Dear Reader,

If this is the first book you found while searching for a book to read next, then the first thing you should know is that this next-to-last book is what you should put down first.  Sadly, this book presents the next-to-last chronicle of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and it is next-to-first in its supply of misery, despair, and unpleasantness.

Probably the next-to-last things you would like to read about are a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing salon, two mysterious initials, three unidentified triplets, a notorious villain, and an unsavory curry.

Next-to-last things are the first thing to be avoided, and so allow me to recommend that you put this next-to-last book down first, and find something else to read next at last, such as the next-to-last book in another chronicle, or a chronicle containing other next-to-last things, so that this next-to-last book does not become the last book you will read.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

The beloved story
of a spunky young girl and
her hilarious escapades.

Tommy and his sister Annika have a new heighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking.  She has crazy  red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a pet monkey named Mr. Nilsson.  Whether Pippi's scrubbing the floors, doing arithmetic, or stirring things up at a fancy tea party, her flair for the outrageous always seems to lead to another adventure.

"A rollicking story."  - The Horn Book

Other books about Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Goes on Board
Pippi in the South Seas

Ralph's pesky cousins are wrecking his motorcycle, and his janitor friend, Matt, is in trouble because there seem to be mice in the hotel. All in all things are not going well at the Mountain View Inn. So Ralph persuades his young pal Ryan to take him to school. Ralph is an instant hit with Ryan's classmates. But he doesn't like being forced to run through a maze or the threat of an exterminator coming to the school. Worst of all, Ryan gets into a fight with a classmate, and Ralph's precious motorcycle is broken. Is Ralph S. Mouse smart enough to steer this sad situation to a happy ending?

Ramona just wants everyone to be happy. If only her father would smile and joke again, her mother would look less worried, her sister would be cheerful, and Picky-picky would eat his cat-food. But Ramona's father has lost his job, and nobody in the Quimby household is in a very good mood.

Ramona tries to cheer up the family as only Ramona can -- by rehearsing for life as a rich and famous star of television commercials, for instance -- but her best efforts only make things worse. Her sister, Beezus, calls her a, pest, her parents lose patience with her, and her teacher claims she's forgotten her- manners. But when her father admits he wouldn't trade her for a million dollars, Ramona knows everything is going to work out fine in the end.

Beverly Cleary has given books to each member of the Quimby household except Mrs. Quimby. Now she gets her turn at last in a story that hits the high and low points of a working mother's life as seen from Ramona's seven-and-a-half-year-old viewpoint.

Inevitably domestic tensions, not without their amusing side, occasionally arise. Mr. and Mrs. Quimby sometimes forget who is to do what, as when the Crock-Pot is not plugged in and dinner remains uncooked. Beezus acquires a ludicrous teased hairdo at the student body shop while Ramona gets a becoming pixie haircut. Ramona, who feels unloved, takes to twitching her nose like a rabbit in a cozy picture book until her teacher becomes concerned that something is making her nervous.

Yet Ramona is wrong. She is loved, and readers will rejoice with her when she discovers the wonderful truth. Few writers today are as skilled as Mrs. Cleary at showing families in the round, and here she is at the peak of her powers.

Ramona is back! New and old friends alike will rejoice in Beverly Cleary's latest book about spunky Ramona and the whole Quimby family.

From the minute that Howie Kemp's "rich" Uncle Hobart arrives from Saudi Arabia, things are off to a rousing start. There are new beginnings and discoveries and two very special surprises - one surprise is big and one is very little.

It's a time of change for all the Quimbys; a time of new joys and little sadnesses, too. There are new worries - Mr Quimby is worried about finding a teaching job, Ramona is worried they may have to move if he does, and Beezus is worried about her teenage complexion.

And through it all Ramona, a grown up third-grader, remains a sometimes pesty, sometimes brave, sometimes blunderful, but always wonderful Ramona - forever!

Ramona feels quite grown-up taking the bus by herself, helping big sister Beezus make dinner, and trying hard to be nice to pesky Willa Jean after school. Turning eight years old and entering the first grade can do that to a girl. So how can her teacher call her a nuisance?

In this touching and funny story, the ebullient Ramona, feeling brave and grown-up, enters first grade. Quickly she finds that her new teacher, Mrs. Griggs, appears perplexed by pupils who like to be different. Since Ramona cannot help being different, clearly the two are incompatible.

Nevertheless, Ramona can be counted on to keep things lively. Enraged when Susan copies her wise old owl prepared for Parents' Night and receives praise for it, Ramona rebels. Overcome by guilt and no longer brave, she tries mightily thereafter to please her teacher, but still Mrs. Griggs infuriatingly reports home that Ramona lacks self-control. Only because she is a girl with spunk, to use her father's word, does Ramona's courage return, earning her at last an uneasy truce with the teacher.

Beverly Cleary draws here a portrait of a little girl discovering with astonishment that the way others see her is not always the way she sees herself. In the contrast lie moments of emerging self-knowledge for Ramona and of delicious hilarity for the reader.

Ramona Quimby is the youngest of all the famous characters in Mrs. Cleary's wonderful Henry Huggins stories. She is also far and away the most deadly. Readers of the earlier books will remember that Ramona has always been a menace to Beezus, her older sister, to Henry, and to his dog Ribsy. It is not that Ramona deliberately sets out to make trouble for other people. She simply has more imagination than is healthy for any one person.

In this book Ramona and her imagination really come into their own. Starting with a fairly mild encounter with the librarian, which is harder on Beezus than anyone else, Ramona goes from strength to strength, winding up by inviting her entire kindergarten class to a part at her home without mentioning it to her mother. The riot that ensues is probably the most hilarious episode in this extremely funny book, which proves that Mrs. Cleary's imagination is almost as lively as Ramona's.

Ramona Quimby is sure fourth grade will be "the best year of her life, so far." She can show off her calluses from swinging on the rings in the park, sit across the aisle from the boy she calls Yard Ape, and enjoy her cheerful new teacher, Mrs. Meacham. Most exciting of all, Ramona has a new best friend, Daisy.

Fourth grade doesn't turn out quite the way Ramona has hoped. Mrs. Meacham wants her to improve her spelling. Ramona also must be a good role model for her baby sister, Roberta. And Mrs. Quimby wants her to spend more time with, the super-perfect Susan. Fourth-grade life isn't always easy, but it's full of adventure, and at the end of it all- a "zeroteenth" birthday to celebrate!

Dear Reader,

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I'm afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether.  The story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don't be fooled.  If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that even pleasant events lead down the same road to misery.

In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible odor, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a large brass reading lamp, and the re-appearance of a person they'd hoped never to see again.

I am bound to record these tragic events, but you are free to put this book back on the shelf and seek something lighter.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

From epubbooks.com:

Prince Inga of Pingaree and King Rinkitink and their companions have adventures that lead to the land of the Nomes and, eventually, Oz. When all the inhabitants of Pingaree are kidnapped by the mongrel hordes of twin island kingdoms, Prince Inga and his friend King Rinkitink decide to go to the rescue. Baum introduced the boy hero, Prince Inga of Pingaree, to the Oz series to celebrate the birth of his grandson.

From epubbooks.com:

Dorothy and her friend, Polychrome, find themselves on a road through some strange places, to the Land of the Winkies, and on to beautiful Emerald City. But why are they there, and how did they get there? Princess Ozma of Oz sent for them, and the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow, of course, to take part in her lavish birthday celebration.

Fed up with his timid mother and uncle and his squirmy little cousins, Ralph hops onto his toy motorcycle and zooms down the road to summer camp. It turns out camp is not all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fun. A strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and a troubled boy named Garf lead Ralph on some fur-raising escapades. Perhaps home isn't such a bad place to be, if only Ralph can find a way to get there again.

From epubbooks.com:

L Frank Baum considered The Scarecrow of Oz to be his best book. It opens with Trot and Cap’n Bill rowing along a shore of the Pacific Ocean, a mighty whirlpool engulfs them and sinks their boat. The old sailorman and the little girl are miraculously saved and regain consciousness to find themselves in a sea cavern. (To this day, Trot asserts she felt mermaid arms about her during those terrible moments under water.) They experience one perilous adventure after another until eventually they make their way to Jinxland and meet the Scarecrow who takes charge of things once Cap’n Bill is transformed into a tiny grasshopper with a wooden leg. Will the Captain remain a grasshopper or will Trot, the Scarecrow, and their friends be able to restore him to his former shape and life?

GET READY
TO BE
SPOOKED!

It was eleven o'clock at night.  Peter was in bed on the second floor of the old house where he lived alone.  It had gotten so chilly, he went downstairs to turn up the heat.

As Peter was on his way back to bed, a black dog ran down the stairs.  "Where did you come from?" Peter said.  He had never seen the dog before....

Welcome to  the macabre world of Scary Stories, a collection of folklorist Alvin Schwartz's most alrming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time, with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Bret Helquist.

"Read these if you date." - The New York Times

ARE YOU BRAVE
ENOUGH FOR
SCARY STORIES?

Some boys and girls were at a party one night.  There was a graveyard down the street, and they were talking about how scary it was.

"Don't ever stand on a grave after dark," one of the boys said.  "The person inside will grab you."

"A grave doesn't scare me," said one of the girls.  "I'll do it right now...."

Welcome to  the macabre world of Scary Stories.  Inside, you'll find alarming takes of horror, dark revenge, and the supernatural, with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist.

"Read these if you date." - The New York Times

Laura #4

School Days

School is always exciting for Laura and her sisters.  Laura knows that learning can be fun, and there are so many friends to play with at recess!

The Laura Chapter Books are part of an ongoing series of Little House Chapter Books.

JACEN and JAINA

When the Empire died, they were born - a new hope for a New Republic. The young twins of Han Solo and Princess Leia are now fourteen, and enrolled at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy on Yavin 4. Together with friends both old and new, the future heroes of an already legendary saga begin their training.

STAR
YOUNG JEDI KNIGHTS
WARS

The Dark Jedi Brakiss - the student Luke Skywalker expelled from his academy - has learned much since he left. Enough to master the dark side of the Force.  And enough to establish his own school for training Jedi - the Shadow Academy

But now Brakiss has an even greater task.  Not only must he create a sinister legion of Dark Jedi to serve the Empire, he must undertake a challenge not even Darth Vader and the Emperor could meet: Kidnap the heirs of the Skywalker bloodline, and turn them to the dark side of the Force.

Dear Reader,

Like handshakes, house pets, or raw carrots, many things are preferable when not slippery.  Unfortunately, in this miserable volume, I am afraid that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire run into more than their fair share of slipperiness during their harrowing journey up - and down - a range of strange and distressing mountains.

In order to spare you any further repulsion, it would be best not to mention any of the unpleasant details of this story, particularly a secret message, a toboggan, a deceitful trap, a swarm of snow gnats, a scheming villain, a troupe of organized youngsters, a covered casserole dish, and a surprising survivor of a terrible fire.

Unfortunately, I have dedicated my life to researching and recording the sad tale of the Baudelaire orphans.  There is no reason for you to dedicate yourself to such things, and you might instead dedicate yourself to letting this slippery book slip from your hands into a nearby trash receptacle, or deep pit.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

SOLV-A-CRIME

47 short short mysteries to baffle and delight readers of all ages.

You are the detective.  You must spot the clues.  You must match wits with burglars, murderers, con men.  And is a mystery proves too baffling for your armchair sleuthing?  Well, no sweat, there's an instant answer provided with each story.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK SERVICES

From epubbooks.com:

Join Tik-Tok, the Shaggy Man, and a host of other friends - both old and new - on an exciting, imaginative journey through the world of Oz. Betsy Bobbin, a girl from Oklahoma, is shipwrecked with her mule, Hank, in the Rose Kingdom of Oz. She meets the Shaggy Man there and the two try to rescue the Shaggy Man’s brother from the Nome King. This book is partly based upon Baum’s stage musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, which was in turn based on Ozma of Oz.

From epubbooks.com:

In the twelfth Oz story, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow meet Woot, a Gillikin boy. The Woodman tells him how the Wicked Witch of the East (punishing him for falling in love with her ward, Nimmie Amee) enchanted his axe, which then compelled him to chop off every part of his body. The tinsmith Ku-Klip replaced them with body parts fashioned from tin. Lacking a heart, the Woodman left her. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and the Scarecrow found him in the woods; when they reached the Emerald City, the Wizard gave him a new heart. Encouraged by Woot and accompanied by him, the Scarecrow and Polychrome, the Rainbow’s daughter, the Woodman travels to the Munchkin Country to look for her. Many adventures follow, although their quest is ultimately unsuccessful, as Nimmie is now married to Ku-Klip’s assistant, Chopfyt.

Dear Reader,

You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down.  Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages.

I can think of no single reason why anyone would want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats.

It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.

With all due respect.

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket

Front Flap:

25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

WHERE
THE WILD THINGS
ARE

STORY AND PICTURES
BY MAURICE SENDAK

1964 Caldecott Medal Winner
for the Most Distinguished
Picture Book of the Year

HarperCollinsPublishers

Back Flap:

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
was reprinted in 1988 from new
engravings made from the original art.

Maurice Sendak's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE was published in 1963 to great critical acclaim.  Brian O'Doherty of The New York Times said that Mr. Sendak's work, "disguised in fantasy, springs from his earliest self, from the vagrant child that lurks in the heart of all of us."

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is the first book of a trilogy that includes IN THE KITCHEN, published in 1970, "a profoundly engaging fantasy that ought to become a classic" (The New York Times), and OUTSIDE OVER THERE, published in 1981, which Newsweek called "extraordinary... triumphantly moving."

An author-artist of world renown, Mr. Sendak was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award in 1970 in recognition of the excellence of the entire body of his work.

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery.  All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and the one you are holding may be the worst of them all.

If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signaling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.

I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do.  You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

The Wind in the Willows is a fine and funny book that grownups and kids have read, laughed with, and loved for generations.  Once you've met Kenneth Grahame's immortal dbaracters - Ratty, Mole, Toad, and the rest - you'll upderstand why.  And you'll read The Wind in the Willows again and again.

This is not a
fairy tale.
This is about
real witches.

Gandmamma loves to tell about witches.  Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth.  There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them.  Her grandson listens closely to Gramdmamma's stories - but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!

From epubbooks.com:

When a cyclone hits Kansas, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, are whisked away to the magical land of Oz. All alone in this strange world, they wonder how they’ll ever get home. With their new friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, they brave many dangers and journey to the Emerald City in search of the Wonderful Wizard to ask him for his help.