Books published by publisher Brimax Books, Cambridge, England

A collection of adopted traditional tales, selected original stories and poems splendidly illustrated by Eric Kincaid; suitable for a wide age group from 5-10 years. Written in an imaginative, humorous style, a delightful mixture of fantasy and adventure, the stories are easy to read independently and appropriate for sharing aloud. == Back Cover of Book

A nerve-wracking audition for a summer ballet workshop reminds fifteen-year-old Cass how much she wishes her mom hadn’t died so young. Her dad isn’t exactly Mr. Encouragement when it comes to her dancing, and he shuts down whenever she asks about her mother. Cass feels as though her life is a puzzle with a giant piece missing. Dancing has become her safe place where she doesn’t have to think about why her father won’t discuss her mother, or why her best friend and boyfriend are acting weird. But as she moves closer to her dream of a career in ballet, Cass uncovers secrets her friends have been keeping. Then, in the midst of an intensely competitive summer dance program and the beginnings of a new romance with a fellow dancer, she makes an even more devastating discovery, a betrayal that leaves her questioning whether she even wants to dance at all. In a year when everything Cass has ever believed about her life turns out to be false, can she heal and forgive? And can she find her own way to pursue her passion for dance?

The only event interrupting the summer blahs for Toby Martin, girl detective, and Freddy Galvin, boy foil, is the Great Minnesota Get- Together: the one, the only, the Minnesota State Fair! Electrifying rides, delicious food on a stick, raucous music, parades, talent shows, and the oinks, bahs, moos, and clucks of the farm animals make August the best month of the summer. Add to that a stolen knockwurst float, hateful pranks, mind games and a chase that puts Toby and Freddy in danger and you’ve got a Fair to remember.

Thirteen-year-old Erin jumps at any chance to go geocaching — using GPS technology to locate hidden caches. But family outings seem as likely as finding a cache in an active volcano after Erin’s unemployed dad relocates to another state. When her parents then stop talking to each other and they lose their house, Erin feels about as secure as a fault line during an earthquake. Setting out with her friend Dev, Erin discovers a mysterious note inside a geocache. Convinced it leads to valuables that could help her family, she and Dev track down geocaching clues. Besides cryptic messages, they face secret tunnel networks, gobs of chewed bubblegum, and woods bristling with vengeful wasps. Chess team bullies, scheming geocachers, and self-doubt also threaten their mission. Meanwhile, Erin’s dad extends his remote stay, and financial worries take up permanent residence at home. Will Erin and Dev unravel the mystery before her family falls apart?

One by one neighborhood dogs disappear. One by one the ransom notes arrive. When Toby Martin and her best pal, Freddy, discover Toby's dog is the next intended victim, they become first-rate detectives. Who is the pooch pilferer? Will Toby and Freddy rescue the dogs and capture the criminal? While Toby is investigating, she is also writing a series of mystery stories in the Sherlock Holmes tradition. These stories are critiqued by the delightfully nasty Mrs. Trattles, a hard-nosed, straight arrow English teacher who forces Toby to improve her writing.