Meet Hamish X Orphan, Enigma, and Enemy to Pirates Everywhere The mysterious Hamish X is the scourge of the Orphan Disposal Agency—Agents Candy and Sweet can’t seem to find a facility that can hold him. After arriving at the Windcity Orphanage, where the children are forced to earn their keep making stinky blue cheese, Hamish X is soon planning his escape along with new friends Parveen and Mimi. But his plans are put on hold when the factory is suddenly attacked by a fierce gang of pirates, led by the dreaded Cheesebeard of Snow Monkey Island. In order to save the other orphans, Hamish X, Mimi, and Parveen must embark upon an epic adventure across the Arctic and take on the cheese-obsessed pirates by themselves. The inimitable Seán Cullen’s first book in his new series for children is dramatic, action-packed, and, of course, completely hilarious.

The mysterious Hamish X is the scourge of the Orphan Disposal Agency--Agents Candy and Sweet can't seem to find a facility that can hold him. After arriving at the Windcity Orphanage, where the children are forced to earn their keep making stinky blue cheese, Hamish X is soon planning his escape along with new friends Parveen and Mimi. But his plans are put on hold when the factory is suddenly attacked by a fierce gang of pirates, led by the dreaded Cheesebeard of Snow Monkey Island. In order to save the other orphans, Hamish X, Mimi, and Parveen must embark upon an epic adventure across the Arctic and take on the cheese-obsessed pirates by themselves.

When we last saw Hamish X, he had been captured once more by the evil Grey Agents of the ODA(Orphan Disposal Agency), and the Wind City Orphanage had been destroyed. But with Mimi’s strength and Parveen’s ingenuity, Hamish X and all their Wind City friends are rescued. Now, new and surprising adventures are in store for everyone, when they make their escape to ... Switzerland! Deep within the Alps, the world’s lost children have found safe haven in a hidden world. It is here, in the Hollow Mountain, where the mysteries of Hamish X, his boots, and his past will begin to unfold—if the Grey Agents don’t get to him first!

From the Sahara Desert to the undersea world of Atlantis to the picturesque town of Providence, Rhode Island,1 Hamish X and his friends Mimi and Parveen prepare for the final battle with the scourge of children everywhere—the evil Grey Agents of the ODA. Only then will the mysteries of Hamish, his boots, and his past finally be revealed. 1Home to ODA headquarters, the very den of evil, as well as the Providence Red Hen.

Brendan figures his troubles are over. Sure, he's going to have to hide the fact that he's a Faerie from his human family and his friends at school, but now that he's been initiated and survived his quest, the hardest part is behind him. Right? Wrong. In The Prince of Two Tribes, Brendan discovers that his troubles are only beginning. He has to prove his worthiness to the Faerie World in a series of difficult tests, and he's having trouble mastering even the simplest of his talents.

With a pimply face and braces on his teeth, the perpetually clumsy Brendan is having a hard time at school. When he starts hearing voices and conversing with chipmunks, he thinks he can add losing his mind to his growing list of problems. Then he discovers that he's a Faerie who was lost in the human world. Now that he knows his true identity, the human disguise that has been protecting him begins to fade and a whole host of wicked creatures tries to tempt him to use his Faerie power for evil intentions. It's up to Brendan to protect the human world, and to make the ultimate choice between the family he has grown up with and his new Faerie roots.

For the first time in one place, Roger M. Sobin has compiled a list of nominees and award winners of virtually every mystery award ever presented. He has also included many of the “best of” lists by more than fifty of the most important contributors to the genre.; Mr. Sobin spent more than two decades gathering the data and lists in this volume, much of that time he used to recheck the accuracy of the material he had collected. Several of the “best of” lists appear here for the first time in book form. Several others have been unavailable for a number of years.; Of special note, are Anthony Boucher’s “Best Picks for the Year.” Boucher, one of the major mystery reviewers of all time, reviewed for The San Francisco Chronicle, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and The New York Times. From these resources Mr. Sobin created “Boucher’s Best” and “Important Lists to Consider,” lists that provide insight into important writing in the field from 1942 through Boucher’s death in 1968.? This is a great resource for all mystery readers and collectors.; ; Winner of the 2008 Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Nonfiction.