When seventeen year old Patience arrives at her uncle’s house for one of her regular visits, she finds blood everywhere, and evidence that he has been kidnapped. She stumbles across a letter detailing that the world of fantasy and magic is in fact real, and that he had been expecting this to happen. She embarks on a quest to save her uncle, learning magic along the way in order to survive.When seventeen year old Patience Gillespie arrives at her uncle’s house for one of her regular visits, she finds blood everywhere, and evidence that he has been kidnapped. She stumbles across a letter detailing that the world of fantasy and magic is in fact real, and that he had been expecting this to happen. He also leaves a magical ring which he says will protect her. Patience enlists the help of an elemental called Grim, Mercy – a sword fighting clairvoyant who has the ability to alter people’s memories and explore their mind, and Mortus, a zombie necromancer who can spirit walk among the dead and use shadow magic. Together they must uncover a plot that has been set in place ever since an ancient war which shaped the world we live in today. There are dangers, laughs, and a hell of a lot of style.

The Broken is a suspenseful supernatural thriller for kids. It shows the remarkable lengths an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy will go to save his little brother from the monsters that hunt him.Like most normal fourteen-year-olds, Link Hartkins doesn’t believe in monsters. So when he catches his little brother Ayden, talking to an empty wall, Link doesn’t think much of it and simply asks for an introduction to Ayden’s imaginary friend. But even a four-year-old knows the “moving dark” isn’t a friend. True evil doesn’t have friends. Link mistakenly blames himself for the tragic accident that cost his mother her life. Determined not to lose his baby brother as well, he begins to frantically seek answers to Ayden’s odd behavior. During his search, he uncovers an old camera in a secret hatch beside their new house. Playing along with Ayden’s wild imagination, Link wields the camera like a weapon and pretends to capture the monsters by taking their pictures. Just like magic, Ayden returns to normal...at least for the remainder of the day. But soon after Link develops the film, he discovers that Ayden hasn’t been imagining things. The monsters stalking him in the shadows are quite real. Now it is up to Link to save his baby brother before these monsters become powerful enough to crossover into our world and exact their revenge.Is there still time? Or will the darkness consume them both?

In school there was a pupil, a boy called Tony. Let me tell you about him… Although baptized Anthony, everyone knew him as Tony. Although he wasn’t a bad child, not really, he was always doing something that he shouldn’t be doing, to divert people’s attention from the bugbear of life – his height – or lack of it. You see, Tony was small.In school there was a pupil, a boy called Tony. Let me tell you about him… Although baptized Anthony, everyone knew him as Tony. Although he wasn’t a bad child, not really, he was always doing something that he shouldn’t be doing, to divert people’s attention from the bugbear of life – his height – or lack of it. You see, Tony was small.While Tony was attending primary school, this strategy worked well for him. No harm ensued from the many bold things he did, to impress his taller friends, but when he progressed to grammar school, his challenging behavior was seen in an entirely different light. And it had far reaching consequences, culminating in a set of events that were talked about for many a long year after they happened...

The Magical world of the Rain Fairies brightens Amy’s life when her mother passes on the secrets from her own childhood.There is no reason to be afraid of a thunderstorm.The Magical world of the Rain Fairies brightens Amy’s life when her mother passes on the secrets from her own childhood.There is no reason to be afraid of a thunderstormThe Rain Fairies story is in conjunction with.Crusty the CrabThe White UnicornsThe MermaidsCroaky the FrogMrs SpiderThe Mischievous Elves

The world wears computerized contact lenses that control technology with the blink of an eye. But behind each pair of contacts, there are two sets of eyes: those of the wearer and those of Newsight. “2084” is a young adult tale of two teens immersed in a dystopian world. Inspired by George Orwell’s “1984”, the novel follows two teenagers through an oppressive, dystopian world.The world wears computerized contact lenses that control technology with the blink of an eye. But behind each pair of contacts, there are two sets of eyes: those of the wearer and those of Newsight.Newsight Incorporated became a household name when they released their debut product: Lenses. Now, Newsight is more than a household name…they’re IN the household. They see everything their customers see, and with their virtual reality simulations, they even know what their customers think. They’ve created an Orwellian surveillance society, but not everyone is content to be watched. A teenaged boy named Vincent - a Senator’s son - and his friend Jessica - a Newsight developer’s daughter - begin to unravel the corporation’s plot, but not before their parents are taken, and their worlds are ripped apart.“2084” is a young adult tale of two teens immersed in a dystopian world. Inspired by George Orwell’s “1984”, the novel follows Vincent and Jessica on a journey to free their families of the technology that enslaved them. Because of our own struggles with privacy and data management, Engel’s dystopian society is a blend of science fiction and science fact.Reviews from early readers“First-time novelist Mason Engels gives us a vision of a bleak future even more oppressive than that of George Orwell’s 1984… The author tells a good story of Vincent and Jessica’s adventurous flight from the disintegrating society” - Angie Boyter"What a refreshing read! 2084 is not your typical young adult dystopian novel. The first chapter, alone, quickly separates it from traditional apocalyptic fiction to engage the reader in a new line of thinking about the future and our government's role in a free society. If you don't read anything else this summer, read 2084. Well worth your time." Kim West

With these short stories K. J. Tesar explores the thoughts, and hopes, that accompany people as they confront difficult situations in their lives. As they navigate their way through the intricacies of their lives they strive to understand their situations better, and the forces that drive them. It is a study of the human condition.His poetry exposes the darker depths of man.With these short stories K. J. Tesar explores the thoughts, and hopes, that accompany people as they confront difficult situations in their lives. As they navigate their way through the intricacies of their lives they strive to understand their situations better, and the forces that drive them. The twists and turns of life take them in different directions, and cause them to feel an array of emotions. Life's changes are thrust upon them, and they are forced to deal with their new circumstances as well as they can. Different perspectives on living can be seen to emerge from the changes that affect these ordinary people's lives. It is a study of the human condition, and man's behaviour as he questions his role, and his path in society. His poetry exposes the darker depths of man. The 4 Poems explore vastly different aspects of life, from When Evil Descends, which is a poem about the ferocity of man towards his fellow man in World War 2, to the surreal dreamstate of A Life Fades, a poem about a man lost in his life, searching for escape.

New York, 1933. The city and the nation are in the depths of the Great Depression. The crime families of New York have prospered in this time, but with the coming end of Prohibition, a battle is looming that will determine which organizations will rise and which will face a violent end. For Vito Corleone, nothing is more important that his family's future. While his youngest children, Michael, Fredo, and Connie, are in school, unaware of their father's true occupation, and his adopted son Tom Hagen is a college student, he worries most about Sonny, his eldest child. Vito pushes Sonny to be a businessman, but Sonny-17 years-old, impatient and reckless-wants something else: To follow in his father's footsteps and become a part of the real family business. An exhilarating and profound novel of tradition and violence, of loyalty and betrayal, The Family Corleone will appeal to the legions of fans who can never get enough of The Godfather, as well as introduce it to a whole new generation.

The Fall of Neskaya, Book One of the Clingfire Trilogy, marks the legendary author's final return to Darkover before her death. Set in the tumultuous era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a terrible time of strife and war, this unique fantasy world is divided into a mutlitude of small belligerent domains vying for power and land. One ambitious and corrupt tyrant will stop at nothing to control Darkover-even wield the terrifying weapons of the matrix.

Lovely Zared Peregrine was the pride of her family, a treasure her rough-hewn brothers would strive at any cost to protect from their ancient enemies, the Howards. The Peregrines had suffered loss enough. Thus Zared's brothers trained her in the arts of war, and dressed her in boy's clothing. Beyond the castle walls, none knew that the youngest Peregrine was a girl.... Yet when the magnificent Knight Tearle Howard returned from a lengthy sojourn in France, it took him but one glance to discover that Zared was most definitely female, and beautiful. Now, as the enmity between their families raged on, Tearle would mount a bold campaign to win the ravishing spitfire's heart -- and save her from his brother's dark and deadly obsession!

Liv's words cut off as Finn got closer. The man approaching was nothing like the boy she'd known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence. It's been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. Liv Arias thought she'd never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs...

Now in the final stages of their quest for his son, Garion and his companions travel to Kell to consult the only undamaged copy of the Malloreon Gospels. For centuries the Seers have guarded this book from the Grolims and even had their wizards put a curse of blindness on any Grolim who tried to enter Kell. So, as proclaimed in Guardians of the West, Belgarion the Godslayer sets out with those who must join him: the Eternal Man, the Guide, the Man with Two Lives, the Bearer of the Orb and the Silent Man, and the rest of his companions to The Place Which Is No More to make the final choice - darkness or light. But Zandramas the Sorceress will not be outdone. Though she may not enter Kell she still has young Geran and should she reach the final meeting place with him, then Garion must slay his son or the world will be no more. THUS ENDS THE EPIC STORY OF THE MALLOREON

Big-league pitcher Luke Winter needs a new security detail and specialist Katie Lyons is the best in the business. Going undercover as his girlfriend is a no-brainer: she's got to stay close. Unable to resist the hottie hurler, Katie launches into a torrid fling.When playing at being lovers becomes the real-- incredible, irresistible--thing, Katie finds that she's taking her eye off the ball. Posing as his girlfriend and being his true-to-life lover are two "very" different things--and losing focus could cost them both dearly....

Courtney Harte is certain her missing father is a alive, lost somewhere deep in Indian territory. But she needs a guide to lead her safely through this dangerous, unfamiliar country, someone as wild and unpredictable as the land itself. And that man is the gunslinger they call Chandos. Courtney fears this enigmatic loner whose dark secrets torture his soul, yet whose eyes, bluer than the frontier sky, enflame the innocent, determined lady with wanton desires. But on the treacherous path they have chosen they have no one to trust but each other--as shared perils to their lives and hearts unleash turbulent, unbridled, passions that only love can tame.

A moving story of a brother, a sister and a swallow, and how all are in some way victims of the horrors of landmines.Olly’s brother Matt wants to go and work with children who have been made orphans, through war, in Africa. He wants to be a clown and make them laugh. His mother and sister want him to stay in England and go to university.Hero, a swallow, has a journey to make too. He must fly to Africa for the winter to join all the other swallows. His journey is difficult and fraught with danger.Three separate stories are woven into one powerful and moving novel whose central theme not only exposes the horrors of war and of landmines, but also the endurance of the human spirit. Michael divides his time between his writing and running Farms for City Children, a charity which each year takes up to 3,000 children to a working farm for a week. Michael and his wife Clare were awarded MBEs this year for their work with the charity. Before the first farm opened 22 years ago, Morpurgo was a teacher and his knowledge of children’s experiences, plus his experience of Farms enrich his writing enormously.Michael Morpurgo has won the Whitbread Children’s Book Award, and the Smarties Book Prize.

John Crowley's all-new essay "Totalitopia" is a wry how-to guide for building utopias out of the leftovers of modern science fiction. "This Is Our Town," written especially for this volume, is a warm, witty, and wonderfully moving story. One of Crowley’s hard-to-find masterpieces, “Gone” is a Kafkaesque science fiction adventure about an alien invasion. Plus: There's a bibliography, an author bio, and of course an Outspoken Interview, the usual cage fight between candor and common sense.

An action-packed new series set in the mysterious, dangerous Bronze Age Young Hylas--goatherd, Outsider, thief--is hunted by powerful warriors who want him dead and have kidnapped his sister. Hylas is forced to flee his home, but not before a mysterious stranger gives him a bronze dagger. While on the run, Hylas must use his skill and wits to survive a shipwreck and a great white shark attack, befriend a dolphin, and help Pirra, the runaway daughter of a High Priestess. Together with Pirra, the dolphin, and the valuable bronze sword, Hylas fights to discover why he's being hunted and find his sister before the warriors find them.

Grandfather’s college roommate, Edward, has spent years collecting toys, gadgets, and rides from carnivals and state fairs. When the Boxcar Children visit Edward, his mansion seems like a toy-filled paradise for the Boxcar Children. But they soon discover that something is very wrong in the old house. Strange music plays in empty rooms, machines turn themselves on and off, and furniture moves itself from room to room. When the Boxcar Children find out that the world’s most famous magician once performed there, they begin to wonder—could Edward’s house be haunted by the ghost of Harry Houdini?

From the acclaimed author of Knockemstiff—called “powerful, remarkable, exceptional” by the Los Angeles Times—comes a dark and riveting vision of America that delivers literary excitement in the highest degree. In The Devil All the Time, Donald Ray Pollock has written a novel that marries the twisted intensity of Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers with the religious and Gothic over­tones of Flannery O’Connor at her most haunting. Set in rural southern Ohio and West Virginia, The Devil All the Time follows a cast of compelling and bizarre characters from the end of World War II to the 1960s. There’s Willard Russell, tormented veteran of the carnage in the South Pacific, who can’t save his beautiful wife, Charlotte, from an agonizing death by cancer no matter how much sacrifi­cial blood he pours on his “prayer log.” There’s Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial kill­ers, who troll America’s highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. There’s the spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick, Theodore, running from the law. And caught in the middle of all this is Arvin Eugene Russell, Willard and Charlotte’s orphaned son, who grows up to be a good but also violent man in his own right. Donald Ray Pollock braids his plotlines into a taut narrative that will leave readers astonished and deeply moved. With his first novel, he proves himself a master storyteller in the grittiest and most uncompromising American grain.

A million-plus-copy best seller in Korea—a magnificent English-language debut poised to become an international sensation—this is the stunning, deeply moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway. Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and mother, Please Look After Mom is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love. You will never think of your mother the same way again after you read this book. From the Hardcover edition.

A critically acclaimed historical novel by the author of the National Book Award-winning novel Homeless Bird. When shy ten-year-old Lucy comes to live with her aunt and uncle at their mission school, she's surprised at the number of harsh rules and restrictions imposed on the children. Why, she wonders, should the Indians have to do all the changing? And why is her aunt so strict with them? Then a girl called Raven runs away in protest, and Lucy knows she must overcome her timidity and stand up to her aunt—no matter what the consequences. With her trademark lyricism, spare prose, and strong young heroine, award-winning author Gloria Whelan has once again taken a chapter from history and transformed it into gripping, accessible historical fiction that is perfect for schools and classrooms, as well as for fans of Linda Sue Park and Louise Erdrich.

Michelangelo's statue of David is renowned all over the world. Thousands flock to Florence to admire the artistry behind this Renaissance masterpiece, and to admire the beauty of the human form captured in the marble. But the identity of the model for this statue that has been so revered for over five hundred years has been lost . . .In this epic story Mary Hoffman uses her persuasive narrative skills to imagine the story of Gabriele, an eighteen-year-old who, by becoming Michelangelo's model, finds himself drawn into a world of spies, politicking, sabotage and murder. Set against the backdrop of Florence, a city in a state of constant siege, this is a rich, colourful and thrilling tale.