Laura #1

The Adventures of Laura & Jack

Laura Ingalls and her bulldog, Jack, shared one exciting adventure after another growing up together on the wild frontier!

The Laura Chapter Books are part of an ongoing series of Little House Chapter Books.

Praise for
THE Mutant Mushroom TAKEOVER

"Packed to the gills with fun."
- KIRKUS REVIEWS

"A fun debut novel with an action-packed climax that will leave readers eager to scope out the weirder side of nature."
- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Dear Reader,

If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere.  Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school.  Don't.  For the Baudelaires, school turns out to be another miserable episode in their unlucky lives.

Truth be told, within the chapters that make up this dreadful story, the children will face snapping crabs, strict punishments, dripping fungus, comprehensive exams, violin recitals, S.O.R.E., and the metric system.

It is my solemn duty to stay up all night researching and writing the history of these three hapless youngsters, but you may be more comfortable getting a good night's sleep.  In that case, you should probably choose some other book.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant.  It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children.  Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe.  From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels.  One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three young-sters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all clue respect,

Lemony Snicket

Front Flap:

Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them.  Why?  because the other kids at her school don't like them.  And Camilla Cream is very, very worried about what other people think of her.  In fact, she is so worried that she's about to break out in ...
A
BAD
CASE
OF
STRIPES!

A Junior Library Guild Selection

THE BLUE SKY PRESS
An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.
555 Broadway
New York, New York 10012

Back Flap:

DAVID SHANNON
is the award-winning writer and illustrator of numerous books for yound readers, including How  Georgie Radburn Saved Baseball, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; and The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza, an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.  Most recently, he created the illustrations for Audrey Wood's The Bunyans, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and an ABC Children's Booksellers' Choice Award winner.  David Shannon lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and their dog, Fergus.

Jacket illustrations © 1998 by David Shannon
Reinforced binding
Printed in the United State of America

SCHOLASTIC

Ramona is off to kindergarten, and it's the greatest day of her life. So why is she sitting on the bench while the rest of the students play the game gray duck? Laughs and minor upsets abound in an enormously popular story starring the one and only Ramona Quimby!

Captured by a giant!  The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant.  He is far too nice and jumbly.  It's lucky for Sophie that he is.  Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, or any of the other giants - rather than the BFG - she would have soon become breakfast.  When Sophie hears that they are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all.  And the BFG is going to help her!

From audible.com:

Creepy fun for ages 9-12!

Camp nights or camp frights?!

Every sleepaway camp promises memories that last a lifetime. But the memories from Camp Red Moon might give you nightmares!

• The campfire appears to dim when the moon turns blood red and strange creatures prowl the forest.

• Do you find a total lookalike at camp? Is it coincidence or is he a shapeshifter trying to take over your life?

• Why don't your competitors at the robotics competition seem exactly…human?

• And why do campers do anything to avoid Cabin 6?

The master of the scary story for young people, R. L. Stine, returns with his story The Werewolf in the Woods and has handpicked a staff of horror camp counselors - Dan Poblocki, Ellen Oh, and Justin Reynolds - to help him tell the creepy campfire stories that swirl around Camp Red Moon.

No matter how bright the campfire, get ready for some CHILLS!

CAPS FOR SALE

Ages 3 to 7

"Caps!  Caps for sale!  Fifty cents a cap!" calls the peddler walking up and down the street.  He balances a huge stack of caps on his head - gray, brown, blue, and red - all piled on his own checked cap.  One day he stops under a tree to take a nap.  When he wakes up, the gray, brown, blue, and red caps have all disappeared!  The only one left is his own checked cap.  Where on earth can the others be?

"From an old folk take [the author] has fashioned this bright picture book, infusing it with a humor which seems to have sprung from her own hearty enjoyment of the troubles of a peddler with a band of monkeys."
- The New York Times

Dear Reader,

The word "carnivorous," which appears in the title of this book, means "meat-eating," and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further.  This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal.

To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn't mention any of the unnerving ingredients of this story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly crowd, a wooden plank, and Chabo the Wolf Baby.

Sadly for me, my time is filled with researching and recording the displeasing and disenchanting lives of the Baudelaire orphans.  But your time might be better filled with something more palatable, such as eating your vegetables, or feeding them to someone else.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Ages 3 to 6

A little boy plants a carot seed.  His mother says, "I'm afraid it won't come up."  His father and big brother agree.  At first, it seems they're right.  But the little boy knows better.  So every day, he pulls up weeds and waters the ground.  Until, one day, just as the little boy knew it would, something special happens.

Ruth Krauss is the author of the Caldecott Honor Book THE HAPPY DAY illustrated by Marc Simont and A HOLE IS TO DIG, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, both available in Harper Trophy editions.  Crocket Johnson is the much loved author and illustrator of the popular Harold series, available in Harper Trophy editions.

Back cover:
"I think I'll just one more of those candy bars.  The same kind as before, please."

"Why not?" the fat shopkeeper said, reaching behind him again and taking another Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight from the shelf.  He laid it on the counter.

Charlie picked it up and tore off the wrapper... and suddenly... from underneath the wrapper... there came a brilliant flash of gold.

Font cover:
AUGUSTUS GLOOP eats himself sick.

VERUCA SALT is a spoiled brat.

VIOLET NEAUREGARDE chews gum day and night.

MIKE TEAVEE is a television fiend.

CHARLIE BUCKET, Our Hero, is brave and true and very, very hungry.

What do these five have in common?  Why, they're the lickiest children in the entire world: they've each won a chance to enter Willy Wonka's famous, mysterious chocolate factory.

What happens when the big doors swing open to reveal Mr. Wonka's secrets?  What happens when they come upon the tiny factory workers who sing in rhyme?  What happens when, one by one, the children disobey Mr. Wonka's orders?  On Roald Dahl's most popular story for children, the nasty are punished and the good are deliciously, sumptuously rewarded.

Includes an interview with Roald Dahl

Back cover:
Roald Dahl, born in 1916 in Wales, spent his childhood in England and later worked in Africa.  When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot.  After a war injury, he moved to Washington D.C., and there he began to write.  His first short story was published by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and distinguished career.

Roald Dahl became, quite simply, one of the best-loved children's book authors on all time.  Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity and that of his many books - Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, James and the Giant Peach, Danny the Champion of the World, to name just a few - continues to grow.

Quentin Blake has illustrated most of Roald Dahl's children's books as well as many others.  The first Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom, Quentin Blake lives in London and teaches illustration at the Royal College of Art.

Front Flap:
There was only one way for Chester to do things - hiw own way.  Wilson did things the same way; they were best friends.  From double knotting their shoes to cutting their sandwiches diagonally, Chester and Wilson were two of a kind. 

"They really are two peas in a pod," said Chester's mother.

"Looks like it," said Chester's father.

From morning to night - and in every way - they were inseperable.  But then they met Lily... and extraordinary things happened in their friendship.

Back Flap:
KEVIN HENKES was born in Racine Wisconsin in 1960, one of five children.  All Alone, his first picture book, was accepted for publication when he was nineteen.  Since then he has written and illustrated a number of popular picture books and written several novels for yound readers.  Kevin Henkes studied art at the University of Wisconsin.  He lives with his wife in Middleton, Wisconsin, and writes and illustrated full time.

ALSO BY KEVIN HENKES
ALL ALONE
CLEAN ENOUGH
MARGARET & TAYLOR
RETURN TO SENDER
BAILEY GOES CAMPING
GRANDPA & BO
A WEEKEND WITH WENDELL
TWO UNDER PAR
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK
illustrated by Victoria Chess
SHEILA RAE THE BRAVE
THE ZEBRA WALL

THE CHRISTMAS STORY

From Gabriel's visit to the flight into Egypt, the arrival and early childhood of Jesus Christ are sensitively portrayed in breathtaking illustrations rendered in acrylic on canvas.

The life of Christ is brought full-circle in this exquisite book, offering a prologue and epilogue encouraging children to both notice and honor the true meaning of Christmas.

The Christmas Story is patterned after Carol Heyer's critically acclaimed The Easter Story.

CAROL HEYER's art career has taken her from film studios and sets to the pages of children's books.  With a fine arts degree from California Lutheran University, she has received numerous awards in illustration.

Her artwork and adaptations have been featured in many children's books, such as The Easter Story Beauty and the Beast, and Excalibur.  Heyer lives in Thousand Oaks, California.

Also by Carol Heyer

The Easter Story

"The Easter Story can serve as a creditable catalyst for family discussions regarding the true meaning behind this important celebration."

Publishers Weekly

Front Flap:
She was a perfect baby and she had a perfect name.  Chrysanthemum.  When she was old enough to appreciate it, Chrysanthemum loved her name.  And then she started to school.  "I'm named after my grandmother," said Victoria.  "You're named after a flower."  Chrysanthemum wilted.  Life at school didn't improve.  in fact, it got worse.  Then the students were introduced to their music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle.  Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle.  And suddenly... Chysanthemum blossomed.

Back Flap:
KEVIN HENKES is the creator of sixteen books for children, including both picture books and novels.  He and his wife live in Madison, Wisconsin.  Of his work, Publisher's Weekly has said: "Behind each book is a wide-open heart, one readers can't help but respond to, that makes all of Henkes' books of special value to children."

JULIUS, THE BABY OF THE WORLD
JESSICA
SHHHH
CHESTER'S WAY
THE ZEBRA WALL
SHEILA RAE THE BRAVE
ONCE AROUND THE BLOCK
illustrated by Victoria Chess
TWO UNDER PAR
A WEEKEND WITH WENDELL
GRANDPA & BO
BAILEY GOES CAMPING
RETURN TO SENDER
MARGARET & TAYLOR
CLEAN ENOUGH
ALL ALONE

If food dropped like rain from the sky, wouldn't it be marvelous!  Wouldn't it?  It could, after all, be messy.  And you'd have no choice.  What if you didn;t like what fell?  Or what if too much came?  Have you ever thought of what it might be like to be squashed flat by a pancake?

Front Flap:

THE CRIPPLED LAMB

JOSHUA, the black and white spotted lamb, longed to be like other lambs.  He wondered why he had to limp along with a crippled leg, instead of running and playing in the meadow.

Because Joshua the lamb was different, he often felt left out.  Yet God had a very special plan for his life, as He does for all who feel alone.  Joshua not only witnessed the greatest event in history, he was able to give the newborn King the one thing He needed most.

Lucado was joined by his daughters to write his most touching children's story yet.

Back Flap:

MAX, DENEALYN, JENNA, ANDREA & SARA LUCADO

Max is the husband of Denalyn and the father of Jenna, Andrea, and Sara.  They live in San Antonio, Texas.  Max is a minister, author, and the daily speaker of the radio program UpWords.  His books include When God Whispers Your Name, The Applause of Heaven, In the Eye of the Storm, He Still Moves Stones, and Just in Case You Ever Wonder.

The Crippled Lamb was coauthored by Max, Jenna, Andrea, and Sara Lucado.

LIZ, BRUCE & LAUREN BONHAM

Liz Bonham's paintings have been exhibited in fine art galleries across the United States.  She holds a BFA degree in painting, has studied with teachers from the Art Students League in New York City, and the Scottsdale Artist School in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Liz lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband, Bruce, and their daughter,  Lauren Monét.

Jacket design by Sabra Smith
Typography by Mark McGarry

Tommy
NELSON
www.tommyneslson.com
A Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
www.ThomasNelson.com

The Doctor needs YOU to save the galaxy from the bizarre manipulations of a madman in
CRISIS IN SPACE

The Doctor's assistant, Turlough, intercepts a message from Outer Space.  Garth Hadeez, the Overlord of the gruesome Golons, has instructed his slaves, the midnight-black Neroids, to release a new planet into the Solar System.

But the planet is a fake.  Designed to resemble Phobos, one of Mars's tiny twin satellites, it is actually a Black Hole capable of annihilating the entire Solar System.

YOU will join the Doctor's team in the struggle to save the Cosmos.  Important decisions are yours to make as you

FIND YOUR FATE ™

Enjoy all the adventures of CURIOUS GEORGE in Sandpiper paperback editions.

Curious George
Curious George Flies a Kite
Curious George Gets a Medal
Curious George Goes to the Hospital
Curious George Learns the Alphabet
Curious George Rides a Bike
Curious George Takes a Job

Since he was brought to life by Margaret and H.A. Rey more than sixty years ago, Curious George has found a lasting place in the hearts of millions of boys and and girls.  Fans will laugh and cheer as they read this new adventure of of their favorite mischievious monkey.

MORE NEW ADVENTURES FEATURING CURIOUS GEORGE

Curious George Takes a Train	Curious George Goes to the Chocolate Factory
Curious George Visits a Toy Store	Curious George in the Snow
Curious George Goes to a Costume Party	Curious George Makes Pancakes
Curious George in the Big City	Curious George Goes to a Movie
Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon	Curious George and the Puppies
Curious George and the Dump Truck	Curious George's Dream
Curious George at the Parade	Curious George Feeds the Animals
Curious George Goes to the Beach

DON'T MISS THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
ABOUT CURIOUS GEORGE BY MARGARET AND H.A. REY

Curious George
Curious George Takes a Job
Curious George Rides a Bike
Curious George Gets a Medal
Curious George Flies a Kite
Curious George Learns the Alphabet
Curious George Goes to the Hospital

Enjoy all the adventures of CURIOUS GEORGE in Sandpiper paperback editions.

Curious George
Curious George Flies a Kite
Curious George Gets a Medal
Curious George Goes to the Hospital
Curious George Learns the Alphabet
Curious George Rides a Bike
Curious George Takes a Job

From epubbooks.com:

The fourth book in Baum’s Oz series, Dorothy returns to lands of magic and fantasy with her cousin Zeb, kitten Eureka, and a cab-horse named Jim. They encounter vegetable people living under the world, and Dorothy is reunited with the Wizard of Oz when he floats down in his hot air balloon. They later are aided by invisible people in the Valley of Voe, and must escape several unfriendly mythical creatures to return to Oz. Baum’s vivid imagination and creativity are readily apparent in this adventurous work, for he combines wonderful characters with an entertaining plot in a land at once familiar and full of enigmatic possibility.

From epubbooks.com:

Book 6 of L. Frank Baum’s beloved OZ books, in which the wicked Nome king, who plots to conquer Oz and enslave its people, prepares to invade the Emerald City just as Dorothy and her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry arrive!

Dear Reader,

You are presumably looking at the back of this book, or the end of THE END.  The end of THE END is the best place to begin THE END, because if you read THE END from the beginning of the beginning of THE END to the end of the end of THE END, you will arrive at the end of the end of your rope.

This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents.

It has been my solemn occupation to complete the history of the Baudelaire orphans, and at last I am finished.  You likely have some other occupation, so if I were you I would drop this book at once, so THE END does not finish you.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,

If you have lust picked up this book, then it is not too late to put it back down.  Like the previous books in A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, there is nothing to be found in these pages but misery, despair, and discomfort, and you still have time to choose something else to read.

Within the chapters of this story, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire encounter a darkened staircase, a red herring, some friends in a dire situation, three mysterious initials, a liar with an evil scheme, a secret passageway, and parsley soda.

I have sworn to write down these tales of the Baudelaire orphans so the general public will know each terrible thing that has happened to them, but if you decide to read something else instead, you will save yourself from a heapful of horror and woe.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

Every evening as soon as it got dark, Mr. Fox would say yo Mrs. Fox, "Well, my darling, what shall it be this time?  A plump chicken from Boggis?  A duck or a goose from Bunce?  Or a nice turkey from Bean?"  And when Mrs. Fox had told him what she wanted, Mr. Fox would creep down into the valley in the darkness of the night and help himself.

Boggis and Bunce and Bean knew very well what was going on, and it made them wild with rage.  They were not men who liked to give anything away.  Less still did they like anything to be stolen from them.  So every noght each of them would take his shotgun and hide on his own farm, hoping to catch the robber.

But Mr. Fox was too clever for them.

Nicky has freckles.

They cover his face, his ears, and the whole back of his neck.  Sitting behind him in class, Andrew once counted eighty-six of them - and that was just a start!  If Andrew had freckles like Nicky, his mother would never know if his neck was dirty.

One day after school Andrew works up enough courage to ask Nicky where he got his freckles.  When know-it-all Sharon overhears, she offers Andrew her secret freckle juice recipe - for fifty cents.  Its a lot of money but Andrew is desperate.  At home he carfully mixes the strange combination of ingredients.  Then the unexpected happens....

Cover illustration by Irene Trevas

From epubbooks.com:

Peace, prosperity, and happiness are the rule in the marvelous Land of Oz, but in a faraway corner of this magical domain dwell two tribes–the Flatheads and the Skeezers–who have declared war on each other. Determined to keep her subjects from fighting, the Ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, along with her dearest friend, Princess Dorothy Gale (formerly of Kansas), embarks on a quest to restore peace.When the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads refuses to cooperate with Ozma, she and Dorothy seek out Queen Coo-ee-oh of the Skeezers, hoping she will be more reasonable. But the queen imprisons Ozma and Dorothy in her grand city and then traps them by submerging the whole city under water. Now it is up to Glinda the Good to save the day. She assembles all of Ozma’s counsellors–including such beloved Oz friends as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, Patchwork Girl, Shaggy Man, Tik-Tok, and Wizard of Oz–and they set out to rescue their friends. Will the magic powers of Glinda and the Wizard combined be enough to free Ozma and Dorothy?

The Beginner Book Story

"Ten years ago Dr. Suess took 220 words, rhymed them, and turned out THE CAT IN THE HAT, a little volume of absurdity that worked like a karate chop on the weary little world of Dick, Jane and Spot." - Ellen Goodman THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, NOV. 1966

From this magically right beginning came the concept of Beginners Books, exacting blends of words and pictures that encourage children to read - all by themselves.  Hailed by elementary educators and remedial reading specialists, these enormously popular books are now used in schools and libraries throughout the English-speaking world.

Dear Reader,

Unless you are a slug, a sea anemone, or mildew, you probably prefer not to be damp.  You might also prefer not to read this book, in which the Baudelaire siblings encounter an unpleasant amount of dampness as they descend into the depths of despair, underwater.

In fact, the horrors they encounter are too numerous to list, and you wouldn't want me even to mention the worst of it, which includes mushrooms, a desperate search for something lost, a mechanical monster, a distressing message from a lost friend, and tap dancing.

As a dedicated author who has pledged to keep recording the depressing story of the Baudelaires, I must continue to delve deep into the cavernous depths of the orphans' lives.  You, on the other hand, may delve into some happier book in order to keep your eyes and your spirits from being dampened.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

JACEN and JAINA

When the Empire died, they were born - a new hope for a New Republic. The young twins of Han Solo and Princess Leia are now fourteen, and enrolled at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy on Yavin 4. Together with friends both old and new, the future heroes of an already legendary saga begin their training.

STAR
YOUNG JEDI KNIGHTS
WARS

While exploring the jungle outside the academy, the twins make a startling discovery - the remains of a TIE fighter that had crashed years ago during the battle against the first Death Star. Mechanical whiz Jaina thinks she can repair it... if they can sneak the right parts from the academy.

Meanwhile, their work is being closely watched - but not by academy eyes. The original pilot, an Imperial trooper, has been living wild in the jungle since his ship went down. Waiting to return to duty. And now his chance has come...

Dear Reader,

Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why.  This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children's miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.

There are many pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them.  Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia, heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire.  Clearly you do not want to read about such things.

I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best I can, so I should know that this book is something best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket