Goldilocks—also known as "the fair-haired princess" or "Furless," depending on who is talking—moves in with The Three Bears for a whole week in this illustrated chapter book for lovers of snarky humor and the Grimm Sisters series."So I ate some porridge and broke a chair—get over it!" Goldilocks snipes at Bobby Bear, as Baby Bear is now calling himself. Tensions are high at the Three Bears cottage where Goldilocks—an overdramatic tween who has deluded herself into believing she's a princess—is stranded until the Big Bad Wolf vacates the area. A hungry troll, a wily but fairly spineless coyote, Anansi the trickster spider, three pigs with a home improvement show, and of course the Big Bad Wolf all figure into the story in this hilarious mash-up of folk and fairy tales from around the world. In chapters full of quirky and clever drawings, Bobby and Goldilocks alternate narrating the story of their hair-raising adventures. "Furless" and...

"Will make a theater lover of any young reader." —BooklistPerfect for fans of The Wednesday Wars, this raucous and delightful middle grade mystery from Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman is filled with backstage fun, relatable family drama, and maybe even a ghost.Break a leg! That's what you say to actors when what you mean is Have a good show!. Anything else is bad luck. When Miss Magnus literally breaks her leg, eleven-year-old Noah McNichol and the rest of the Plattsfield Winklebottom Memorial Sixth-Grade Players are left without a director for their production of Hamlet. Coach Fig comes to the rescue—sort of. He'll direct, even though he is clearly more interested in whatever is happening on his phone than in directing. He doesn't even know upstage from downstage! But then something weird happens: out of nowhere appears a strangely dressed old guy named Mike. He tells Noah he has...

"With skilled writing and a consistently paced plot, this is an accessible and exciting story for a wide range of readers...This stellar blend of an appealing plot and relevant themes is an excellent addition to middle grade collections." —School Library Journal (starred review) City girl Effie Starr Zook is the opposite of excited about spending the summer on her aunt and uncle's farm in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania, until she stumbles across a mystery that leads her smack into an old family feud. Luckily, Effie isn't afraid to ask questions.A rich girl from New York City, Effie Starr Zook isn't afraid of much. When her parents go on a dangerous round-the-world adventure in a solar airplane, she's packed off to her aunt and uncle's farm for the summer. Expecting boredom, she runs smack dab into a family secret. Why does the neighbor kid want to avoid her? What are her aunt and uncle so worried about? And what does "bad blood" mean, anyway?...

From Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman comes a compelling middle grade mystery following a young boy working at his family's secondhand store that is a steal-your-heart story about family and friendship.Arthur Popper helps out in his family's Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what's what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he's not brave or adventurous. Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it's the key to solving the perfect crime—a crime only he knows about. With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery...

The girls from Flowerpot Cabin learn that there are two things they can count on in life—friendship and cookies—in Martha Freeman's third novel in the Secret Cookie Club series, which was called "a younger version of Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by School Library Journal.It's not all sugar and spice for the girls of Flowerpot Cabin after they leave summer camp. Grace learns she isn't good at everything when she gets volunteered to dogsit, Emma's mom has a hard time when her beloved grandmother dies, Olivia's brother makes a big announcement that starts a family feud, and Lucy isn't sure how she feels when her dad pops back into her life. Meanwhile, beloved counselor Hannah continues to deal with the fallout from a summer romance. But no matter what tough stuff comes their way, there are two things the members of the Secret Cookie Club can count on: friendship and cookies.

Most days Cammie is tired of being the daughter of the first female president of the United States and just wants her real life back. She's feeling the stress of having to be on display so often. Plus, her oversized and overly enthusiastic dog Hooligan keeps getting into trouble. That's why she's thrilled when her very favorite group, the famous teenage sensation called The Song Boys, is scheduled to perform at a literacy event at the White House. But when White House objects disappear, the event is in jeopardy. With some help from her younger sister Tessa and Hooligan, Cammie tackles the mystery—and helps save the concert.

Friends make everything better—and so do cookies!—in this warm-hearted novel in the tradition of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, with a middle grade dash of sugar and spice.Recipe for friendship: mix four very different girls, one boy, and a camp counselor. Add cookies.When her four campers don’t get along, counselor Hannah has an idea. They gather in the kitchen at the Moonlight Ranch Summer Camp. There, they measure, mix, stir, and bake. As they bite into their warm sugar cookies, they finally seem to be friends.But summer doesn’t last forever. And if the bond is going to survive the long school year, these kids will need a plan, a plan that just might require cookies.Complete with recipes, this book will satisfy every reader’s craving for something sweet—just like a homemade sugar cookie.

No one would actually send real diamonds to a dog, would they? Now that one of the gems is missing, first kids Cammie and Tessa Parks are no longer so sure that the big, fat diamonds on Hooligan's new collar are imitations. But how can they know for sure? Why would someone representing the president of a nearby country send a dog such a valuable gift? In this second book in the First Kids Mystery series, the president's daughters tackle a puzzling new case that casts suspicions on members of the White House staff.

First Kid Tessa loves pets, so when she finds out that a hissing cockroach at the National Zoo might meet a terrible fate, how can she resist adopting it? The rest of her family are not so thrilled, especially when the giant cockroach turns up missing. Did it escape? Or was it stolen? Who besides Tessa would want a cockroach? There is more to this bug than meets the eye in the sixth book about three mystery-loving kids (and one too-energetic dog) who live in the White House.

Halloween the cat is missing, stolen right from her bed in the middle of the night. Then one by one other neighborhood cats disappear. Is the Harvey house ghost to blame? Will he strike again? It's up to Alex and Yasmeen to find out.

A week before the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, First Kids Cammie and Tessa, daughters of the first female president, and their cousin Nate attend the opening of a new dinosaur exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. As the prize display, a seventy-million-year-old dinosaur egg is being presented, it cracks, and a tiny hatchling emerges! This is no dinosaur, but an ostrich. But where is the real dinosaur egg? The First Kids and, of course, First Dog Hooligan are on a new case as their investigation leads them behind the scenes at the museum, to an ostrich farm, and to a foreign embassy. This is the fifth book in the First Kids Mystery series.

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, College Springs has a winter carnival, complete with ice sculptures; however, this year someone has stolen all thirty-seven of them, including one on Chickadee Court. Unfortunately, the twelve-year-old sleuths, Yasmeen and Alex, are having friendship issues—Yasmeen thinks that she's being replaced by a new girl who has come to Chickadee Court. Then, the whole gang comes together to solve the frosty mystery. Believe it or not, the clues lead to a fracking operation and the laboratory of a professor who is racing to invent a new alternative fuel before his competitors do.

The girls from Flowerpot Cabin are back at camp in Martha Freeman's second novel in the Secret Cookie Club series, which was called "a younger version of Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by School Library Journal.Recipe for Summer Drama 1 girl counselor, broken-hearted 1 boy counselor, super-cute 4 determined campers Mix all ingredients together for eight weeks at Moonlight Ranch summer camp. For best results, add cookies. The Secret Cookie Club members Grace, Emma, Olivia, and Lucy are excited to be back at Moonlight Ranch summer camp with their beloved counselor, Hannah. But when a mysterious letter arrives, Hannah is plunged into despair. Secret Cookie Club to the rescue! After puzzling out the contents of the letter, they make a plan to fix Hannah's life—a plan that requires a magic spell, a daring mission to the boys camp, and a big batch of campfire cookies. What could...

Strudel, a homeless dachshund, loves listening to Jake read from Chief, Dog of the Old West at the animal shelter. When Jake decides to adopt him, Strudel vows to be as brave and loyal as Chief. Only trying to fend off danger in his new home leads to trouble when Strudel makes some errors in judgment. But despite Strudel's humorous miscalculations, his instincts are mostly correct. He knows who is really a member of his pack, and that Mom's boyfriend Arnie can't be trusted. Readers can get a dog's-eye view as an irrepressible dachshund narrates this touching story of a dog who needed a family, and a struggling family who needed a dog.

Tessa Parks, daughter of the president, has the best hiding place ever for her piggy bank. So when it disappears, she figures somebody must have stolen it. Is there really a thief loose in the White House? Meanwhile, a metal detector says there's gold buried on the White House South Lawn; but when the First kids have a look, they find only a hole in the ground. Is there a link between the two mysteries? And can too-energetic White House dog Hooligan track the culprit? Find out in the fourth installment of the funny, fast-paced First Kids Mysteries!