Maureen Swanson is the scourge of the neighborhood. At age nine, she already has a reputation as a hard slapper, a loud laugher, a liar, and a stay-after-schooler. The other kids call her Stinky. So sometimes when Maureen passes the crumbling (and haunted?) Messerman mansion, she imagines that she is Maureen Messerman–rich, privileged, and powerful. Then she finds a way into the forbidden, boarded-up house. In the hall are portraits of seven young women wearing elaborate gowns and haughty expressions. Maureen has something scathing to say to each one, but then she notices that the figures seem to have shifted in their frames. So she reaches out her finger to touch the paint–just to make sure–and touches . . . silk! These seven daughters of privilege are colder and meaner than Maureen ever thought to be. They are wicked, wicked ladies, and Maureen has something they want. . . .

Nine-year-old Maureen is the terror of her neighborhood until the day she begins to explore an old deserted estate and encounters a leprechaun and seven strange ladies.

Do pigeons plus people have to equal problems? The erudite big-city pigeon Dr. Archibald Coo is tired of the way people treat him and his pigeon friends. They’re always being shooed and swatted, and they’re never admired the way the other birds are. But it wasn’t always this way. Pigeons once delivered news of the Olympic Games throughout ancient Greece and medicines to soldiers on battlefields. They were heroes! Dr. Coo resolves to find a way for pigeons to once again get the admiration they deserve. But can it be done? Pigeons unite! It’s time to teach the people a lesson in peacemaking.

When Pigeon finds a delicious hot dog, he can't wait to devour it. But then along comes a sly duckling who wants a bite. Who will be the more clever bird?

Set in the nation's capital, a collection of stories about African Americans living in Washington, D.C., introduces characters who struggle daily with loss--of family, of friends, of memories, and of themselves. Repritn. 15,000 first printing.