn't know you were a drummer."Ned gave her an impish grin. "If you'd been there and heard me, you'd know I'm not. I had a lot of fun pretending, though.""What about the Rai Rebels?" Bess asked. "I can't wait to hear them live.""Don't worry, you will. They're part of the concerts on Saturday and Sunday on the quad," Ned told her, "And I think they're playing at the dance Saturday night, too."Bess's eyes sparkled with anticipation. The weekend had barely started, but Nancy could see that for Bess, it was already a great success.The student center was a big old-fashioned building that had once been the president's mansion. They pushed through the carved oak doors and paused to look around. The entrance hall was two stories high, with wood-paneled walls and tall, narrow stained-glass windows. The row of computer terminals against one wall looked out of place in such an antique setting.The aroma of french fries and hamburgers drifted over from a grill at the far end of the hall. Ned looked past Nancy and waved to someone at one of the tables set up in the center of the room.Nancy turned. A tall, muscular guy with light brown hair and a deep tan was smiling and waving back. On his T-shirt was a blindingly bright graphic of a surfer and the words Bondi Beach.Nancy remembered that Bondi Beach was a famous surfing spot in Australia. Aha! she thought. That must be Cyril."Hey, Cyril," Ned called. "Come meet our visitors."After the introductions, Bess asked, "Why don't you have more of an accent?"George winced and nudged Bess with her elbow. Bess gave her an injured look, then added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."Cyril grinned. "Offend me, Bess? Not a bit of it," he replied. "I've a fair dinkum accent. But I syve it for when I'm wif me mytes. If Mel Gibson can sound like he's from Kansas City, why can't I?""Hello. You must be Ned's friends from River Heights," a soft voice said."Oh, hi, Joann," Ned said to a thin girl with straight short black hair. "Meet Nancy, Bess, and George. George, Joann offered to put you up.""Great," George said. "I really appreciate it.""Joann? Is that an Asian name?" Bess wondered out loud. George nudged h; Title: The Music Festival Mystery (Nancy Drew No. 157) | [
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25,953 | 0 | Gr 4-7-Dora, 12, and her three younger sisters are moving again. The family has relocated 20 times in 10 years, chasing the big break on the stage or entertainment circuit, often under the shadow of unpaid bills and gambling debts. This time they head for the Chicago World's Fair, where their father has work as a horse handler for Buffalo Bill. The girls' parents continue to be self-focused and seemingly irresponsible in this new setting. Papa lives at his work site, failing to provide for the family's expenses, while Mama tries to earn some money-first as a waitress, a job that does not suit her fancy, and then as a hootchy-kootchy dancer. Every day, the siblings are left to fend for themselves on the crowded, potentially dangerous fairgrounds. While the descriptions and details of the setting and activities are realistic and fascinating, the level of independence and responsibility assumed by the children (ages 4, 8, 10, and 12 years) is not believable. This title may be of regional interest.Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana, ILCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.Gr. 4-6. The latest entry in the American Sister series shows the glamour and grittiness of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Twelve-year-old Dora Pomeroy and her younger sisters, Phoebe, Lillian, and little Tess, are in town because their father has a job with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. But no women are allowed there, so the girls and their mother are on their own. The atmospheric story is chockfull of the sights and sounds of the exposition: the gleam of the electric lights, the crush of the crowds, the tastiness of the treats, the excitement of the rides. Yet, there is also fear and poverty as their father gambles his money away, and their mother lurches from one job to another (including a stint as a hootchie-kootchie dancer), forcing the girls to find work of their own. The characters are stock, but the situation is not. Lawlor attempt to weave some social issues into the story, and the sisters' resentments about not being in a traditional family and having to fend for themselves will ring true for many of today's readers. Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Exploring the Chicago World's Fair, 1893 (American Sisters) | [
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25,954 | 2 | A TOWN OF DEADLY SECRETS -- AND NO WAY OUT OF THE WOODS!Hiking the Appalachian trail with their friends Chet, Phil, and Biff, the Hardys hit a snag when daredevil Biff gets hurt. The old mining town of Morgan's Quarry is the nearest place for help. But even the run-down, isolated town turns menacing when two tough locals drop a bag full of money in front of the brothers!Joe and Frank are stonewalled when they ask about the money. The roads are washed out, the phones are down, and a crumbling mansion hides a gold mine of secrets. Every fork in the road leads to more danger...and everyone in Morgan's Quarry seems bent on making sure the boys don't make it out alive!Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books.; Title: The End of the Trail (The Hardy Boys #162) | [
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25,955 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: Candy Is Dandy (Nancy Drew Notebooks No. 38) | [
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25,956 | 2 | "I am Eloise/I am six." So begins the well-loved story of Eloise, the garrulous little girl who lives at New York's Plaza Hotel. Eyebrow raised defiantly, arm propped on one jutting hip, Eloise is a study in self-confidence. Eloise's personal mandate is "Getting bored is not allowed," so she fills her days to the brim with wild adventures and self-imposed responsibilities. An average Eloise afternoon includes braiding her pet turtle's ears, ordering "one roast-beef bone, one raisin and seven spoons" from room service, and devising innovative methods of torture for her guardians.Eloise's exploits are non-stop, and--accordingly--the text uses nary a period. Kay Thompson perfectly captures the way children speak: in endless sentences elongated with "and then ... and then ... and then... " Hilary Knight's drawings illustrate Eloise's braggadocio and amusement as well as the bewilderment of harassed hotel guests. Eloise's taunts are terrible, her imagination inimitable, her pace positively perilous. Her impertinence will delight readers of all ages. (Ages 5 and older)"Eloise is a model for uppity women."-- Nina Totenberg (rawther important radio lady)"Ooooooo....I just love Eloise! Thank you, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. You're the bestest!"-- Judy Blume (lovely author)"My first happy response to Eloise was entirely due to the brilliant, iconic images. That brazen, loose-limbed, deliciosly little girl monster is Hilary Knight at his best."-- Maurice Sendak (enormously famous artist)"Thanks to Eloise, my daughter sought independence and mastery over her life. We loved reading this book, and we've never given it away."-- Susan Sarandon (rawther grande actress)"Eloise is one of the more delightfully fiendish literary heroines of our time."-- Edward I. Koch (former NYC mayor!!!)"Eloise, Kay, and Hilary have been in my life always. And her pug puppy is in my heart. What memories!"-- Lena Horne (movie star); Title: Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups | [
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25,957 | 6 | "A godsend! It's packed with quick-and-easy activities that will keep your toddler creatively stimulated, entertained, and busy for hours." --Penny Warner, author of Baby Play & LearnTrish Kuffner lives with her husband and five children just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the author of The Toddler's Busy Book, The Preschooler's Busy Book, The Arts & Crafts Busy Book, and The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book.; Title: The Toddler's Busy Book: 365 Creative Games and Activities to Keep Your 1 1/2- to 3-Year-Old Busy | [
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25,958 | 10 | Nancy and her friends' vacation in Venice involves them with kidnappers and a secret glass-making formula.; Title: Mystery of the Winged Lion (Nancy Drew No. 65) | [
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25,959 | 10 | While in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the two young sleuths try to track down the perpetrators of a rash of burglaries.; Title: The Voodoo Plot (The Hardy Boys #72) | [
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25,960 | 10 | FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Jigsaw and Mila like to solve problems but he has lost his grandfather's watch. Will he find it before time runs out?; Title: Nancy Drew #66 "Race Against Time" | [
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25,961 | 10 | Book by Key, Alexander; Title: Escape to Witch Mountain | [
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25,962 | 16 | For a little one who is reluctant to go to bed, sometimes a silly book is just the ticket. And when it comes to silly books, Sandra Boynton is the undisputed queen. In The Going to Bed Book, an ark full of animals watches the sun go down and then prepares for bed. They take a bath ("in one big tub"), find pajamas, brush their teeth, do exercises up on deck (imagine an elephant jumping rope, a moose lifting weights, and a pig doing handstands), and finally say good night.Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.; Title: The Going-To-Bed Book | [
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25,963 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American humorist, songwriter, childrens author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated more than forty books for both children and adults, as well as more than four thousand greeting cards and four music albums. She has designedfor various companiescalendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys.; Title: Opposites | [
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25,964 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, writer, children's author, and songwriter. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over forty children's books and seven general audience books, including four New York Times Bestsellers. More than 35 million of her books have been sold"mostly to friends and family," she says. She has also written and produced five albums of award-winning children's music. Three of her albums have been certified Gold, and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, is nearing Platinum. In 2008, she was awarded the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Cartoonists Society.; Title: But Not the Hippopotamus (Boynton on Board) | [
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25,965 | 10 | While on vacation in Fort Lauderdale, Nancy and her friends help a wealthy woman plagued with burglars who don't steal anything.; Title: The Sinister Omen (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, No 67) | [
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25,966 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, writer, children's author, and songwriter. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over forty children's books and seven general audience books, including four New York Times Bestsellers. More than 35 million of her books have been sold—"mostly to friends and family," she says. She has also written and produced five albums of award-winning children's music. Three of her albums have been certified Gold, and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, is nearing Platinum. In 2008, she was awarded the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Cartoonists Society.; Title: Moo Baa La La La | [
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25,967 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American humorist, songwriter, childrens author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated more than forty books for both children and adults, as well as more than four thousand greeting cards and four music albums. She has designedfor various companiescalendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys.; Title: A to Z | [
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25,968 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American humorist, songwriter, childrens author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated more than forty books for both children and adults, as well as more than four thousand greeting cards and four music albums. She has designedfor various companiescalendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys.; Title: Doggies (Boynton on Board) | [
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25,969 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American humorist, songwriter, childrens author, and illustrator. Boynton has written and illustrated more than forty books for both children and adults, as well as more than four thousand greeting cards and four music albums. She has designedfor various companiescalendars, wallpaper, bedding, stationery, paper goods, clothing, jewelry, and plush toys.; Title: Horns to Toes and in Between | [
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25,970 | 10 | The young sleuth travels to Cornwall, England to uncover a mysterious coven of witches plaguing an old friend.; Title: The Bluebeard Room (Nancy Drew #77) | [
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25,971 | 16 | Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawn versions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuring nontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages, and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages.Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, writer, children's author, and songwriter. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over forty children's books and seven general audience books, including four New York Times Bestsellers. More than 35 million of her books have been sold"mostly to friends and family," she says. She has also written and produced five albums of award-winning children's music. Three of her albums have been certified Gold, and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, is nearing Platinum. In 2008, she was awarded the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Cartoonists Society.; Title: Blue Hat, Green Hat (Boynton on Board) | [
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25,972 | 7 | An android is found in the ruins of a colony on Omicron Theta. The crew of the Tripoli reactivate the android and discover his name is Data, a name that suits his incredible curiosity. With the encouragement of his new friends, Data applies to Starfleet AcademyTM and is accepted.Cadet Data begins his journey to Starfleet Academy aboard the science vessel, Yosemite. Even as he looks forward to the Academy, he struggles to find his own identity and to fit in with the other cadets.But Data's worries are cut short when the Yosemite is suddenly attacked by an unknown vessel and suffers severe damage. When power is restored, Data discovers that the adult crew has mysteriously disappeared, and only Data and the other Academy-bound cadets are left to face the wrath of a new alien race, who are demanding that Data and his cadet crew surrender their ship, or be destroyed.; Title: Mystery of the Missing Crew | [
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25,973 | 13 | Mark Kistler is a cartoonist, an illustrator, and the producer and star of Mark Kistler's Imagination Station, currently airing on public television nationwide. The author of the wildly popular drawing books Mark Kistler's Draw Squad and Mark Kistler's Imagination Station, Kistler lives in Santa Barbara, California.; Title: Mark Kistler's Imagination Station: Learn How to Drawn in 3-D with Public Television's Favorite Drawing Teacher | [
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25,974 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Baby-Sitter Burglaries (Nancy Drew) | [
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25,975 | 2 | Franklin W. Dixon is the author of the ever-popular Hardy Boys books.; Title: Slam Dunk Sabotage: Hardy Boys #140 | [
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25,976 | 10 | The Hardy brothers are involved in a mystery that links whitewater rafting in Maine with a bank robbery in Washington, D.C.; Title: The Roaring River Mystery (The Hardy Boys, #80) | [
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25,977 | 10 | Cadet Jean-Luc Picard is struggling through his first year at the Academy. He's near the top of his classes, right behind Roger Wells. Jean-Luc is determined to do everything better and bigger than Roger. But privately he has doubts. And the lack of communciation from home only reminds him of how badly he left things with his father.Then Jean-Luc and his friend, Marta, discover they've been selected to fly with the Nova Command team, a special training mission through the solar system. Jean-Luc tries to ignore the presence of Roger, but the pressure builds between the two cadets. When the mission leader falls ill and the ship receives a distress call, Jean-Luc and the other cadets must decide whether to obey orders or attempt a rescue as the ship heads for disaster.END; Title: Nova Command (Star Trek the Next Generation: Starfleet Academy, No. 9) | [
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25,978 | 0 | To get to the bottom of a string of robberies, Ted must confront the witch of Blackwater Swamp. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.Ted saw her with his own two eyes! They say she can make magic. Ted is scared -- but he can't resist snaeking down to the bayou to watch the gnarled old woman and wild animals he's never even seen before!His new friend Jimmy blames the witch for the break-ins that have the town on edge. Ted doesn't know who to believe. Jimmy and his swaggering cousin Bubba are pretty scary themselves.Ted knows the answers lie in the dark and dangerous swamp. But nothing can prepare them for the terror to come...; Title: Blackwater Swamp: Blackwater Swamp | [
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25,979 | 0 | Bill Wallace grew up in Oklahoma. Along with riding their horses, he and his friends enjoyed campouts and fishing trips. Toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories to scare one another, and catching fish was always fun.One of the most memorable trips took place on the far side of Lake Lawtonka, at the base of Mt. Scott. He and his best friend, Gary, spent the day shooting shad with bow and arrows, cutting bank poles, and getting ready to go when their dads got home from work.Although there was no "monster" in Lake Lawtonka, one night there was a "sneak attack" by a rather large catfish tail. Checking the bank poles was not nearly as fun or "free" after that point, but it was the inspiration for this story.Bill Wallace has won nineteen children's state awards and been awarded the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award for Children's Literature from the Oklahoma Center for the Book.; Title: Journey into Terror (Paperback) | [
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25,980 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Treasure in the Royal Tower (Nancy Drew No. 128) | [
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25,981 | 0 | Runway to fame.Stephanie's new classmate Amber Armstrong has it all: looks, talent -- and a career as a model! Suddenly, Stephanie feels very un-special.Then a modeling contest is announced. Stephanie is determined to win. But how? She can hardly believe her luck when Amber offers to share her backstage modeling tips. Does Stephanie actually have a shot at stardom? Or is Amber setting her up for a fall?; Title: Picture Me Famous (Full House : Stephanie) | [
26112
] | Train |
25,982 | 0 | "If I had my very own puppy, I'd be the happiest kid in the whole wide world!" But Michelle's family thinks she's too young to take care of her own pet. Too young? She'll show them! Michelle brings the classroom mice home for the weekend. Once her family sees how well she can care for them, Michelle's sure to get a dog! After all, what could go wrong with a few little mice?; Title: The Great Pet Project (Full House : Michelle) | [
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25,983 | 7 | Jake and Nog are looking for action - in all the wrong places. They've played all the family holosuite games - and the adult games are strictly off-limits. So when Garak, the only Cardassian on Deep Space NineTM, suggests a trip to the unknown depths of Level 45, they're ready to go. When they arrive on the musty, abandoned deck, they find a funny Cardassian toy that says "Moop" when activated. And then they discover the replicator button on the toy. Perfect! They can replicate enough "Moops" for a baseball game. But suddenly the figures that stand before them are as tall as Nog - and they're replicating themselves!END ; Title: Cardassian Imps (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) | [
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25,984 | 10 | Meet Alex Mack. It's her first day of junior high and everything goes wrong! She can't decide what to wear. Her mother packs her lunch in a troll lunchbox. She runs headlong into the Vice Principal. And then there's math class... By the end of the day, after the most popular girl in school makes fun of Alex in front of the coolest guy ever, Alex is convinced her junior high days are over! But when a delivery truck overturns and covers Alex with a top-secret chemical and suddenly she has strange, new powers -- powers she can't control. It's exciting...and a little scary! Now, with goons from the chemical company looking for her, Alex, her older sister, Annie, and her best friend, Raymond join forces in trying to outwit them. Can she learn to control her new powers, avoid the company's investigators, and survive junior high? Welcome to the secret world of Alex Mack!; Title: Alex, You're Glowing (The Secret World of Alex Max, No. 1) | [
25989
] | Train |
25,985 | 7 | B>Michelle in the middle."Cassie's never going to speak to me again. And it's all my fault!Michelle and Cassie -- best friends forever!That is, until Mandy comes along.Mandy is the new girl in school. And Michelle really likes her. Now Michelle has two best friends -- and two big problems. Cassie and Mandy want Michelle to choose between them.Michelle is stuck in the middle. What's she going to do?; Title: My Two Best Friends (Full House Michelle) | [
25982,
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] | Test |
25,986 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: Not Nice on Ice (Nancy Drew Notebooks #10 | [
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25,987 | 7 | The ghosts of Fear Street -- they'll haunt you forever! Do you believe in ghosts? Don't say no until you take a walk down Fear Street. Past the woods -- where no birds sing. Past the lake -- where something lurks beneath the water. Past the cemetery -- where everyone is dying to meet you. The cemetery. That's where Randy Clay has been invited for a game of hide-and-seek -- with a ghost. If the ghost tags her, Randy will lose more than the game. She'll become the newest ghost on Fear Street.; Title: Hide and Shriek | [
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25,988 | 7 | The ghosts of Fear Street -- they'll haunt you forever! Do you believe in ghosts? Don't say no until you take a walk down Fear Street. Pat the woods -- where no birds sing. Past the lake -- where something lurks beneath the water. Past the cemetery -- where everyone is dying to meet you. And don't forget to stop by the Shadyside Middle School. Zack Pepper thinks there is something very wrong with his substitute teacher. No one will believe him, so he has to get rid of her all by himself. But how can he destroy someone who is already dead?R.L. STINE, the creator of Ghosts of Fear Street, has written almost one hundred scary novels for kids. The Ghosts of Fear Street series, like the Fear Street series, takes place in Shadyside and centers on the scary events that happen to people on Fear Street. When he isn't writing, R.L. Stine likes to play pinball on his very own pinball machine, and explore New York City with his wife, Jane, and fifteen-year-old son, Matt.; Title: Who's Been Sleeping in my Grave? (Ghosts of Fear Street #2) | [
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] | Validation |
25,989 | 7 | Now that Alex Mack has her superpowers under control, she can stop a thief in her tracks. But when she does, her sister Annie is furious! Alex risked exposing her secret power in public -- which is dangerous! So Annie offers Alex a dare she can't refuse: just try getting through one day without using her powers.It's not easy when you're a hopeless klutz. Alex can't even handle her mom's lawn sale without a humongous fall. How easy it would be to just zap thins out of her way!To make matters worse, the shoplifter she caught is Rhonda Clarke, one of the most popular girls in school! Now Rhonda is determined to get even. Will Alex be able to stop her and win the bet? Can she go back to being plain, old Alex Mack?; Title: Bet You Can't! (The Secret World of Alex Max, No. 2) | [
25984
] | Validation |
25,990 | 2 | A little puppy is turning into a big problem!Nancy's wish has finally come true: she has a dog of her own. She's a chocolate-colored Labrador retriever, and she's fun and friendly and loves to play. But the pup's also in a sticky situation -- and its up to Nancy to save her.Hannah's fresh-baked muffins have vanished, and a food thief is loose in the neighborhood. And guess who's getting blamed? Nancy's new puppy. It's so unfair, and she's going to prove it...by finding the real thief!Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.; Title: The Puppy Problem (Nancy Drew Notebooks #12) | [
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25,991 | 2 | Cheater! Cheater! "Keep your eyes on your own paper!" Michelle can't believe it! Her teacher says she cheated on a math test. Michelle didn't cheat -- she did the test all by herself! But she knows who the real cheater is. If she tells, all the kids will call her a snitch. If she doesn't, everyone will think she cheated. Which is worse -- being called a cheater or a snitch? Can Michelle find a way out of her fourth-grade mess?; Title: My Fourth-Grade Mess (Full House Michelle) | [
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25,992 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books.The Race Is OnDon't vote for Nancy Drew," Jason Hutchings chanted during recess. "She smells like a dirty old shoe."Jason and his best friend, Mike Minelli, cracked up laughing.It was Monday. Mrs. Reynolds's third-grade class was getting ready to hold an election for class president. After recess they would nominate candidates. Then they would vote on Friday ."Well, I think Nancy would make a great president," Molly Angelo said."So do I," Jenny March added."No way! " Mike pinched his nose with his fingers. The two boys ran away yelling, "Peeuw, Nancy Drew! Peeuw, Nancy Drew! ""You creeps!" Nancy shouted to them.Molly shook her head. "They're mean."Eight-year-old Nancy Drew pushed her long reddish blond hair behind her shoulder and nodded."It's okay, Molly," Nancy said. "I don't want to be president anyway. Bess and George already asked me.""Oh, come on, Nancy," Jenny said. "I'll nominate you. It will be neat to have a detective for class president.""But the president has lots to do. Like helping with Fall Festival and class trips," Nancy said. "I already take ballet lessons and play soccer. I wouldn't have time to be president.""Hey, Nancy, guess what?" Bess Marvin called from across the school yard. Bess was one of Nancy's best friends. Nancy went to join her."I'm going to nominate Jessie Shapiro for president. You'll help get her elected, won't you?"Before Nancy could answer, George Fayne came over to them. George's real name was Georgia. Nobody called her that, though. She was Nancy's other best friend.George and Bess were cousins. But they rarely agreed on anything. They didn't look alike either. Bess had long blond hair, and George had short, curly dark hair."I just asked Vicki Wolf if she wanted to be class president," George said. "And she said yes. Isn't that great?""What's so great about that?" Bess asked. "Vicki just joined the soccer team. She's on the town softball team, too. Isn't that enough?""That's the point," George told her. "Vicki's a great athlete. If she gets elected, she'll do a lot for sports, especially for the soccer team. "George and Nancy both played on the third-grade soccer team -- the Tigers. Bess didn't."Well, if Jessie's elected," Bess said, "she'll do things for everybody, not just for soccer players. And you should have talked to us before you asked Vicki to run. We're your friends, aren't we?"George looked surprised. "Of course, Bess. You guys are my best friends. But I still want Vicki to be president."George turned to Nancy. "I'm. going to ask all the Tigers in our class to vote for Vicki. How about it, Nancy?"Bess put her hand on Nancy's arm. "You'll vote for Jessie, won't you? Remember, I asked you first."Nancy didn't know what to do. She liked both Vicki and Jessie. And George and Bess were both her best friends. Whatever she did, somebody's feelings might be hurt."Jessie has some super ideas," Bess added. "Like a class trip to Water World. Her dad knows the man who runs it.""That sounds like fun, " Nancy said. "And Bess did ask me first. I guess I'll be on Jessie's side.""Well, if that's the way you feel " George said. She turned and walked away.Bess watched her go. "I hope George isn't mad," she said."She'll be okay," Nancy told her. Just then a soccer ball came bouncing across the pavement. It hit Bess in the arm."Ow!" Bess shouted. "That hurt!" Nancy looked around. Vicki was standing nearby with her best friend, Lizzie Artello . George was with them now. All three of them were giggling."Sorry, Bess," Vicki called out. Bess tossed the ball to them. "I can't believe they hit me," she said to Nancy. "That was really mean. And George thought it was funny."Bess was right, Nancy thought. If they hit Bess on purpose, that was mean.After recess all the kids returned to the classroom and took their seats. Mrs. Reynolds stood in the front of the room.Mrs. Reynolds used to be called Ms. Spencer. When she got married, she changed her name to Mrs. Reynolds."It's time for nominations, " Mrs . Reynolds said. "If there's someone you think should be class president, raise your hand and tell us who it is. Then someone else needs to second the nomination. May I see hands?"Bess, George, Lizzie, and Jason all raised their hands. Mrs. Reynolds called on Lizzie first."I nominate Vicki Wolf," Lizzie said loudly."Does anyone second that nomination?" Mrs. Reynolds asked.George turned and glanced at Bess. Then George raised her hand. "I second it."Next, Bess nominated Jessie. Nancy raised her hand and said, "Me, too."Then Jason spoke in a deep voice like a television announcer. "The one, the only, Mike Minelli!"Everyone laughed. They all knew that Jason and Mike were best friends.Peter DeSands jumped up. "I second Mike," he said loudly. "Not only that, I third and fourth him, too!""Thank you, Peter." Mrs. Reynolds grinned. "Our three candidates are Jessie. Vicki, and Mike."Everybody clapped."Now we're going to spend some time working on the stories you've been writing," Mrs. Reynolds continued. "The three candidates may work on their campaign speeches. We'll all get to hear the speeches on Thursday."Nancy opened her English notebook. She had already finished a story about three friends who lived on the beach. Now she decided to write a story about her puppy, Chocolate Chip. Chip was a chocolate-colored Labrador retriever. At the top of the page Nancy wrote, "Chip and the Missing Bone." Then she drew two lines under the words.What next? Nancy tried to think. It was always hard to start a story. She sat back and looked around the room.Mike was chewing on his pen, and Jenny was staring at the chalkboard. Two rows ahead, Vicki was writing on index cards. She put them in a stack near the edge of her desk.Bess got up from her seat and walked toward the dictionary stand next to Mrs. Reynolds's desk. As she passed Vicki's desk, she bumped against it. Vicki's stack of cards tumbled off the desktop and scattered across the floor."My speech!" Vicki screamed."You did that on purpose, Bess Marvin," an angry voice said.Nancy looked over her shoulder. Lizzie and Brenda Carlton had gotten up from their desks. They were standing behind Nancy. Brenda was writing in her red reporter's notebook.Brenda wrote her own newspaper. It was called the Carlton News. She printed it on her father's computer. What Brenda liked most were stories that made other kids look bad.George jumped up from her seat to look at the mess next to Vicki's desk.Bess looked at George. But George didn't say anything."It was an accident," Bess said. Her voice almost cracked. "I didn't do it on purpose.""You did, too," Lizzie said. Then she turned to Brenda. "Bess is trying to make Vicki lose," she said. "I know it!"; Title: Funny Face Fight (Nancy Drew Notebooks #14) | [
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25,993 | 10 | "Wh-what was that?"Michelle is really scared. Why are the doors in the Tanner house slamming shut for no reason? Why is food disappearing from the kitchen? And who is making those creepy noises in the middle of the night?Michelle knows the answer. The Tanner house is haunted! But no one will believe her. Can Michelle find the ghost before it finds her?; Title: The Ghost in My Closet (Full House: Michelle) | [
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25985,
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] | Train |
25,994 | 0 | Batting for Joey? "Three strikes -- you're out!" Michelle is so excited! Joey is the new coach of her softball team. He's sure to tell lots of jokes, she thinks. And make practice fun. But when practice starts, Michelle can't believe how wrong she was. Coach Joey doesn't tell jokes and laugh a lot. Coach Joey makes the team run laps, do extra sit-ups, and practice for hours and hours. Michelle's's friends are sick of all the hard work. And they want Michelle to fire Joey -- now!; Title: Major League Trouble (Full House Michelle) | [
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25985,
25993,
26008,
26119
] | Train |
25,995 | 2 | Carolyn Keene is the author of the ever-popular Nancy Drew books."Guess what?" Bess Marvin gasped. "We're getting a new teacher! A man!"Eight-year-old Nancy Drew frowned. "How do you know?" she asked."That's him, " Bess said. She pointed to a man in the school playground. He was standing beside their third-grade teacher, Ms. Spencer. The man had curly black hair and a dimple in his chin.Bess pushed her long blond hair out of her face. "I don't want a new teacher. Not now -- not ever! Ms. Spencer is the best."Nancy was about to agree. But just then George Fayne ran up to join them. George's curly dark hair bounced as she ran. She was Bess's cousin and Nancy's other best friend."What's wrong with you two?" George asked. "You look upset.""We're getting a new teacher," Bess repeated. "A man."George put her hands on her hips. "Who told you?" she asked Bess."Well," Bess said slowly. "It's just a rumor. I guess it might not be true. . . ."George pointed a finger at her cousin. "Who told you?" she asked again.Bess's cheeks turned a little pink. "It was Brenda Carlton," she admitted."Brenda Carlton?" Nancy asked. Her eyes opened wide. Brenda was the most gossipy girl in the third grade."I wouldn't believe anything Brenda says," George said with a laugh. "She makes up stories all the time.""I know," Bess said. "But Brenda promises it's true. She heard Ms. Spencer talking to him. Ms. Spencer said, 'I haven't told the class yet.' And then she said something about leaving."Nancy turned to watch her teacher carefully. Ms. Spencer and the man were looking at a piece of paper. Nancy wasn't sure what the paper was. She thought it might be a list."She has been acting weird lately," George said. "She whispers to the other teachers all the time.""And she's been writing something secret," Bess said."You're right," Nancy said. "Something is going on. I'm going to see if I can find out what."Nancy straightened her bright blue sweatshirt. Then she tightened the matching blue scrunchie in her hair. It held her reddish blond hair in a ponytail.I don't want my new teacher to see me looking sloppy, Nancy thought."Should we come with you?" George asked.Nancy shook her head. "Wait here."As soon as she neared Ms. Spencer and the man, Nancy slowed down.I can't just walk right up to them, Nancy thought. Maybe I can see what's on that paper if I stand on something.Nancy looked around. There was a tire swing nearby. She walked toward the swing. But just as she reached for it, Mike Minelli ran up and grabbed it by the chain."Ha, ha. Got here first," Mike called as he climbed on the tire.He started swinging as hard as he could. He came much too close to Nancy. She jumped out of the way.Nancy crossed her arms and turned around. She marched back toward George and Bess. They ran to meet her."I saw that," Bess said. "What a creep!""I don't care," Nancy said. "I couldn't see the paper from there anyway. It was too far away. "Just then the bell rang. Everyone started running toward the door."Come on," Nancy said, smiling. "Let's go in. We have a mystery to solve.""A mystery?" a voice near Nancy said. Nancy looked over and saw Rebecca Ramirez. She was walking right behind Nancy, Bess, and George. "What mystery?""We're getting a new teacher," Bess answered .Instantly, Rebecca put her hands up to her face. "Oh, no!" Rebecca cried. "How awful for you."Nancy smiled. Rebecca wanted to be an actress when she grew up. She always acted very dramatic.Very happy. Very sad. Very upset. About everything."How can you stand it?" Rebecca said, grabbing Nancy's arm."We don't know if it's true," Nancy said. "It's just a rumor. But we're going to find out.""Well, let me know after school," Rebecca said. Then she hurried to her own third-grade class.Nancy and her friends moved quickly through the hallway."I'm going to stand at the pencil sharpener by Ms. Spencer's desk," Bess announced. "Maybe I can get a look at that paper when she puts it on her desk.""Okay," Nancy agreed. "George and I will try to get Ms. Spencer's attention."But as soon as Nancy took her seat, Ms. Spencer walked in. The paper was in her hand. Bess didn't have time to go to the pencil sharpener."Class, take your seats please," Ms. Spencer said. "I have something to tell you all."Uh-oh, Nancy thought. Here it comes. Nancy felt her throat get tight. She didn't want a new teacher. Ms. Spencer was the best teacher Nancy had ever had."Please quiet down, everyone," Ms. Spencer said. She walked around to sit on the edge of her desk.The class got quiet very quickly. I know what you're going to say, Nancy thought ."I have something very important to tell you, " Ms. Spencer said, smiling. "Something very nice. In a few weeks, I'm getting married. And you're all invited to the wedding! "; Title: The Wedding Gift Goof (Nancy Drew Notebooks #13) | [
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25,996 | 0 | Double the fun?Stephanie and Allie have a great way to double their Christmas fun. They're planning to spend every minute of vacation together! But then James comes along, visiting relatives on Stephanie's street. James is cute, James is cool, and Steph is set to be his number-one date. But so is Allie! And there's not much Stephanie can do about it.Because Great Aunt Sophie is in town and she's taking up all of Stephanie's time. Something's got to give, before Allie gets James and Stephanie gets left out in the cold!; Title: Two-For-One Christmas Fun (Full House : Stephanie) | [
25982,
25985,
26119
] | Validation |
25,997 | 7 | Adam didn't believe all the stories about Spooksville. Adam has just moved to the small town of Springville. The first day there, he meets Sally, who tells him the city's real name is Spooksville, because of the all the spooky things that go on in it. Adam doesn't believe her until they team up with Watch and go in search of the Secret Path - a magical path that leads to other Spooksvilles. Together, Adam, Sally, and Watch will take the Secret Path and pass through a dark doorway. On the other side they will find a terrifying Spooksville where there are huge spiders, living skeletons, evil black knights, and a witch who just loves to make dolls - out of kids.Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: Spooksville: the Secret Path | [
54517,
54525,
54528,
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54542,
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55213
] | Validation |
25,998 | 0 | Big shot -- or not? Stephanie can't wait to buy her own VCR. So she needs extra money, and fast. What luck! She's found the perfect way to earn it -- working part-time at the television station. She thinks she'll be meeting big stars, writing scripts...practically running the show! Soon Stephanie's bragging about the cool things she'ss get to do. Her friends can't wait to see her in action. But what will happen when they turn on the TV -- and see what Stephanie really does?; Title: Wish Upon a VCR (Full House: Stephanie) | [
25996,
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] | Train |
25,999 | 0 | Suddenly there are creatures from the ancient past in Spooksville. Huge meat-eating lizards attacking people in their cars. Flying reptiles swooping down and lifting kids away. But where have these dinosaurs come from? Adam and his friends discover that a huge doorway has been created between present-day Spooksville and sixty million years ago. It is through this doorway that the dinosaurs are attacking.But who created this doorway?How can it be closed before all of Spooksville is destroyed?Christopher Pike is a best-selling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series, The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including Sati and The Season of Passage. Thirst and Alosha are slated to be released as feature films. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Christopherpikebooks.com.; Title: The Deadly Past: Spooksville #11 | [
26002
] | Validation |
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