where the shelves are stocked with strange and mysterious goods. The children in these five books each leave the shop with magical items intended especially for them. In The Monster's Ring, Russell Crannaker, bullied all his life, gets a chance to fight back when he is given a monstrous magical item. In Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, a boy receives a small marbled dragon's egg--and when it hatches, his wildest dreams take wing. In Jennifer Murdley's Toad, a girl "in a plain brown wrapper," buys a talking toad who knows a thing or two about the true nature of beauty. In The Skull of Truth, Charlie Eggleston, the biggest liar in town, steals a skull from the shop, and it puts him under some sort of spell: He can only tell the truth--but now no one believes him! And in Juliet Dove, Queen of Love, a shy girl suddenly becomes the most popular girl in school when she wears the ancient amulet given to her at the magic shop. These funny and fantastic tales are collected in a boxed set, perfect for gift-giving.