Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises.

"Ruthie Smithens, a girl who loves fairy tales and happy endings, doesn't mind being 'goffy Ruthie' if it makes her best friend, Kit Kttredge, smile and forget about the hardships of the Depression. But when Ruthie finds out that the Kittredges are going to be evicted from their house, she makes up her mind to help..."--Cover back.

Wally & Cheyenne Shluffmuffin are back to the clutches of the show-tune happy Hortense Jolly at the Jolly Days Orphanage where another odd adventure ensues.

When the babies who are being fed on human snot mutate into half-human brats, Hedy Mandible uses her hypnotic control over Cheyenne to force her to teach them proper behavior, while the Jackal initiates another elaborate scheme to assassinate Wally.

The ten-year-old Shluffmuffins twins, still evading the evil, giant ants that tried to adopt them, discover the culinary delights of swamps and encounter a zombie who bears a strange resemblance to their deceased father.