Bøger af Mark David Smith

"It's autumn, and Covenly residents are gathering at the annual fall fair. The three Weird Sisters--Hildegurp, Glubbifer, and Yuckmina--are running a Flying Broom ride for Covenly kids. Nine-year-old Jessica Nibley is overseeing the petting zoo nearby, which includes Jessica's goat, Leona Swapnik's prized chickens, and bats, spiders, and frogs in fancy clothes from the sisters' pet emporium. When a frog hops out of the noisy petting zoo, the sisters and Jessica dash into the chicken coop, hoping to find it there. They don't. And they also discover that their cat, Graymalkin, who was napping in the coop, is missing too, along with Leona's New Hampshire Red chicken. Could it be fowl play? The sisters are ready to solve another mystery. As they search for clues, chaos follows: a chick'n sandwich goes missing; a roller skate is transformed into a roller coaster; an errant spell turns the mayor into a giant frog and a frog into an elegant man; and Cosmo Keene, dressed in a chicken suit, hides and snaps Polaroid pictures, hoping to gather evidence of the sisters' shenanigans. The action culminates in a runaway coaster car whomping into a giant pink puff of cotton candy, just missing Chelsea Oh. In the midst of the havoc, the sisters begin to understand that their spells have created problems for others, and although they don't know how to un-spell, they attempt to make amends: the mayor is human again, and the elegant man reverts to froggy form. But the cat and chicken are still missing, and the only clue to their whereabouts is in Cosmo's photo: a cat's tail sticks out from under a tent. Suspicion falls on Graymalkin--is she a chicken-napper? Luckily, the cat had walked through a puddle of spilled caramel, and a trail of sticky paw prints leads them to the cat, napping near the soft, warm chicken, who is safe and sound, and who had wandered to get away from the wand flashes of the Flying Broom. The day ends with a group ride on a Ferris wheel fashioned out of a pinwheel, and caramel apples for everyone. Full of humorous misunderstanding and hints and phrases from Hamlet, this whimsical mystery reminds readers that actions have consequences that can't always be undone. But we can own up to them, apologize, and make better choices in the future. Dynamic, humorous, and expressive illustrations by Kari Rust are in black and white with roughly two per chapter. End matter includes a recipe for caramel apples."--

Three sleuthing sisters find unanticipated self-acceptance in book two of this hilarious mystery series It's summer, and the Weird Sisters are convinced that the residents of Covenly aren't coming to their pet emporium--and newly opened detective agency--because the sisters are too strange. So they decide to let nine-year-old Jessica Nibley teach them how to play on the swing to fit in. They soon discover the town's beloved tire swing lying on the ground with its rope severed. Who would do such a thing? And why? Jessica and the sisters are determined to solve the mystery. As they search for clues, they stumble onto a second mystery: the robin that nests at Chelsea Oh's house has gone missing. So they plan to find both the robin and the swing vandal. The second book in this whimsical chapter book mystery series is full of clever wordplay, humorous misunderstandings, and expressive illustrations. With hints of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream woven into the plot, this kid-empowering story encourages self-acceptance and open-mindedness in a playful way.

"Inspired by a real-life 2015 discovery by a farmer in Michigan, this is a story about a boy named Caden who digs up a prehistoric woolly mammoth skeleton in his backyard. A recent heavy rain has exposed a bit of something in the yard, which Caden notices and resolves to dig up. He attempts to enlist the help of the adults in his life, who humorously dismiss his discovery. His classroom teacher jokes, "If you had found one of those, I'd eat my hat." Well, against all odds Caden has found "one of those," namely the bones of a woolly mammoth. And the story does wrap with some hat-eating (albeit with a twist). Martha, Caden's next-door neighbor, is the only adult who encourages him to keep digging. Working together and using Martha's truck winch, they haul the biggest bones out of the earth and try to assemble the pieces, which results in several funny combinations. In the end, Caden succeeds in getting his parents' attention, and they're amazed by the giant mammoth skeleton inexpertly pieced together in their own backyard. Even more so, they're amazed and impressed by the tenacity and drive of their young son. Not only has he connected the pieces of the mammoth, Caden has also brought his family together, which is the real treasure Caden finds by the end. The rich-but-restrained illustrations perfectly complement the book's deadpan humor in this kid-empowering story that is also a celebration of scientific inquiry and discovery."--