Once upon a time--today, specifically--there was a shepherd of stones and his son. It's time for the lad to seek his fortune in the big city. But the big city is abuzz: the tin princess and the silver queen have gone missing, and the golden king is desperately worried. The stone shepherd's son begins his quest. But the ladies are hardly helpless, thank you, and there's other business needs doing.A shepherd made of stone had a son. Today the boy is old enough to set off to seek his fortune in the big city.But the big city is abuzz: the tin princess and the silver queen have gone missing, and the golden king is desperately worried. He offers a bodacious bonanza to the one who rescues the royal ladies. So the stone shepherd's son begins his quest.Only neither of the royal ladies is exactly helpless, thank you, and both of them have their own lives to live. Which is not to say they've got it totally under control, either. A shepherd's son with the world's smallest violin, a rare windflower seed and a piece of ever-burning charcoal might come in handy in averting a war between two imperial grumps.And just such a war needs averting ...

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny used to live alone in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather and are spending a vacation traveling down the river on a houseboat. Throughout their journey, the Boxcar Children have the feeling they're being watched. Little do they know, someone is looking for something on their houseboat - and he'll stop at nothing until he gets it.

Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real? Welcome to Weep.

Stotan: A cross between a Stoic and a SpartinIt's the last swimming season for Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff, and their coach is building their self-discipline in a grueling four-hour-a-day test of stamina designed to bring them to the outer edge of their capabilities.As it turns out, Stotan Week is also the week in which secrets are revealed, and the four friends must draw upon their new strengths for an endurance they never knew they'd need.

Ben and Fee MacTavish and the rest of the School Ship Tobermory crew head down under to take part in a tall ships race, but after a good start the Tobermory drops out to rescue a local boy, Will, stranded on the rocks. When the ship’s dog Henry disappears, Will helps Ben, Fee and their friends find him. But as the trail leads them deeper into the Outback, they begin to realize that a missing dog is the least of their problems.

This one-hundred-page novella picks up where the international bestselling Die for Me trilogy ended and follows the eternally irresistible Jules Marchenoir as he leaves Paris behind for a fresh start in New York City. Jules is a revenant—an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save human lives. He's spent the last century flirting his way through Paris and, most recently, falling in love with his best friend's girlfriend. Loyalty and heartbreak have led him to choose a new life in NYC. Separated from his friends and his home, Jules is adrift in this dangerous new world, facing unknown enemies . . . until he meets a revenant named Ava. Though the battle for France has been won, an epic war between good and evil has just begun in the Big Apple, and Ava needs Jules's help to uncover the key to an American victory. Jules finds himself in the same position he crossed an ocean to escape: at risk of losing his immortal existence as well as his heart.

"Everything that had happened to Nina was real. She had real handcuffs on her wrists, real scars on her back, real fear flooding her mind. "'They're going to kill me,' Nina whispered, and it was almost a relief to finally, finally give up hope." In a society that allows no more than two children per family under penalty of death, third children are forced into hiding, or to live with false identity papers. In Among the Impostors, Nina Idi was arrested for treason for supposedly trying to trick the Population Police into arresting other students she said were illegal third children. Now she faces torture or death -- unless she agrees to betray three other imprisoned third children. Her dilemma intensifies when she meets the prisoners -- who are only ten, nine, and six. As she did so brilliantly in the Publishers Weekly best-selling Among the Hidden and in Among the Impostors, Margaret Peterson Haddix once again brings readers to a world in which nothing is as it seems -- a world in which an imprisonment leads to an adventure of mind, body, and spirit.

For weeks, seventeen-year-old Mariko pretended to be a boy to infiltrate the notorious Black Clan and bring her would-be murderer to justice. She didn't expect to find a place for herself among the group of fighters—a life of usefulness—and she certainly didn't expect to fall in love. Now she heads to the imperial castle to resume a life she never wanted to save the boy she loves. Ōkami has been captured, and his execution is a certainty. Mariko will do what she must to ensure his survival—even marry the sovereign's brother, saying goodbye to a life with Ōkami forever. As Mariko settles into her days at court—making both friends and enemies—and attempting Ōkami's rescue at night, the secrets of the royal court begin to unravel as competing agendas collide. One arrow sets into motion a series of deadly events even the most powerful magic cannot contain. Mariko and Ōkami risk everything to right past wrongs and restore the honor of a kingdom thrown into chaos by a sudden war, hoping against hope that when the dust settles, they will find a way to be together. Set against the backdrop of feudal Japan, Smoke in the Sun is the breathless, romantic, not-to-be-missed fiery conclusion to a spell-binding adventure.

The heart-lifting, heartbreaking new story by Michael Morpurgo, the nation's favourite storyteller. In the Imperial War Museum is a wooden Dachshund, carved by a German prisoner of war for the children of the British family with which he stayed after the fighting ended. This is the story of how it got there! When the Bismarck sinks, one of the only German survivors is taken on board a British ship as a prisoner of war. Sent to live with a host family, Walter must adapt to a new way of life, in the heart of an enemy country. Gradually, though, he finds a friend in ten-year-old Grace. So when the time finally comes to go back to Germany, it's an emotional parting, with Walter leaving Grace with only a carved wooden dog to remember him by. The question is, will Walter and Grace ever meet again? In 1966, with the World Cup coming to Britain, that opportunity may just have come along!

In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die. After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same. Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

Who rained on the parade?River Heights Elementary School is putting on an Earth Day parade, and Nancy's class has a special honor: They get to build the float! Nancy, Bess, George, and all the kids in Mrs. Ramirez's class have worked hard to make the "greenest" float they can, collecting recycled materials to use for decoration. But someone's spoiled all the fun and sabotaged the float days before the parade. Who could've done something like this -- and why? Sounds like another case for the Clue Crew!

Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith. When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...

Luke Martinez, one of the BSC's newest charges, acts like he doesn't trust his sitters. He's definitely hiding something from them, and he seems afraid to let anyone discover his secret. But Mary Anne and the BSC plan to do just that. They think Luke's secret holds the answer to a mysterious fire at his house...and information that could help stop a mean developer from taking over Stoneybrook. Can they win Luke's trust before it is too late?

Surviving fourth grade isn’t going to be easy for Shirley—but the thought of repeating it with her younger sister is too much to bear Shirley Basini is dreading fourth grade—if she doesn’t do well this year, she’ll be held back. Having dyslexia is tough, but having a brilliant older brother makes it even worse. When Shirley’s parents adopt a young girl from Vietnam, she’s excited to have someone whom, for once, she can teach some things. But her new sister is actually quite adept at English and winds up in the advanced third-grade class. Shirley can’t face the prospect of repeating fourth grade—this time with her adopted sister, who might even perform better than she does. Shirley has only one talent that might prove she’s not dumb—but does she have the will to let it shine? This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Ann M. Martin, including rare images from the author’s collection.