Prepare to laugh out loud at the antics of Goldilocks and The Three Bears in this illustrated chapter book for lovers of snarky humor and fractured fairy tales. "So I ate some porridge and broke a chair--get over it!" Goldilocks snipes at Bobby Bear, as Baby Bear is now calling himself. Tensions are high at the Three Bears cottage where Goldilocks--an overdramatic tween who has deluded herself into believing she's a princess--is stranded until the Big Bad Wolf vacates the area. A hungry troll, three pigs with a home improvement show on HoGTV, and of course the Big Bad Wolf all figure into the story in this hilarious mash-up of folk and fairy tales from around the world. In chapters full of quirky and clever drawings, Bobby and Goldilocks alternate narrating the story of their hair-raising adventures. But despite their initial bad impressions, a kind of affection develops between Bobby and Goldilocks, and they become something like friends. As Bobby explains, "I mean, annoying as she was, I didn't want her to end up wolf kibble." Over 80 illustrations are included.

It's not the big bad wolf that stops Little Red Hoodie from getting to grandma's house in this rollicking take on the fairy tale--Red can't follow directions! "Follow Magic Wand Lane to Glass Slipper Boulevard, right on Beanstalk, left on Breadcrumb, down the Garden Path, and you're there," said Little Red Hoodie's mom, but Red wasn't exactly paying attention. Before she knows it, she's hopelessly lost in the forest-- and to make matters worse, someone has stolen her basket of goodies. It'll take the whole forest to undercover the thief and get the directionally challenged Little Red Hoodie back on track to Grandma's house. A companion to the delightfully irreverent Goldilocks, Go Home!, this latest from Martha Freeman features all the wit and charm of the first book as well as cameos by Bobby (Baby) Bear, the Pig Brothers from HoGTV, Chicken Little, and many more. Marta Sevilla's clever drawings effortlessly capture the spirited banter among characters as Little Red Hoodie and Bobby Bear take turns narrating the story.

“Will make a theater lover of any young reader.” —Booklist​​ Perfect for fans of The Wednesday Wars, this raucous and delightful middle grade mystery from Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman is filled with backstage fun, relatable family drama, and maybe even a ghost. Break a leg! That’s what you say to actors when what you mean is Have a good show!. Anything else is bad luck. But when Miss Magnus literally breaks her leg, eleven-year-old Noah McNichol and the rest of the Plattsfield Winklebottom Memorial Sixth-Grade Players are out of luck, left without a director for their production of Hamlet. Coach Fig comes to the rescue—sort of. He’ll direct, even though he is clearly more interested in whatever is happening on his phone than in directing. He doesn’t even know upstage from downstage! But then something weird happens: out of nowhere appears a strangely dressed old guy named Mike. He tells Noah he has theater experience, before disappearing—poof. Noah has some investigating to do and some decisions to make. Like, does he care more that their new director might be a ghost or about getting to make his stage debut? And who is Mike and why has he decided to help? As things get weirder and weirder, one thing becomes clear: The show must go on, and Noah will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

Arthur Popper helps out in his family's Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what's what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he's not brave or adventurous. Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it's the key to solving the perfect crime--a crime only he knows about. With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery and confront a thief?

From Edgar Award–nominated author Martha Freeman comes a “delightful” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade mystery following a young boy working at his family’s secondhand store that is a steal-your-heart story about family and friendship. Arthur Popper helps out in his family’s Boulder, Colorado, junk store, Universal Trash, a place so full of cool stuff it inspires awe in first-time shoppers. When it comes to ukuleles, peppermills, and rhinestones, Arthur knows what’s what. But unlike his motorcycle-riding grandma and his namesake, King Arthur, he’s not brave or adventurous. Then Arthur finds a chipped teacup, of all things, and realizes it’s the key to solving the perfect crime—a crime only he knows about. With help from a supernatural sidekick, his best friend, his annoying little sister, and a sad-faced police officer, Arthur embarks on the hard work of detecting. Everyone knows Arthur is good at customer service. Does he have what it takes to solve a mystery and confront a thief?

“Mystery lovers will be satisfied by the plot and adults will love the curriculum and social awareness tie-ins.” —School Library Journal Eleven-year-old Luis is left looking for answers after a city-wide blackout leads him to an electrifying mystery in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from Martha Freeman. Luis Cardenal is toasting a Pop-Tart when a power outage strikes Hampton, New Jersey. Elevators and gas pumps fail right away; soon cell phones die and grocery shelves empty. Cold and in the dark, people begin to get desperate. Luis likes to know how things work, and the blackout gets him wondering: Where does the city’s electricity come from? What would cause it to shut down? No one seems to have answers, and rumors are flying. Then a slip of the tongue gives Luis and his ex-best friend Maura a clue. Brushed off by the busy police, the two sixth graders determine they are on their own. To get to the bottom of the mystery, they know they need to brave the abandoned houses of Luis’s poor neighborhood and find the homeless teen legend known as Computer Genius. What they don’t know is that someone suspects they know too much, someone who wants to keep Hampton in the dark. In this highly charged mystery, two can-do sleuths embark on a high-tech urban adventure to answer an age-old question: Who turned out the lights?