Desperately in search of your stolen bicycle? Has your cat gone mysteriously missing? Meet Samantha "Sam" Green, Briarton's most precocious private eye. She may be only ten years old, but that's not stopping her from figuring out some very vexing mysteries. Be it a slinking shadow in the night or a pesky vandal on the prowl, Sam has a flair for cracking the toughest case wide open--and getting herself grounded along the way. With Halloween one week away, a mystery comes knocking at Samantha Green's door in the form of scary Mrs. Finkel, Briarton's new librarian and suspected witch. When Mrs. Finkel asks for Sam's help to investigate haunting pumpkin deliveries and "noises that vanish," Sam is terrified, but her curious nature just can't resist the challenge. With the help of her best friend, Brian; favorite babysitter, Jenn; and trusty yellow Lab, Murphy, Sam delves into the baffling and downright spooky case. Soon, she is full-tilt into her investigation of the haunting, unexplainable events occurring at Mrs. Finkel's house, from the mounting pile of pumpkins left on her doorstep to menacing notes attempting to run her out of town. As Sam chases the trail of clues, she uncovers yet another mystery--that of Mrs. Finkel herself!

When Emily Plankhurst is visited by the ghost of Gabriel Graystone, and learns he was murdered, she knows she must find justice for him. The only problem is, Gabriel was killed a hundred years ago, shortly after he broke off his engagement to the daughter of a prominent Taos family, and there aren’t many other clues to go by in finding his killer. Emily, who runs a private research library—a place that’s known to harbor its own share of ghosts—teams up with Samantha Sweet and her daughter to investigate. As they delve into the case they discover that the story goes much deeper than a broken engagement or an old feud. There are hidden places in Taos that no one knows about, and plenty of ghostly old secrets. With danger lurking in the shadows, can they uncover the truth before those secrets catch up with them? If you enjoyed the cozy Aunt Dimity mystery series, you'll love this suspenseful story of a librarian, a baker, and their search for justice. Readers are raving about these lighthearted, relaxing, well-written books—Samantha may not be young, beautiful or have the perfect body, but she is intelligent, independent, and hard working, the kind of person you feel you already know. ~ ~ ~ Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous mysteries: “The best yet!! Not only was Sweet Magic fantastic, it left me dying to see where life is headed for Samantha and her family! Heart-gripping, fast-paced, and amazing.” – J.J. 5-stars, online review “LOVE, LOVE these books!” —5 stars, online review “Fantastic! Impossible to put down!” – 5 stars, Amazon reader “Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” —Albuquerque Journal “Connie Shelton gets better with every book she writes.” —The Midwest Book Review

Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop café owner Lindsey Bakewellis ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe . . . With the spirit of the holidays wafting through the Beacon Bakeshop, Lindsey thinks she has the recipe for the sweetest Christmas ever—winning the town-wide cookie bake-off. Unfortunately, striving for a picture-perfect December in Beacon Harbor is a lot like biting into stale shortbread. Low on staff and bombarded by visits from family, Lindsey can barely meet demands at work, let alone summon the confidence to face fierce competition . . . Self-appointed Christmas know-it-all Felicity Stewart is determined to take the top spot in the bake‐off, and she’s not afraid to dump a little coal in everyone’s stocking to do it. Just as the competition heats up, everything falls apart when the judge is found dead—and covered in crumbs from Lindsey’s signature cookie! Solving a murder was never on Lindsey’s wish list. But with her reputation on the line during the happiest time of the year, she’ll need to bring her best talents to the table in order to sift out the true Christmas Cookie culprit. Includes Delicious Recipes!

Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends. This girl is determined to express herself! If she can't draw her dreams, she'll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can't do that, she'll turn her world into a canvas. And if everything around her is taken away, she'll sing, dance, and dream... Stunning mixed media illustrations, lyrical text, and a breathtaking gatefold conjure powerful magic in this heartfelt affirmation of art, imagination, and the resilience of the human spirit.

A children’s poet and an acclaimed illustrator pair “luscious rhymes and an atmospheric eeriness" in this playful tale of neighborhood battle (Publishers Weekly, starred review). When a scary old tree blooms with the most beautiful pomegranates ever seen, the neighborhood kids’ mouths water with anticipation. But the tree isn’t theirs—and it has a protector! So begins the Pomegranate War, a rollicking contest of wills between the plucky young rascals and their wry, witchy neighbor who has more than a few tricks up her sleeve. A delightful rhyming tale that culminates in a grand Halloween surprise, The Pomegranate Witch honors classic children's literature and revels in nostalgia for free-to-roam days full of playful invention.

The #1 New York Times bestselling dramatic serial novel and inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film of the same name starring Tom Hanks, the “literary event” (Entertainment Weekly) of The Green Mile is now available in its entirety. When The Green Mile first appeared, serialized as one volume per month, Stephen King’s The Green Mile was an unprecedented publishing triumph: all six volumes ended up on the New York Times bestseller list—simultaneously—and delighted millions of fans the world over. Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk the Green Mile, keeping a date with “Old Sparky,” Cold Mountain’s electric chair. Prison guard Paul Edgecombe has seen his share of oddities in his years working the Mile. But he’s never seen anyone like John Coffey, a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a crime terrifying in its violence and shocking in its depravity. In this place of ultimate retribution, Edgecombe is about to discover the terrible, wondrous truth about Coffey, a truth that will challenge his most cherished beliefs...and yours.

Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.

Third-grader Max did not want to invite Jeremy or the new student, Sam, to his birthday sleepover, but soon discovers that differences can make a person fun and interesting.