The second installment in an action-adventure series about a boy on a rescue mission—part Pinocchio, part fantasy, and all fun!
Charlie lived a quiet life—until his father was suddenly kidnapped by the Iron Cog. In the midst of searching for his father, Charlie discovered the shocking truth about himself: he is one of his father’s inventions—a living clockwork boy!
Now separated from his friends, Charlie finds himself in the service of a very tough company of dwarves, who view him only as a machine—that is, until a heroic act makes them his closest allies. Soon Charlie must rescue his friends and face the Iron Cog head-on. But Charlie wonders . . . will he ever find his own kind?
With page-turning suspense, Charlie and Geneva pull readers through a maze of intrigue, as layer after layer of reality smashes to bits. In a cinematic quest to crush the powers of evil, their courage is truly tested. The clock is ticking.
Does Charlie really have what it takes to vanquish the most dangerous force our planet has ever known?
Charlie isn’t a hero. He’s the kind of boy who gets chased by bullies and beaten up. In fact, he’s so “different” he’s never had a single real friend—and his strict grandfather won’t even let him have a dog.
So what makes him different? Well, he’s exceptionally good at solving puzzles. And he’s better at math than anyone you know. In our time, he would probably be a computer genius–which is lucky, because that’s exactly what he’s going to need to become. And he has another unusual ability–something you might call magic. And he’s very, very gifted.
At the beginning of this story, Charlie is living in a long-ago place where people with his gift are hunted down and put to death. But his talents are desperately needed in the future—where a stubborn, robotic girl named Geneva is determined to stop the deadly activities of Gramercy Foxx, a brilliant but twisted corporate giant. Foxx shares Charlie’s gift and is using it in a frightening plan to enslave the world.
Now Geneva has yanked Charlie forward through space and time. They have twenty days to decipher a unique and puzzling computer code and stop Foxx from unleashing “The Future”–his horrific invention–or humanity will lose everything.
If you haven’t seen except if yet, know that it’s been described as no less than a “short, sweet, philosophical speculation” (Publishers Weekly), an “existential” and “deceptively simple yet delightful tale” (Kirkus), and “contrarian” fun (Booklist). Readers’ expectations continue to be overturned with successive page turns—and the repeated use of “except if”—in this puzzler of a book, less of a story than a “convergence of fanciful possibilities,” as School Library Journal wrote. Adds the PW review, “{e}ven very young readers will find they’ve succeeded in following a rather convoluted piece of reasoning, clause by clause and picture by picture; it’s a book in which the action unfolds in the mind as much as it does on the page.” I don’t want to give it all away either and spoil your experience reading it, if you haven’t already, but let’s just say it ends as it started — with a pale blue egg and maybe, just maybe, a baby bird.
With a PHOOSH and a Grrrrrr and a CANNONBAAAALLLLLL! Little Dragon tears through his day (and the house). But even when he gets a little too rambunctious, there’s no OH NO! that Mama’s kiss can’t fix.
Jim Averbeck celebrates both the tremendous energy of a little boy and the tenderness shared between mother and child in this vibrant picture book that begs to be read aloud.
Oh no and uh oh! Little dragon has accidentally lost his spark. One moment, he was huffing and puffing streaks of fire here and there and the next, he swallows a little too much water in the bathtub…just enough to douse his flame. He tries valiantly to rekindle the flame, using tactics like eating hot chili peppers and dressing in his warmest clothing. Just when he thinks that nothing can put a spark back in his heart, he receives a gentle kiss on the snout from his mother, which does the trick! Don’t be afraid to pick up this book and get your hands sooty – meeting little dragon is well worth it!
A mischievous, original tale with a clever ending and rich authentic details from the author’s life in Cameroon (West Africa). Yoyo has listened to Mama Cécile’s song about how to make ndolé (bitterleaf stew) her entire life—long enough to know how to make it herself, now that she is finally old enough. But slicing the bitterleaf, grinding the pumpkin, measuring out the shrimp—it just takes too long. Yoyo is confident that her variation on the stew will be good enough.
As Mama Cécile and Yoyo set off to market, Mama reminds Yoyo what will happen if she refuses a fair price for the stew—Brother Coin, the Great Spirit of the Market, will put a curse on their market bowl. When Yoyo refuses to heed Mama’s advice, she is faced with the task of trying to regain a blessing from the god himself.
An original folktale set in modern-day Cameroon, The Market Bowl teaches readers a lesson about patience, humility, and the value of a fair price. Back matter includes further information about Cameroon and its people and traditions as well as a recipe for ndolé—Cameroon’s national food dish.
Layered like a puzzle, and sparked with OH!-dashes of humor, Jim Averbeck Presents …
An intrepid boy teams up with Alfred Hitchcock himself in this rollicking mystery rife with action, adventure, intrigue, and all the flavor of film noir.
After the mysterious death of his mother, eleven-year-old Jack Fair is whisked away to San Francisco’s swanky Fairmont Hotel by his wicked Aunt Edith. There, he seems doomed to a life of fetching chocolates for his aunt and her pet chinchilla. Until one night, when Aunt Edith disappears, and the only clue is a ransom note written…in chocolate?
Suddenly, Jack finds himself all alone on a quest to discover who kidnapped Aunt Edith and what happened to his mother. Alone, that is, until he meets an unlikely accomplice—Alfred Hitchcock himself! The two embark on a madcap journey full of hidden doorways, secret societies, cryptic clues, sinister villains, and cinematic flair.
With an especially strong voice, a fine supporting cast, and a clever non-fiction connection, A HITCH AT THE FAIRMONT is certain to be a bit hit among mystery-loving middle-grade readers.
Linda Sue Park agrees:
“HITCH is terrific. There is so much to like: a fun plot that really works; two wonderful characters with a fine supporting cast; belly-laugh humor; resonance of the movies in general and Hitchcock’s work in particular; and lots of truly lovely writing.”
As does Patty MacLachlan:
A HITCH AT THE FAIRMONT is clever, intelligent, and completely entertaining with wonderful characters. A fabulous book. Read it! –Patricia MacLachlan
“[The book includes] macabre twists that wouldn’t be out of place in a Dahl book. A fine read and a decent love letter to all that Hitchcock stood for.”—Kirkus Reviews
The precociousness of Olivia meets the self-confidence of Eloise here in Sophia, Jim Averbeck’s new literary heroine. Her “fancy” narrative vocabulary, wisdom and creativity will delight, entertain and even educate readers. And inspire, as well. No matter the obstacles in Sophia’s path–four very large ones, in this case–she perseveres to make her voice heard.
Sophia tries varied techniques to get the giraffe she wants more than anything in this playfully illustrated story about the nuances of negotiation.
Sophia has one true desire for her birthday. But she has Four Big Problems in the way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad…and Grand-mama.
Will her presentations, proposals, and pie charts convince them otherwise? Turns out, all it takes is one word.
Verbose, effusive, loquacious … these are all “one word” descriptions of Sophia’s process. Ultimately, she finds the “right word.” Or two.
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