Adventure. In what book can you read about staring competitions, monster squids, plagues of beetles, and the untamed mountainous realms of the forbidden state of Delaware (bet you didn't know that Delaware has mountains...)? In none other than this 3rd volume of author M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series, in which Boy Technonaut Jasper Dash and his cohorts Lily and Katie must unravel a knotty mystery and save the world from some dastardly villains. Like an over-the-top blending of a Hardy Boys mystery and the Indiana Jones movies with a healthy dose of complete absurdity, this fun and fast-reading story is perfect for those who enjoy ridiculous humor and plenty of action.

Fantasy. Young Peter lives with an addled and strict old soldier who has told the boy that his younger sister, Adele, is dead. Hoping for a miracle, Peter uses their meager grocery money to pay a fortune teller for any news of Adele. He is told that she is, in fact, alive--and that an elephant will lead Peter to her. This is outrageous, of course...until a local stage magician accidentally conjures up an actual elephant (he only intended to materialize a bouquet of lilies). This mysterious and enchanting story about what might be possible is full of subtle humor, fabulous description, and memorable characters.

Fiction. Ever since her mother died five years ago, 12-year-old Lidie has lived with her aunt and uncle in her native Brazil. Now she is moving to Queens, New York, to join her older brother, Rafael, and her father, Pai, who train race horses for a living. Attending a new school and learning a new language are big challenges, but worst of all, Pai and Rafael still treat Lidie like a baby. Maybe if she can ride Wild Girl, a spirited filly that her father has been hired to train, Lidie can show them how strong she's become. If you love horses, emotional stories, and characters who seem real, you'll gallop through Wild Girl.

Nonfiction. So, what makes a barbarian...well, barbaric? Does anyone rude and crude make the cut? Or is barbarism simply in the eye of the beholder? Find out for yourself in this history of Goths, Huns (as in "Attila the"), Vikings, and Mongols (such as Genghis Khan)--nomadic peoples who attacked the empires of their times. Well-illustrated and covering everything from daily life to religious beliefs to each group's conquests, Barbarians will fascinate history buffs as well as anyone interested in the ways and reasons that humans make war.

Horror. The town of Spooking is dark, dank, and decidedly eerie--and it suits 11-year-old Joy Wells just fine, thank you. Joy lives in Spooking but attends school in neighboring Darlington, a sticky-sweet suburb that makes her want to gag. She loves horror stories and is convinced that her favorite author, E. A. Peugeot, wrote his most shiveringly delicious tale about a bog that's located right in her hometown. When Joy learns that Darlington plans to build a water park over that very bog, she decides that it's up to her to save it--and the fiend that she believes lives there. This 1st volume in the Joy of Spooking series will please fans of mystery, horror, and dark humor.

Fantasy. Do you think you know who the bad guys are? Maybe you just need to hear the villains' versions of the fairy tales that made them infamous. In Troll's Eye View, beloved authors such as Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Jane Yolen provide markedly different perspectives on the stories of Rapunzel, The Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk, and more. Some of these yarns are funny, others are creepy, and some of them are just downright weird. Put them all together and you have a real treat for any fan of folklore, fantasy, or horror.

Horror. When David Eliot is expelled from school, his parents receive a letter inviting him to attend Groosham Grange, a boarding school with a reputation for setting misbehavers straight. Upon his arrival at Groosham Grange, David begins to wonder whether his classmates have been scared straight! New students are required to sign their names in blood, French class is cancelled during the full moon, and there seem to be lots of creepy shenanigans afoot. Fans of Lemony Snicket's humor and R.L. Stine's horror will find plenty to entertain them here...if they dare.

Short Stories. Hailing from Iceland, Egypt, Spain, Japan, Hawaii, and several other spots on the globe, these 22 spooky folktales offer up a wide variety of things to scare you silly. Whether it's a magic spell gone bad, a monster, an evil witch or wizard, or just a particularly nasty human being, each story's bugaboo gives readers a different reason to sleep with the lights on. For even more scary stories from around the world, check out the 1st volume, Ask the Bones.

Fiction. Medusa Jones can top anyone's bad hair day--she's got snakes on her head instead of hair! Medusa and her friends (Mino the minotaur and Chiron the centaur) are known as The Freaks and get picked on at school by the perfect, popular students, who call themselves the Champions. Medusa's parents won't let her turn anyone to stone, so she can't fight back. But when the Freaks and the Champions are teamed up on a class trip to Mount Olympus and disaster strikes, Medusa gets a chance to be the hero for a change. If you think it would be fun to imagine what gods and goddesses might be like as kids, you'll love this quick, funny read.

Fantasy/Adventure. Twelve-year-old Alex has plenty to worry about; he can't get the time of day from the girl of his dreams, and he has to pay the local bully not to beat him up. But when Alex's dad brings home a mummy to add to his museum of "oddities" and a freak lightning strike resurrects the corpse, Alex and his friend Freddie find themselves journeying to the Underworld to clear the mummy of an ancient murder charge. Bullies are nothing compared to monsters from Greek mythology! Packed with action, humor, and suspense, Walking with the Dead is a must-read for fans of Jon Scieszka's Time Warp Trio series.

Humorous Fiction. This 8th entry in the zany time-travel series that began with Knights of the Kitchen Table finds buddies Joe, Fred, and Sam transported to Hades just as they're about to go on stage for their school play on ancient Greece. Facing Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the Greek underworld, the three friends are certain they're about to be eaten--but they are only at the beginning of their adventures on Mount Olympus. If you like wacky stories that don't take long to read, be sure to check out the whole Time Warp Trio series. (This volume has a glossary of gods, goddesses, and monsters that will help you get all of its jokes.)

Fiction. After he was turned into a talking pig by the sorceress Circe, Odysseus' former crewman Gryllus decided to remain in pig form (it's easier than being human). Pie-loving, sarcastic Gryllus is perfectly happy as a pig...until pushy prophetess Sibyl nabs him and insists that he must help her save the world! Full of crazy antics involving gods, monsters, and really bad puns, The Pig Scrolls is a hilarious adventure story that Greek mythology buffs are sure to enjoy. Gryllus, who narrates the book, continues his epic tale in The Pig Who Saved the World.