Family Chapter

Cam Jansen and her best friend, Eric Shelton, are at a charity function with their mothers to raise money for local firefighters. When the host's pearl necklace goes missing, the luncheon turns into a whodunit, and all the guests are suspects. Can Cam use her photographic memory to identify the culprit?

This story is a gem representing the delightful stories from the Indian subcontinent which capture the simple essence of everyday life in India. The simple pleasures of life indicate a time gone by before the advent of cellphones and Facebook, a time which almost stood still, a time when children could revel in the rain, make paper boats and race them down a drain, play marbles and generally pass time.

Cam Jansen and her photographic memory help her friend's grandfather retrieve his missing bag with an important graduation gift in it.

Hugo has to choose who to stay with while his mum’s having a baby. Who will care for him and his dog Henry the best? Will it be Granny? Mrs Mariposa next door? Or Uncle Jack?

Cam Jansen and her friend Eric are spending the day at the amusement park. They take Cam’s aunt and uncle with them through the scary haunted house. Plastic skeletons hang from the ceiling. A large black form jumps out of the shadows of a dark room. Everyone has a wonderful time until they get hungry and thirsty. When Cam’s aunt tries to pay for some snacks, she discovers her wallet is no longer in her purse. Will Cam be able to solve the mystery of the missing wallet with her amazing photographic memory?

In a heartwarming first-person account, dePaola retells his experiences at home and in school when he was a boy. 26 Fairmount Avenue is full of humor, drama, suspense and just the day-to-day ups and downs of a little boy's life.

This is the charming story of a small girl and the family members she lives with, as she playfully charts them just the way a child learning to count might do.

Teaflet and her brother, Roog, are ready to throw their annual strawberry jam party for their friends in Trefldom. They want it to be the best party ever, even 10 times better than the best party ever! But the inspector of neatness is coming to examine their higgledy-piggledy house from top to bottom. If she finds even one pinch of dirt, or one messy bed, the party will be canceled.

Newbery Medal winner Cynthia Rylant pens the enchanting tale of Whistler and Lila’s adventures during the low tide of the full moon. The mice children set off to meet new creatures before the tide comes back in and washes the creatures back to sea. Suddenly, a young octopus named Cleo startles the children, but the three soon become good friends. Yet as the tide comes back in, Lila discovers her feet are stuck in the mud. Will Cleo be able to help her in time and save the day?

Beloved award-winning children’s author Cynthia Rylant adds to the touching tale of the Lighthouse Family with The Turtle. Fog descends upon the lighthouse, and Seabold the dog uses the foghorn to warn oncoming ships. Then Seabold and the mouse children, Whistler and Lila, hear a cry for help! Can Pandora the cat figure out a way to save a stranded sea turtle from the cold northern waters?

When a baby beluga whale loses his mama and is heard crying out for her, Whistler and Lila are reminded of how lucky they are to have such a wonderful family in their lighthouse home. Their great adventures begin when they team up with a cranky old cormorant named Huck to bring the mother and child together again. Acclaimed author Cynthia Rylant is a Newbery Medal winner and has penned more than 60 heartwarming books for children. This sweet tale is filled with warm, caring characters.

Arthur decides to make Mother and Father special Christmas cookies as a present. But when the cookies are finally finished, they are hard as rocks! Can Arthur think of a way to turn this disaster into the best Christmas present ever?

Heidi is the story of a five-year-old orphan who goes to live with her grandfather in the mountains. Everyone in the village is afraid of him, but Heidi soon wins his heart. She loves her life and her friendship with the young goatherd, Peter. But one terrible day her aunt takes her to the city to help take care of a sickly child, Clara. Heidi can't bear to be away from her grandfather and finally, she brings Clara back to her Alpine home, where a miracle of healing occurs. Retold from the original by Sally Grindley.

In the sixth book of the Calendar Mysteries, Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy are getting ready for Father's Day. They've decided that strawberry jam from the Pintos' strawberry patch would be a great gift. But something or someone has been taking bites out of the strawberrys! Polly the Pony, Pal and the dog, and the twins' brother Josh are all suspects. If the kids can't protect the strawberry patch from the mystery chomper, they might be in a real jam!

At school she's called 'Wimpy Wendy', but Wendy isn't afraid of Slinky, Grandpa's snake.

Rot is a mutant potato. Like most mutant potatoes, Rot loves mud. He plays games in it, he eats it, he even sleeps in it! So, when Rot sees the most magnificent, messy mud pit ever, he can’t wait to dive right in. But then, Rot’s big brother warns him: Watch out for the Squirm! The Squirm is slippery and slimy and gross and grimy, and it lives in the beloved mud. Now, Rot’s too scared to jump into the puddle. Can anything help him feel brave enough to take the plunge and face...the Squirm?

Grace’s aunt is a writer. She works with words every day and teaches Grace interesting words like “melancholy” and “delirious”. But Lily is often “flummoxed” by her writing. Her stories don’t go anywhere, her desk is a mess, and her writer’s group can’t help. So Lily posts an ad for an assistant: A writer of books needs an assistant, a coach, a helper for inspiration and some magic!

Dean Bob and Lou Tweet can't wait to perform in the first-ever Bonefish Street Elementary School Pet Show. They've practiced their performances over and over again, and together with their pets, they're ready to shine! But it looks like their families, the Tweets, who are neat, and the Bobs, who are slobs, aren't going to make getting to the show easy. What will happen when the Tweets and Bobs have a showdown before the show? And what if all that fighting makes Dean Bob just a little nervous for his performance?

Katie is sick of her school's rules. But when she turns into the principal and announces that there are no rules, she creates a great big mess! Will Katie be able to get the school back in shape?

The Try Not To Laugh Challenge isn’t your run-of-the-mill joke book. This book is meant to be shared and listened to by everyone in your household. Why should anyone miss the fun? Gather your family around the fire, call them into the kitchen, meet on the patio, and let the good times roll.