In the city of Agora, anything can be bought and sold. Even children are possessions until their twelfth birthday.Mark has been sold by his father, and Lily, an orphan from birth, has bartered for her life. Thrown together by chance, in the ancient tower of Count Stelli, they face an existence of poverty and servitude, unless they can find a way to break free.But, unbeknown to Mark and Lily, they are being watched by the ruler of the city. Can they survive the traps and treachery that await them and discover the dark secret that binds them together?Their lives depend on this question: what is the Midnight Charter? Views: 59
Alexis is only 13, but she made the varsity tennis team. She's thrilled, but not everyone is happy for her--two of the older girls think Alexis ruined the season for their friend, who didn't make the team. The older girls are out to make Alexis's season terrible. Can she keep up her self-confidence and step up to the net, or will she let the girls get to her and lose everything? Views: 59
Product DescriptionHigh school senior Meredith Bedford is a social outcast. Her family recently moved from the Catskill Mountains to the sprawling suburbs of Albany, the capital of New York State. Shy and self-conscious about her acne scars, she stays to herself and tries to remain invisible. Her twelve-year-old brother, Mikey, has Down Syndrome and she tries hard not to blame her troubles on him. Despite verbal and sometimes physical harassment, she survives because she has her art. She was selected to be part of the elite Advanced Placement art class and is quite good at capturing the emotions of her subjects in her portraits. Art is the one thing, besides her family, that helps her cope with her outcast status. One day, at a senior class meeting, she sees Dani Lassiter, president of the senior class, captain of the lacrosse team, and knows that she must paint this enigmatic young woman. One class period later, Dani manipulates things to have Meredith as her partner for a history project. Meredith is suspicious of Dani's motives, but takes a chance. And it pays off. Meredith slowly sheds her invisibility cloak and allows Dani in - a little at a time. They explore an old Victorian house for their history project and become close with Esther and Millie, the two older women who own the house and who've lived together for about forty years. But, when Dani reveals to Meredith that she is gay, Meredith simply can't deal with the news. How had she not known? What is it that won't allow her come to terms with this unexpected news? Will Meredith control her own homophobia or will she reject the one person who had taken a chance on her and made her feel human? About the AuthorRead excerpts from Barbara L. Clanton's novels: BLClanton.comBarbara L. Clanton writes young adult lesbian fiction because she wants girls and young women to experience positive lesbian coming out stories. Clanton hopes her books will be safe harbors for young people coming out to themselves, their friends, family, and society. Views: 59
Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition. As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them.From the Paperback edition. Views: 59
Homework, hormones, heartache...middle school has no shortage of perils. Never fear, the authors of the best-selling Worst-Case Scenario series return with a survival guide for those who are facing—or just about to face—this big transitional time in school and life. The handbook is packed with funny-but-useful tips for the trickiest situations that crop up in middle school, like taking charge of a too-busy homework schedule, dealing with a cold shoulder from a friend who has suddenly become just too cool, avoiding common e-mail and cell phone disasters, and more. Views: 59
This book presents the new Hannah Ives mystery. Hannah's in paradise, enjoying the active, back-to-basics rhythms of Bahamian island life. When controversy arises over the construction of a luxury resort that could devastate the coral reef, Hannah dives in. Acts of vandalism, a deadly wildfire, a missing scientist - Hannah suspects a connection, but her investigation stalls when Hurricane Helen slams into the island. Before the skies clear, a dynasty is threatened by a venomous sibling rivalry, environmentalists face-off against progressive island fathers, and somebody else will die. Gin-clear waters, sand so white you're blinded by the glare, palms rustling in a tropical breeze. Paradise? Sometimes it's just an illusion... Views: 59
Jack Thomas Reid, nephew of Robert Cavendish who first appeared in A Study in Red – The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper languishes in the secure Ravenswood Psychiatric Hospital, sentenced to confinement ‘at Her Majesty’s Pleasure’ for a series of apparent ‘Jack the Ripper’ copycat killings in the picturesque English coastal resort of Brighton. Jack’s defence at his trial, that he is a descendant of Jack the Ripper and that the crimes were conducted by an unknown ‘mystery man’ and that Jack was drugged and made to appear as the killer was regarded as so preposterous and unbelievable that his sentence was never in doubt. When one of the policemen who conducted the original investigation into the murders begins to doubt the truth of the case against Reid, Sergeant Carl Wright and Ripperologist Alice Nickels begin an investigation into his story. What they find is told through the voice of Doctor Ruth Truman, Jack’s psychiatrist at Ravenswood, and through a series of events that take place as far afield as the beautiful island of Malta and in Warsaw, Poland. Slowly but surely and with the help of Wright’s boss Inspector Mike Holland, the link between the events that shocked and terrorised Whitechapel over a century ago, and their link with the case of Jack Thomas Reid and the ‘Legacy of Jack the Ripper’ is revealed. A Study in Red – The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper was the winner of The Preditors & Editors ‘Best Thriller Novel of 2008 Award’ and is available from Double Dragon Publishing, Amazon and all good retailers. Views: 59
It's 1925 and Paris is the city of romance and exotic fashion. Treasure Gilroy is a famous model living in the heart of this dazzle, working between London, New York and Milan. Then suddenly and inexplicably she vanishes from her opulent lifestyle. Having inherited her grandmother's estate, Treasure journeys back to a beautiful valley on the other side of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, outback Australia. She travels with her best friend, Ella, who is English and works as a French hair coiffeur. They've been friends for a few years, but there is something mysterious about Ella and neither woman can explain their déjà vu bond. When Treasure meets her grandmother's lawyer, Connor Latham, who is a returned World War I fighter pilot, passions ignite; yet Connor alternates between sizzling and icy when they are together. Will Treasure lose her heart to him? Family secrets are discovered and skeletons in the closet revealed. Finally Treasure gains understanding of the... Views: 59
Hollywood, 1945. Ben Collier has just arrived from war-torn Europe to find his brother has died in mysterious circumstances. Why would a man with a beautiful wife, a successful movie career, and a heroic past choose to kill himself?Ben enters the uneasy world beneath the glossy shine of the movie business, where politics and the dream factories collide and Communist witch hunts are rendering the biggest star makers vulnerable. Even here, where the devastation of Europe seems no more real than a painted movie set, the war casts long and dangerous shadows. When Ben learns troubling facts about his own family’s past and embarks on a love affair that never should have happened, he is caught in a web of deception that shakes his moral foundation to its core.Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Stardustflawlessly blends fact and fiction into a haunting thriller evoking both the glory days of the movies and the emergence of a dark strain of American political life. Views: 59
### Review
"... a suspense-filled, Christian-themed tale in which justice and mercy become something more than abstractions...." --Tim Davis, Bookloons.com
"The dialogue... is without a doubt the most clever I have ever read.... I would highly recommend this book...." --Susan Miura, FaithfulReader.com
### From the Back Cover
A Deadly Game of Justice Versus Mercy Charles Beale lives outside the shadow of Washington, D.C. Politics and power matter only when a client crosses the Potomac to visit his Alexandria Rare Books shop. But that all changes when a former client--a man deeply connected in the Justice Department--is found murdered after a break-in gone bad. When Charles reclaims at auction the books he'd once sold, he quickly discovers he's bought more trouble than he could have ever imagined. Inside one volume are secrets. A collection of sins that, if revealed, could destroy reputations, careers--even lives. Charles soon learns he isn't the only who knows. Going to the police means ruining a multitude of lives. But staying silent puts a target on his shop, his wife--and himself. Charles must decide: Should one mistake really cost you everything? Views: 59
