The Keepers of the Keys

Against all odds, cubs Stellan, Jytte, Third, and Froya have found the key hidden inside the legendary Den of Forever Frost. Now, they have everything they need to destroy the dangerous ice clock. Everything . . . except an army. The power-hungry Grand Patek will stop at nothing to protect the clock, the source of his authority. And so, it's up to the cubs to convince the animals of Ga'Hoole to join the fight-a journey that'll take them from the fabled owl parliament to the rugged territory of the wolves of the beyond. But the owls and the wolves have secrets of their own — secrets that threaten to fracture the fragile alliance. Do Stellan and Jytte have what it takes to become the leaders of the resistance? Or will the bears be left on their own to battle the greatest enemy Ga'Hoole has ever known?
Views: 531

On the Rocks

Fourteen-year-old Dylan is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Angus. Basically strangers, the two avoid each other as best they can. One day Dylan discovers a young orca stranded high up on the rocky beach. Dylan runs to tell his grandfather. There's nothing that can be done, says Angus. The sun is coming up, and soon the orca will die of exposure. But Dylan knows he has to try to save the whale. He collects towels to cover the delicate skin of the orca and begins transporting buckets of water from the ocean below to keep it hydrated. It's grueling work, and it will be hours before the tide comes back in and the water is high enough for the orca to swim free. Angus is moved by his grandson's determination and helps as best he can. They both desperately hope that soon the orca will be able to join its family, who have been calling out to it just offshore. On the Rocks is an inspiring story about the ups and downs of family.
Views: 530

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

For fans of The Princess Diaries and Famous in Love, an engrossing look behind the velvet ropes of stardom from a former Teen People Senior Editor who has seen it all. What if your picture was taped inside teenage boys' lockers across America, your closets were bursting with never-worn designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status? It's a glamorous life, but 16-year-old Kaitlin Burke, co-star of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of her fame. So she decides to spend two months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood?? Don't miss the first book in the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series from Jen Calonita, author of the Fairy Tale Reform School series.
Views: 529

Letters From Peking

This novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author of "The Good Earth" and "Dragon Seed" tells the story of an American-Chinese family separated by the communist revolution in China, as they struggle to overcome difficulties and the prejudices a family of mixed blood must face.
Views: 529

Kinfolk

Kinfolk is the story of a Chinese family. Dr. Liang moves to America in search of a better life, but his children long to return to China. Each responds to their new life in China differently, providing rich insight into the struggles between Eastern and Western culture, and the differences between generations.
Views: 529

The Trap Door

The multi-platform adventure through time continues! Dak, Sera, and Riq return to the United States and walk immediately into a deadly trap. The year is 1850, and the nation is divided over the issue of slavery. In these dark days, the Underground Railroad provides a light of hope, helping runaway slaves escape to freedom. But the SQ has taken control of the Underground Railroad from within. Now Dak and Sera are left wondering who to trust... while Riq risks everything to save the life of a young boy.
Views: 528

Double Star

One minute, down and out actor Lorenzo Smythe was — as usual — in a bar, drinking away his troubles as he watched his career go down the tubes. Then a space pilot bought him a drink, and the next thing Smythe knew, he was shanghaied to Mars. Suddenly he found himself agreeing to the most difficult role of his career: impersonating an important politician who had been kidnapped. Peace with the Martians was at stake — failure to pull off the act could result in interplanetary war. And Smythe's own life was on the line — for if he wasn't assassinated, there was always the possibility that he might be trapped in his new role forever!
Views: 528

The Fairy Caravan

"The Fairy Caravan" is the story of a miniature circus, William and Alexander's Travelling Circus. It is no ordinary circus, for Alexander is a highland terrier and William is Pony Billy who draws the caravan. Beatrix Potter wrote this chapter book for older children towards the end of her writing career. She wrote it for her own pleasure and at the request of friends in America who shared her love of the Lake District and north country tales.
Views: 528

Grace

The gripping and heartbreaking second novel by the author of BA Book of the Month and LoveReading Debut of the Month Patience. She gave you her baby. Now she wants her back. Nineteen-year-old Michelle has had a tough life, to say the least. Then she gets pregnant. She is convinced she would be a terrible mother but having grown up in care, she cannot bring herself to subject her child to the same fate.Amelia and her husband have dreamed of having a family for years, but have lost all hope after the worst kind of tragedy. Then they are offered the chance to adopt baby Grace, and it feels like they finally have everything they've ever wanted.But then Michelle decides she wants her daughter back, and it's up to the courts to decide. What is best for Grace – a mother's love, or a stable home? Whatever the ruling, one thing is certain: neither woman's life will ever be the same again...Praise for Victoria Scott: 'Beautiful... Heart-wrenching. A wonderful gem of a book' Eve Ainsworth,...
Views: 527

Blood Secret

The minute she had opened the trunk, she knew there wasn't anything like hope in it. Just awful musty things, but each one with a kind of terrible dark halo around it. She picked up that piece of old lace. She saw that stain -- pale, brownish in color. She knew it was blood. Somebody's blood. There was violence in that trunk, and dark secrets, and she did not want to know them. Curious about the old homestead where she now lives, Jerry finds an ancient trunk in the basement that contains, among other things, an old piece of bloodstained lace, some letters, and a battered doll. The objects in the trunk have stories to tell -- stories about the Spanish Inquisition spanning nearly five hundred years and stories of secrets locked deep in the bloodlines of Jerry's ancestors. Kathryn Lasky's powerhouse novel is a dramatic historical saga that brings the reader face-to-face with some of the worst atrocities ever committed against humankind in the name of God. But above all, it is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about a girl who, in connecting with her own past and faith, is at last able to face her own demons and liberate not only herself but also future generations of her family from the long chain of suffering and silence.
Views: 527

Dragonfly

Princess Taoshira of the Blue Crescent Islands is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil of Gerfal. And he's not too pleased, either. She is used to a life of discipline, ritual, and splendor. He is used to hunting and carousing. They hate each other on sight. But both of their countries are under threat from a fearsome warlord, and the only chance of peace is to form an alliance. When Tashi and Ram are kidnapped, they fear there's no escape--from their kidnappers or from each other. Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive ambush, unarmed combat, brainwashing, and imprisonment? And will the people they meet on their adventure--including a circus strongman, a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies, and the best female fighter they have ever seen--help them or betray them to the enemy?
Views: 526

Paul Prescott's Charge

If you’ve ever used the phrase “rags to riches,” you owe that to Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899), who popularized the idea through his fictional writings that also served as a theme for the way America viewed itself as a country. Alger’s works about poor boys rising to better living conditions through hard work, determination, courage, honesty, and morals was popular with both adults and younger readers. Alger’s writings happened to correspond with America’s Gilded Age, a time of increasing prosperity in a nation rebuilding from the Civil War. His lifelong theme of rags to riches continued to gain popularity but has gradually lessened since the 1920s. Still, readers today often come across Ragged Dick and stories like it in school.
Views: 524