One hilarious Harlem family is on a mission to find the perfect way to celebrate their Papa's fortieth birthday while discovering more about their mysterious grandparents in this heartfelt romp and latest installment to the New York Times best-selling series, perfect for fans of the Penderwicks. It's summer on 141st Street, and the Vanderbeekers are looking forward to Papa's surprise fortieth birthday party. But then Papa must leave town to help his...

"When autumn arrives on 141st Street, the Vanderbeekers are busy helping Mr. Beiderman get ready for the New York City Marathon and making sure the mysterious person sleeping in the community garden gets enough to eat. But when they discover the true identity of the person making a home in the community garden's shed, their world turns upside down as they learn what it means to care for someone in an impossible situation."--

At Mouse's house, Elliot the elephant finds more than a friend--he finds a family.

Told in two voices, eleven-year-old Mimi, who is visiting her wealthy grandparents in Karachi, Pakistan, for the first time and Sakina, daughter of the grandparents' cook, form an unexpected friendship.--

Betty the Yeti moves to a new apartment and friendly neighbors bring the Yetis spaghetti for dinner, but for Betty it is nothing like she expected.

In Georgia the Bog Hollow State Park Junior Bass Fishing Tournament is only a week away, but most of the bass seem to have disappeared from Bog Hollow, and brothers Austin and Ethan Finch and their friends are determined to find out if it is a case of pollution, an invasion of mudfish--or something more sinister.

Twelve-year-old Nellie Tibbits and her herpetologist mother have been in Bog Hollow for a month, but most of the other children regard Nellie as a weird Northerner; however her pet corn snake wins the friendship of Daryl Tate, who is as obsessed with snakes as his grandmother is with stray cats, and when one of the cats disappears Nellie joins the Bog Hollow boys in the search--and hatches a plan to help get Granny Tate's strays adopted.

Twelve-year-old Austin Finch, his younger brother Ethan, sons of the park ranger, are determined to protect all the creatures of Bog Hollow State Park, even the Turkey vultures, from the Manley twins and their father who would like to turn Bog Hollow into a golf course--and they find an ally in the new girl Nellie Tibbits, whose mother has come to southern Georgia to study snakes.

In New York City, a "groovy little jazz number" brings together a lonely crocodile and deer.

"Mr. Elephant wants nothing more than some peace and quiet--that is, until he gets it"--Verso page.