Kate McMullan

He's dirty; he's huge; he eats disgusting garbage; and he's gleefully stinky. ('Who am I? The garbage truck, that's who.') What preschool-aged boy could resist the terrific title or the ten-wheeled force behind this anthropomorphized garbage truck narrator from the McMullans (Papa's Song, 2000, etc.), a husband- and-wife team who did their own garbage truck research with the New York City Department of Sanitation. The instantaneously appealing cover...

"He's a big red engine with a siren, a horn, a tank full of water, and whole lotta hose! He's a good-lookin' fire truck, and he's brave, too. When the alarm sounds, he's gotta drive through smoke and heat straight to a blazing fire!!"--Front jacket flap.

Can a train pulling half a mile of heavy-duty freight cars make it to Chicago ahead of a speedy little race car? Through the desert . . . Through the mountains . . . Through a blizzard . . . Vvvrrrrrrrrrrrrrrum! Chooka chooka chooka chooka! The race is on!

The story about Pandora opening a box and releasing terrible evils into the world? Totally made up! Pandora couldn't have cared less about what was in that box. The one who was really dying to know was Zeus. Zeus gave Pandora a box alright. A box full of really nasty items. But disease? Pain? Greed? No way. Hades, King of the Underworld, reveals the true story behind the Pandora myth.

The story about how Hades kidnapped Persephone when she was picking flowers? Totally false! Zeus made that story up to make himself look better. What else would you expect from a total myth-o-maniac? The truth is, Persephone was trying to escape her overprotective mother, Demeter. King Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, is here to set the record straight.

The story about the handsome Greek god Cupid and how he met Psyche? Just another lie from that myth-o-maniac Zeus! The truth is, when Cupid met Psyche he was a gawky teen god with bad skin and braces. Psyche was so beautiful, Cupid was scared to even approach her. Instead, he and Zeus cooked up a plan to kidnap Psyche. Hades, King of the Underworld, is here to shine some light on what really happened.

Zeus's version of the Theseus myth is totally fabricated! Theseus went into the labyrinth all right, but the only thing he did in there was get lost. He never killed the Minotaur. Zeus made the whole thing up so everyone would think the Minotaur was gone for good. Hades, King of the Underworld, sets the record straight on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.

After accidentally killing a dragon, Wiglaf hopes his friends at Dragon Slayers' Academy will be able to help him prove himself a hero when he faces that dragon's mother, Seetha, the Beast of the East.

In her third and final diary, by Kate McMullan, Meg continues to face the hardships of life on the prairie with her brave and sweet spirit.Meg continues to describe the daily realities on the prairie as she and her family make their lives in Kansas. Throughout these times of difficulty and joy, Meg is always courageous and thoughtful.

The Trojan War is over, but now Odysseus has to find his way home to Ithaca . . . and in typical fashion, he's angered Poseidon enough that the sea-god has decided to make his journey miserable (if not impossible). But Hades has a soft spot for the long-gone warrior, so even if he's sworn to Poseidon he won't help Odysseus directly, he might be able to pull a few strings . . .