When a wizardly experiment goes adrift, the wizards of Unseen University find themselves with a pocket universe on their hands: Roundworld, where neither magic nor common sense seems to stand a chance against logic. The Universe, of course, is our own. And Roundworld is Earth. As the wizards watch their accidental creation grow, we follow the story of our universe from the primal singularity of the Big Bang to the Internet and beyond. Through this original Terry Pratchett story (with intervening chapters from Cohen and Stewart) we discover how puny and insignificant individual lives are against a cosmic backdrop of creation and disaster. Yet, paradoxically, we see how the richness of a universe based on rules, has led to a complex world and at least one species that tried to get a grip of what was going on. Views: 30
How do you conjure a life? Give the truest account of what you saw, felt, learned, loved, strived for? For Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the surprising answer came in the form of an encyclopedia. In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life she has ingeniously adapted this centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere--preferably at the beginning--and see how one young woman's alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways.An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 30
Born in her father's coffee house in Change Alley, London, Sarah Battle is raised in an atmosphere of coffee, alcohol and intrigue. After witnessing the destruction and chaos of the Gordon Riots, she longs to escape her surroundings for a better life but is trapped in a marriage to James Wintrige, a member of the Corresponding Society but also a government spy.She meets the radical thinker, printer and bookseller Thomas Cranch who offers her an escape to the New World. Sarah finds solace in her new love and the thriving, democratic world of Philadelphia. But fate may yet deliver her back to London. She has never secured a divorce from her husband and the Change Alley coffee house is still hers.The Flight of Sarah Battle is set in the turbulent last decade of the eighteenth century in a London where riot constantly rumbles and Bartholomew Fair entertains, and against the promises and excitement of Philadelphia, where new building, hope and a democracy not... Views: 30
When his dad decides to hire a German prisoner-of-war to help out on their New Brunswick farm, thirteen-year-old Warren Webb is pretty sure the family is doomed. Who invites a Nazi to sleep under their roof? But Martin is not the German Warren expected. After his early attempts to get rid of Martin fail, Warren takes his dead brother Pete's advice and finds himself learning more from his enemy than he ever expected. Soon Martin, a promising track-and-field athlete before the war, is coaching Warren for his provincial summer games race. And when a trio of local bullies threatens their lives, Warren and Martin are forced to rely on each other like never before.In Prisoner of Warren, acclaimed children's author Andreas Oertel captures the inner life of a thirteen-year-old boy with frankness and humour. With its 1940s rural setting, this funny, suspenseful middle-grade novel is a highly engaging look at friends, foes, and all the grey areas in between. Views: 30
In a house full of dark memories, two sisters try to escape the past. Holland Shepard is a responsible teenager who spends her life trying to keep her feelings inside. Her sister Geneva is the opposite—a bundle of nerves who dreads sentimentality, but suffers so acutely from nervous disorders that a ride in an elevator is enough to send her into a fit. The girls are like summer and fall—close, yet utterly distinct—but in their parents' house, they are growing up almost as ghosts. Because this home belongs to John, Kevin, and Elizabeth—Holland and Geneva's siblings, who died before the girls were born. Burdened by grief, their parents cannot bond with the daughters who replaced their original family, and so it is left to Holland to look out for herself and her sister. When a mysterious artist comes to paint a mural in their house, the girls get a glimpse into their family's past and a chance to find themselves a place in its future. This ebook features a... Views: 30
** The Magic Pony adventure sparkles
with magic as Lightning, the Magic Pony, searches for his twin sister,
Destiny, who is lost in our world.
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** ‘Greetings, keeper of our magic key,’ Strike said warmly in a deep velvety voice. ‘Because of you, Moonglow Meadow is lush and green again.’
Arrow felt a glow of pride at the leader’s praise. As the chosen guardian of the magic key, it was his responsibility to keep it safe. Views: 30
Nate has returned to Camp Wolf Trail, his own personal heaven for the past two summers, with a secret: He doesn't want his cabinmates to know that he's a Bird Nerd. At least, that's what the kids at his school called him when they teased him about his newly found interest in birds. Nate confides in Vik, but can he trust his friend, the cabin jokester? Tension grows when before an overnight horse-riding trip Nate discovers that he has another secret. He is terrified of horses, even Herschel, the boney old horse assigned to Nate from the group of rescue horses that the campers ride.Nate shows honesty and bravery when he faces his fears—both of being laughed at for his hobby and his apprehension of riding horses. His friends and his sense of humor save him when his secret is revealed without his consent. But what will Nate do when a wildfire threatens the safety of his friends, the horses, and himself while on a horseback trek deep in the forest? What will be the fate of... Views: 30
As the Civil War draws to a close, a young Virginia girl grieving over the death of her brother meets a Confederate deserterAs the Civil War rages nearby, Cassie Willis and her family struggle to scrape a living from their small Virginia farm, while Cassie's father and beloved brother, Jacob, are away fighting with the Confederate army. When a letter arrives with the news that Jacob has been killed, Cassie and her dog, Hector, immediately go to the secret hiding place Cassie and Jacob shared—a thicket deep in the piney woods. But when she finds the remains of a campsite, she realizes that someone has been living in their special place. Suddenly afraid, Cassie tries to flee, but runs smack into a Confederate deserter. With Hector's help, she escapes. But she can't forget the man's crazed eyes—or the way he threatened her. Soon, Cassie begins to have the strange feeling that she's being watched—and then things start disappearing from the... Views: 30
A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn's a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world's gaze. Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker known in Corinth's underworld as The Knave of Hearts. He'll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don't dare touch. Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you're done noticing it, she's got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else... Views: 29
