Books with author Russell Ginns

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the second book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.When Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, he left amazing presents for her sister and brother. Samantha got . . . a rusty old umbrella.Wow! So unfair, Uncle Paul.Well, it seemed unfair--until Samantha discovered that the old umbrella holds the plans for super-secret travel. It's the ticket to danger and adventure beyond anyone's wildest dreams.But Uncle Paul is still missing. And Samantha just received a new gift from him: a pair of strange purple sunglasses. Are they another powerful present? A clue to his whereabouts? Or just a bad fashion choice? Samantha and Nipper need to figure it out fast, because . . . here comes the SUN!Praise for the Samantha Spinner series:"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews"Wild, wacky, and occasionally gross." --The Bulletin

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the third book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.At last! Samantha Spinner tracked down her uncle! Now it's her big chance to learn everything. And now that he's safe and sound, it's time to get some answers.There are so many questions to ask--it's almost impossible to know where to start. Where did the RAIN come from? And what about the SUN? Who made the umbrella and all the incredible ways to travel? What did Uncle Paul mean when he told her to watch out for the...Wait a minute. Nipper's missing. Where did he go? What's that strange trail of yarn? Can't a girl take her eyes off her super-annoying little brother for ten minutes?(If you've been paying attention, then you know that the answer to that last question is "No! Of course not!")Praise for the Samantha Spinner series:"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews"Wild, wacky, and occasionally gross." --The Bulletin

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the second book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.When Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, he left presents for his nieces and nephew. Samantha's sister, Buffy, got $2,400,000,000. Her brother, Nipper, got the New York Yankees. Samantha got . . . a rusty old umbrella.Wow! So unfair, Uncle Paul.Well, it seemed unfair--until Samantha discovered that the old umbrella holds the plans for a super-secret network of transit systems that covers the globe. It's the ticket to danger and adventure beyond anyone's wildest dreams.But Uncle Paul is still missing. And Samantha just received a new gift from him: a pair of strange purple sunglasses. Are they another powerful present? A clue to his whereabouts? Or just a bad fashion choice? Samantha and Nipper need to figure it out fast, because . . . here comes the SUN!Praise for Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans, Book 1 in the Samantha Spinner series:"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews"Full of adventure and survival . . . [and with] characters [who] are likable, realistic, and well rounded . . . [Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans is] great for [readers of] series like The 39 Clues." --School Library Journal

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the second book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.When Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, he left presents for his nieces and nephew. Samantha's sister, Buffy, got $2,400,000,000. Her brother, Nipper, got the New York Yankees. Samantha got . . . a rusty old umbrella.Wow! So unfair, Uncle Paul.Well, it seemed unfair--until Samantha discovered that the old umbrella holds the plans for a super-secret network of transit systems that covers the globe. It's the ticket to danger and adventure beyond anyone's wildest dreams.But Uncle Paul is still missing. And Samantha just received a new gift from him: a pair of strange purple sunglasses. Are they another powerful present? A clue to his whereabouts? Or just a bad fashion choice? Samantha and Nipper need to figure it out fast, because . . . here comes the SUN!Praise for Samantha Spinner and the Super Secret Plans, Book 1 in the Samantha Spinner series:"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews"Full of adventure and survival . . . [and with] characters [who] are likable, realistic, and well rounded . . . [Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans is] great for [readers of] series like The 39 Clues." --School Library Journal

Get ready for more round-the-world adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the third book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series filled with super-secret messages! Perfect for fans of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and classics like Holes.At last! Samantha Spinner tracked down her uncle! Now it's her big chance to learn everything. And now that he's safe and sound, it's time to get some answers.There are so many questions to ask--it's almost impossible to know where to start. Where did the RAIN come from? And what about the SUN? Who made the umbrella and all the incredible ways to travel? What did Uncle Paul mean when he told her to watch out for the...Wait a minute. Nipper's missing. Where did he go? What's that strange trail of yarn? Can't a girl take her eyes off her super-annoying little brother for ten minutes?(If you've been paying attention, then you know that the answer to that last question is "No! Of course not!")Praise for the Samantha Spinner series:"A winning mix of fast-paced action, fascinating facts, bathroom humor, and hidden puzzles . . . [that is] sure to please action-loving middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews"Wild, wacky, and occasionally gross." --The Bulletin

For most people, home is a place with four walls. It's a place to eat, sleep, rest, and live. For a refugee, the concept of home is ever-changing, ever-moving, ever-wavering. And often, it doesn't have any walls at all.Eleven-year-old Lam escapes from Vietnam with Dee Dee during the Vietnamese Boat People Exodus in 1979, when people from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fled their homelands for safety. For a refugee, the trip is a long and perilous one, filled with dangerous encounters with pirates and greedy sailors, a lack of food and water, and even the stench of a dead body onboard. When they finally arrive at a refugee camp, Lam befriends Dao, a girl her age who becomes like a sister-a welcome glimmer of happiness after a terrifying journey. Readers will feel as close to Lam as the jade pendant she wears around her neck, sticking by her side throughout her journey as she experiences fear, crushing loss, boredom, and some small moments of joy along the way. Written in verse, this is a heartfelt story that is sure to build empathy and compassion for refugees around the world escaping oppression.