Humorous Fiction Family

Bick, Beck, Storm, and Tommy Kidd have uncovered and rescued some of the world’s greatest treasure, without ever seeking out fame and glory. So they aren’t happy when the Collier Kids (as in Nathan Collier, the Kidds’s nemesis) start treasure hunting for the camera, more focused on looking good and selling ads for their streaming show than actually recovering treasure. When the Kidds are invited to compete with the Colliers for the title of “The World’s Greatest Treasure Hunting Kids,” they jump at the chance to show the world what real treasure hunting looks like.

Carter Jones is astonished early one morning when he finds a real English butler, bowler hat and all, on the doorstep - one who stays to help the Jones family, which is a little bit broken. In addition to figuring out middle school, Carter has to adjust to the unwelcome presence of this new know-it-all adult in his life and navigate the butler's notions of decorum. And ultimately, when his burden of grief and anger from the past can no longer be ignored, Carter learns that a burden becomes lighter when it is shared.

When Mia asks the Cupcake Club girls to be junior bridesmaids in her mother's wedding, everyone is superexcited about the idea...especially when they find the perfect dress for the occasion! It's Emma's dream dress, except it's a little more expensive than she expected. And with her mom recently out of work, there's not a lot of room at the Taylor house for extras.

The town's annual Turkey Trot race and festival is coming up, and Judy and Stink are training to win. Judy has decided that she is going to take home the big prize: a fat, juicy turkey. They can taste it already: the moist turkey, the hot gravy, the savory stuffing, the cranberry sauce! Beep! Beep! Beep! That's the sound of Stink's Rapidfire Ultra XE611M25 stopwatch going off as Judy and Stink hop, crawl, and climb toward race day.

Children and adults alike will delight in this heart-warming tale of a precocious girl who discovers, to her dismay, that her parents are about to have a baby. Anastasia's hilarious lists of her likes and dislikes - sprinkled throughout the story - offer a lighthearted counterpoint to poignant moments that reveal the worries and fears of a fourth grader.

Seventh grader Frannie Hudson wonders what it would be like to trade in her family for a new one. Her big brother ignores her. Her mean older sister can't stand her. And her parents have just announced they're going on a last-minute vacation - without her. When Frannie makes one desperate, crazy wish - BOOM! - she magically bounces into a whole new life, with a totally different family. And. It. Is. Amazing! There's only one catch: waking up as someone else keeps happening.

In this heartwarming follow-up to Laurel Snyder's award-winning beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers prepare to celebrate one very special birthday: their mom's! Follow along as they choose the best pancakes, hunt for presents, decorate with snakes, and more. Things don't go exactly as planned...but with plenty of humor and heart, Charlie and Mouse prove that sometimes when things aren't perfect, what they turn out to be is even better.

Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, despite what the other residents of Coal Harbour believe. For all practical purposes, Primrose is an orphan, and there's no great clamoring of prospective adopters. After realizing the impracticality of continuing to pay Miss Perfidy (a mothball-scented elderly lady) an hourly wage to baby-sit her, the town council places her with Uncle Jack.

In this 14th title in the popular series, Sammy is hoping for a fun Halloween for a change. But dressing up as zombies and cutting through the cemetery assures that the teenage sleuth and her pals are soon immersed in a satisfyingly suspenseful adventure full of secrets and surprises - not the least of which is a trick-or-treat bag with human skulls!

Martin Moone is 11 and completely fed up with being the only boy in a family of girls. He's desperate for a decent wingman to help him navigate his idiotic life. So when best mate Padraic suggests Martin get an imaginary friend - or IF for short - he decides to give it a go. His first attempt is Loopy Lou, a hyperactive goofball who loves writing rubbish rap songs. But Martin soon gets fed up with Lou and decides to trade in his IF for someone a little less wacky.

After James gets a pen-and-ink set for his birthday, Marvin the beetle surprises him by creating an elaborate miniature drawing. James gets all the credit for the picture and before these unlikely friends know it they are caught up in a staged art heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could help recover a famous drawing by Albrecht Dürer. But James can't go through with the plan without Marvin's help. And that's where things get really complicated (and interesting!)

Lucille is very jealous of her little sister, Margaret. Everything Margaret does gets attention, and Lucille feels left out. When their grandma comes to visit, Lucille must learn how to deal with her jealousy.

Hold on to your umbrella and stock up on marshmallows - Judy and Stink face wicked weather in their third adventure. Judy and Stink and the whole Moody family hunker down with beans and batteries, ready to wait out the storm. But along with massive rain and strong winds, Hurricane Elmer throws down ghosts, squirrels, and aliens. Spooky! Just when things couldn’t possibly get any freakier - flicker, flicker, gulp! - the lights go O-U-T out.

Clarice Bean usually looks forward to Christmas. Except this year, it is going to be a quiet-ish Christmas in her house, which doesn’t feel right because Christmas is all about noisiness and being full up and family. And without those things, she is going to have to try exceptionordinarily hard to stop the Christmas spirit completely floating away.... But luckily, there is no one in the world like Clarice Bean - and she is going to think like an elf, and that means everything will be A-okay. Won’t it?

When Posey's grandpa announces that he's marrying Posey's neighbor, Mrs. Romero, Posey is thrilled! She loves Mrs. Romero and she's going to be the flower girl! But then she learns that Mrs. Romero will be moving away, and her dog Hero, too. That is just about the worst news ever and Posey wants nothing to do with the wedding. Now no one is happy. Then Mrs. Romero has an idea - what if Hero stays with Posey? Posey jumps at the idea, but it turns out that makes Hero even more miserable than she was.

Laugh-aloud humor abounds when David can't resist bugging his big brother. In this funny romp, David careens from one mischievous antic to the next...until he finally wins his brother's approval. Little-brother antics have never been so endearing - or true to life! David Shannon's beloved character in his best-selling book No, David! captures the attention and hearts of young children as few characters can. Listeners relish David's exuberance, defiance, and wildly energetic curiosity, and when there's trouble, you can bet "David did it!"

Building a snowman brings out Henry's competitive streak. He sets up his Monstrous Makeovers business to rival Moody Margaret's Miraculous Makeovers. But things go badly wrong when a famous author comes to school. Henry thinks, "You'll all be sorry when I'm dead" and spends a rainy day writing his will.

Is anything bothering you? Problems in class or at home? Don't know where to turn for help? Log on to the Worry Website! Type in your worry and wait for the good advice to flow in. At least that's the plan when Mr Speed sets up his super-cool new Worry Website for the class. Holly, Greg, Natasha, and the rest feel that they've got shed loads of worries but, as they find out, sometimes the best advice comes from the most unexpected place.

Here's everything a kid needs to know to spend a fun-filled day with grandpa! Written in a how-to style, the narrator gives important tips for "babysitting" a grandpa, including what to eat for snack (anything dipped in ketchup, ice cream topped with cookies, cookies topped with ice cream), what to do on a walk (find lizards and dandelion puffs, be on the lookout for puddles and sprinklers), and how to play with a grandpa (build a pirate cave, put on a scary play).

When Ethan checks under the bed for his monster, he finds this note instead: “So long, kid. Gotta go. Someone needs me more than you do. - Gabe” Ethan knows that the "someone" must be his little sister, Emma, who keeps climbing out of bed to play. She obviously needs a monster to help her get to sleep, but not his monster! Will Ethan lose Gabe forever?