Vivian French

Hold on to your head for the funny and fast-paced second Tale from the Five Kingdoms, a follow-up to THE ROBE OF SKULLS. (Age 8 and up)

When the quill writes GO GO GO frantically on the wall, and the House of the Ancient Crones heaves Gracie Gillypot outside onto the path, it can mean only one thing: there's Trouble in the Five Kingdoms. This time it's in the form of a beady-eyed, green-tongued witch named Truda Hangnail, who with

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A mother and child watch as tadpoles develop and grow into frogs.

"... the beady-eyed, green-tongued witch Truda Hangnail spreads evil along her path to succeed Queen Bluebell, enlisting the kingdom's rats and shrinking the good witches of Wadingburn to pave her way to the throne. Luckily, a sweet-natured orphan named Loobly is witness to Truda's evil spells and sets off to fetch help."--Jacket flap. When the quill writes "Go Go Go" frantically on the wall, and the House of the Ancient Crones heaves Gracie Gillypot...

Gracie Gillypott and Prince Marcus embark on a dwarf-watching outing, not knowing that the dwarves are working frantically to make crowns for a royal wedding and that they have enlisted some unreliable trolls to help them, thus putting the humans' expedition in peril.

Stanley has trouble deciding what to give his mother for Mother's Day.

While visiting his grandfather, who has a wonderful garden, Oliver learns to eat vegetables other than potatoes.

Tiger says "No!" to everything his mother wants him to do, but then finds out that having a temper tantrum will not get him what he wants.

Although he loves to help Grandpa pick fresh fruit, Oliver will not eat any until one day Mom prepares something very special in a big glass bowl.