Fate is a powerful thing...
Ethan Wate is still grieving the loss of his beloved Amma when he receives an unexpected gift--the old, yellow Whitman's Sampler box that held Amma's most closely guarded secrets. "One day I might let you have a look under that lid, Ethan Wate," Amma used to say. "But today isn't the day."
Now it's time for one of her greatest secrets to be revealed. In a long-lost letter, Amma tells Ethan the story of growing up as a young Seer with a remarkable gift for reading cards. But with a power that far-reaching comes responsibility, and Amma has been honoring her mission since before Ethan was born--to protect the Wate family at any cost. So when Lila Jane Evers enters Mitchell Wate's life, bringing the whole Caster world with her, Amma turns to her cards. This time, it's a the reading that will define the rest of her life--and Ethan's.
In this second installment of Beautiful Creatures: The Untold Stories, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl bring you even deeper into the Caster world.
Word Count: ~9,000 words
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself-and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals...
It's the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon's love.
Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others.
Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don't know is that America has a secret - one which could throw the whole competition... and change her life forever.
It's swoon meets the Hunger Games in THE SELECTION series!
Two captivating Selection stories - 'The Prince' and 'The Guard' plus an early sneak peek at 'The One', Q&A with Kiera Cass and more...
'The Prince':
Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life.
A captivating view into the heart of Prince Maxon before he fights to win America Singer's love.
'The Guard':
Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. An inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls - and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know.
A perennial classic that is sure to inspire a new generation of parents and children.
After seven years, the Giant has nothing left to say to his friend the Cornish ogre, and so he returns home to his castle—only to find that in his absence, the children have been playing in his beautiful garden. At once the selfish Giant builds a high wall to keep the children out of the garden. Winter turns into spring all over the country—but not in the selfish Giant’s garden. The trees refuse to bloom and the birds refuse to sing; they miss the children. The selfish Giant lies shivering in his large bed while Hail, Snow, North Wind, and Frost dance across the garden. But one morning the Giant hears a beautiful noise—what could it be?
Proceeds from sale of this title go to Reach Out and Read, an innovative literacy advocacy organization.
A rare opportunity to hear two seasoned cats share their experiences of life. One spent entire life hopping from one house to another seeking better conditions for herself. The other simply loved her one poor owner and stayed with her for life. Which would you prefer? Read in English, unabridged.
Take one alien, five kids, and the ability to change into any animal they touch, and you've got a fantastic, unpredictable, edge-ofyour-seat series best described as the "X-Files for Kids." From well-known series author, Katherine Applegate.
Rachel is falling apart. Literally. Her newest morph has the ability to regenerate it's limbs, but when Rachel demorphs there's a lot more Rachel than when she started out. One more Rachel, to be exact. Rachel is an okay person to have around. But two could be considered overkill. Especially two Rachels with completely opposite personalities: one is pathetically weak; one is super strong and super nasty.
Now the Animorphs have to figure out a way to put Rachel back together again. Because if it's up to the "twins," Rachel the weak will surrender to Visser Three. Rachel the superbold will try to single-handedly take him down. And twice the trouble may be twice as much as the other Animorphs and Ax can handle...
When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring of his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras, however–not even his best pal, Jeb–and so, for now, Eben figures he’s stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up.
All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben’s moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stand up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he’s been craving for–a trip out West. Eben doesn’t reckon he’ll have any luck–he can’t think of even one thing that could be called “interesting,” let alone wondrous, in Sassafras, but he figures he’ll give it a try.
Told in a down-home narrative with glimmers of magical realism woven throughout, Betty G. Birney’s tale about a boy’s journey of discovery reminds us all that extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary of places . . . even in Sassafras Springs.
It was a bitterly cold day when Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge-he is ready to send Arthur to juvie for the foreseeable future.
Amazingly, it's the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service working for him.
Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can't believe it-is he really supposed to rummage through people's trash? But it isn't long before Arthur realizes there's more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the "trash" he's collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine.
Acclaimed author Shelley Pearsall tells a powerful story about discovering what shines within us all, even when life seems full of darkness.
'Reminded me of the very best of the Harry Potter books' Piers Torday, author of The Last Wild
'A thrillingly wild adventure - bold, breathless and beautifully told' Jonathan Stroud, author of Lockwood & Co.
'No one does edge-of-seat action like Abi Elphinstone' Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse
'Abi Elphinstone's books are full of adventure, wit, heart, and, above all, bravery' Katherine Rundell, author of The Explorer ?
'Abi Elphinstone is proving to be a worthy successor to CS Lewis' The Times
'A gifted storyteller... one of today's greatest children's authors' LoveReading
Moll Pecksniff and her friends are living as outlaws in a secret cave by the sea, desperate to stay hidden from the Shadowmasks. But further along the coast lies the Amulet of Truth, the only thing powerful enough to force the Shadowmasks back and contain their dark magic. So, together with Gryff, the wildcat that's always by her side, and her best friends Alfie and Sid, Moll must sneak past smugglers, outwit mer creatures and crack secret codes to save the Old Magic.
With more at stake than ever before and the dark magic rising fast, can Moll and her friends stop the Shadowmasks before it's too late?
Catapult into this adventure from the author of Sky Song, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling, Michelle Harrison and Eva Ibbotson.
Read by Nicky Diss.
Widge is an orphan with a rare talent for shorthand. His fearsome master has just one demand: steal Shakespeare's play "Hamlet"-or else. Widge has no choice but to follow orders, so he works his way into the heart of the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's players perform. As full of twists and turns as a London alleyway, this entertaining novel is rich in period details, colorful characters, villainy, and drama.
