action and adventure

The Shopping Basket

While walking home from the store, a young boy is faced with menacing creatures, such as a scary bear and an unpleasant kangaroo, all attempting to get what is in his basket, but he keeps his wits about him and manages to get himself and his items home safely.

Into the Labyrinth

What a relief when the old story-book is republished and the characters who live inside it suddenly discover they have Readers again — lots of Readers! Princess Sylvie finds herself rushing to get to her place whenever a new Reader — whether in Boston or Bangkok — opens the book. Her mother, the queen, is especially frazzled when the popular story is loaded onto the Web, a weightless, “virtual” world of unforeseen challenges. To cope with the stress, Sylvie convinces the Writer to add a new character, who gives yoga instruction to the storybook’s cast in those moments when they have time off. But stress proves the least of their problems as strange things start happening — words get changed around, scenes disappear — and Sylvie and her friends must launch themselves into the labyrinth of cyberspace to confront a twenty-first-century evil that threatens to destroy their world.

Walking Through The Jungle

As she walks through the jungle, floats in the ocean, and treks in the desert on her way around the world, a daring young traveler spies nothing alarming — at first. But what’s that lurking in the jungle bush? Or hiding at the bottom of the river? Or coiled up near the cactus? A pleasure to pore over, the boisterously colored artwork captures a world of creatures large and small — and mostly well-behaved — from a variety of intriguing habitats. Very simply written and perfectly pitched for chanting along, the rhyming text is also ideally suited for emerging readers.

The Magical Fruit

When a Russian billionaire robs the Norwegian Gold Reserve and melts the last remaining gold bar into the Premier Soccer League trophy, it’s up to Doctor Proctor, Nilly, and Lisa to recapture the precious prize. But after a failed break-in attempt at the billionaire’s subterranean gold-melting lab, and with the Norwegian Gold Reserve Inspection in just three days, the only way to retrieve the trophy is to win it back.

Hoping to prevent national panic and uproar, Nilly and Lisa join the Rotten Ham soccer team to try and lead the hopeless underdogs to victory before time runs out. And with the use of Fartonaut Powder, along with a handful of Doctor Proctor’s other wacky inventions, they just might have a chance!

The Third Door

Three magic Doors are the only way in and out of the walled city of Weld. The golden Door is grand and majestic — a Door for heroes. The silver Door hints at mystery and knowledge — a door for schemers. But the plain wooden Door has always held the most appeal for Rye and his friend Sonia. And now, at last, they have the chance to open it.

The city of Weld is under attack by skimmers, flying beasts that terrorize the night. If Rye and Sonia can’t discover the enemy sending the skimmers in time, Weld has no hope. Twice before, Rye and Sonia left Weld on a quest to save it. Twice before, they failed.

Now there’s just one Door left — one last chance to save the people of Weld. Rye and Sonia know everything depends on them. But nothing can prepare them for the horror that waits behind the wooden Door.

The Wind In The Willows

The story begins when Mole abandons his spring cleaning to explore the world beyond his burrow. He scurries down to the riverbank, where he meets Ratty and discovers a carefree world of picnics and messing about in boats. There are adventures ahead, in the company of reckless Mr. Toad, and dangers, when the two friends venture into the Wild Wood to visit Mr. Badger. And there are events that test the friendship of the four animals to the limits, but through it all they retain their loyalty and good humor.

Uncle Fedya, His Dog, And His Cat

What would you do if you found a talking cat and your parents wouldn’t let you keep it? Why, run away, of course! In this funny, imaginative novel by Russia’s most popular children’s book writer, a small boy runs away from home and sets up housekeeping with two talking animals. Black-and-white illustrations.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume VI, Issue 3