Toole's lunatic and sage novel introduces one of the most memorable characters in American literature, Ignatius Reilly, whom Walker Percy dubs "slob extraordinaire, a mad Oliver Hardy, a fat Don Quixote, a perverse Thomas Aquinas rolled into one." Set in New Orleans, A Confederacy of Dunces outswifts Swift, one of whose essays gives the book its title. As its characters burst into life, they leave the region and literature forever changed by their...

Andrew wants freckles so badly that he buys Sharon's freckle recipe for fifty cents.

Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship. "Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg Heffley. It's a new school year, and Greg finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings...

Ronald Psmith ("the 'p' is silent, as in pshrimp") is always willing to help a damsel in distress. So when he sees Eve Halliday without an umbrella during a downpour, he nobly offers her an umbrella, even though it's one he picks out of the Drone Club's umbrella rack. Psmith is so besotted with Eve that, when Lord Emsworth, her new boss, mistakes him for Ralston McTodd, a poet, Psmith pretends to be him so he can make his way to Blandings Castle and...

Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair. And it got worse ... His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV! Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.

Chronicles the off-beat and occasionally extraterrestrial journeys, notions, and acquaintances of galactic traveler Arthur Dent.

After Stanley Lambchop goes flat once again, he uses his flatness to help win a sailboat race and to rescue a classmate from a collapsed building.

John Midas is a normal boy, except that he has an abnormal love for candy, especially chocolate. But when he acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate, he finds out that too much of a good thing isn't so great.

A most unusual new student who loves to be the center of attention entertains her teacher and fellow second graders by telling absolutely true stories about herself, including how she got her name.

"Meet Mr. Mulliner" introduces the eponymous Mr. Mulliner, one of the most beloved creations of British literature's legendary comic genius, P.G. Wodehouse. Author of the Jeeves series of comic novels and stories, Wodehouse here presents Mr. Mulliner, an effusive and high-spirited regular at the Anglers' Rest pub. No matter the subject at hand, Mr. Mulliner will be reminded of a story and in this book, readers are treated to nine tales of hilarity...