"Thirty years after their disappearance, the previously frozen Willoughbys have thawed out and returned from the Alps, to the consternation of their children and grandchildren"--Title verso page.

"There are zero reasons for Theo Ripley to look forward to his family vacation. Not only are he, sister Laura, and nature-obsessed Dad going to Big Bend, the least popular National Park, but once there, the family will be camping. And Theo is an indoor animal. It doesn't help that this will be the first vacation they're taking since Mom passed away. Once there, the family contends with 110 degree days, wild bears, and an annoying amateur ornithologist...

Jack likes to trash-pick, and when his elderly neighbors move out and leave a promising pile of refuse outside, he finds a box that holds the Secret Parent's Handbook that lets him and his friends make the rules at home for a change.

Cinderella's Prince Charming is just perfect, but his mother is a royal pain. She makes the ugly stepsisters look friendly! With a little makeover magic, Cinderella is ready to turn the Mean Queen into the Nice Queen.

Shy, eleven-year-old Veronica Louse Morgan of New York CIty is not happy about having to attend Randolf School for Girls, but by the end of her first year she not only has some new friends, she may have finally convinced her parents that she is ready to own a dog.

"In this family, it's just possible that Dad is a grizzly bear. . . He has fuzzy fur, enormous paws, and he loves the outdoors. He sleeps a lot, even at the movies, and when he's awake, he's always hungry, usually eating up all the honey. What else could Dad be? But sometimes, when it's scary at night, a lovely big bear hug is just what is needed."--