ISLAND - Book One: Shipwreck

Being on a sailboat in the warm waters of the Pacific with a bunch of kids the same age could sound like a vacation dream come true. However, when this month-long trip is part of a strict program called Charting a New Course, and each participant--or inmate--is there for disciplinary problems, things don't look quite as rosy. And then, of course, when a big storm strikes, and the captain and first mate disappear, and the boat seems to be sinking... the whole idea becomes less and less appealing. Still, for Luke, Will, Lyssa, J.J., Ian, and Charla, this is the way the cards have been dealt, and whatever problems they may have with each other, however much they don't want to be there, it's time to start working together to save their own lives.

The Twenty-One Balloons

You Must Click Here!

Wikipedia article about Kracatoa

Discovery Channel Video about Kracatoa

The White Giraffe

When she is eleven years old, Martine is orphaned and sent to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa. Her grandmother seems strangely unwelcoming and Martine has a difficult time settling in at her new school, where she is an outsider. But she has an ally in Tendai - one of the keepers on the reserve, from whom she learns the lore and survival techniques of the bush, and in Grace - who instantly senses there is something special about Martine.
There are secrets about Sawubona (the reserve) just waiting to be revealed, and rumours too about a fabled white giraffe - a trophy for hunters everywhere. One night Martine, lonely and feeling slightly rebellious too, looks out of her window and see a young albino giraffe - silver, tinged with cinnamon in the moonlight. This is the beginning of her mysterious and magical adventures - her discovery of her gift of healing and a secret valley that she travels to with the giraffe, where she'll find clues about her past and future. Above all it's is a heart-warming story, full of charm and atmosphere, and Martine's sheer delight in her giraffe friend and the fantastic landscape which is theirs to explore.

The Mystery of Biltmore House

In 1981, Carole Marsh (a real writer) took four real kids on a visit to the famous Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. They went to learn about George W. Vanderbilt, the Victorian Era, O. Henry, and more. There was only one little problem... First one kid disappeared. Then another! Then, so did a priceless antique chess set! There was the creepy Halloween room, the very scary basement, the eerie attic, and all those gape-mouthed gargoyles. Oh yeah, and all that blood! And did I say that the kids got trapped in the mile-long heating system? Did I say ONE LITTLE problem?! How about LOTS of BIG problems!

The Boxcar Children

THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
(The 60th Anniversary Edition)
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
illustrated by L. Kate Deal and Linda Fennimore
Albert Whitman and Co
ISBN: 0807508489
Ages 7-12
169 Pages

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden are orphans. Determined to stay together after the death of their parents, the children set off on their own. When they discover an old, abandoned railroad car, they take shelter inside and soon make it into a cozy place to live. But eventually the children are discovered by their wealthy grandfather, who takes the kids --- along with their old, red boxcar --- into his heart and his home. Together with Grandfather, the Boxcar Children lead an exciting life, traveling to new places, meeting interesting people, and getting caught up in any number of fascinating adventures. Ghosts, disappearances, and weird spooky happenings are all part of the fun in the Boxcar Children series. Of course, there's always a mystery afoot for the Boxcar Children to solve --- and just in the nick of time, too!

Wayside School is Falling Down

More fun in
The Wacky World of
Wayside School"Watch closely," said Mrs. Jewls. "You can learn much faster using a computer instead of paper and pencil." Then she pushed the new computer out the window The children all watched it fall thirty floors and smash against the sidewalk. "See?" said Mrs. Jewls. "That's gravity! I've been trying to teach you about gravity, but the computer showed you a lot quicker!"
That's the way things happen at Wayside School. There are 29 kids in Mrs. Jewls's class and this book is about all of them. There is Todd, who got in trouble every day ... until he got a magic dog; Paul, whose life was saved by Leslie's pigtails; Ron, who dared to try the cafeteria's Mushroom Surprise and all the others who help turn a day at Wayside School into one madcap adventure after another. But, after the things that happened in Sideways Stories from Wayside School, what would you expect?