Tig and Jamie go to stay at their Grandada s farm. He warns them not to go into the old mines on the hill. However, Jamie is keen to explore and she persuades Tig to go up to the mines. At the entrance to the mines they find some interesting objects, and realise someone has been into the disused mines recently. That night, Tig sees some car lights heading towards the mines, and he, Jamie and Grandad go to investigate.
The flood waters have reached Nicholasa s street and he and his father prepare to evacuate their house in a dinghy. They pack their things and say goodbye to their cat, William. At the last minute, Nicholas cana t bear to leave William behind, and tries to put him in the dinghy. But William takes fright, and falls out of the boat and disappears. Nicholas and his father escape to the rescue centre, but Nicholas is worried. Will their house be flooded a and will William survive?
Kim and her mother find a very sad dog in their backyard. Kim would like to keep the dog, but Mum says they must try to find his owner. They put up notices at the local shops, but Kim is secretly pleased when nobody contacts them about the dog. Then she hears an announcement on the radio about a lost dog that sounds like the one in their backyard, but she doesna t tell Mum. However, the dog gets sadder, and sadder, and Kim realises he needs to be returned to his owners.
Sarah is very anxious about playing the violin in the forthcoming school concert. Her Gran tells her to imagine that the a butterfliesa in her stomach can give her energy to help her play better. Sarah isna t convinced, but when she begins to play on stage, she imagines the butterflies flying from her violin strings and finds that Gran was right after all.
Since their mum died Teagan and Jess spend a lot of time with their grandparents when their dad is away on business. These holidays were to be different with the holiday planned at Mermaid Point. The girls share their fears and the chance to overcome them as they begin an exciting holiday.
Shannon and Toby are left to look after the farm for a couple of hours while their parents go into town. A long drought has made life on the farm very difficult, and they have had to sell the sheep. At least they have been able to keep the horses. Suddenly, Shannon realises she might not have shut the gate to the horsea paddock this morning. Before she can check, a fire breaks out on the farm. Help is on the way, but Shannon wants to rescue the horses. This might be the one time when leaving a gate open on a farm is a good thing!
Luke worries that his schoolmates might see him taking his sister to her dancing lesson. To his surprise, he finds that the class looks interesting and that dancing is fun.
Tess and Nathana s parents have separated, and the children are having trouble adjusting to the change. However, with the support and love of their parents, and their grandmother, they learn new ways of being a family.
"A strong . . . trilogy, invoking just a little Harry Potter and Series of Unfortunate Events along the way."—Realms of Fantasy Siblings Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about. Until now. Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world . . . a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And—if an ancient prophesy is true—what they do can change history, and it's up to them to set things right. "A new Narnia for the tween set."—The New York Times "[A] fast-paced, fully imagined fantasy."—Publishers Weekly "Echoes of other popular fantasy series, from "Harry Potter" to the "Narnia" books, are easily found, but debut author Stephens has created a new and appealing read . . ."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
