"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children's Book Review After being chased by a man wielding a shovel, scared silly by a mummy, and attacked by Heather Acosta, Sammy and her pals decide they've had their fill of monsters and head home to eat some candy. But along with bubble gum and chocolate bars, they discover something frightening in their trick-or-treating bags. Something that's definitely not sweet! Before they know it, Sammy and her friends are following suspicious gravediggers, ghoulish embalmers, and shady undertakers. And somebody is following them . . . The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.

Illus. in full color. When the vain, pompous Ichabod Crane tries to steal away Brom Bones's true love, Bones maneuvers a meeting between his rival and the legendary Headless Horseman. From the Trade Paperback edition.

A New York City literary agent returns to her Indiana hometown for a funeral only to get pulled into a murder investigation in this series opener. Allie Cobb left home for the literary circles of Manhattan to make her name out from under the shadow of her legendary father. Now his death brings her and her rescue cat Ursula back to the southern Indiana town of Rushing Creek, population: 3,216. But a tragic new chapter hits the presses when the body of her father’s hard-drinking, #1 bestselling client is found under the historic town bridge. The local police suspect foul play, and their prime candidate for murder is the author’s daughter—Allie’s longtime friend. Determined to clear her bestie, Allie goes into fact-checking amateur detective mode while trying to ignore the usual rumormongers. Those with means, motive, and opportunity include the vic’s ex-wife, his rejected girlfriend, the mayor, and a rival agent trying to mooch clients. With a rugged genealogist distracting her and the imminent Fall Festival about to send tourists descending on their once-peaceful hamlet, Allie needs to stay alive long enough to get a read on a killer ready to close the book on a new victim: Allie . . . Praise for A Literal Mess: “A lovely, entertaining read. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series already.” —Rhoda Baxter, author of Snowed In

What is the afterlife? Is it a final destination—or a continuing journey? In this poignant, mystical story, Thomas dies and suddenly enters a glowing, surreal place of awesome beauty and bizarre science. After making a startling discovery, he vows to devote himself to searching for a loved one. A compelling portrait of people in a strange world, the tale is packed with action and emotion. Thomas is both curious and afraid, and obstacles beset his search. An odd companion, Sammy, guides him along a steep path up a colossal mountain, and there’s a constant clash of wills. His encounter with a lovely woman, Janna, leads him to an alpine village whose endearing and tormenting residents sidetrack his mission until unexpected twists impel him to keep going higher. Out of the struggle to complete their dangerous journey, real meaning slowly emerges, and as all three climb the mountain in pursuit of its mysteries, they discover that the deepest secrets are lodged within themselves. Designed to challenge preconceptions as well as to entertain, this tale flows out of the author’s own struggle following the passing of his younger brother. This powerfully moving story is also meant to comfort those who mourn.

Rachel Fletcher is eleven years old when she, her mother and sister are crammed on board the Exodus, a dilapidated vessel smuggling 4500 Jewish refugees risking their lives to reach Palestine, their biblical homeland. Despite all they had suffered during the Holocaust, Jewish refugees are still not wanted in many countries. Even a Canadian immigration officer famously said at the time "None is too many" when asked how many refugees Canada would take in. Nonetheless, Rachel and the other refugees refuse to give up hope when war ships surround them. Their fight, and the worldwide attention it brought, influenced the UN to vote for the creation of the state of Israel. Made famous by the Paul Newman film "Exodus", this is the first book for young people about the ship that helped make history.