New Releases by Sid Fleischman

Welcome to Humbug Mountain. Little did Wiley, the son of a traveling newspaperman, imagine that the search for his grandfather would lead him into the hands of those nasty villains of the West—Shagnasty John and the Fool Killer. Using their newspaper, The Humbug Mountain Hoorah, Wiley and his sister and mother go about outwitting the outlaws in their scheme to ambush Grandfather''s new boat and its cargo of gold.

Jingo Hawks is out of luck when Mrs. Daggatt from the orphan house hires him out as a chimney sweep to the awful General Dirty-Face Scurlock. But it''s gypsy luck that puts Jingo into the right chimney and then into the care of the mysterious Mr. Peacock, who claims to know Jingo''s scoundrel father. Together they set out on a treasure hunt for buried gold. But they are not alone. Those nasty gold diggers Mrs. Daggatt and General Scurlock are hot on their trail.

See him? That little tramp twitching a postage stamp of a mustache, politely lifting his bowler hat, and leaning on a bamboo cane with the confidence of a gentleman? A slapstick comedian, he blazed forth as the brightest movie star in the Hollywood heavens. Everyone knew Charlie—Charlie Chaplin. When he was five years old he was pulled onstage for the first time, and he didn''t step off again for almost three-quarters of a century. Escaping the London slums of his tragic childhood, he took Hollywood like a conquistador with a Cockney accent. With his gift for pantomime in films that had not yet acquired vocal cords, he was soon rubbing elbows with royalty and dining on gold plates in his own Beverly Hills mansion. He was the most famous man on earth—and he was regarded as the funniest. Still is. . . . He comes to life in these pages. It''s an astonishing rags-to-riches saga of an irrepressible kid whose childhood was dealt from the bottom of the deck. Abundantly illustrated.

There is a bandit who comes in the night. He does not want pretty silver earrings or dangly gold necklaces, not diamonds or rubies. What does he want? Listen, I will tell you. He wants dreams. He is supposed to take only nightmares—the dreams of monsters and phantoms—but he''s grown scared. He''s been taking the good dreams instead. But one night he steals from the wrong girl. Susana is clever. She is wily. She is brave. And she wants her dream back.

"Mark Twain was born fully grown, with a cheap cigar clamped between his teeth." So begins Sid Fleischman''s ramble-scramble biography of the great American author and wit, who started life in a Missouri village as a barefoot boy named Samuel Clemens. Abandoning a career as a young steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, Sam took a bumpy stagecoach to the Far West. In the gold and silver fields, he expected to get rich quick. Instead, he got poor fast, digging in the wrong places. His stint as a sagebrush newspaperman led to a duel with pistols. Had he not survived, the world would never have heard of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn—or red-headed Mark Twain. Samuel Clemens adopted his pen name in a hotel room in San Francisco and promptly made a jumping frog (and himself) famous. His celebrated novels followed at a leisurely pace; his quips at jet speed. "Don''t let schooling interfere with your education," he wrote. Here, in high style, is the story of a wisecracking adventurer who came of age in the untamed West; an ink-stained rebel who surprised himself by becoming the most famous American of his time. Bountifully illustrated.

How did he walk through walls, escape drowning, and shatter iron chains that were tightly wrapped around him? The rare photos in this book might help you figure it out. So might the exclusive update about the rumor that Houdini was poisoned. But just remember, a true magician never reveals his tricks. . . .

Annyrose Smith is a true child of calamity, but she is determined to overcome it. So what if she''s an orphan? So what if she''s stuck with the vilest landlady in California, while her brother''s off trying to strike gold? So what if Joaquín Murieta and his band of notorious outlaws swoop in and take her away? The fearsome bandit thinks Annyrose can help him in his quest for justice, and she thinks he can help her search for her long-lost brother. She''s not about to let anything stop her, not the mistaken identities, the daring robberies, the wild chases, or her unlikely friendship with the Mexican Robin Hood.

When Buddy Stebbins stumbles onto the thirteenth floor of a shabby old building, he finds himself suddenly transported aboard a leaking pirate ship in a howling storm—three hundred years in the past! Cast adrift with Captain John Crack-stone, Buddy washes up in New England, where his plucky ancestor, Abigail, is caught up in the witchcraft mania. In an adventure filled with ghosts, witches, pirates, and razzle-dazzle treasure, Buddy might be able to save his wayward ancestors. But will he find his way back to the thirteenth floor—and home?

So begin the adventures of young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. Believing that Oliver can spy out ghosts, Captain Scratch kidnaps him, bringing him aboard the notorious pirate vessel Bloody Hand. The ship sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where the pirate treasure lies buried. A despicable pirate captain, a mutinous crew, a band of sly sea ghosts—Oliver is determined to outfox them all and get safely home. It''s a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense!

Dredged up out of the sea after a storm, 12 year old cabin boy Shipwreck only wants to begin his long journey home. Instead he encounters snarling mutineers, barefoot bandits, hairbreadth escapes, duels, secret identities, simmering revenge, betrayals, heroic last stands, cunning innkeepers and hidden treasure.

In old Siam, young elephant trainer Run-Run and his old charge, Walking Mountain, must deal with the curse of a sacred white elephant.

A swashbuckling tale of thievery and revenge The Giant Rat of Sumatra is the most notorious pirate ship in the Pacific. Its ferocious figurehead, a rat with crooked teeth and gouged-out eyes, strikes fear in the heart of every seafaring crew. Now the ship has dropped anchor in San Diego. Twelve-year-old cabin boy Shipwreck -- so named after he was rescued from the sea by the pirates -- is anxious to begin his long journey home to Boston. Instead, he finds himself swept up in a treacherous plot. It seems his adventure is only just beginning. . . .

A one-man dog Part wolf and fiercely independent, Jim Ugly is a dog who answers to only one person. Unfortunately, that man -- Sam Bannock -- has disappeared. Rumor has it that Sam is dead, but to his son, Jake, something about that doesn''t sound quite right. So Jake and Jim Ugly embark on a wild journey into the frontier West, where they find themselves pursued by a pretty lady, a theater troupe, and one very ornery yellow-legged man. And they all want to know one thing: Where is Sam Bannock?

A Prince and a Pauper Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a castle. As the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when Prince Brat misbehaves, for it is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like one another. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.

After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities willkeep them safe.

Tall tales about the fantastic adventures of some of the animals that live around Barefoot Mountain.

A bratty prince and his whipping boy have many adventures when they inadvertently trade places after becoming involved with dangerous outlaws.

In the further adventures of Josh McBroom, the crops grow so fast, you''d better step out of the way when you plant corn, red barns turn blue in the cold, and words freeze still in mid-air. "As fresh as ever."--Booklist.

The man with the spats rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to pluck a polished red billiard ball out of thin air. Presto! It vanished. Abracadabra! It reappeared. It turned white. it blushed red again. VoiIá! Suddenly there were four billiard balls between this amazing man''s fingers. I was stunned. All of this was happening right under my nose. And there was more. He flipped the deck into falling waterfalls of cards, spun them into fans, and thrust a sword through a shower of cards to impale the seven of diamonds -- selected a moment before. I was dazzled. The moment he finished his act and ushered us gawkers back onto the sidewalk, I knew what I wanted to be. Someone else could be president of the United States. I wanted to be a magician.

A madcap tale of fog and phantoms Opie and Aunt Etta think there''s something funny going on when Professor Pepper announces that he''s going to raise the ghost of a dead outlaw--live on stage. Can Opie cut through all t he fog to get to the bottom of the professor''s plans? See the Ghost of Crookneck John! That''s what Professor Pepper''s sign promises, and Opie can hardly wait to see such a sight. But the unseen specter escapes from his coffin during the show, and if that weren''t bad enough, the town bank is robbed too! Is Crookneck John a bandit from beyond the grave--or is more than the fog being pulled over the townsfolk''s'' eyes? A reissue of one of Sid Fleischman''s early novels.

The adventures of a family of magicians traveling across the western deserts and plains in the 1880s.

A lonely old farmer realizes the value of human friendship when a young man comes to help him and his scarecrow with their farm.

A gentleman''s gentleman from Boston flees to the wilds of California during the Gold Rush and becomes a hero.

For fans of the I Survived series, this classic rollicking adventure about the California Gold Rush and one determined twelve-year-old has sold nearly a million copies! When Jack''s aunt is forced to sell her beloved mansion but is still unable to raise enough money to pay her debts, the twelve-year-old goes to California in search of gold to help her. Joined by his trusty butler, Praiseworthy, Jack finds adventure and trouble at every turn. Will Jack strike gold in San Francisco or come home empty-handed? This new edition features illustrations by Brett Helquist.

Farmer McBroom decides to put an end to the drought. Adventures Of McBroom.

The Bloodhound gang solves a mystery involving a fortune teller who predicts horse races.

Young Clint''s ingenious scheme foils a villainous train wrecker''s attempt to rob the circus train.