A collection of three wonderfully festive stories from Eva Ibbotson, the bestselling author of Journey to the River Sea. With a beautiful cover by Joe Wilson and inside illustrations, The Christmas Star is a wonderful gift to treasure at Christmas and all year round. In the first story - Vicky and the Christmas Angel - a young Viennese girl discovers, to her horror, who really brings the children's presents at Christmas. In The Christmas Star a family encounters a fortune teller at the local Christmas market who changes their lives. The Great Carp Ferdinand is a story about a hero with a difference as it follows the impact that Ferdinand - the carp intended for the Mannhaus family's Christmas dinner - has on the household in the lead-up to Christmas.

Following her stunning and critically acclaimed novels Such a Pretty Girl and Leftovers, Laura Wiess crafts a riveting and emotionally powerful tale of beauty, destruction...and love. Seventeen-year-old Hanna has been in love with Seth for as long as she can remember, but now that she and Seth are in an actual relationship, love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seth is controlling and all they seem to do anymore is fight. If that’s what love is, Hanna doesn’t want any part of it. Besides, she has something else on her mind: graduation. But she’s been ignoring the school’s community service requirement, and now she needs to rack up some hours in a hurry. Hanna volunteers as a caretaker for her neighbor Mrs. Schoenmaker—an elderly woman with advanced Parkinson’s whose husband can’t always be there to watch over her. While caring for Mrs. S., Hanna becomes mesmerized by an audiobook that the older woman is listening to, a love story of passion, sacrifice, and complete devotion. She’s fascinated by the idea that love like that really exists, and slowly, the story begins to change her. But what Hanna doesn’t know is that the story she’s listening to is not fiction—and that Mrs. Schoenmaker and her husband’s devotion to each other is about to reach its shattering, irrevocable conclusion... Spellbinding, timeless, and achingly poignant, How It Ends is a story of how love ends, how it begins, and how people and events have the ability to change who we are without our even realizing it.

I am a zombie, and it's not so bad. I'm learning to live with it. I'm sorry I can't properly introduce myself, but I don't have a name anymore. Hardly any of us do. We forget…

A young Indian girl, caught between the traditional world of her mother and the present world of the mission, is helped by her Aunt Karana, whose story was told in Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Mulch Diggums, a dwarf on the run from the Lower Elements Police, is trying to get his hands on the priceless Fei Fei tiara. But stealing it seems too easy. That's because it is too easy. Artemis Fowl, the legendary twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, has set him up. He needs Mulch's help... This is an Eoin Colfer's fantastic new Artemis adventure especially for World Book Day.

The legal career of Nancy's father is threatened when he is accused of obstructing justice in an old case and of putting an innocent man behind bars, but Nancy's investigation uncovers the apparent suicide of the convicted man and further questions.

Be afraid, be very afraid of Terrifying Tales, the sixth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading. Eleven masters of suspense—Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia—have come together to bring you a bone-chilling collection of original ghost stories with illustrations by Gris Grimly, perfect for sharing around the campfire, reading under the covers with a flashlight, and scaring your friends’ pants off. Compiled and edited by kid-lit madman Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Terrifying Tales is a creepy-fun read (if you’re brave enough, that is). 

Crushes collide at a magical underwater dance. As best friend and emissary to her mer kingdom’s princess, Periwinkle Wentletrap juggles many responsibilities. At the moment those include getting the princess (and herself) ready for the upcoming Sea Harvest Dance. When a trip to the Thalassinian marketplace for pearls and dress-making supplies leads to a reunion with her long-time crush, Peri is once again caught up in the swirl of emotions she feels for a thoughtful pearl trader who reminds her of a dashing pirate. But things are never simple with Riatus Ballenato. The shadows of his past have come back to haunt him and he will do anything to keep those he cares about from getting caught in the darkness. Even if that means pushing away the girl he’s falling for. With the dance fast approaching, it might take a little outside help to bring Peri and her crush together at last. Pretty in Pearls is a standalone novella in Tera Lynn Childs’s popular Forgive My Fins series. If you like mermaids, romance, and boys who make you swoon, you’ll love the world of Thalassinia and the merfolk (and occasional human) who live, laugh, and love in this underwater realm. Buy this fintastic tale and get swept away with the romance today! —» Forgive My Fins series order: Forgive My Fins #1 Fins Are Forever #2 Just For Fins #3 Pretty in Pearls #3.1 —» Want more magical romance? Download two free books: teralynnchilds.com/getfae

Abby and Anna weren't dressed alike as babies. They've worn their hair differently for years. And while they do have some common interests, they have plenty of separate ones, too. Still, the twins have always shared a closeness no one and nothing could interfere with. Now Anna--and Anna alone--faces bad news that will affect her health and her future. Abby's determined to be there for her. But Anna doesn't seem to want her help. Aren't twins supposed to go through things like this together?

From beloved author Lois Duncan comes the sequel to HOTEL FOR DOGS -- a brand-new adventure with Andi, her brother Bruce, and their canine companions! Now that Andi is no longer running a hotel for dogs, she decides to start a new project -- a newspaper for dogs! With her brother Bruce and a few friends, the kids make a hit out of their paper. But they also attract the attention of some mysterious dognappers. Can the kids find the criminals and bring their dogs safely home?

Breathless Magic is proud to be part of the Open Hearts Chronicles. And they lived happily ever after… Or that was supposed to be how the story ended. Unfortunately for Eden Kendrick, a new enemy threatens her beloved Kingdom, one more dangerous and deadly than ever before. After enjoying a deliciously elongated honeymoon, Eden returns to the Citadel with her husband and happiness intact. She’s unexpectedly pregnant, but that’s just one more blessing to add to her blooming happiness. Eden’s heart is full and her endless life has never been more happy. That is until Dmitri Terletov returns from the dead and threatens everyone she loves and the Kingdom she worked so hard to build. This time around, Eden is supposed to be shielded from the conflict. She has her growing babies to protect now and Kiran wants her as far from the battle as possible. Although she’s a little stir-crazy with idle hands, she agrees that keeping away from Terletov and his deadly experiments is definitely the right course of action. Unfortunately, Terletov doesn’t agree. And when he arrives at the Castle, uninvited and desperate for the Magic Eden once stole from him, she has no choice but to fight once again to save the people she was born to protect.

My name is Brandt Cross, and I died. Again…　 I'm living in the body of a Six named Douglass Cain, a certifiable scumbag whose ability is on　Zendean Industries—AKA Denazen's—most wanted list. There’s some serious bad going down, and Ginger, the leader of the Underground, sent me undercover to obtain information because people are dying.　 My cousin, Dez, is dying… Denazen thought they’d found a cure for the Supremacy decline, but they were wrong.　That’s the bad news. The good news? Franklin Wentz.　 Wentz, the owner of a genetic research company, is brilliant and just a little bit crazy. He’s unwittingly created a formula that may cure the sick Supremacy kids, and everyone wants it—including Devin, the super hot Resident. Get the formula. Save the day. Don’t fall for the hot spy. Piece of cake.

Twenty years after the war that overthrew the Great Guilds, the Empire is vowing to avenge the massive defeat of the Imperial legions at Dorcastle. Aiding the Imperials are renegade Mechanics and Mages still loyal to the old Guilds or employed by the Empire. But before they can launch an all-out war, the Imperials must eliminate a major threat: Kira, daughter of Master Mechanic Mari and Master of Mages Alain. Kidnapped and imprisoned, Kira has to escape and avoid recapture as the full might of the Empire is aimed at her. Her only hope lies in the skills she has mastered; her indomitable spirit; and the unfailing aid of Jason, her boyfriend from the distant world of Urth. With the Imperial legions closing in and thousands of lives riding on her efforts, Kira has to use every weapon available to her, including special abilities she has kept secret until now - abilities that may prove to be as dangerous as the enemy forces. Mari and Alain must come to Kira's aid and work to...

A delightful volume of nature stories for young children. Presents the adventures of Mother Eel, the Playful Muskrat, the Snappy Snapping Turtle, and the other Pond People. These stories are full of humor, yet cleverly convey information about the frogs, minnows, and other pond residents and often suggest a moral in a delicate manner which no child could resist. Ideally suited for children ages 5 to 7.

BEAUTY AND THE BLOSSOMS Every one of the field people in Pleasant Valley, and the forest folk as well, was different from his neighbors. For instance, there was Jasper Jay. He was the noisiest chap for miles around. And there was Peter Mink. Without doubt he was the rudest and most rascally fellow in the whole district. Then there was Freddie Firefly, who was the brightest youngster on the farm—at least after dark, when his light flashed across the meadow. So it went. One person was wiser than any of his neighbors; another was stupider; and somebody else was always hungrier. But there was one who was the loveliest. Not only was she beautiful to look upon. She was graceful in flight as well. When one saw her flittering among the flowers it was hard to say which was the daintier—the blossoms or Betsy Butterfly. For that was her name. Whoever gave it to her might have chosen a prettier one. Betsy herself always said that she would have preferred Violet. In the first place, it was the name of a flower. And in the second, her red-and-brown mottled wings had violet tips. However, a person as charming as Betsy Butterfly did not need worry about her name. Had she been named after a dozen flowers she could have been no more attractive. People often said that everybody was happier and better just for having Betsy Butterfly in the neighborhood. And some claimed that even the weather couldn't help being fine when Betsy went abroad. "Why, the sun just has to smile on her!" they would exclaim. But they were really wrong about that. The truth of the matter was that Betsy Butterfly couldn't abide bad weather—not even a cloudy sky. She said she didn't enjoy flying except in the sunshine. So no one ever saw her except on pleasant days. To be sure, a few of the field people turned up their noses at Betsy. They were the jealous ones. And they generally pretended that they did not consider Betsy beautiful at all. "She has too much color," Mehitable Moth remarked one day to Mrs. Ladybug. "Between you and me, I've an idea that it isn't natural. I think she paints her wings!" "I don't doubt it," said Mrs. Ladybug. "I should think she'd be ashamed of herself." And little Mrs. Ladybug pursed up her lips and looked very severe. And then she declared that she didn't see how people could say Betsy was even good-looking, if they had ever noticed her tongue. "Honestly, her tongue's as long as she is!" Mrs. Ladybug gossiped. "But she knows enough to carry it curled up like a watch-spring, so it isn't generally seen.... You just gaze at her closely, some day when she's sipping nectar from a flower, and you'll see that I know what I'm talking about." Now, some of those spiteful remarks may have reached Betsy Butterfly's ears. But she never paid the slightest attention to them. When she met Mehitable Moth or Mrs. Ladybug she always said, "How do you do?" and "Isn't this a lovely day?" in the sweetest tone you could imagine. And of course there was nothing a body could do except to agree with Betsy Butterfly....