In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.

The life of the Austin family is changed by the arrival of self-centered young Maggy Hamilton, orphaned by the sudden death of her pilot father.

Stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan expresses the joys and horrors of life with five young children.

Sister Bear is upset by all the attention her new baby sister is receiving.

When a Swiss couple and their four sons are shipwrecked on an isolated island, they adapt to their "New Switzerland" using many imaginative methods of farming and animal taming.

Feeling less than enthusiastic when her eccentric family buys an electric car, avid reader Frances endures taunts by owners of gas-fueled vehicles before driving an injured neighbor to the hospital, an adventure that changes her mind about automobile travel.

A young girl describes the family reunion at her grandmother's house, from the food and baseball and photos to the flickering fireflies on the lawn.

Decades after the women in her family and their friend are shattered by the losses of two beloved men during World War II, Julia is approached by her long-lost great-grandmother and untangles a dark secret.

"Templeton the cat makes a wish for his family to disappear, but quickly learns that being alone isn't as great as he had thought it would be"--

Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.