James Trotter loses his parents in a horrible accident and is forced to liveNmiserablyNwith his two wicked aunts. Then James is given some magic crystals that give him hope. But when he accidentally spills these crystals on an old peach tree, strange things begin to happen. A peach starts to grow and grow until James is able to climb inside and escape his awful aunts! And through this adventure, he makes some interesting friends, including Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider, and Centipede, and finally finds a place where he belongs.
Fantasy
Fantasy genre
Ducks Don’t Wear Socks
Emily is a serious girl. She enjoys serious things like bird-watching, math, and playing the cello. But one day while she’s taking a walk, Emily runs into Duck, who is anything but serious and wears socks. Ducks dont wear socks, said Emily. Cold feet! yelled Duck, and off he went. Through a series of humorous run-ins, Duck teaches Emily the importance of laughing especially at oneself.
Birdsong
A lone bird sits in a big tree, merrily singing its tune to the world. But soon it will be joined by a friend, and then another, and another. . . . As each colorful bird lands on the branch of the tree it joins the last in a cheerful song. But one flashy bird wants to rule the roost – until something small changes his tune.
You Can’t Eat a Princess!
Princess Spaghetti blasts off into space to save her kidnapped father, King Cupcake, from hungry aliens, who are introduced to a wonderful new food: chocolate.
Slightly Invisible
When Charlie insists that his little sister, Lola, leave him and his friend Marv alone to play, she agrees but soon she and her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, must come to the boys’ rescue.
Pooh’s Cleanup
When Pooh invites all his friends to a birthday party for Piglet, he has a hard time cleaning up after everyone goes home.
The Bear Who Shared
Norris the bear has been waiting patiently for the last ripe fruit to fall from the tree. But Tulip the raccoon and Violet the mouse have too, although maybe not so patiently. In fact, Tulip and Violet sniff, listen to, and even hug the fruit. Norris catches the fruit when it finally falls, and because he is a wise bear, he shares it and makes two new friends. A lovely simplicity of language and gorgeous artwork make this story of one of life’s first lessons perfect for the youngest listeners.
The Yellow House
A favorite back in print! A child discovers, in the old house and overgrown garden she passes every day, that wonders wait in secret. One day, on the way to the park, a little girl climbs the gate of an old yellow house. Although no one has lived there for a very long time, a little boy suddenly appears before her. “Come and play with me,” he beckons. He leads her through an enchanted garden, showing her all its marvelous inhabitants: a tiger playing with its cubs in the long grass, a dolphin leaping in the goldfish pond, a pelican roosting high in the apple tree. Then the mysterious boy is gone, the girl’s mother is calling, and all is as it was before. In this well-loved picture book, Blake Morrison and Helen Craig bring us to a place where, for a moment, magic is real.
The Angel’s Command
Ben and his Labrador, Ned, castaways from the legendary ghost ship Flying Dutchman, swore never go to sea again-but a mishap in South America lands them aboard a French pirate ship with not one, but two villainous sea captains in pursuit. To make matters worse, Ben is still haunted by visions of Captain Vanderdecken, whose ghost seeks vengeance on the former cabin boy. And that is only the beginning of their adventures!
The Shattering (Guardians Of Ga’hoole, Book 5)
Eglantine has been having strange dreams, which make her yearn for her deceased parents. Her refusal to accept their deaths makes her vulnerable to manipulation. Meanwhile, the rest of the owls of the Ga’Hoole tree having repelled one attack by the Pure Ones, which was led by Soren and Eglantine’s evil brother Kludd, are trying to strategize on how to prevent another attack.