"December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the boys get a front-row view of the huge battleships and the sparkling water. Yes, World War II is raging in Europe and in Asia, but the US isn't involved in the war, and the boys are free to dream about becoming comic book creators. They've even invented a superhero of their own, in the style of Batman, Superman, Captain...

Although Jeff and Tad, encouraged by a new friend, Lindsey, make a deal to help one another overcome aftereffects of their cancer treatments in preparation for eighth-grade graduation, Jeff still craves advice from his older brother Stephen, who is studying drums in Africa.

A playful puppy wants to see everything on a walk to Grandpa's house.

When Grandpa Eldo asks Elmer and Wilbur to help a young elephant find her way back to her herd, they are surprised to find that she is pink, but even greater surprises are in store for them.

Once a year on Elmer's Day, all the elephants decorate themselves and have a parade, and this year Elmer comes up with a plan to include the other animals as well as the elephants.

In the time when witches tiptoe about to have their Halloween fun, ancient Druscilla knows her creaking knees will prevent her from being sneaky and sets out to find a silent conveyance for herself, her cat, and her jack-o-lantern.

A little princess decides that two birthdays would be better than one, and three better than two, until every day becomes her birthday, but she soon realizes that the more birthdays she has, the less special they are.

Geronimo is taking his Benjamin on a trip to Rome to learn the city's history (and keep him from failing fifth grade), but when they arrive they are immediately pulled into the investigation of the "ghost" of a gladiator that seems to be haunting the Colosseum and scaring tourists away.

The part of third grade Ellen Tebbits likes most is having Austine Allen for her best friend.

The outer crust is under attack by the subterranean Styx who are turning ordinary humans into walking bombs and incubators for their eggs, and only Will Burrows and his band of retired commandos stand in their way--but the Styx also have problems of their own.