From the critically acclaimed author of A Tangle of Knots comes a humorous story full of heart, courage and a touch of magic. Bernetta?s summer couldn?t be going any worse.First her ex-best friend frames her for starting a cheating ring in their private school that causes Bernetta to lose her scholarship for 7th grade. Even worse, Bernetta?s parents don?t believe she?s innocent, and forbid her from performing at her father?s magic club. Now Bernetta must take immediate action if she hopes to raise $9,000 for tuition. But that?s a near impossible task with only three months until school. Enter Gabe, a boy con-artist who?s willing to team up with Bernetta to raise the money. But only if she?s willing to use her talent for magic to scheme her way to success. Views: 97
Join Effie Kostas as she fights to become Student Council President in her new school. With a campaign team of loveable misfits, she tackles the truly important subjects: gender imbalance, outdated school conventions... and good-looking boys stealing the last slice of chocolate cake at lunchtime. A laugh out-loud rallying call for switched-on kids everywhere. Views: 96
What if destiny leads you to your soul mate, but the laws of time conspire to keep you apart? If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn't have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom's unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn't say things like "Be groovy," and Laura wouldn't panic every weekend on the way to Dad's Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can't forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippie girl he glimpsed on the platform—trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering whether he will see her again in a city of millions—and whether if he searches, he would have any chance of finding her. In a lyrical meditation on love, Nora Raleigh Baskin explores the soul's ability to connect, and heal, outside the bounds of time and reason. Views: 96
Ruby’s mom is in prison, and to tell anyone the truth is to risk true friendship in this novel from the author of The Summer Before Boys that accurately and sensitively addresses a subject too often overlooked.Eleven-year-old Ruby Danes is about to start middle school, and only her aunt knows her deepest, darkest, most secret secret: her mother is in prison. Then Margalit Tipps moves into Ruby’s condo complex, and the two immediately hit it off. Ruby thinks she’s found her first true-blue friend—but can she tell Margalit the truth about her mom? Maybe not. Because it turns out that Margalit’s family history seems closely connected to the very event that put her mother in prison, and if Ruby comes clean, she could lose everything she cares about most. Views: 96
Teddi is determined to protect the elderly neighbor who took her in after she lost her parents in this fast-paced mystery from Edgar Award–winning author Willo Davis Roberts.Teddi has recently been orphaned and she now lives with her kindly, older next door neighbor, Mamie. The times they share and the safety Teddi feels are precious. Then trouble appears in the form of Dora, Mamie's daughter-in-law. Not only did Mamie not know that Dora was expecting a baby, she didn't even know that her recently dead son had been married. Something seems out of sync and Teddi is determined to find out why. Views: 96
"I wonder if the reverse is not also in some way true. That the artist is constantly working on an elaborate and fantasticated self-portrait, but at the end has drawn, unbeknownst, a picture of the world." -- Clive Barker, "Private Legends: An Introduction"Clive Barker, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, playwright, artist, producer, director, screenwriter, and one of the world's master storytellers, writing in the haunting and moving traditions of Poe and Dickens, invites us to join him on a dazzling, wondrous journey through the worlds of his imagination and to experience visions, dreams, love, terror, heaven and hell, and revenge.As we read, we discover and explore the dream-sea Quiddity and the islands of Ephemeris; the five Dominions of the Imajica, of which the Earth is but an imperfect facet; the rapturous world woven into an ancient, threadbare carpet in a derelict house in Liverpool; Hood's Holiday House where each day contains four seasons and children's wishes may come true; the Sky Room of Galilee, where the creation of the universe may be witnessed; and the clubs and bars of San Francisco and New York, in which all manner of sexual adventures lie in wait.In these stories, the real and the miraculous are within a breath of one another, life gives way to death, and death to life; doorways open into other states of existence, and each doorway leads us back to our own dreams and fears.The Essential Clive Barker is an irresistible narrative compendium that superbly represents the impressive quality and range of Barker's fiction, spanning more than twenty years of writing. It contains more than seventy excerpts from novels and plays and four full-length short stories, all personally selected by Barker, and offers a privileged insight into a remarkable writer and his art.Amazon.com ReviewThis 567-page sampler of Clive Barker's darkly fantastic work has an unusual format. You'd expect a huge collection of his macabre short stories (like the three 1984 Books of Blood that made his name in horror), or perhaps an omnibus of the sinisterly exotic novels in which he moved from Grand Guignol to his own warped brand of epic fantasy. Instead, here's a book of bits: 70-odd passages from novels and plays, plus four complete stories and an introduction in which our author offers glimpses of what makes him tick. The Essential Clive Barker is thematically arranged in 13 sections, each with its own brief prologue: "Doorways," "Journeys," "Visions and Dreams," "Lives," and so on. Some of these fragments are powerful and evocative, some numinous, some horrid; many are teasers to make you wonder what comes next. Reading this is like sitting through a movie-length feature composed entirely of trailers flaunting pyrotechnic effects. It's a volume for dipping into rather than swallowing whole. There are fine things here, especially the complete stories--including "In the Hills, the Cities," an unforgettable mix of surreal horror and Balkan political allegory. But aficionados will already own the books containing these excerpts, while newcomers surely prefer to begin with a complete novel or collection. A perfect present for the Barker fan who has everything else. --David Langford, Amazon.co.ukFrom Library JournalBarker (Galilee) takes a thoughtful approach in this anthology of excerpts from his short stories, novels, plays, and screenplays. Illustrating 13 themes prominent in his work, including terror, love, art, and memory, the selections cover Barker's evolving career from works of horror to dark fantasy to his latest genre-combining novels. The introduction offers insights into the selected themes, Barker's philosophy of writing, and the events that inspired him to write. Each theme also begins with a short introduction that places the selected works within that theme's context. While many of the novel excerpts are quite short, they do stand on their own. The uninitiated reader will find the selections intriguing, not frustrating, while the reader familiar with Barker will find new perspectives on his complex works. But with no new material included, demand may be low. Recommended for larger public libraries.ADevon Thomas, formerly with Highland Township P.L., MI Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 96
Forget everything you think you know about faeries for this award-winning YA fantasy thrill ride...Includes the complete 800-page No Ordinary Fairy Tale series by R.J. Anderson in one ebook volume.Book 1: KnifeForget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .Creatures full of magic and whimsy? Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore. Long ago the faeries of the great Oak mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake. Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the... Views: 96
Half human, half demon Liora Greyson just wants to survive her final year of high school unscathed, her dark secret intact. But the walls she's carefully constructed to keep people out crack wide open once she meets the sexy and mysterious Kieron Ambrose, and he lights her cold world on fire. But it turns out Kieron has a few dark secrets of his own. Secrets that will either save or destroy her. Views: 96
A devil is a bad influence . . . There was a time when geeky, squeaky-clean Max Kilgore would never lie or steal or even think about murder. Then he accidentally unearths a devil, and Max's choices are no longer his own. The big red guy has a penchant for couch-surfing and junk food—and you should never underestimate evil on a sugar high. With the help of Lore, a former goth girl who knows a thing or two about the dark side, Max is racing against the clock to get rid of the houseguest from hell before time—and all the Flamin' Hot Cheetos this side of the fiery abyss—run out. Gina Damico, author of the Croak series, once again delivers all the horror, hilarity, and high-stakes drama that any kid in high school or hell could ever handle. Views: 96
