Rendezvous in Rome

      Carolyn Keene
     Rendezvous in Rome

Part two of the exciting trilogy--composed of three individual mysteries--that takes Nancy and her friends to Europe. In the ancient, romantic city of Rome, Nancy, Bess, and George have their hearts set on amore galore. Instead, they find themselves hot on the trail of a dangerous jewel thief.

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    Lost in the Tunnel of Time

      Sharon M. Draper
     Lost in the Tunnel of Time

Ziggy, Rashawn, Jerome, and Rico -- the Black Dinosaurs -- are thrilled to discover that their hometown was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Even more exciting, their new friend Mr. Greene has given them an old map that shows a secret passage, dating back to the days of the Railroad, right under their own school! How can the Black Dinosaurs resist making plans to check it out? When a trapdoor slams behind them, locking them in the tunnel, there's only one thing they can do -- plunge deeper and deeper into the darkness. Where will the tunnel lead them? And will the old, crumbling walls hold until they find their way to the end?

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    Double Dutch

      Sharon M. Draper
     Double Dutch

secrets Delia loves Double Dutch more than just about anything, and she's really good at it -- so good she and her teammates have a shot at winning the World Double Dutch Championships. Delia would die if she couldn't jump -- but Delia has a secret, and it could keep her off the team next year. Delia's friend Randy has a secret too, one that has him lonely and scared. And while Delia and Randy struggle to keep their secrets, their school is abuzz with rumors about what malicious mischief the terrible Tolliver twins -- who just may have a secret of their own -- are planning. Delia and Randy's secrets collide on what should be the happiest day of Delia's life, and the collision threatens to destroy their friendship. Why can't life be as easy for Delia as Double Dutch?

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    Queen of the Dead

      Stacey Kade
     Queen of the Dead

The Ghost Okay, I admit it. I'm not perfect, no matter what you've heard. First off, I'm dead. Second, I got sent back from the Great Beyond. I mean, seriously, who is running things up there? Now I have to spend the summer after my senior year working - and on behalf of a bunch of whiny spirits, no less. But a girl's got to what a girl's got to do. It's a good thing Will Killian is still around. Even though he drives me crazy, and he could seriously do with a tan - Hello! It's summer! - I'm glad he's here to help me. Now he's all distracted by this frizzy-aired girl who can - big deal - communicate with the dead, too. Whatever. I don't need Will. But there are some things - like saving my parents from a couple of horrible mistakes - that would be easier with his assistance. Still, I will get what I want... with or without him. The Goth I'm still totally amazed that Alona Dare is my spirit guide and that it works. Yes, I've had a crush on her since sixth grade, but I also kind of hated her. And sure, she had to die before she'd talk to me - but I don't know, I kind of like having her around. Things get confusing when I meet Mina, who's the first ghost-talker I've ever encountered (other than my dad). I always thought Alona and I were doing the right thing helping those other ghosts, but mina has me thinking otherwise. Plus, she might know stuff about my dad that even my mum doesn't. But if there's one thing I should have learned by now, it's not to ignore Alona. That's never a good idea.

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    Chickadee

      Louise Erdrich
     Chickadee

Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, Chickadee is the first novel of a new arc in the critically acclaimed Birchbark House series by New York Times bestselling author Louise Erdrich. Twin brothers Chickadee and Makoons have done everything together since they were born—until the unthinkable happens and the brothers are separated. Desperate to reunite, both Chickadee and his family must travel across new territories, forge unlikely friendships, and experience both unexpected moments of unbearable heartache as well as pure happiness. And through it all, Chickadee has the strength of his namesake, the chickadee, to carry him on. Chickadee continues the story of one Ojibwe family's journey through one hundred years in America. School Library Journal, in a starred review, proclaimed, "Readers will be more than happy to welcome little Chickadee into their hearts." The paperback edition includes additional material, such as an interview with the author and activities.

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    Hunter Moran Saves the Universe

      Patricia Reilly Giff
     Hunter Moran Saves the Universe

Twins Hunter and Zack have a small problem to solve: they must save their town from a diabolical dentist who is planning to blow it to smithereens. But first they have to hold a funeral for an incriminating report card before it breaks their mother's heart, hide a cello that has been demolished, and keep their father from finding out what they did to his laptop. None of this is going to be easy with their busybody older sister, Linny, watching their every move; older brother, William, just waiting to get them in trouble; five-year-old brother, Steadman, tailing them; and baby Mary banging her spoon like a maniac so no one can think. Before the book is over, a vintage airplane, a hot-air balloon, and a borrowed fire engine will all play parts in the unfolding mystery. This novel is filled with whimsical characters, lots of mischief, and plenty of heart.

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    Counting Stars

      David Almond
     Counting Stars

David Almond’s extraordinary novels have established him as an author of unique insight and skill. These stories encapsulate his endless sense of mystery and wonderment, as they weave a tangible tapestry of growing up in a large, loving family. Here are the kernels of his novels—joy and fear, darkness and light, the healing power of love and imagination in overcoming the wounds of ignorance and prejudice. These stories merge memory and dream, the real and the imagined, in a collection of exquisite tenderness. From the Hardcover edition.

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    The Big Otter

      R. M. Ballantyne
     The Big Otter

Sleeping in Snow. Cold comfort is naturally suggested by a bed of snow, yet I have enjoyed great comfort and much warmth in such a bed. My friend Lumley was particularly fond of warmth and of physical ease, yet he often expressed the opinion, with much emphasis, that there was nothing he enjoyed so much as a night in a snow-bed. Jack Lumley was my chum—a fine manly fellow with a vigorous will, a hardy frame, and a kindly heart. We had a natural leaning towards each other—a sort of undefinable sympathy—which inclined us to seek each other’s company in a quiet unobtrusive way. We were neither of us demonstrative; we did not express regard for each other; we made no protestations of undying friendship, but we drew together, somehow, especially in our hunting expeditions which were numerous. On holidays—we had two in the week at the outpost in the American backwoods where we dwelt—when the other young fellows were cleaning gulls or arranging snow-shoes for the day’s work, Lumley was wont to say to me:— “Where d’you intend to shoot to-day, Max?” (Max was an abbreviation; my real name is George Maxby.) “I think I’ll go up by the willows and round by Beaver Creek.” “I’ve half a mind to go that way too.” “Come along then.” And so we would go off together for the day. One morning Lumley said to me, “I’m off to North River; will you come?” “With pleasure, but we’ll have to camp out.” “Well, it won’t be the first time.” “D’you know that the thermometer stood at forty below zero this morning before breakfast?” “I know it; what then? Mercurial fellows like you don’t freeze easily.” I did not condescend to reply, but set about preparing for our expedition, resolving to carry my largest blanket with me, for camping out implied sleeping in the snow. Of course I must guard my readers—especially my juvenile readers—from supposing that it was our purpose that night to undress and calmly lie down in, or on, the pure white winding-sheet in which the frozen world of the Great Nor’-west had been at that time wrapped for more than four months. Our snow-bed, like other beds, required making, but I will postpone the making of it till bed-time. Meanwhile, let us follow the steps of Lumley, who, being taller and stronger than I, always led the way. This leading of the way through the trackless wilderness in snow averaging four feet deep is harder work than one might suppose. It could not be done at all without the aid of snow-shoes, which, varying from three to five feet in length, enable the traveller to walk on the surface of the snow, into which he would otherwise sink, more or less, according to its condition. If it be newly fallen and very soft, he sinks six, eight, or more inches. If it be somewhat compressed by time or wind he sinks only an inch or two. On the hard surface of exposed lakes and rivers, where it is beaten to the appearance of marble, he dispenses with snow-shoes altogether, slings them on his gun, and carries them over his shoulder....

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    Black Ivory

      R. M. Ballantyne
     Black Ivory

R.M. Ballantyne, in full Robert Michael Ballantyne (born April 24, 1825, Edinburgh, Scot.—died Feb. 8, 1894, Rome, Italy), Scottish author chiefly famous for his adventure story The Coral Island (1858). This and all of Ballantyne’s stories were written from personal experience. The heroes of his books are models of self-reliance and moral uprightness. Snowflakes and Sunbeams; or, The Young Fur Traders (1856) is a boys’ adventure story based on Ballantyne’s experiences with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Annoyed by a geography-related mistake he had made in The Coral Island, he afterward traveled widely to research the backgrounds of his stories.

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    The Heart of Pinocchio: New Adventures of the Celebrated Little Puppet

      Collodi Nipote
     The Heart of Pinocchio: New Adventures of the Celebrated Little Puppet

One day a poor carpenter, called Master Cherry, began to cut up a piece of wood to make a table-leg of it when, to his utmost amazement, the piece of wood cried out, "Do not strike me so hard!" The frightened carpenter stopped for a moment, and when he began again and struck the wood a blow with his ax the voice cried out once more, "Oh, oh! you have hurt me so!" The carpenter was now so terrified that he was only too glad to turn the piece of wood over to a neighbor, Papa Geppetto, who cut it up into the shape of a boy puppet, painted it, and named it Pinocchio-which means "a piece of pinewood." As soon as he had finished making him, Pinocchio grabbed the old man's wig off his head and started in to play tricks. Papa Geppetto then taught the puppet to walk, and when naughty Pinocchio discovered he could use his legs, he ran away. Then began all kinds of adventures, and Pinocchio was sometimes naughty and selfish, and sometimes kind and considerate, but always funny and jolly. In this new book Pinocchio's heart has grown through love and consideration for others, so that he becomes a real boy and takes part in the war to help his beautiful country, Italy.

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    The Pit Town Coronet: A Family Mystery, Volume 3 (of 3)

      Margaret Vandercook
     The Pit Town Coronet: A Family Mystery, Volume 3 (of 3)

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

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