Middle Grade Reader

Francie returns to Enchantment Lake looking for answers, only to get dragged into a murder mystery she might not survive

Francie's brother Theo has secrets--secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It's a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.

But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn't until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together--and by then it may be too late.

In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she's in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.

An Edgar(R) Award Winning Series

Myrtle Hardcastle--twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective--is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne.

When the proprietor of Leighton's Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it's clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case--and the motivations of a modern murderer.

Why do some cheeses melt better than others? Why does popcorn pop? How does gelatin work? Answer these questions (and wow your friends and family!) by cooking the best-ever skillet pizza, easy chocolate popcorn, and galactic mirror cake... and more! Plus, fun science experiments to do in your home kitchen. With The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists, emerging scientists and young chefs will feel confident in the kitchen, proud of their accomplishments, and learn the basics of food science along the way.

The hapless Crim family sets sail on their final adventure in the zaniest installment of the Crims series, perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Caroline Carlson!

Imogen Crim has been terribly bored since she returned to Blandington. So when her nemesis-turned-best friend Ava Kruk offers to swing by the Crims' dreadful beach vacation in Dullport and rescue her in her stolen submarine, Imogen quickly agrees. A real heist with a real villain--this is the excitement Imogen has been looking for.

But before Imogen and Ava can accomplish their mission, the entire Crim family catches up to them, dressed in their pirate-y finest. And what starts as an innocent (well, for a boat full of criminals) quest for buried treasure is about to become a stand-off with an up-and-coming super villain called The Gull.

If Imogen has any hope of saving her family from his claws--and returning to her vacation--she'll have to trust a Kruk with her life.

Ato hasn't visited his grandmother's house since he was seven. He's heard the rumors that she's a witch, and his mother has told him he must never sit on the old couch on her porch. Now here he is, on that exact couch, with a strange-looking drink his grandmother has given him, wondering if the rumors are true. What's more, there's a freshly dug hole in her yard that Ato suspects may be a grave meant for him.

Meanwhile at school, Ato and his friends have entered a competition to win entry to Nnoma, the island bird sanctuary that Ato's father helped created. But something is poisoning the community garden where their project is housed, and Ato sets out to track down the culprit. In doing so, he brings his estranged mother and grandmother back together, and begins healing the wounds left on the family by his father's death years before.

And that hole in the yard? It is a grave, but not for the purpose Ato feared, and its use brings a tender, celebratory ending to this deeply felt and universal story of healing and love from one of Ghana's most admired children's book authors.

Publisher's Note: A Curious Collection of Peculiar Creatures was previously published in Australia as The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals.

What's your favorite animal--a majestic lion, a graceful horse? Those are great choices, but have you considered the fangtooth moray eel? It has two rows of icicle-shaped teeth! And the monkey slug caterpillar is ready to cuddle . . . just look out for the stingers all over its body (and its six limbs that technically aren't legs)!

It's true, these animals are a little different--but their unusual features often give them incredible superpowers. Take the nearly blind star-nosed mole: Its pink, flower-shaped nose can detect the microscopic texture of everything it touches, and it does this at warp speed--up to 12 objects per second!

What's more, many of these weird, wonderful creatures need our help: They're endangered, and we can't afford to ignore their well-being any longer. It's time to find a peculiar creature to love! Why not the blobfish?

Twins Zac and Lu grew up on their mother's stories of the Wildewoods, an imaginary land where mythical beasts roam free. These creatures fill the pages of Zac's sketchbooks and inspire Lu's love of animals, and on most days, they're the only thing the twins have in common.

When their mother dies, a heartbroken Lu and Zac are shipped off to England to spend the summer with relatives they've never met. But it doesn't take the twins long to uncover the incredible secret tucked away in the forest behind their ancestral home: their mother's wonderful tales about unicorns and dragons and centaurs weren't make-believe after all. Their family serves as keepers of the Wildewoods, the last place on earth where these mythical creatures can live safe from human harm.

But there are also many dangers in these lands--as well as a terrible curse. When Zac and Lu fall victim to it, their only hope is finding the very last living phoenix left in the world. But will breaking the curse mean the end of the Wildewoods?

Sofia is like most 12-year-old girls in New Zealand. How is she going to earn enough money for those boots? WHY does she have to give that speech at school? Who is she going to be friends with this year?

It comes as a surprise to Sofia and her family when her big brother, Lenny, starts talking about protests, overstayers, and injustices against Pacific Islanders by the government. Inspired by the Black Panthers in America, a group has formed called the Polynesian Panthers, who encourage immigrant and Indigenous families across New Zealand to stand up for their rights. Soon the whole family becomes involved in the movement.

Told through Sofia's diary entries, with illustrations throughout, Dawn Raid is the story of one ordinary girl living in extraordinary times, learning how to stand up and fight.

Meet Didi Dodo. She's a spy who's ready to skate to the rescue.

Meet Koko Dodo. He's a baker who just wants to make cookies.

Meet the Queen. She's a duck and Koko's trusty assistant.

When Koko Dodo comes into his Cookie Shop, he finds that the Queen has been kidnapped--or . . . ducknapped! Over a frantic phone call, she tells Koko that she's been taken by a human, which is preposterous. Everyone knows that humans aren't real!

Didi Dodo is on the case and has a plan: Go undercover at the Humanland amusement park to find the Queen and save the day!

Read all the hilarious chapter books set in the Flytrap Files universe!
Inspector Flytrap (#1)
Inspector Flytrap in The President's Mane Is Missing (#2)
Inspector Flytrap in The Goat Who Chewed Too Much (#3)
Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster (#1)
Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Robo-Dodo Rumble (#2)
Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Double-O Dodo (#3)
DJ Funkyfoot: Butler for Hire! (#1)