With the help of her new friend Twef, twelve-year-old Jilly and her dog Poetry win the annual coon dog race in Effingham.

Times are tough in the small town of Yallaroo where Ally Simpson has lived her whole life. The whole area is in drought and people are going broke or moving away. So when Ally hears about a competition to win the trip of a lifetime to visit the Smithsonian Museum in the USA, she knows she's got to do everything she can to try and win. Ally enlists her best friends Harmony and Ping to help her plan the most impressive experiment she can imagine- to...

When their arch-rivals get a new coach--and an entirely new team--mid-season, basketball team captain Jim and his best friend Ali do some investigating that uncovers a sinister plot.

First-grader Meghan Rose, caught up in a contest with Sophie to prove who is smarter, does not see that her friend Lynette is upset, but before long she has learned the difference between "smart" and "wise." Includes discussion questions and activities.

Shy sixteen-year-old Elaine has long dreamed of being the next Julia Child, to the dismay of her feminist mother, but when her first friend, the outrageous Lucida Sans, convinces Elaine to enter a cooking contest, anything could happen.

When Matthew enters a contest at the beach, he builds an amazing, incredible, unbelievable sandcastle.

When the students who ride Cheech's schoolbus enter the Battle of the Bands, they are willing to try almost anything to prove that mariachi can beat rock-and-roll.

The band called SPACEPOP gains fame across the galaxy, spreading a message of rebellion through music. But with huge fame comes huge problems! The five princesses of the pentangle, Athena, Luna, Rhea, Hera, and Juno, are finding it harder to keep their secret identities under wraps between TV appearances, commercials, and the upcoming Battle of the Bands!

Mariella sees some strange stuff at a Young Super Sleuth convention. Could the culprit be... The mystic mustache?