Ali Sparkes - Free Library Land Online

EDGE - A Rivets Short Story: Freak of Fortune

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:31:42 +0200

Blue Peter Book Award winner Ali Sparkes sweeps you away in this fantastic tale of survival, friendship and fortune.

The fate of Fortunestone rests in the hands of Nic and Rav, two former friends. But it's not until a freak act of nature throws them together that they realise their importance. They must survive, only then can they begin a journey that will end up scarring them both for life.

Blue Peter Book Award winner Ali Sparkes sweeps you away in this fantastic tale of survival, friendship and fortune.

This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books children want to read, and books children can read.

Gecko Gladiator

Tue, 09 Nov 1999 16:17:05 +0200

Josh and Danny are stuck in Princess Land—a store full of pink toys and worse: actual girls! To avoid security guards and screeching girls, the twins try a quick spritz of the infamous S.W.I.T.C.H. formula. But the spray only half-works! They are stuck with the head of a lizard and the body of a boy. Then their situation takes a nasty turn....

Beetle Blast

Thu, 09 Nov 2000 16:17:06 +0200

When Danny's soccer practice is canceled, he's forced to go with his brother, Josh, to a meeting for a wildlife and nature group. But a fluke encounter with a muffin turns both brothers into beetles just in time to learn all about pond-dipping...from the bug's perspective! Can Danny and Josh avoid becoming part of an insect collection? And where in the world is that horrible smell coming from?

Anaconda Adventure

Tue, 09 Nov 1999 16:17:05 +0200

Josh, Danny, and the mad scientist Petty Potts waltz over to the zoo and try out an awesome spray that turns them into anacondas! But when Petty wanders off, the twins soon realize that they are in danger of being put in a cage with the other anacondas. Which means, when the S.W.I.T.C.H. spray wears off and they turn back into boys, they will become a tasty snack for the snakes!

Lizard Loopy

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:17:06 +0200

The mad scientist Petty Potts has a crazy new formula—a spray that can turn Josh and Danny into lizards! The boys immediately give themselves a spritz and whizz up the nearest tree. But soon, they find themselves in deep doo-doo and surrounded by owls that eye them as snacks. Will Josh and Danny make it out in time?

Spider Stampede

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:17:07 +0200

All Josh and Danny Phillips want to do is play in the yard with their dog, like regular eight-year-olds. Unfortunately, their crazy neighbor Miss Potts makes sure that they never have any fun. When the boys accidentally stumble on Miss Potts's secret—that she is working on experiments that change people into bugs—they find themselves in a whole lot of trouble. (They also find themselves with six more legs than normal.) Can the boys survive in the world as spiders? And more important, will they figure out how to change back into humans in time for dinner?

Grasshopper Glitch

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:17:04 +0200

Danny and Josh thought that today would be just like any other school day—wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school. Of course, they didn't expect to accidentally turn into grasshoppers in the middle of class! Can they avoid being eaten while they search for the antidote? Will they be able to change back before getting a week of detention? And will they find time to eat those delicious-looking leaves?

Frozen in Time

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:17:06 +0200

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7–Ben and Rachel Corder are stuck in a British country house with their scientist uncle who hates to be disturbed while he is doing his research. The satellite is out, Uncle Jerome has the only computers, and the television explodes immediately. They've used up all the batteries that might power a handheld video game or even a radio and, to top it off, it has been raining for days. When the sun breaks through, the kids grab their wellies and head out into the overgrown yard only to find a buried vault partially uncovered by the rain. Inside, they find Freddy and Polly Emerson, kids their age who have been in cryogenic suspension since 1956. They were presumed murdered by their scientist father, who disappeared without a trace. The four recruit Uncle Jerome to help them find out what did, in fact, happen to Dr. Emerson. While the Corders teach the Emersons about cell phones, piercings, microwave food, and pop culture of 2010, the Emersons demonstrate some skills that today's children lack. Meanwhile, there are signs that the cryogenic process may not have been perfected. This story feels a bit frozen in time itself with its wholesome kids and "gee-whiz" attitude. As such, it should appeal most to readers with some curiosity about the previous century and who could, themselves, survive for an afternoon without a cell phone, computer game, or Internet connection.Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Ben and Rachel, who live in a large house outside an English town, find adventure when they explore their wildly overgrown garden and discover an underground bunker that houses two children in cryogenic chambers. Released and awakened, Freddy and Polly emerge to discover an England quite different from the one they knew in 1956. Their father, a brilliant scientist who disappeared when they did, is still missing. When government agents from two countries hear of the children’s reappearance, the chase is on—and the stakes are high. Though the story is shadowed by the mystery of what happened to Freddy and Polly’s father in 1956 and whether he is still alive, most of the novel portrays, in often-amusing scenes, the series of shocks they experience as they adjust to present-day English culture, values, technology, and vocabulary. In the last quarter of the book, the action scenes pick up the pace considerably, but the story becomes less convincing and more conventional. Still, an intriguing variation on the time-travel theme. Grades 4-7. --Carolyn Phelan

Turtle Terror

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 16:17:05 +0200

When Petty Potts turns up on the beach, Josh and Danny decide to "borrow" her new S.W.I.T.C.H. spray—the formula that will turn them into turtles! A squirt and a spritz later, the boys cut loose completely, diving through the waves and slurping on jellyfish...until they swim into serious danger.

Frog Freakout

Sat, 09 Nov 2002 16:17:04 +0200

Surprise! Mad scientist Petty Potts is the new counselor at Josh and Danny's summer camp. And she just happens to be hiding some bottles of her extraordinary serum inside her raincoat. Now she can turn the boys into amphibians!Josh and Danny vow to stay away from Petty's S.W.I.T.C.H. formula, but when their new friend Charlie gets into trouble, they know there's only one option: find Petty and get hopping!

Newt Nemesis

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:17:05 +0200

Summer camp was going great for Josh and Danny until mad scientist Petty Potts showed up. Sure, her serum turned them into frogs to help them save their new friend Charlie. But the serum didn't completely wear off: all three kids still have frog feet!They are running out of time to find right antidote before their parents show up. Their best option is to ask Petty to use her S.W.I.T.C.H. formula again. But of course, things don't turn out quite as planned. Do two frogs and a newt stand any chance in a world of hedgehogs, dogs, and poisonous snakes? Josh, Danny, and Charlie are about to find out.

Ant Attack

Fri, 09 Nov 2001 16:17:06 +0200

Danny and Josh were having a great day until Tarquin, the most annoying boy in the neighborhood, came over to play. He dresses like he's 55, doesn't do anything fun, and pulls the legs off of bugs. The twins thought that their day couldn't get any worse, but when they turn into ants by accident, they realize how wrong they were! Can Danny and Josh find a safe place to hide until they turn human again? And with Tarquin in the garden, will they make it out with all of their legs?

Crane Fly Crash

Thu, 09 Nov 1995 16:17:06 +0200

When Petty Potts leaves town, she puts Danny and Josh in charge of some of her special S.W.I.T.C.H. spray. But leave it up to the nutty scientist to put S.W.I.T.C.H. spray in a bottle identical to their sister Jenny's hairspray. When Danny and Josh's big, annoying sister transforms into a little, annoying crane fly, it's up to the two of them to keep Jenny from being eaten alive. But that would be much easier to do if their own legs would stop falling off!

Chameleon Chaos

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:17:06 +0200

Petty Potts, scientist extraordinaire, is losing her touch. The S.W.I.T.C.H. spray that's supposed to turn Josh and Danny into chameleons refuses to work. But the next day at school, the twins suddenly find themselves transformed. Looks like Petty's spray has worked after all! But it shows no sign of wearing off any time soon....