For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.

A cup, a compass, a key: the magic tree house has brought siblings Annie and Jack to Camelot, where they embark on a mysterious mission to find these enigmatic gifts. In this special hardcover addition to the bestselling Magic Tree House series, the young adventurers must travel to the Otherworld, an "ancient, enchanted land beyond the edge of the Earth, the place where all magic began" to save Camelot from dark wizard Mordred's evil spell. If they fail, Camelot will be forgotten forever. Fans of the beloved, highly readable series by Mary Pope Osborne will rise to the challenge of this longer, more complex companion to her other titles, which include Earthquake in the Early Morning and Twister on Tuesday. As in every story in the sequence, Jack and Annie bravely plunge into their quest, learning about a culture and time very far removed from their own, and prove once again that children can make a difference. (Ages 6 to 9) --Emilie Coulter

Tired of books about the presidency that present themselves as history books? Author Judith St. George--along with Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator David Small--has created a book about the presidency that's serious fun. The basic theme is that anyone can be president: a fat man (William Howard Taft) or a tiny man (James Madison), a relative youngster (Teddy Roosevelt at 42) or oldster (Ronald Reagan at 69). Presidential hobbies, sports, virtues, and vices all get a tongue-in-cheek airing, perfectly matched by Small's political-cartoon style of caricature painting. It's fun, but the underlying purpose is clearly serious: to remind kids that the American presidents have been a motley group of individuals, not a row of marble busts. Ironically, that message makes the presidency far more interesting (and appealing) than it seems in some of the more traditional books. There's a factual addendum at the back giving all the dates and names, with a one-line bio for each past-president. (Ages 8 and older) --Richard Farr

How were pyramids built? Why did people make mummies? What magic charms were buried with mummies? Who discovered King Tut's tomb? Unwrap the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide #3: Mummies and Pyramids, Jack and Annie's very own guide to the secrets of ancient Egypt. Includes information on hieroglyphics, how mummies were made, tomb treasures and robbers, Egyptian gods and goddesses, and much more!

The world is an unfathomably big, amazing, and mysterious place. Sometimes, having a little context provides the ticket to understanding. Scholastic's Atlas of the World for children offers a unique approach to comprehending the world. Land area, time differences, life expectancy, car ownership, travel distances, and many other features of every country are compared to those of the United States. How does the length of the Indus River in Pakistan compare to the Mississippi, for example? Did you know that people in the U.S. live, on average, to be 76--but Australians live to be 80, and citizens of Zambia have a life expectancy of only 37 years? American kids, especially, will benefit from this tremendously helpful tool. The atlas also provides more than 80 easy-to-read topographical maps, hundreds of striking color photographs, thousands of statistics, and essays on culture and geography. In addition to the extensive index at the back of the book, each spread has its own "Search and Find" index with locators to help young readers find important cities on the maps. Color-coded continent tabs run along the top of every page, with the featured continent highlighted. Fascinating world facts are presented in "Discover More" shaded boxes, while the nitty-gritty details of a region are revealed in the "Country facts" box (population, area, language, religion, and currency), "State facts," and "Continent facts." Readers of all ages will become knowledgeable citizens of the world with this bright, up-to-date resource. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter