On a cold January day in 1851, twelve-year-old Patrick O'Connell huddles on the deck of the Robert Peel. He is leaving his impoverished home behind in Ireland, while in America, his father is waiting with the promise of a new life. But as Patrick watches the shoreline fade from view, he feels torn with worry. His new friend Laurence Kirkle, who is running away from home, waits for food in the ship's hold. If the captain finds the young stowaways, both boys will be arrested. Will Patrick and his companion be able to reach America safely? A master storyteller, Avi has won many awards including a Newbery Award and Newbery Honor. In this dramatic tale, he vividly depicts the overwhelming difficulties Irish immigrants faced in the mid-1800s. From the unsettling opening to the astonishing finish, Simon Prebble expertly narrates the biting irony and riveting suspense of each exciting plot twist. If you enjoy Patrick's thrilling travels, you won't want to miss his exciting adventures before sailing for America in Beyond the Western Sea Book One: The Escape from Home.
In December 1850, the dark hours before dawn make 12-year-old Patrick O'Connell shiver. He lives with his mother and older sister in a wet and drafty shack. Patrick has been the man of the family ever since Da, his father, sailed from Ireland to America. But now he has a problem he can't solve: there isn't enough money to pay the rent. Suddenly, the village priest pounds on their door. He brings a bank draft with a letter from Da telling them to come to America. Soon Patrick and his family set off for Liverpool to board a ship. They think their problems are finally over, until Patrick meets some helpful strangers who are more than eager to help him care for his new fortune. Filled with irony and excitement, Newbery Award-winner Avi's adventurous tale is a vivid picture of life in 19th-century Ireland and England. With dramatic flair, narrator Simon Prebble provides the perfect voice for unsavory villains, colorful peasants, and the proper lords and ladies of the gentry.
Joseph the Bellmaker is troubled. It has been four seasons since his warrior-mouse daughter, Mariel, 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: the impossible Foxwolf, Urgan Nagru, his mate Silvamord, and their vicious rat hordes. Can the impetuous sailor-otter Finbarr Galedeep help them cross the sea? What is the mystery of Roaringburn? And most important, will the Bellmaker and his companions arrive in time to help Mariel and Dandin?
After a year spent trying to prevent a catastropic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson--a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia--only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name...the Bermuda Triangle.Now Percy and his friends--Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson--must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.
In this riveting and adventure-packed follow-up to the award-winning New York Times bestseller Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter leaves the relative safety of Mollusk Island - along with his trusted companion, Tinker Bell - for the cold, damp, dangerous streets of London. On a difficult journey across the sea, he and Tink discover the dark and deadly slithering part-man/part-creature Lord Ombra, who is intent on recovering the missing starstuff - celestial dust that contains unimagined powers. In London, Peter attempts to track down the indomitable Molly, hoping that together they can combat Ombra's determined forces. But London is not Mollusk Island; Peter is not the boy he used to be; and Lord Ombra - the Shadow Master - is unlike anything Peter, or the world, has ever seen.
In this stirring, sword-rattling chapter in New York Times best-selling author Brian Jacques' beloved series, questions of right and wrong do not have simple answers. Abandoned by his evil warlord father Swartt Sixclaw, the ferret Veil is raised at Redwall. But when he commits an unforgivable crime, he is banished forever. So when Swartt goes on a rampage, Veil must make a choice. He can either fight for the father who orphaned him, or for those who turned him away.
Avi's swashbuckling tale of murder and mutiny on the high seas has a fascinating twist: the heroine is a 13-year-old girl. In 1832, Charlotte Doyle boards a ship bound for America and is caught in a battle between a mad captain and his ruthless crew. If you're looking for an action-packed adventure story for girls, you'll find it in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
Author Anthony Horowitz's multimillion-selling Alex Rider series reaches thrilling new heights with Ark Angel, which is full of the blistering action and slick gadgets young readers love. When MI6 Agent Alex Rider wakes up in a hospital, he is thrilled to be alive. Left for dead by his dreaded nemesis Scorpia, Alex has survived to fight another day. Almost immediately, he locks horns with a super-rich Russian businessman who is building a luxury hotel in space. "Horowitz is pure class, stylish but action packed . he's figured out that being James Bond in miniature is way cooler than being a wizard."-The Mirror
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It seems like a dream come true--except that they're being hunted by half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" who can fly, too.
In Book 2 of the series, the Flock members are taken under the wing of an FBI agent and try to live "normal" lives by going to school, making friends--and continuing their relentless search for their parents. But the Erasers return, forcing the Flock to abandon their search and make their escape once again. The voice inside Max's head keeps telling her that it's up to her to save the world, but this is especially challenging to do when she is faced with her ultimate match: a newer and better version of herself, Maximum Ride II. Max's heart-stopping quest to investigate the mind-blowing mystery of her ultimate destiny continues in the scariest, strangest, and funniest James Patterson novel yet.
The people of Quillan have lost control of their own future. Hosted by a strange pair of game masters, Veego and LaBerge, the Quillan Games are a mix of sport and combat. To triumph in the games is to live the life of a king. To lose is to die. Bobby Pendragon realizes he must beat Veego and LaBerge at their own games. But the prize for winning the Quillan Games may be discovering the truth of what it really means to be a Traveler.
In Echo Falls you never know what's coming next -- and everyone has a secret. Things are amiss at 99 Maple Lane: Ingrid's dad's job is in jeopardy, but h e won't explain why. Ingrid's brother, Ty, is getting buff -- really buff -- but when Ty starts getting moody, Ingrid wonders if there's more to his physical fitness than lifting weights. Meanwhile, Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by an icy newcomer named Julia LeCaine, who seems a little too savvy to be in it for the postgame pizza. True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in Echo Falls. But one morning, while en route to the dreaded MathFest, Ingrid is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Even if she escapes, will anyone believe her story?
In this sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole a clever young girl learns that mysterious forces are at work in her town -- and exposing them could put her life in jeopardy.
Performed by Colleen Delaney
