The big piano recital is coming up soon, and Rosie feels anything but ready—“captures the down-to-earth rhythms of suburban life, spiced with humor” (Kirkus Reviews). Even though Rosie has only nine fingers, she’s always managed well. Until now. For some reason, she can’t master the piano solo she’s been rehearsing for the annual recital. It’s called “The Dance of the Dinosaurs,” and it’s hard! As the recital draws near, Rosie is desperate. Why does everything seem so much more difficult now? Is it because she misses her father? Since he moved to Milwaukee to take a new job, Rosie’s been miserable, and her mother has been acting kind of strange. Or is Rosie having trouble because she’s worried about the burglar who’s been secretly visiting her house? Then, too, there’s Mary Jean, the new girl in town. Not only is she rich and pretty, but she plays the piano beautifully. In the weeks before the recital, Rosie fights some hard battles. To her surprise, she discovers that having nine fingers isn’t such a bad thing after all.

“Boys and girls alike will appreciate the mix of classic and contemporary elements in this creepy, suspenseful middle-grade mystery” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books). Roddy Hall overhears his mother saying “Princess” is coming to visit. He’s excited—he’s always wanted a dog. But then he finds out that—ick—Princess is a girl and—yuck—she’ll be staying for a whole week. One night, Princess, Roddy, and his best friend, Jacob, notice a mysterious car pull up to an abandoned house. Could it be a burglar? Or worse yet, a ghost? Princess is determined to find out, and against his better judgment, Roddy goes along with her. They sneak out of the house to investigate—but will they be ready for what they might find? Princess for a Week is a Society for School Librarians International Honor Book.

Jenny’s new house has an unwanted ghost: “Readers will enjoy the imaginative pranks of the specter and the resourceful way [Jenny] solves her problem” (School Library Journal). Jenny knows she should be excited about the beautiful old house that her mother has inherited from Miss Nagle. She’ll finally have her own bedroom, and the place even comes with Rufus the cat, a ready-made pet. But when Jenny visits the house, she’s scared out of her wits. Giant snakes, elephants, and all kinds of terrifying creatures lurk around every corner. With a little help from Rufus, Jenny discovers who’s behind these spooky happenings. It’s the ghost of Miss Nagle’s grandmother, the once-famous witch of Willowby Lane. The ghost witch loves to scare people, and she thinks Jenny and her friends will be perfect targets. Jenny decides to meet the ghost witch face-to-face in this scary, yet delightful short-chapter book.

A girl’s scary dream may come true in this “fast moving” story starring “a likable and believable heroine” (School Library Journal). Meg’s nightmare about a thin, gray-haired man who beckons her to follow him through a dark doorway will no doubt come true. That’s the way it is with all of her “real” dreams, the ones that her grandmother calls “a secret window into the future.” Meg suspects that her dream is about sixteen-year-old Caleb Larsen’s father, who died in a car crash after allegedly stealing $50,000 from a local bank. Could Mr. Larsen be trying to reach Caleb and his mother through Meg’s dreams? Is he trying to reveal the truth about what happened? As Meg’s nightmare begins to come true, she learns to cope with her own past as well as Caleb’s, and to see the present in a different, more positive light.

Meg’s dreams seem to predict the future—but can she make a better future for herself? “Filled with sensitivity and warmth” (Children’s Book Review Service). “It was crazy to have dreams that came true. If you talked about them, it’d upset the people you loved and make them angry. Meg had learned something bad about herself, an ugly secret.” And so she decided to keep the dreams to herself, writing them down in a special notebook. Sometimes her dreams were pleasant, but other times they were disturbing—especially the one about the cave with the blue light. When Meg’s worst dreams begin to come true, she’s convinced they bring bad luck. Why else would her father move out to “find himself” or her best friend desert her for a rowdy crowd of older kids? Meg’s grandmother and a wonderful new neighbor finally help her realize that her “secret window” into the future can bring good luck, if understood properly.

Two girls suspect an abandoned mansion is haunted—but will anyone believe them before it’s too late? “[A] well-written, shivery ghost story” (Booklist). Beware! At first, Charli is excited about the Crandall family’s newest endeavor—fixing up the town’s old mansion and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. She even volunteers to help. Then strange things begin to happen. Charli hears someone singing—but no one is there. She sees the shadow of a rocking cradle—but there is no cradle. And then she hears a baby crying, and crying. . . . Something terrible happened in the old house many years ago. And it may happen again, unless Charli can figure out how to stop the past from repeating itself.

Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for . . . “An adventure story with a hint of the supernatural . . . full of action and suspense” (School Library Journal). Most years Corby likes summer vacation, but not now. He’s stuck at his grandparents’ house in Wisconsin, where his grandfather constantly reminds him how timid he is and how different his father was at his age. And his new friend Buck seems to think he’s chicken, too, just because he’d rather be sensible than risk getting hurt. To prove he’s tough, Corby joins Buck for a nighttime journey into the woods to find the Wish Master, a fierce, giant statue that is rumored to grant wishes. Soon it seems as if the Wish Master does have special powers—though it doesn’t always get things exactly right. When Corby wishes for a puppy, a mangy stray comes into his life. He soon grows attached to the loyal mutt. Then the dog gets Corby in big trouble, and Corby decides it’s time to wish for what he really wants: to go home. But will this wish bring more harm than good?