Harriet's invited to accompany her aunts Thessalonica and Japonica to America. She's terribly excited, knowing very well that with two expert detectives for aunts, this is going to be no ordinary trip. She soon discovers, to her enormous surprise, that they're actually on their way to see her sixth aunt, Formica! And as if this weren't surprising enough, she finds out that Aunt Formica is a cowgirl, and the reason for their visit is to help her catch some rustlers that have been stealing cattle from her ranch. Harriet and her three aunts must move like greased lightening if they're to get on the trail of the slippery cattle thieves. It's time to saddle-up and yee-ha!

The Banana Machine

by Alexander McCall Smith

Published 29 September 1994
Patty lives with her Aunt Bat on a banana plantation in Jamaica. Unfortunately, as it's such a small plantation, they're having trouble keeping up with the competition, and Aunt Bat is worried they'll have to sell up. Patty needs to think of an idea to turn things around, and fast! Inspiration comes to her as she's digging into a chocolate banana special at her local ice-cream parlour. All she needs to do is invent a machine - a banana machine. Will Patty's mechanical wizardry help the plantation out of its crisis? Or, like the bananas, are her ideas round the bend?