Arabel Jones and her raven companion, Mortimer, return in this second collection of short stories, following the initial title, Arabel's Raven. In Mortimer's Tie, Mortimer's quest to find a diamond eventually wins the Jones family a free cruise. But will Mortimer's penchant for disaster ruin their vacation? In The Spiral Stair, Mortimer finds himself in a feud with two donut-stealing giraffes when he and Arabel visit a zoo. And in Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur, Mortimer is more interested in trying to drive the lawnmower than in seeing the famed sword, with the expected disastrous results.

The fun continues in this second collection of stories, illustrated by Quentin Blake, and perfect for the beginning chapter-book reader. As mentioned in my review of Arabel's Raven, these stories are also published individually in the UK. ( )