Peterkin

A newly illustrated edition with reader's notes for tricky words. Complete and unabridged.

A talking parrot is fascinating—but what if its oddest words sound like a secret meant just for you? Meet Peterkin, a kind-hearted, dreamy boy whose curiosity can carry him farther than he means to go.

Peterkin stands beneath a balcony cage, listening for a parrot’s secrets. In a busy seaside town, one unexpected detour from the straight road home leaves his family searching the darkening streets. His sensible brother Clement has a hunch about where Peterkin might be, but the boy is already deep in conversation with a kindly old lady—and the parrot has been saying something strangely mysterious. Peterkin’s head is full of fairy stories, but could this one have a real secret at its heart?

This complete and unabridged edition includes reader’s notes for tricky words and brings young readers the story of Peterkin by Mrs. Molesworth.

At Wise Minds Press we believe the years between childhood and the teenage leap are a golden window: curiosity runs high, vocabulary explodes and a single page can spark a lifetime of possibility. We were those wide‑eyed readers once—hungry for challenge, eager to roam far‑flung worlds, and guided by parents and teachers who knew the right story could light the path ahead. Today we honor that legacy by bringing time‑tested classics to young readers complete and unabridged, with reader's notes for the tricky words, and original illustrations for Grades 4‑7 (Ages 9‑12).

Our mission is simple: to place in every young reader's hands a bridge to literature's greatest adventures, turning boundless imagination into confidence, empathy, and the readiness to write their own remarkable futures.