This post is part of a weekly series of synopses of children’s books, written by First Book staff members.

No Tooth No Quarter, by Susan Schade and Jon Buller. A boy just lost his tooth — no really, he can’t find it! He feels bad for losing his tooth because now the tooth fairy won’t meet her quota, so he decides to help her. Along the way, they visit Tooth Fairy Land and anger Queen Denteena before finding a unique solution to all their problems. Grades K-2.


Julian Secret Agent, by Ann Cameron. While standing in the Post Office on a rainy day, Julian, Gloria, and Huey see a “Most Wanted” poster and decide to start a crime-fighting club. They save a dog trapped in a car and keep a little boy from drowning, but they aren’t any closer to catching any real criminals, or to getting the $25,000 reward that comes with it. But just when they think they’ve got the right man, they find themselves in trouble with the law! Grades 3-4.


Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet Welsch is an outrageously curious young girl living in New York who has her sights set on becoming a famous author. She keeps a private, daily journal where she chronicles what she encounters on her neighborhood “spy route.” She also keeps detailed, blunt notes about her classmates and friends. But once her friends discover the journal and start reading it aloud, Harriet is forced to confront their ostracism and her own sense of loss and loneliness. Grades 5-6.