Some things you just can't expect. Among them you will find: Bartholomew and the Banana Blizzard. The denizens of Burensburg are threatened by the activity of a thoughtless gold-mining operation, until Bartholomew finds a solution. Esmé and the Eloquent Eggplant. Esmé likes to talk to plants. One of them starts to talk back - but there's more here than meets the ear. Hendrik and the Horrible Hollyhocks. First there was one hollyhock on Hendrik's farm. Then there were two. Now they're out of control and nothing seems to stop them. Miranda and the Mesmeric Maestro. The War of 1812 is raging and President Madison is quacking like a duck. Miranda finds that a knowledge of Homer is useful. Pepy and the Princely Prestidigitation. Pepy's father and the Prince of Egypt have been captured by the Amorites. Pepy is no sorcerer's apprentice, but he knows a bit of stage magic. Is it enough? Ursula and the Urgent Ululation. A pair of train robbers are holding Ursula and her aunt prisoner in a cottage deep in the Black Forest - but they don't know about Ursula's friend. The heroes and heroines of these stories are ordinary boys and girls confronted with problems, from an Argumentative Alligator to a Zany Zoo, that call forth cleverness, ingenuity, and courage.