Childhood

For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs' big day. As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs' birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up-and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Lightning Chew? Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone? Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink? Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather? Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook? This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations.

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow.

GROUNDHOG DAY meets FLIPPED in this tale of a girl stuck in her birthday. It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited—after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .

Mum and Julius, Tia and Tim the twins, Jason, Daisy B, Ross and Grannie Annie all live in the house full of stories. So do their dogs, cats, Roly the rat, goldfish and gerbils abound. Little Ghost and Big Ghost live there too. Every week Little Ghost flits in to see Big Ghost and to hear a new story about what's been going on. Some of the stories are about the family and their daily lives and some are about the other inhabitants of the story house - the mice who live under the floorboards, the creepy-crawlies in the garden and the toys that come alive at night. There is also the 'kitten with no name' who finds out just who he is by the end of the book. Packed to the brim with child friendly, appealing stories from a popular author and exuberantly illustrated by star artist Selina Young, this is a perfect gift package that children will want to return to again and again.