Betsy Byars

The Summer of the Swans (Puffin Modern Classics)

by Betsy Byars

Sara's life has always flowed smoothly, like the gliding swans on the lake, until her little brother Charlie disappears.  Then Sara is forced to see her life in a whole new way.

The Dark Stairs

by Betsy Byars

Mystery is in Herculeah Jones’s blood. How could it not be, with a father on the police force and a mother who’s a private eye? So when Herculeah notices a man hanging around the "Dead Oaks" mansion, she...

Herculeah Jones Reissue #2

by Betsy Byars

Madame Rosa, the eccentric local fortune teller, has been murdered, and the only witness is her parrot,Tarot. But he’s not talking. Herculeah Jones thinks she knows who the killer is, but she’s not the only...

Keeper of the Doves

by Betsy Byars

Amen McBee, the youngest of five sisters, gobbles up words the way other children gobble up sweets.  She couldn't be more different from her elder twin sisters Arabella and Annabella-called the Bellas.  The...

The Cybil War

by Betsy Byars

Young love, told by the Newbery Medal-winning author of Summer of the Swans

Simon is in fifth grade, and every time he sees Cybil Ackerman, his heart pounds. Falling in love with her was easy, but winning her...

The TV Kid

by Betsy Byars

Lennie is addicted to television. Even reruns are more exciting than real life, and Lennie likes to pretend he?s the one experiencing the drama. But Lennie?s daydreams lead him into a real situation that could...

The Black Tower

by Betsy Byars

At the eerie Hunt mansion, Herculeah Jones has been reading aloud to Lionus Hunt, an elderly stroke victim who can only communicate by blinking his eyes (once for yes, twice for no). Mr. Hunt seems to be trying...

Disappearing Acts

by Betsy Byars

When Herculeah Jones's best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there's nothing funny about...

Dead Letter

by Betsy Byars

When Herculeah discovers a mysterious letter inside the lining of a secondhand coat, she suspects it's a desperate cry for help. If so, what happened to the person who wrote it? Herculeah thinks she knows the...

King of Murder

by Betsy Byars

Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick, Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka the Murder King. King?s novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders, particularly A...

Death's Door

by Betsy Byars

Herculeah Jones finds herself in the middle of another mystery when her best friend Meat barely escapes a hitman’s bullet. Someone must have mistaken Meat for someone else. But who? Herculeah is determined...

Cat Diaries

by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers & Erik Brooks

At the annual gathering of the MEOW society, cats of all kinds convene to share their stories and those of their ancestors. Chico, the smallest cat in the world, recounts stopping a crime. The Pirate Cat tells...

Boo's Surprise

by Betsy Byars & Erik Brooks

“A dinosaur! A new dinosaur!” Boo shouted. “This dinosaur left me a big surprise.”

Boo is excited to receive a giant egg—and to find out what’s inside! Her brother, Sammy, is not—but he is still...

The Pinballs

by Betsy Byars

You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid.

Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just...