Helen Plum Library

Although she is initially unhappy about having to spend the summer with her uncle while her mother is away at work, Lottie Grace gets the surprise of her life when the animals at his pet store start talking to her

Twins, Grace and Marty, along with a mysterious uncle, are dropped into the middle of the Congolese jungle in search of their missing photojournalist parents

Sensible spinster Daisy Spencer decides to take in a precocious youngster, much to the town's surprise, and finds herself up against the boy's uncle, rugged D.C. cop Walker Ames, only to find herself attracted to him

In 1904, eleven-year-old Suzanna is delighted with her grandmother's invitation to spend time in Boston and thrilled to help her famous uncle investigate a series of arsons, but much less pleased to be enrolled her in Miss Lydia Doucette's Academy for Young Ladies

"1987. The only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June's world is turned upside down. But Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into...

When sullen teenager Dylan Barstow is caught joyriding in a stolen car he is sent to his ex-Marine uncle for the summer, but soon they are on the way to Papua New Guinea in search of a World War II fighter plane and Dylan discovers that defiance is not a survival skill when you are lost in a jungle

"Patrick O'Hara is a bit out of his league. Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for week-long visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. So when tragedy strikes and Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian, he is, honestly, overwhelmed. Patrick has no idea...

"Rancid rat hairs! I'd been spending so much money lately, I had none left in the bank! Even worse, when my grandfather found out, he sent me off to Moldy Manor. There, miserly Uncle Stingysnout would teach me to be better at saving. How terrible! Could I learn to be less wasteful without going crazy?" --

Twelve-year-old Seymour Hope and his ghostly "mother" Olive go to Scotland to claim a castle inherited from Ignatius Grumply's punster uncle, Ian, but while they tend an aged tortoise and face an unscrupulous developer, Iggie deals with Ian's ghost and an inept insurance agent

"In this long short story, or short novella, Dave Eggers gives us an unforgettable duo, Helen and Peter Mahoney, a homebody niece and her adventurous, almost-British uncle. Helen designs invitations to parties and galas to which she is not welcome, and is quite comfortable with that. One day, though, Peter wonders, "Why not print an extra invite and I'll be your plus one?" What starts out as an innocuous lark becomes much more -- a very funny and...