gnomes

Eleven-year-old Stan cannot convince anyone that the garden gnomes he has always feared are connected to reports of missing persons and the strange sights and sounds he has observed.

When Joe Burton's father brings home two plastic gnomes to place on the lawn with the flamingos and skunks, strange things start to happen.

"War is coming, and it's gonna be Pell. On one side stand the gnomes: smol, cheerful, possessing tidy cardigans and no taste for cruelty. On the other side sit the halflings, proudly astride their war alpacas, carrying bags of grenadesand hungry for a fight. It takes only one halfling bomb, and Offi Numminen's world is turned upside down--or downside up, really, since he lives in a hole in the ground. His goth cardigans and aggressive melancholy set him apart from the other gnomes, as does his decision to fight back against their halfling oppressors. Suddenly Offi is the leader of a band of lovable misfits and outcasts--from a gryphon who would literally kill for omelets--a young dwarf herbalist who is better with bees than his cudgel to an assertive and cheerful teen witch with a beard as long as her book of curses--all on a journey to the Toot Towers to confront the dastardly villain intent on tearing Pell asunder"--Provided by publisher.

"Jerome and his fellow Garden of Wonder dwellers--including Oakie, his pet acorn; Nutilda, a hyperactive squirrel; and Warble, a fast-talking bird--learn what it takes to make a happiness seed blossom. Through patience, asking for help, and teamwork, Jerome and his friends take a little black seed left on a windowsill and find ways to help it grow"--Provided by publisher.

Although unable to grow a beard, Al the garden gnome, after discovering his talent for barbering, wins a special award at the beard contest.

Tired of being known only for her curly red hair, Ginger Gnome competes in the Winter Gnome Games, where she definitely gets attention.

Tess asks Santa for a gnome for Christmas, but gets a hamster instead.

"Grump, the Yule Tomte, lives all alone, which is exactly how he likes it! He's waiting for Christmas to arrive when all of a sudden a gust of wind steals his mittens from the washing line and his hat from his head. That's the last straw--he won't be the Yule Tomte anymore! Binny and Barty, the rabbit children, live with their family in the forest. They've never heard of Christmas, or the Yule Tomte, until the wind brings them some strange gifts..."--Back cover.

The once pristine kingdom of the Gowdlands has been conquered by the monsters of the Totumakk Horde, and the only hope for saving the kingdom lies in the final spell of a great wizard, who must die before the spell can be cast.

"Buck discovers that the world in his favorite novels is real, and he must intervene in a war between gnomes and trolls"--Provided by publisher.