Ben Hatke

Jack might be the only kid in the world who's dreading summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his autistic kid sister, Maddy. It's a lot of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. Ever. But then, one day at the flea market, Maddy does talk -- to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever...

Julie welcomes all lost and homeless creatures into her house, whether they be cats or trolls, ghosts or dragons, but soon realizes that each must have a chore in order for the arrangement to work.

Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. Every day, Goblin and Skeleton play with the treasure in their dungeon. But one day, a gang of "heroic" adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and make off with Skeleton-leaving Goblin all alone! It's up to Goblin to save the day. But first he's going to have to leave the dungeon and find out how the rest...

"Julia's flying house has come down to earth--and sprouted legs! Now it roams the landscape looking for the perfect spot to settle down. But just as Julia spots the Perfect Spot, off in the distance--her walking house trips! It tumbles down a steep mountain side, and Julia and her creatures are scattered across the hills while her runaway home continues rolling off on an adventure of its own"--Provided by publisher.

"Like a bolt from the blue, Jack's little sister Maddy is gone--carried into another realm by an ogre. When Jack and Lilly follow Maddy's captor through the portal, they are ready for anything ... except what they find waiting for them in the floating crossroads between worlds. Even the power of their magic plants may not be enough to get them back to earth alive. Alone and injured, Jack and Lilly must each face their own monsters--as well as giants...

"It was supposed to just be a normal basement--some storage boxes, dust, you know, the usual basement stuff. But when Milo is sent by his mother to fetch a sock from the basement of the historic home they've moved into, Milo finds a door in the back that he's never seen before. Turns out that the basement of his house is enormous. In fact, there is a whole world down there. As Milo travels ever deeper into the Basement World, he meets the many Things...

An anthology of short stories, by a variety of the international artists. Includes the full-color work of top animators for video games, DreamWorks, emerging Web cartoonists, and established comic book and graphic novel creators.

Even though Missy Piggle-Wiggle is preoccupied with repairing her Upside-Down House that was damaged in a storm, she always finds time to administer her magical cures that rid children in Little Spring Valley of their unwanted habits and misbehavior.