Frank Myers never met the uncle he was named for. He was in Vietnam and he's still MIA. The young Frank learns about himself as he hears more about Uncle Frank from those who served with him. Is it enough to help Frank overcome the challenges of the streets of DC?Frank Myers never met the uncle he was named for. His mother's brother Franklin died in Vietnam when he was only 22. At least, everyone thinks he did. He's still MIA. As the young Frank Myers grows up in the schools and on the streets of Washington, D.C., his path crosses that of the uncle he never met at the Veterans Outreach Center. As his uncle's friends share their memories, Frank learns more about himself. Frank has his own friends, especially Eric, so he doesn't focus too much on his uncle. But, it's other Vietnam vets who may save Frank from the problems youth of the late 1980s find in DC, problems Eric couldn't avoid.

What do you do when you’re where you don’t want to be? What do you do when you’re with who you don’t want to be with? What do you do when the law fails you? Whatever it takes. You do whatever it takes…Elisa is fourteen years old. She has an English mother and a Sicilian father. She was born in England but raised in Sicily, and when her parents split up, she returns willingly to England with her mother. This is where the problems start.Unfortunately for her, her father has the law on his side, the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. And he uses it. The problem is, though, that she doesn’t feel abducted. And how can she have been abducted if her father had paid for her ticket to England in the first place? How can she have been abducted if he’d then sent money every month so she could stay there? You’d think it would be an open-and-shut case, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, the law thinks otherwise. And now she finds herself back in Sicily, back with him, back without her mother. This is her story. This is how she plays the hand an inflexible and unforgiving law has dealt her.

Long before you and I came to exist, there was a small village on the borders of Japan. The village was haunted by ferocious daemons called the Hyakki. To keep them satisfied, the village council would sacrifice one child every year. When Aiko finds out her brother is missing, she tries to find him, but she ends up in more trouble than she could ever imagine…The quintessential Artifice Comics tale! Programmed to destroy super-powered beings known as Post-Moderns, the Siege Engine sets its sights on Santa Claus! Absurdist and puerile, Ho Ho Horrible Tragedy Forced Upon Christmas! focuses on the age old problem of just what do you do when you have a mechanized killing machine replete with a database of every super-powered human on Earth and a mandate for ruining the holiday season.Recommended for fans of sheer what-the-fuckery.

ONE. DEUX. TRE. is a short story collection that takes a look at three relationships, each at different stages and the issues that surround each stage of each relationship: trust, loyalty, and death.Comprised of three stories set in Galveston, Texas, ONE. DEUX. TRE. examines the issues that plague relationships at their various stages. In "All Along,: a young, could-be couple meets for the first time in a state of exhaustion and delirium after not having slept adequately in weeks. In order to finally rest, the two must put their trust in one another without really knowing one another at all. in "Show Me", Charlie Good is struck by a hit-and-run driver, while his boyfriend frantically searches to discover his whereabouts and whether or not his boyfriend is still alive. In "VItas Vit," an accident leaves a Annabelle Black a widow, though her grappling discontent with her husband causes the grieving process to be difficult.

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds. Like her *House Rules* and several other previous Jodi Picoult novels, *Sing You Home* grapples with hot button issues. The novel also includes a CD of songs, each matched with a chapter in the book. Perfect for book clubs.

The editor of the classic GO ASK ALICE has compiled the poignant journals of a 14-year-old date-rape victim who contracted AIDS and died.

A groundbreaking collection of essays by celebrated international writers bears witness to the human cost of fifty years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In Kingdom of Olives and Ash, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, two of today's most renowned novelists and essayists, have teamed up with the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence—an organization comprised of former Israeli soldiers who served in the occupied territories and saw firsthand the injustice there—and a host of illustrious writers to tell the stories of the people on the ground in the contested territories. Kingdom of Olives and Ash includes contributions from several of today’s most esteemed storytellers including: Colum McCann, Jacqueline Woodson, Colm Toibin, Geraldine Brooks, Dave Eggers, Hari Kunzru, Raja Shehadeh, Mario Vargas Llosa and Assaf Gavron, as well as from editors Chabon and Waldman. Through these incisive, perceptive, and poignant essays, readers will gain unique insight into the narratives behind the litany of grim destruction broadcasted nightly on the news, as well as deeper understanding of the conflict as experienced by the people who live in the occupied territories. Together, these stories stand witness to the human cost of the occupation.****

In MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

ENEMY TO LOVER Kayden is obsessed with revenge after his parents disappeared when he was just a cub. Now the gorgeous Hunter has discovered the man responsible for betraying them - Joshua Ford - and it’s time for payback. Beginning with the kidnapping of Joshua’s daughter, Bianca. But last thing he expects is to be confronted with the horrifying realization that Bianca is his mate. Will he put revenge before his chance for eternal happiness? BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Sexy male model, Simon refuses to give up his exciting life in New York City to return to the slow heat of the Wildlands. For a decade, many pantera have tried to capture the rogue Diplomat and bring him home, but all have failed. Now it’s Tryst’s turn. The hard, brilliant, and gorgeous, Hunter is the ultimate tracker. But can the admitted beast-girl of the Wildlands capture her prey without losing her heart in the process?

For more than two decades Peter Straub has engrossed, entertained, and terrified us with his dazzling blend of cool artistry and mad, spine-tingling imagination. With Mr. X, the bestselling author of Ghost Story, The Talisman (with Stephen King), and The Hellfire Club takes us into the darkest dimensions of the human psyche and proves once again that he is without peer in the realm of psychological suspense and horror, a master storyteller whose unique and powerful gifts qualify him to be called the Edgar Allan Poe of our times. Mr. X is Straub's original and startling take on the theme of the doppelgänger. Ned Dunstan's birthday is fast approaching, and every year on this date, Ned experiences a paralyzing seizure in which he is forced to witness scenes of ruthless slaughter perpetrated by a mysterious and malevolent figure in black whom Ned calls Mr. X. Ned has been drawn back to his hometown, Edgerton, Illinois, by a premonition that his mother, Star, is dying. Before she loosens her hold on life, she imparts to Ned the name of his father, never before disclosed, and warns him that he is in grave danger. Despite her foreboding, Ned's determination to learn as much as possible about his absent father ignites a series of extraordinary adventures that gradually reveal the heart of both his own identity and that of his entirely fantastic family: He discovers that he is shadowed by an identical twin brother who can pass through doors and otherwise defy the laws of nature; he becomes the lead suspect in three violent deaths; he investigates the secret shadow-world within Edgerton; he learns to "eat time" and remembers the one occasion when he and his sinister brother united into a single being. Finally, at the moment of battle, he must call upon everything he has learned to save his own life. Brimming with the author's trademark wit, understated eloquence, vibrant characters, and brilliant sense of pace, Mr. X displays Peter Straub at the top of his form. From the Hardcover edition.

Former Soviet Secret Service agent Leo Demidov has built himself a new life as a civilian with his wife Raisa, and their two teenage daughters, Elena and Zoya. The Soviet Union is a country trying to reassert itself after the murderous excesses of Stalin and the chaos of the following years, and as the Cold War continues powers inside Russia seek to topple their great enemy, the United States of America. Communist allies within the United States will prove vital players in this game of intrigue and revolution.Raisa and their two daughters travel to the United States on a diplomatic mission, but a horrifying tragedy destroys everything Leo and Raisa have built. Exiled from the Soviet Union and separated from his family, Leo's quest takes him through the stark wilderness of Afghanistan, reawakening all his old instincts and forcing him to confront his demons.

You met star quarterback Kevin Tucker in This Heart of Mine. Now get ready to meet his shark of an agent, Heath Champion, and Annabelle Granger, the girl least likely to succeed.Annabelle's endured dead-end jobs, a broken engagement . . . even her hair's a mess! But that's going to change now that she's taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. All Annabelle has to do is land the Windy City's hottest bachelor as her client, and she'll be the most sought-after matchmaker in town.Why does the wealthy, driven, and gorgeous sports agent Heath Champion need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? True, she's entertaining, and she does have a certain quirky appeal. But Heath is searching for the ultimate symbol of success -- the perfect wife. And to make an extraordinary match, he needs an extraordinary matchmaker, right?Soon everyone in Chicago has a stake in the outcome, and a very big question:...

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather, and they find a mysterious painting hidden in the attic. The children learn that it is a portrait of their grandmother, whom they never knew, wearing the necklace Grandfather gave her when they were married. The necklace disappeared on their first anniversary - and was never found. Can the Boxcar Children track down a necklace missing for so many years?

EARTH 2788 - The Earth Girl Short Stories A collection of eight prequel stories, set in the distant future of the Earth Girl trilogy (Earth Girl, Earth Star, and Earth Flight) In the year 2788, people use interstellar portals to travel between over a thousand colony worlds scattered across six sectors of space, each with their own contrasting cultures. On the rich worlds of Alpha sector, you aren’t considered fully adult until 25, while the frontier worlds of Epsilon sector expect a girl to marry at 17. Clan centred Beta sector is notoriously permissive, while Deltan worlds consider it shocking behaviour to kiss in public. In Kappa sector, the military battle to make new worlds safe for colonization, while Earth is a semi-abandoned ruin. Each story features one of the characters from the Earth Girl trilogy. Eight people, with eight very distinctive backgrounds and problems, all destined to get caught up in one girl’s fight for acceptance. A fight that will change Earth forever. Cover art by Alex Storer/ http://www.thelightdream.net/ EARTH 2788 – Short story. Jarra trespasses on forbidden ground. ALPHA SECTOR 2788 – Short story. Dalmora’s sheltered life is about to change. BETA SECTOR 2788 – A novelette. Lolia’s marriage is falling apart. GAMMA SECTOR 2788 -Short story. Krath’s life is literally on the scrap heap. DELTA SECTOR 2788 – Short story. Fian’s father is planning his future for him, but Fian has his own ideas. EPSILON SECTOR 2788 – Short story. On a frontier planet, Amalie is considering possible husbands. KAPPA SECTOR 2788 – A novelette. As he hands over a new world to its first colonists, Colonel Riak Torrek plans to retire. ZETA SECTOR 2788 – A novelette. The heroic Major Drago Tell Dramis has finally found something that scares him. This set of stories is no longer on the author's website but is now available worldwide in a range of ebook formats as well as paperback.

From the author of the Finlandia Award-winning novel Troll: A Love Story, The Core of the Sun further cements Johanna Sinisalo’s reputation as a master of literary speculative fiction and of her country’s unique take on it, dubbed “Finnish weird.” Set in an alternative historical present, in a “eusistocracy”—an extreme welfare state—that holds public health and social stability above all else, it follows a young woman whose growing addiction to illegal chili peppers leads her on an adventure into a world where love, sex, and free will are all controlled by the state. The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has bred a new human sub-species of receptive, submissive women, called eloi, for sex and procreation, while intelligent, independent women are relegated to menial labor and sterilized so that they do not carry on their "defective" line. Vanna, raised as an eloi but secretly intelligent, needs money to help her doll-like sister, who has disappeared. Vanna forms a friendship with a man named Jare, and they become involved in buying and selling a stimulant known to the Health Authority to be extremely dangerous: chili peppers. Then Jare comes across a strange religious cult in possession of the Core of the Sun, a chili so hot that it is rumored to cause hallucinations. Does this chili have effects that justify its prohibition? How did Finland turn into the North Korea of Europe? And will Vanna succeed in her quest to find her sister, or will her growing need to satisfy her chili addiction destroy her? Johanna Sinisalo’s tautly told story of fight and flight is also a feisty, between-the-lines social polemic—a witty, inventive, and fiendishly engaging read.

When twenty-four-year-old Felicity Harper is dragged to a sugar party, an event where wealthy men and women seek “companionship,” she never expects this one simple decision to drastically change her whole life. Her past is nothing but broken dreams and heartache. Her present is detached and dull. And her future? Well, before meeting Theodore Darcy, the famed film director, writer, producer and CEO of Darcy Entertainment, she would have expected more of the same. Love is just a fantasy and she wants no part of it—even if she can’t deny the undeniable attraction between the two of them. So their arrangement is simple: sex with no strings attached. But as their intimacy becomes more powerful, so do Felicity’s demons. Can Theo really shoulder her past and his own? And could Felicity even let him?

"Lonely witches get up to no good." Amber Lee has a decent life: she lives in a great house, she's about to start school again, her best friend Eliza is pregnant, and the pair of them are Wiccans with a healthy bond. But ever since Eliza moved out of Amber's house and in with her boyfriend Evan, Amber's been feeling a growing pang of loneliness in her chest. When Damien, a stranger to her town, mysteriously comes into her life bringing with him all manner of strangeness, everything changes. Damien shows Amber a side of her she never knew existed, and ignites in her a spark she hadn't felt in a long time, but he's haunted by a dark secret and a purpose which may prove fatal to them both - and by the time she realizes it, there's no turning back. Midnight Magick will take you deep into a world of witchcraft and mystery, where bonds are tested, hearts broken and lives lost.

Jack in the Green is an original novella, set in the fictional Southwestern desert city of Santo del Vado Viejo, and is available here for the first time in any format. Best friends Maria and Luz grew up in the barrio and were inseparable until Luz left town to fight against social injustice. They lose track of one another until one day, while at her job cleaning rich people's homes, Maria spots Luz among a gang robbing the house next door. Luz later tells Maria that her gang robs from the rich and gives to the poor, like a modern day Robin Hood. Luz says she brought the leader and his men to their city by magic. Maria isn't sure if she believes that, but she does know that she feels an undeniable romantic connection to their handsome leader, the mysterious Jack Green, and the feeling is mutual. Between her rekindled friendship with Luz and her attraction to Jack, she gets drawn into a life that’s 180 degrees opposite to how she’s been living. But when things go awry, it’s Maria who must pay the final price.

Clover Moon's imagination is her best escape from a life of hardship in poverty-stricken Victorian London. When tragedy plunges her into a world of grief, Clover realizes that everything she loved about the place she called home is gone. Clover hears of a place she could run to, but where will she find the courage – and the chance – to break free? And could leaving her family be just what she needs to find a place that really feels like home?Introducing the brilliant and brave new heroine from the wonderful world of the bestselling and award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.

"...there is..." Mrs. Tracy was saying quietly, "there is something we need to know about Jessica..."From this moment on, life is never quite the same for Tom and his seventh-grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and was badly burned, and will be attending St. Catherine's while getting medical treatments. Despite her horrifying appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes his life. Tony Abbott is the author of over 35 books for young readers, including the extremely popular The Secrets of Droon series. In Firegirl he has written a powerful book that will show readers that even the smallest of gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life.