Best Selling Books by Elizabeth Winthrop

Publisher Description

A kid favorite for over thirty years, this award-winning modern-classic is sure to delight readers for years to come! "Winthrop has a real gift for fantasy..." --Madeleine L'Engle, award-winning author of A Wrinkle in Time When William learns that his favorite caretaker Mrs. Phillips is leaving, he is devastated. But then she gives him her parting gift--a mysterious model castle that has been in her family for years. The castle is perfect in every way, with a drawbridge, a moat, and a fingerhigh knight to guard the gates. It's almost too real. Sure enough, when William picks up the tiny silver knight, Sir Simon comes alive in his hand and tells William a mighty story of wild sorcery, wizards, and a kingdom in need of saving. Hoping the castle's magic holds the key to getting his friend to stay, William embarks on a fantastic quest to another land and another time--where a fiery dragon and an evil wizard are waiting to do battle.

The adventure continues in this exciting companion to The Castle in the Attic. As William turns twelve, he wonders if Jason is still his best friend. In the past year, Jason has grown a foot taller, while William is still a shrimp. When Jason challenges William to “jump the trains,” William is terrified. How else can he prove himself to Jason? William gets his answer when his former housekeeper sends him a magic token that once again transports him to Sir Simon’s castle in the Middle Ages, this time with Jason. There the two friends face a dangerous army of rats and their gigantic leader. Once before, William was a hero in Sir Simon’s day. Now it’s up to William to destroy the rats and save the kingdom in the final battle for the castle.

Daisy, a middle child in the family, feels ignored as nobody seems to listen to her. She becomes assertive to the point where her family does listen.

A rhyming story about a pig whose passion for dancing becomes contagious.

After the death of their parents, five young rats decide to leave the barnyard to make a name for themselves in the big city, facing unscrupulous rivals and dangerous humans along the way.

Harvey is so excited when the mayor appoints him Parade Chairman for a big celebration that he forgets something very important but, fortunately, his dog, Fred, remembers.

A retelling of the old Russian fairy tale in which beautiful Vasilissa uses the help of her doll to escape from the clutches of the witch Baba Yaga.

Here are ‘shoes to skate in, shoes to skip in, shoes to turn a double flip in ’ . . . all worn by four tousle-headed active young children. ‘Illustrations keep all the action with the skippers, divers, and doers. Story hour groups will be checking out each other’s footwear after hearing this rollicking rhyming paean to shoes.’ —SLJ. A Reading Rainbow Selection Children's Books of 1986 (Library of Congress)

When Harvey enters his dog, Fred, in the annual dog show Fred is none too pleased, but when the show is over, Fred does not want to leave.

Maggie Hammond is willed her godmother's seaside Victorian home on an island. Soon after she arrives she makes a gruesome discovery on the beach that catapults her into the middle of the year-round island community and its strange set of characters.

A rhyming celebration of hats that help create costumes for the Halloween parade.

SUMMARY: Jenny and her brother Charlie hardly ever spoke to each other until the summer they discovered that they could be friends.

This Valentine's Day I had a date with Petunia Pretty Paws! Then I got a call from my private investigator friend Hercule Poirat. He needed my help solving a mystery. How will I help Hercule AND impress Petunia at the same time.

"Dream your dreams, my child, and knit them into the wool." A long time ago a girl named Claire learned to knit by her mother's side. As the mother knit mittens, scarves and all sorts of clothing for the wealthy people of the town, Claire set about knitting stockings to keep her toes warm. Claire, her mother and father, you see, were poor. They lived in a stone hut, with little wood to burn and meagre food to eat. So Claire knit stockings and--with Christmas approaching--heeded her mother's words to knit her Christmas dreams into the wool. Soon Claire became known as the stocking girl--with many orders for stockings to fill. One such order ensured her a handsome payment. Enough to fill her family's hut with light and food. But as she trudged through the snow to deliver the stockings on Christmas Eve, Claire was stirred to share her knitted dreams with someone truly in need. From the Hardcover edition.

A gift of a toy castle, complete with silver knight, introduces William to an adventure involving magic and a personal quest.