They're Back

A host of reissues find young people stuck between a rock and a hard place. First published in 1974 and set in 19th-century England, Midnight Is a Place by Joan Aiken stars Lucas Bell, who lives with his guardian Sir Randolph Grimsby in a lonely old house called Midnight Court. When an unfamiliar carriage delivers a girl to their doorstep, Lucas thinks he finally has a companion—but she is not what he had in mind, and a twist of fate leaves the children adrift on the streets. (Houghton, $15 302p ages 10-up ISBN 0-618-19626-9; paper $5.95 -19625-0; Oct.)

Simon, first met in Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, meets up with Dido Twite in Dido and Pa (1986), which PW called "a tempestuous and atmospheric sequel to The Stolen Lake." Here, Dido returns to England only to be sucked into her father's dangerous plot to usurp the King's power. "Almost nonstop, the story's thrilling actions rush onward." (Houghton, $15 298p ages 10-up ISBN 0-618-19624-2; paper $5.95 -19623-4; Oct.)

Told from the perspective of Rupert Venables, a Magid from planet Earth who keeps the "Multiverse" in balance, Diana Wynne Jones's Deep Secret (1997) follows Rupert's efforts to find his own replacement after his mentor dies and Rupert moves up to take his place. "What might first be perceived simply as mere embellishment and rich detailing prove to be adroitly handled story elements of an intricate plot," wrote PW. (Tor/ Starscape, $5.99 paper 375p ages 12-up ISBN 0-765-34247-2; Nov.)

Long out of print, Julia Cunningham's Dorp Dead (1965), illus. by James Spanfeller, was a precursor to a movement toward gritty realism in young adult novels. Here, the 10-year-old orphaned narrator (who, according to him, is "ferociously intelligent" and, in order to hide his gift, "purposely never learn[ed] to spell") is taken in by the town's eccentric ladder maker and is compelled to escape when he discovers the man's plans for him. (Knopf, $14.95 112p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-375-82255-0; Nov.)

Edward Gorey discovered these darkly humorous verses by Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) and created never-before-published drawings to accompany them in Cautionary Tales for Children. The pithy rhymes make examples out of "Jim, who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion," and "Matilda, who told lies, and was Burned to Death," among others. (Harcourt, $16 72p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-15-100715-2; Nov.)

A quartet of novels by German author Henry Winterfeld comes to light once more. Detectives in Togas (1956), illus. by Charlotte Kleinert, trans. by Richard and Clara Winston, is set in ancient Rome and stars young Rufus, guilty of insulting his classmate Caius, but not of all the other crimes attributed to him; it's up to his friends to track down the truth. In the sequel, Mystery of the Roman Ransom (1971), illus. by Fritz Biermann, trans. by Edith McCormick, Rufus and company present their teacher with a servant on his birthday but, as it turns out, the man is really a courier with a message requesting the murder of one boy's father, a Roman senator. PW called Detectives "delightful and witty" and said of Mystery, "Glorious fun abounds on each page, making this a most welcome sequel indeed."

Castaways in Lilliput (1960) and Trouble at Timpetill (1965), both illus. by William M. Hutchinson and trans. by Kyrill Schabert, star friends Jim, Peggy and Ralph. In the first, the three are relieved when they drift ashore on a tiny island after hours at sea on a rubber raft, and soon discover the miniature people who live there. How can the islanders possibly help the trio get back home? In Trouble, the children of Timpetill are so bad that the adults skip town. It's fun at first, but it gets a lot harder when they have to fight the gang that started the trouble. (Harcourt/Young Classics, $17 each ages 8-up Detectives 272p ISBN 0-15-216292-5; Mystery 240p -216313-1; Castaways 240p -216298-4; Trouble 224p -216306-9; Odyssey paper $5.95 each Detectives ISBN 0-15-216280-1; Mystery -216268-2; Castaways -216286-0; Trouble -216274-7; Nov.)

A Freddy the Pig Starter Kit

The kickoff trio of books by Walter L. Brooks unite in one weighty volume, covered in a porcine pink dust jacket: The Freddy Anniversary Collection, illus. by Kurt Wiese. These first three books in the 26-book series published between 1927 and 1958 preserve Wiese's original line drawings throughout, which plays up the vintage look: Freddy Goes to Florida (originally published as To and Again); Freddy Goes to the North Pole ( née More To and Again); and Freddy the Detective. The embossed cover features insets of Wiese's original jacket art. (Overlook, $35 384p ages 9-12 ISBN 1-58567-346-3; Nov.)

Out of the Box

Harper continues its series of classics in paperback with a trio of titles and a faux gold necklace plus three corresponding charms in the Charming Classics Box Set #2: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie; The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The three charms are: a mini Tinkerbell, ruby slippers and the white rabbit. (HarperFestival, $20.97 ages 8-12 ISBN 0-06-051056-0; Dec.)

Fantasy buffs will appreciate Diane Duane's Box of Wizardry, which gathers the first three titles in her Young Wizards series into one boxed set of paperback editions. So You Want to Be a Wizard (1983) introduces 13-year old Nita, who enters the world of wizardry after stumbling across the titular library book. Deep Wizardry (1985) finds Nita vacationing on the beach with her friend Kit and assisting a whale wizard in a battle against evil. In High Wizardry (1990), the pair must track down Nita's younger sister when the wizard program on the family computer transports her to another dimension. PW called author Duane "tops in the high adventure business." (Harcourt/Magic Carpet, $18.95 ages 12-up ISBN 0-15-204582-1; Oct.)

Culture Club

Cultures mix and mingle in a handful of titles. Presented in conjunction with UNICEF, DK's A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World profiles 18 children and explores what life is like for them and other young people, spanning 180 countries. Organized into four sections—Survival, Development, Protection and Participation—the handsomely designed volume, with a bounty of photographs that transport readers to exotic lands, stems from the mission set forth by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Charts, maps and children's quotes add to the thoughtful and informative presentation. (DK, $24.99 128p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-7894-8859-0; Nov.)

Another friendly international cast of children stars in Hello World! Greetings in 42 Languages Around the Globe! by Manya Stojic, aimed at younger readers. Their sumptuous full-bleed portraits appear throughout. A caption includes his or her word for "hello" (e.g. "Kia Ora!") in large letters, along with its pronunciation (KEE-ah OH-rah) and origin (Maori). Portuguese, Serbian and Arabic are among the other languages represented; however, some languages (e.g. Guajajára and Bambara) may be unfamiliar to readers and Stojic does not indicate the countries in which they are spoken; adults may need to consult an atlas in order to point out the locations to young readers. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $14.95 40p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-439-36202-4; Nov.)

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project (which he started "to share and explore the rich cultural traditions of the peoples of the Silk Road," according to the foreword) marks the inspiration for a book for young readers, Caravan to America: Living Arts of the Silk Road by John Major and Betty Belanus. The authors profile eight people in the U.S. who actively practice these traditional arts, including Yeshi Dorjee, a Tibetan monk living near Los Angeles, who creates Buddhist thangka paintings; Iranian-American chef Najmieh Batmanglij; and Greek-American oud, or lute, maker Peter Kyvelos. Photos and traditional prints illustrate the offering. (Cricket/Marcato, $24.95 130p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-8126-2666-4; paper $15.95 -2677-X; Oct.)

In Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz and the Children's Museum, Boston, illus. by Meilo So, each of a quartet of holidays includes a brief background and introduces a bevy of crafts, recipes and legends. "The Story of the Kitchen God" kicks off the section on the Chinese New Year (and the reason behind serving the traditional tanggua, or candied melons); a recipe for Five-Treasure Moon Cakes stuffed with apricot preserves, pitted dates, sweet coconut and raisins helps youngsters celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Step-by-step illustrations aid in food preparation or crafts such as New Year Prints or Good Luck Characters in this elegantly designed volume. (Harcourt/Gulliver, $20 80p all ages ISBN 0-15-201983-9; Oct.)

With a foreword by Jane Yolen, Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West, ed. by Marianne Carus, illus. by Nilesh Mistry, brings together 15 serpent stories set in, among other places, England's Nottingham Forest, the waters surrounding Korea and a seaside village in Japan. Contributors include Patricia MacLachlan, Eric A. Kimmel and E. Nesbit; most of the stories were previously published, the majority of them in Cricket magazine. (Cricket, $17.95 160p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-8126-2664-8; Oct.)