National Network for Equitable Library Service

Here's what you need to know about Phineas L. MacGuire, boy-scientist extraordinaire, a.k.a. Mac:

1. He's allergic to purple, telephone calls, and girls, and can prove it.

When orphaned Laura Marlin moves from a children's home to live with her uncle in Cornwall, she longs for a life of excitement just like the characters in her favourite detective novels.

Ten-year-old Rosario Ramirez and her family are political refugees from Mexico, trying to make a new life in Canada.