When Jorie and Rufus are reunited after a year, each one having gone abroad to France and Germany to study language, they are summoned to help their beloved friends below the Tarn to rescue the Great Wizard, who has been kidnapped. With no idea where he has gone, the children dive back into the Tarn, back to the land of Cabrynthia. Taking the Magic Stones with them, they set out immediately to find the Great Grootmonya, soon learning that he has been imprisoned in a cell atop a steep mountain in the evil land of Shyloxia. Their mission is fraught with fierce fights and entanglements as Rufus learns that his beloved dragon, Chook, also has been kidnapped. How does one kidnap a dragon? It isn't easy, but their wicked adversary, the grim and gruesome Lord Fodomalk, is very resourceful. The children encounter many frightening adventures in a terrible inferno fraught with belching volcanoes and the terrifying River of Fire. And don't overlook some angry creatures and the poisonous butterflies. It is a race against time. Can the duo get to the Wizard in time, as he grows weaker with each passing hour? How do they cross the fiery River? And where is Chook? Throughout all of this, Jorie and Rufus soldier on, desperately and bravely, using their magic Stones and their warmth and affection for one another shining like a steady beacon. Join this brave pair and enjoy their adventurous journey through a magical kingdom under the Tarn.

MURDER IN LITTLE SHENDON Picture, if you will, a picturesque village called Little Shendon, suddenly caught up in dealing with a murder of one of its citizens - not a particularly well-liked one at that. Which makes it all the more intriguing because the list of suspects becomes very long. This tantalizing tale unfolds with delightful twists and turns to find out whodunit to Mr. Bartholomew Fynche, the murdered shopkeeper. Fear grips the community as the investigation slowly progresses. Everyone is interviewed; everyone is suspect! From the murdered man's housekeeper to Lady Armstrong, her staff and her nephew. Or could it be the shy librarian new in town? Or the defiant retired army major and his ladyfriend, the post mistress? Or perhaps the weird sisters who live on the edge of town? Then there is the couple who own the local inn and pub, along with the two Americans who are staying there? Even the vicar and his wife fall under the gloom of suspicion. Uncertainty, wariness, and terror reign as neighbors watch neighbors to discover the evil that permeates their upturned lives. No one feels safe in this charming little village. A.H. Richardson, noted author, places in your trembling hands a mystery murder that will keep you reading until you learn the details, uncovered by Police Inspector Stanley Burgess and his two amateur detectives, his friend Sir Victor Hazlitt and the famed Shakespearean actor Beresford Brandon. Scratch your head with them over the strange clues that turn up. Follow them as they tread carefully among the landmines that appear innocent as they lie hidden beneath the surface of mystery. Something evil skulks in this tiny country village. Who is the murderer? And why was this strange uncivil man dispatched in such a seemingly civil community? You are challenged to discover the culprit before the last few pages. And no fair looking ahead - it's the journey that proves the most enticing.

When Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn't imagine the adventures she would have with dragons - good and bad - and all the strange creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky 9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie - for that is what she prefers to be called - finds a dusty ancient book about dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find themselves in the magic land of Cabrynthius. Upon meeting the good dragon, the Great Grootmonya, Jorie and Rufus are given a quest to find the three Stones of Maalog - stones of enormous power - and return them to their rightful place in Cabrynthius. Their mission is neither easy nor safe, and is peppered with perils in the form of the evil black half-dragon who rules the shadowy side of the land. They have to deal with a wicked and greedy professor, the tragic daughter of the bad dragon, caves of fire, rocky mountainous climbs, and a deadly poisonous butterfly. Jorie must rely on her wits and courage to win the day? Can she do this? Can she find all three Stones? Can she save Rufus when disaster befalls him? Can she emerge victorious? She and Rufus have some hair-raising challenges, in which they learn valuable lessons about loyalty, bravery, and friendship.