The Headless Cupid


Book Description

When the four Stanley children meet Amanda, their new stepsister, they’re amazed to learn that she studies witchcraft. They’re stunned to see her dressed in a strange costume, carrying a pet crow and surrounded by a pile of books about the supernatural. It’s not long before Amanda promises to give witchcraft lessons to David, Jamie, and the twins. But that’s when strange things start happening in their old house. David suspects Amanda of causing mischief, until they learn that the house really was haunted long ago. Legend has it that a ghost cut the head off of a wooden cupid on the stairway. Has the ghost returned to strike again?




The Egypt Game


Book Description

The first time Melanie Ross meets April Hall, she’s not sure they have anything in common. But she soon discovers that they both love anything to do with ancient Egypt. When they stumble upon a deserted storage yard, Melanie and April decide it’s the perfect spot for the Egypt Game. Before long there are six Egyptians, and they all meet to wear costumes, hold ceremonies, and work on their secret code. Everyone thinks it’s just a game until strange things start happening. Has the Egypt Game gone too far?




The Changeling


Book Description

Ivy and Martha are not ordinary best friends. Ivy is a changeling with supernatural powers—or at least that’s what she says . . . Martha is incredibly unpopular. She’s overweight, buck-toothed, and shy. Ivy is an outcast. Her family lives on the outskirts of town amid a field of derelict orchards. But starting in second grade, the girls form a bond that allows them to take control of their own lives. It all begins when Ivy tells Martha that she is no ordinary girl: She claims she’s a changeling, switched with the real Ivy at birth. With the strength of Ivy’s friendship, Martha becomes more confident and sure of herself. And through their bond, Ivy gains the normalcy she needs, away from life with her tumultuous family. When the two girls play, they enter an elaborate fantasy world all their own. But when the real world threatens to split them apart, their friendship becomes more important than ever. This ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder.




Below the Root


Book Description

In the “Newbery Honor–winning author’s compelling fantasy” for young adults, a boy is chosen to rule his idyllic land—only to discover its dark secrets (Publishers Weekly). Green-sky is an ideal place. Violence doesn’t exist. Its citizens, the Kindar, glide from tree to tree and exchange happy thoughts. This is all thanks to their rulers, the Ol-zhaan. And on his thirteenth birthday, Raamo D’ok is chosen to become one of the Ol-zhaan. Raamo is surprised to be named a Chosen. He isn’t a very good student—but the Ol-zhaan believe he has strong Spirit-force. But during his training, Raamo discovers that these good rulers aren’t as benevolent as they appear. They harbor secrets about his people, his family, and what lies below the forest floor. Now Raamo must decide: Should he keep the peace, or reveal the secrets that the Ol-zhaan have protected for so long? This ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder.




The Velvet Room


Book Description

DIVFinding a special place where you can be at peace is difficult—but holding onto it is even harder/divDIV The last three years of Robin Williams’s life have been very difficult. She’s had to move with her large, poor family multiple times as her father seeks jobs as a migrant worker. Now, her father has a new job at the McCurdy Ranch and Robin often wanders off in order to cope with the constant change and difficulty surrounding her./divDIV /divDIVNear the McCurdy Ranch is the Palmeras House, an old abandoned house that Robin is told repeatedly not to explore. However, with a little help, she finds herself inside the building, in the one place it seems she has always been looking for: the Velvet Room. This plush room is the most beautiful place she has ever seen. Robin is fascinated and enchanted, but she can’t help but wonder: Why is it there? /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder./div




Gib Rides Home


Book Description

DIVAll Gib ever wanted was to be adopted, but life with a family isn’t quite what he thought it would be/divDIV Gib was sent to an orphanage when he was six years old, and with each year, he knows it becomes less likely that he will be adopted into a loving family. As kids get older, they are more likely to be adopted onto a farm, meaning a hard life of unpaid labor. And after seeing a friend come back battered and near death, Gib is understandably worried./divDIV /divDIVWhen his turn for adoption finally comes, Gib is surprised to learn that life on the farm isn’t too difficult. His new “parents,” the Thorntons, are kind to him, and his job in the stables is fun and interesting. It is as close to the home of his dreams as he could possibly imagine. And though Gib doesn’t remember much of his past before the orphanage, as time passes, Gib realizes that his new family may be more connected to his real family than he ever imagined. This smart, touching novel is based on the life of author Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s father and his experience as an orphan in the 1900s./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder./div




Cat Running


Book Description

DIVAn award-winning, thoughtful, and moving glimpse into life during the Depression/divDIV Cat is the fastest kid at her school—and with Play Day is coming up soon, she will be able to show off her speed to everybody. Unfortunately, her old-fashioned father forbids her to wear pants, even while playing sports. So Cat refuses to race, and Zane, an Okie boy whose family works on a nearby farm, wins. Cat is furious that Zane is so fast, and angry that he was able to beat all the sixth-grade boys, even in his bare feet./divDIV /divDIVThough Cat hates Zane at the start, soon the two become friends. They are the school’s best runners, after all. But while Cat’s family is doing well, Zane’s family has lost everything in the Depression. All Cat can offer Zane’s family is sympathy and friendship . . . until Zane’s sister gets pneumonia and Cat and Zane are forced into a race for the little girl’s life./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder./div




The Witches of Worm


Book Description

Cats. Jessica’s never liked them. Especially not a skinny, ugly kitten that looks like a worm. Worm. Jessica wishes she’d never brought Worm home with her, because now he’s making her do terrible things. She’s sure she isn’t imagining the evil voice coming from the cat, telling her to play mean tricks on people. But how can she explain what’s happening? Witches. Jessica has read enough books to know that Worm must be a witch’s cat. He’s cast a spell on her, but whom can she turn to? After all, no one will believe that Worm has bewitched her...or worse!




The Gypsy Game


Book Description

The kids from The Egypt Game are back. What game will they play next? The answer is Gypsies. While April plunges in with her usual enthusiasm, the more Melanie learns, the more something seems to be holding her back. But it's Toby who adds a really new wrinkle when he announces that he himself is a bona fide Gypsy. Plus he can get them some of his grandmother's things to use as real Gypsy props for the new game. What could be more thrilling? Then Toby suddenly and mysteriously disappears, and the kids discover that living as real-life Gypsies may not be as much fun as they thought. How will they find Toby and rescue him from the very real problems that are haunting his life?




And All Between


Book Description

In this “vividly drawn fantasy” from the Newbery Honoree, the trees of Green-sky are peaceful, while Teera struggles to survive below the forest floor (Publishers Weekly). While the Kindar thrive in the leafy utopia of Green-sky, the Erdlings struggle to survive in their underground caves and tunnels. Hunger threatens, and Teera, an eight-year-old Erdling, is forced to run away before her pet, Haba, is killed for food. Once away, Teera finds her way to the beautiful forest floor, where the sights are breathtaking and the food is abundant. There, she meets the friendly Ol-zhaan Raamo and Neric. Teera and her new Ol-zhaan friends want to reveal the truth about life above and below the trees, but powerful forces are at work to ensure that the two worlds remain apart. This ebook features an extended biography of Zilpha Keatley Snyder.