"Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick, Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka the Murder King. King's novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders, particularly A Slash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Some people believe Mathias King isn't making up the details, could he actually be responsible for the crime? Herculeah's sure she can find out. But Meat seems too busy with his new girlfriend to give Herculeah much of a hand. Can Herculeah solve this mystery on her own, or will Meat's dating be this sleuth's downfall?"
"At the eerie Hunt mansion, Herculeah Jones has been reading aloud to Lionus Hunt, an elderly stroke victim who can only communicate by blinking his eyes (once for yes, twice for no). Mr. Hunt seems to be trying to tell Herculeah something, but his gruff nurse won't allow her to ask any questions. What is Mr. Hunt trying to say? Is it related to a murder that took place in the mansion's black tower years ago? And who is the creepy old lady who lives in the mansion? Herculeah's friend Meat thinks she may be asking for trouble, but Herculeah Jones won't quit until she gets to the bottom of this mystery."
"When Herculeah discovers a mysterious letter inside the lining of a secondhand coat, she suspects it's a desperate cry for help. If so, what happened to the person who wrote it? Herculeah thinks she knows the answer. What she doesn't know is that someone is watching her-someone who will do anything to keep her quiet."
"When Herculeah Jones's best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there's nothing funny about murder. Things can't get any worse-until the body disappears! Meat needs Herculeah's help to uncover the clues, but she's busy investigating a case of her own . . . one that might just change Meat's life forever!"
"Tom hates having to spend the summer on a farm . . . until he discovers the midnight fox.
No one asked Tom how he felt about spending two months on his Aunt Millie's farm. For a city boy, the farm holds countless terrors-stampeding baby lambs, boy-chasing chickens, and worst of all, loneliness. But everything changes when Tom sees the midnight fox. He can spend hours watching the graceful black fox in the woods. And when her life-and that of her cub-is in danger, Tom knows exactly what he must do.
"An exceptional book."-Booklist
A Library of Congress Children's Book of the Year"
"A Newbery Medal Winner
All summer Sara Godfrey has fretted over herself, her impossible body, her terrible new haircut. One moment she's elated, the next, she's in tears. And she can't figure out why. Maybe her wildly changing moods are tied to the sudden and unaccountable appearance of the swans, which hold the rapt attention of Charlie, Sara's mentally handicapped brother, who she loves far more than herself these days. In fact, it will be the sudden disappearance of Charlie that will compel Sara to abandon her own small, annoying miseries, and lose herself in searching for him. In her anguish, Sara turns to Joe Melby, whom she has long despised, and together they search through the dense woods and rough fields to find him. Sara knows that she will never be the same again.
'A compelling story.'-Publishers Weekly"
"When you're a pinball, life is a risky game, especially for three adolescent children placed in a foster home. Their hard-won defenses are firmly in place as these three uneasy strangers meet their foster parents. For each of these children who were failed by their families, caring for others is so scary it hurts. No one has been in control. But as their daily lives become dotted with fried chicken dinners, puppies, and birthdays, they begin to hope that even pinballs can be winners. Betsy Byars, the National Book Award-winning author of McMummy, writes stories that are beloved by young listeners, their parents and teachers alike. Her thoroughly believable but quirky characters have captivated countless fans; The Pinballs was chosen by almost sixty thousand children in Georgia as their favorite book. The American Library Association agrees, designating it an ALA Notable Children's Book."
"All her life, Boo has wanted a real live dinosaur to follow her home-and today, one did. There is only one problem-no one else can see Boo's dinosaur. Boo's older brother Sammy certainly won't put up with these crazy antics. A dinosaur? Outside the window? This has to stop! But Boo can't bear to part with her new friend yet. First she has to go to the library and find the perfect dinosaur book to read, then she has to ride around on her new friend to keep it from becoming lonely. Sammy is getting tired of all this-but then he remembers a monkey, who no one else could see, who was his friend long ago. Can he help Boo say goodbye? Newbery Medal-winning author Betsey Byars is beloved for her touching childhood stories. '... charming ... a natural recommendation...'-School Library Journal"
"For aspiring writer Amen McBee, life at the end of the nineteenth century with her four older sisters (Augusta, Abigail, and the "Bellas," twins Annabella and Arabella) is full of adventure. The only trouble in Amen's life is Mr. Tominski, the strange old man who lives in the woods and keeps a trained flock of doves. Her sisters warn Amen that the dove keeper is not the be trusted, but Amen's father insists that Mr. Tominski wouldn't hurt a soul. Who is right?"
