• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 1 to 4

The second book in the magical chapter-book adventure series by the Governor General Award–winning author of Sweep, now in paperback.

Auggie was just like most other boys, except in one way. Auggie had a job. Auggie worked in the Fabled Stables — a magical place full of one-of-a-kind creatures. Sometimes the Fabled Stables changed to make room for a new beast. The whole place would shake, and then Auggie would find a new stall that led to a beast somewhere in the Wide World. It was Auggie's job to go out and rescue that beast from danger. In this second installment, a new stall appears with a sign: Tattle-Tail. Although this doesn't sound like a very friendly thing, Auggie knows it's his job to help. Peering in the new stall, he can see a little village with a tall tower in the middle. The Tattle-Tail is somewhere in that village. Together with Willa the Wisp and Fen, the stick-in-the-mud, Auggie makes his way to the village, where he's surprised to discover not one, but many Tattle-Tails — all of the villagers have a talking tail attached to them, tails that tattle on their humans, blabbing all their secrets out loud. Auggie and Willa try everything they can to get the tails off the villagers, but all they manage to do is get tails of their own!

Jonathan Auxier writes strange stories for strange children--including PETER NIMBLE & HIS FANTASTIC EYES and THE NIGHT GARDENER. Raised in Canada, Jonathan now lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and family.

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One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2021

"The tattling is so silly and the tails illustrated so joyfully that they’ll delight readers, especially when Auggie’s attempts to free the town backfire in funny ways. . . . Funny, charming, and bighearted." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"Jonathan Auxier has written another wonderful book about Auggie’s island at the top of the world. . . . A tale of determination and love for fellow creatures as Auggie tells readers, ‘It’s my job to care for all creatures — no matter how hard-to-love.’" —CM Reviews
"Bright cartoon art and speech-bubble dialogue help add character and detail to the story. The silly imaginary creatures combined with a gentle plot works well for early chapter book readers as well as for those eager to listen to longer stories read aloud. The solution to the Tattle-Tail dilemma, and the problems it caused, offers a number of points for engaging discussion." ―Horn Book Magazine