You (Desmond) are woken in your hotel room by the bedside phone ringing at 2 a.m. A damsel in distress is calling you from the room immediately above. She begs you to come and rescue her at once as two men are about to attack her.The damsel, who is young, blonde and beautiful, explains that she is an MI5 agent and her assailants (who are identical twins) are employees of a foreign power in search of a mysterious brief case, known as 'The McGonagall.'You suddenly find yourself in dangerous world full of spies, threats, glamour and betrayal. You are knocked senseless in a Soho nightclub and wake up in a rat- infested cellar. You are threatened with torture by the twins but rescued by a retired Colonel. After a number of other adventures, including a boxing match with dogs, everyone gets decorations and Frank, the writer, rewards you and your damsel with a glamorous society wedding and a working honeymoon on the Moon. As the plot develops, you keep complaining to the writer about the way you are treated. The Readers Group also give the writer a hard time with their critical comments.Night Bell is a hilarious metafictional spy adventure in which 'you' play the leading role!

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.

For fans of Coraline and Spirited Away comes a diverse fantasy debut steeped in Japanese mythology about a girl and a deadly curse. The last thing thirteen-year-old Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother's village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family's ancestral shrine on a malicious dare. But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked...and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth—or say goodbye to the world of the living forever... The Night Parade is perfect for: Fantasy fans and kids 11 to 14 who love Spirited Away Kids and teens looking for creepy, suspenseful stories Adults looking for diverse books for kids Mythology fans and kids 12 to 14 A 2017 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year A Kids' Indie Next Pick A Junior Library Guild Selection A 2017 Freeman Book Award Winner

The last year of World War I is an eventful one for Vermont farm boy Mason as he helps with the chores, tries to get along with his little brother, and sees an older bully go off to the war

Barney, Roger, Diane and Snubby love solving mysteries, with the help of Loony the spaniel and Miranda the monkey. When the children go to stay in Ring O' Bells Village, they are eager to explore the secret passage in Ring O' Bells Hall. Is it really a dead end as they have been told, or does it follow the route marked on the old map they find? The Children investigate and hear strange noises. Could there be something hidden in the pasage - or even someone? AUTHOR: Enid Mary Blyton (11August 1897-28 November 1968) was a British children's writer known as both Enid Blyton and Mary Pollock. She was one of the most successful children's storytellers of the twentieth century. She is noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups. Her books have enjoyed popular success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies. Blyton is the fifth most translated author worldwide: over 3544 translations of her books were available in 2007 according to UNESCO's Index Translationum she overtook Lenin to get the fifth place and is behind Shakespeare. One of Blyton's most widely known characters is Noddy, intended for early years readers. However, her main forte is the young readers' novels, where children ride out their own adventures with minimal adult help. In this genre, particularly popular series include the Famous Five (consisting of 21 novels, 1942-1963, based on four children and their dog), the Five Find-Outers and Dog, (15 novels, 1943-1961, where five children regularly outwit the local police) as well as the Secret Seven (15 novels, 1949-1963, a society of seven children who solve various mysteries). Her work involves children's adventure stories, and fantasy, sometimes involving magic. Her books were and still are enormously popular in Britain, Malta, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia; as translations in the former Yugoslavia, Japan; as adaptations in Arabic; and across most of the globe. Her work has been translated into nearly 90 languages. *

Christmas is coming! In a church tower, three bells practice ringing for Christmas Eve. But the newest and smallest bell in the tower is silent. What could be wrong? The dove, the wise crow, and all the other animals find good words to try to encourage the little bell to ring. But nothing works . . . until Christmas Eve when they find the words that inspire the little bell to ring out—“Peace on earth.” An inventive story about the meaning of Christmas, with ethereal illustrations by Maja Dusíková.