The Doom Stone

      Paul Zindel
     The Doom Stone

Jackson is always psyched to visit his aunt Sarah when she's working on an anthropological dig. This time she's in England, at Stonehenge, and Jackson can't wait to see the massive and mysterious stone formations in person. But then he witnesses a vicious attack on a young man, and another on his beloved aunt Sarah. A savage beast no one has ever seen before is on the prowl. Now it's up to Jackson and his new friend, Alma, a gravedigger's daughter, to stop the beast. All the clues lead back to Stonehenge, where he and Alma must risk their lives to solve the mystery of the monster stalking the countryside-before it's too late. "Even reluctant readers won't be able to put this one down."-Booklist

Read online

  • 650

    As They Slip Away

      Beth Revis
     As They Slip Away

Taking place on the spaceship Godspeed before Amy Martin wakes up and Elder takes leadership, this novella describes life at the Hospital during Eldest's reign. Focusing primarily on background characters, readers will see fan-favorite characters Harley, Orion, Victria, and more. Selene is a singer on a spaceship that only values people who can provide important skills that enhance survival. As her friends—fellow "loons" in the Hospital—start to join apprenticeships to turn their skills into valuable labor, Selene is sent with a handful of other students to learn about the importance of art from the Recorder, Orion. The assignment pairs her with a young sculptor, Luthor, and their dangerous romance proves just how terrifying living trapped on a spaceship under the rule of a heartless dictator could be. This tragic tale explores the background of a previously unknown character, linking the history of the ship and its residents to Amy and Elder, giving depth to the world of Godspeed.

Read online

  • 649

    The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones

      Wendelin Van Draanen
     The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones

Award-winning author Wendelin Van Draanen gives us a brilliantly fresh and funny story about a boy learning to become the brave hero of his own life. Perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and *The Fourteenth Goldfish. My secret life is filled with psychic vampires, wheelchair zombies, chain-rattlin’ ghosts, and a one-eyed cat. But they’re nothing compared to my real-life stalker: a sixth-grade girl named Kandi Kain. . . . Lincoln Jones is always working on the latest story he’s got going in his notebook. Those stories are his refuge. A place where the hero always prevails and the bad guy goes to jail. Real life is messy and complicated, so Lincoln sticks to fiction and keeps to himself. Which works fine until a nosy girl at his new school starts prying into his private business. She wants to know what he’s writing, where he disappears to after school, and why he never talks to anybody. . . . The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones* is a terrifically funny and poignant story about a boy finding the courage to get to know the real characters all around him—and to let them know him.

Read online

  • 649

    Pi in the Sky

      Wendy Mass
     Pi in the Sky

Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, and all he gets to do is deliver pies. That's right: pies. Of course these pies actually hold the secrets of the universe between their buttery crusts, but they're still pies. Joss comes from a family of overachievers, and is happy to let his older brothers shine. But when Earth suddenly disappears, Joss is tasked with the not-so-simple job of bringing it back. With the help of an outspoken girl from Earth named Annika, Joss embarks on the adventure of a lifetime and learns that the universe is an even stranger place than he'd imagined.

Read online

  • 649

    Where I Belong

      Mary Downing Hahn
     Where I Belong

Alienated, bullied, a classic underachiever, 12-year-old Brendan retreats into his fantasy world and then faces the long and demanding journey to a real world where he belongs. No one is kind to sixth-grader Brendan Doyle: his foster mother, his teachers, his classmates, and especially the thugs who bully him. He takes refuge in books, drawing, carving, and daydreaming. When Brendan stumbles upon an old man near his tree house in the Virginia woods, he is quick to believe that this is the magical Green Man, guardian spirit of the forest. Brendan's need to immerse himself in his fantasy world becomes more acute, until he meets a girl with secrets of her own who may just keep his feet on the ground.

Read online

  • 649

    The Broncho Rider Boys on the Wyoming Trail

      Lester Chadwick
     The Broncho Rider Boys on the Wyoming Trail

“Getting near the end of our long ride, ain’t we, Adrian?” “Another night out ought to finish our great gallop from the Arizona border away up into the Wyoming cattle country, Billie.” “Huh! mebbe I ain’t just glad to hear that news now. This broncho riding business may be all very well for a while; but a fellow can get too much, even of a good thing; ain’t that so, Donald?”

Read online

  • 648

    The Shadow Cats

      Rae Carson
     The Shadow Cats

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. And it was not Alodia. Alodia is the crown princess of the realm. The sister who knows how to rule, and the one who is constantly reminded that she has not been marked for a grand destiny. But Alodia has plans, and she will be the greatest queen her people have ever known. So she travels--with her hopeless, naïve, chosen sister--to a distant part of their land, to begin to secure her supporters. This region needs its princesses, for it is plagued with a curse. The crops don't grow, the spring doesn't arrive, and a fierce jaguar stalks the shadows, leaving only empty homes splashed with blood behind. If Alodia can save them, no one will be able to deny her strength and her sovereignty. But what she discovers could change the fate of her kingdom, if not her world. And it will most certainly change her opinion of her younger sister. "The Shadow Cats" is a prequel to the riveting Fire and Thorns trilogy: Book One, The Girl of Fire and Thorns; Book Two, The Crown of Embers; and Book Three, The Bitter Kingdom.

Read online

  • 648

    The Bellmaker

      Brian Jacques
     The Bellmaker

It has been four seasons since Mariel, the warrior-mouse daughter of Joseph the Bellmaker, and her companion, Dandin, set off from Redwall to fight evil in Mossflower.  Nothing has been heard of them since.  Then one night, in a dream, the legendary Martin the Warrior comes to the Bellmaker with a mysterious message.  Clearly, Mariel and Dandin are in grave danger.  Joseph and four Redwallers set off at once to aid them.  As they push over land and sea, they cannot know the terrible threats they face.  Will the Bellmaker and his companions arrive in time to help Mariel and Dandin?

Read online

  • 648

    Beautiful Beast

      Cindy C. Bennett
     Beautiful Beast

Calli is cursed by her beauty. Though she knows it's cruel, Calli agrees to accompany her friends to Monster House where it is rumored the beast howls at the moon each sunset. When she hears him for the first time, her heart is wrenched by the anguish she hears in the sound. Facing trespassing charges for her folly, Calli is forced to move into Monster House where she is to befriend the beast. Using the bribery offered by his father to gain some desperately needed money for her father, Calli accepts his terms. Horrified but trapped by her circumstance, Calli steps inside the doors of the great house to face the unknown. Alex is cursed by his beastliness. Alex believes Calli has bribed her way into his home in order to get a look at the beast of Monster House, and is determined to hate her. He isn't prepared as she batters down the hard walls of his soul with her kindness and humor. Alex allows Calli into his inner sanctum, sharing with her the most private parts of his heart. But when he finds out the truth, will her love be enough to convince him of her true feelings, or will she lose him forever? Note From the Author: Beautiful Beast is the first short story for Enchanted Fairytales, an anthology of modern day fairytales told as if the original fairytale does not exist. Beautiful Beast is the contemporary story of Beauty and the Beast. I have long been fascinated by fairytales, and have wanted to write re-tellings of some of my favorites. So, I decided to do something about it. New short stories in the Enchanted Fairytales will be released approximately bi-monthly (every two months) in eBook format if all goes according to plan. When all the fairytales are completed, they will then be compiled into a single anthology and will be available as both eBooks and in printed form. I consider them the lead up to my full length Rapunzel novel to be released by Sweetwater Books in February 2013. I hope you enjoy them!

Read online

  • 648

    Jane, Unlimited

      Kristin Cashore
     Jane, Unlimited

If you could change your story, would you? Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.” What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.

Read online

  • 647

    Independence

      Shelly Crane
     Independence

In the fourth and final installment, Maggie and Caleb must tie up all the loose ends of their lives and make a way to be together completely on their own. With everything that happened with Bish and Maggie's father, she's almost reluctant to move on and move out. And now she must figure out all of this...stuff...with Haddock. But of course, nothing can stay simple for the Jacobsons. Enemies who were thought to be dissolved have decided to not go down so easily. And old flames come calling for more than just Maggie. Caleb is torn between leading his family and personal wants. Maggie is torn between Caleb and being the leader of their people. But neither will let what they need most to be pushed to the wayside. They are determined to make it all work, design a plan toward destiny, and make everything right again for themselves and their family. And then there's a wedding...

Read online

  • 647

    Promised

      Caragh M. O'Brien
     Promised

After defying the ruthless Enclave, surviving the wasteland, and overthrowing Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her greatest challenge yet--to lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorat to grant them refuge. But in Gaia's absence, the Enclave has become even more ruthless, picking girls from outside the wall to serve in an experimental baby factory. Babies with the right genes are now a priceless commodity with the potential to reshape life inside the wall and redefine humanity. The key to it all comes back to one fearless, young midwife. When negotiations devolve into terrorist threats, Gaia finds herself at the crux of an insupportable decision. As a leader, a woman, and an idealist in love, Gaia must decide if she can sacrifice what--or whom--she values most.

Read online

  • 647

    Gone Too Far

      Natalie D. Richards
     Gone Too Far

Keeping secrets ruined her life. But the truth might just kill her. Piper Woods can't wait for the purgatory of senior year to end. She skirts the fringes of high school like a pro until the morning she finds a notebook with mutilated photographs and a list of student sins. She's sure the book is too gruesome to be true, until pretty, popular Stella dies after a sex-tape goes viral. Everyone's sure it's suicide, but Piper remembers Stella's name from the book and begins to suspect something much worse. Drowning in secrets she doesn't want to keep, Piper's fears are confirmed when she receives an anonymous text message daring her to make things right. All she needs to do is choose a name, the name of someone who deserves to be punished...

Read online

  • 647