Welcome to Toy Academy: where toys learn to play. This is where action figures train to battle, stuffed animals study the art of the hug, and collectibles practice standing very, very still.

Jason is so thrilled with the set of 12 mythological Greek god figures he receives for his birthday that he carries one with him to a local toy shop. Soon he discovers that a 13th doll-the Medusa Doll-was also made for his set. Surely this rare figure will be too expensive . . . or is it? Much to his surprise, the toy shop owner simply gives him the doll for free! At first, Jason can't believe his luck. But then strange stone statues start appearing,...

Livvy, the new girl at school, is a bully who ridicules the other children, and it is up to TJ and his guidance counselor father to work out a strategy that will improve her behavior--and save TJ's birthday party.

When Livvy chooses a goldfish as the class pet, some of the other children decide to freeze her out, and TJ has to choose between his friend and being frozen out himself--or find a way to make them see that their bullying behavior is wrong.

All kinds of embarrassing rumors are swirling around TJ's class and mostly he thinks they are pretty funny, until he becomes the target of the gossip--then he needs to find out who started the rumors, and why.

TJ and his best friend Ethan are on the basketball team. Although Ethan isn't a starter, Coach Daltry notices he's been improving a lot. Niko notices it, too. If Ethan starts, Niko knows it means that someone will have to sit out and he knows that someone is him! He'll do anything he can to keep Ethan on the bench even if it means hurting Ethan or anyone else who sticks up for him. It's going to take more than one upstander to help TJ Trapper...

Shivers, the scaredy-est pirate to ever sail the Seven Seas, is back. Comic book–like illustrations in each chapter bring Shivers to life and invite even the most reluctant readers to join the adventure. Perfect for fans of such series as Stick Dog, Big Nate, Dork Diaries, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This time, Shivers must set sail again to get his beloved ship, the Land Lady, back from Mayor Sheila B. President. Shivers won't be going alone, however....

Meri knows best friends forever don't always last, but why did her ex-best turn into the meanest girl in school? With help from one of the spunkiest girls in children's literature, Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables, Meri works to unravel the mystery of best friend turned worst bully. Calico Chapter Books is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO Group. Grades 2-5.

Shivers, the pirate who's afraid of everything, is back in his third laugh-filled, illustrated adventure from Story Pirates stars Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White. Can Shivers and his friends cure the curse cast by the most pungent ghost of all time, Quincy Thomas the Pirate? Now that Shivers has a brand-new, just built, scare-proof ship, the Groundhog, things have FINALLY taken a turn for the cozy. There's just one problem-not a SINGLE drop...

The story of a boy and his imaginary friend-told by the imaginary friend Zach should've outgrown his imaginary friend by now. He knows this. He's 11, long past the days when kids are supposed to go on epic make-believe adventures with their invisible friends. But after the death of his father five years ago, all Zach wanted was an escape from the real world. So his imaginary friend, Shovel, hasn't faded away like the other kids' have. Their imaginary...