england

"The only life 12-year-old Emily has ever known is the cold, unloved existence of being an orphan. But everything changes when the Thorntons, a young couple from London, adopt Emily, whisking her away to a new life at their grand estate. At first, life at Blackthorn Manor is wonderful. But as Emily explores the grounds and rooms, she stumbles upon a mysterious girl named Kat, who appears to be similar in age, and the two become fast friends. That's when things take a turn for the worse. Kat seems to know a curious amount about the estate, and strange things happen whenever she's around . . ."--Publisher.

Aggie Morton and her friend Hector discover a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room. They work together to solve the case before Aggie's beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime she didn't commit.

"What if Mary Bennet's life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? Ultimately, Mary's journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself--and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love"--Provided by publisher.

In 1951, while visiting a distant cousin in the English countryside, thirteen-year-old Lewis Barnavelt accidentally unleashes demonic forces and summons the ghost of an evil wizard bent on killing the Barnavelt family.

Michael and Jane Banks will never forget the magical moments of their childhood spent with Mary Poppins. When their practically perfect nanny returns to 17 Cherry Tree Lane to look after Michael's children, she brings the same joy and wonder to the next generation of the Banks family.

Nine-year-old Alice must write about herself for an assignment in her London school, and in doing so, she sorts out her feelings about her somewhat prickly single mother, the father she has never met, her flamboyant paternal grandmother, and the rest of her sometimes confusing life.

Paddington, the well-loved bear from "darkest Peru," sets off on more merry mishaps, including enrolling in school and receiving a visit from his Aunt Lucy.

"Imaginative Omar goes through the ups and downs of starting a new school and making new friends with the help of his wonderful (and silly) Muslim family"--Provided by publisher.

As they travel through their sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends receive help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince in their search for the complete story of how Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort and find in the process what might be Voldemort's only vulnerability.

"W. Somerset Maugham's semiautobiographical [work] unfolds in London and Paris at the end of the 19th century. The protagonist, Philip Carey, is a sensitive orphan who's burdened with a club foot and shunned by his schoolmates. Philip's artistic aspirations fade with his realization of his own mediocrity, and his hopeless infatuation with Mildred, a vulgar waitress, threatens to destroy what's left of his idealism"--Provided by publisher.