"Shut up in a trunk by a taciturn old sea captain with a secret, five friends--a king, a wolf, a girl, a boy, and an owl--bicker, boast, and comfort one another in the dark. Individually, they dream of song and light, freedom and flight, purpose and glory, but they all agree they are part of a larger story, bound each to each by chance, bonded by the heart's mysteries. When at last their shared fate arrives, landing them on a mantel in a blue room...

Jackson Stander's life is just fine until he encounters the evil ventriloquist dummy Slappy who wreaks havoc on his family and friends by using Jackson as his dummy.

Using the window as her stage, Gramma uses the things in her basket to create a wonderful parade of shadow animals.

"One night, just before bedtime... Milo read a book about a monster under the bed. Milo should not have read that book. Monsters under the bed are scary, but luckily, Milo's best friend, Mel, knows just what to do--scare the monster more than the monster scares you!"--Page [2] of jacket.

"Pinocchio was a wooden doll before a fairy brough him to life. Now he's almost a real boy! The fairy tells him he must always tell the truth, or his nose will grow. Can he stay out of trouble?" -- Back cover. "Pinocho era una muñeca de madera antes de que un hada le diera vida. ¡Ahora es casi un niño de verdad! El hada le dice que siempre debe decir la verdad, o su nariz crecerá. ¿Puede evitar los problemas?" -- Parte posterior del libro.