Ian was the 0ne who chased the majestic buck into the forest. (His motto: Act first, think later.) Kendra didn't want to become separated from the other sixth graders, but she followed Ian anyway, despite what her analytical mind told her. PJ followed him too. Even though he was scared, he figured he might catch some amazing footage with his video camera.
They all hoped to return to the hiking trail before anyone noticed they were gone. However, the mountain had other plans for them: dark, sinister plans that only nightmares are made of.
Now they don't know where they are. They don't know how to get home. They don't know what gruesome creatures lurk in the shadows-but when they find out these grisly ghouls are actually ravenous zombies, will they be able to escape the mountain with their lives?
This first book in the Gravediggers series is a scary, mysterious, wild ride that will thrill readers to the very last page.
There's no turning back. . . .
For Cassie and her Circle of witches, it's hard to imagine life in New Salem getting any worse. A band of powerful witch hunters is targeting the group, determined to destroy them one by one. And Cassie's half sister, Scarlett, won't rest until she has a spot in the Circle-even if she has to kill Cassie to get it.
The Circle's only hope against their enemies is Cassie's father's Book of Shadows-an ancient guide to the world of dark magic. But Cassie soon discovers that opening the book has grave consequences. Cassie's drawn in by the book's sinister spell, and it starts controlling her emotions and impulses, unraveling her relationship with Adam as it takes over her life.
Cassie fights against the darkness inside her as the threats against the Circle grow. But once evil is let in, she may never escape. . . .
Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.
In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings-Peculiars-and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.
One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley-Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.
First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.
Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, The Peculiar is Stefan Bachmann's riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.
Ever since local boy Lester Ward got drafted by the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and football fever hit Goodhue, Iowa, scrawny Ned Button can think of nothing but the game. Sure, Lester's younger bully of a brother is determined to keep Ned and his gang from ever getting near a real pickup game. But Ned has a few tricks up his sleeve: he can catch and sometimes even throw, much to his surprise. And he's got his eccentric grandpa Ike, who has less get-up-and-go these days but no shortage of down-home wisdom to pass along. Like that being a football star is less about being big and more about strategy and playing as part of a team. And that having friends and family in your corner is a bigger prize than a lucky football will ever be. From the acclaimed author of The Luck of the Buttons comes another story about a sometimes hapless, always winning family that scores big points for humor and heart.
There was a time, not long ago, when all Zara wanted was to have Nick back. Rescuing him from Valhalla should have made all her problems disappear. He's Bedford's greatest warrior, not to mention Zara's true soul mate.
Except.
Nick isn't the person he used to be. And neither is Zara. She's a warrior now, and a pixie queen. Astley's queen. She has a plan to stop the evil pixies that are ravaging her town, and her ideas are not the same as Nick's or Astley's. One thing they can all agree on though: war is here. And if Cassidy's premonitions are correct, then not every warrior will make it in the end, and Zara's gravest choice is yet to come.
Why is there a great big tree in the house?!?
And why are all these boxes underneath it?
Hey-what is that?!? Where did it come from?
Uh-oh. This isn't good. . . . This isn't good at all!
In this hilarious follow-up to the New York Times bestselling picture book Charlie the Ranch Dog, Ree Drummond-the Pioneer Woman herself-delivers a story about getting into the holiday spirit and finding the good in all. Even though Charlie may not have put a kitty on his Christmas list, he learns that if you keep an open heart, new friends can come in unexpected packages.
A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.
Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl-not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.
From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.
Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a complex and fascinating world.
A dark house.
An isolated island.
Strange dreams
and even stranger
visions . . .
Jack is spending the summer on a private island far from modern conveniences. No Wi-Fi, no cell service, no one else on the island but a housekeeper and the two very peculiar children in his care. The first time Jack sees the huge black mansion atop a windswept hill, he senses something cold, something more sinister than even the dark house itself.
Soon, he feels terribly isolated and alone. Yet he is 'not' alone. The house has visitors peering in the windows, staring from across the shore. But why doesn't anyone else see them . . . and what do they want? As secrets are revealed and darker truths surface, Jack desperately struggles to maintain a grip on reality. He knows what he sees, and he isn't crazy. . . . Or is he?
From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes a mind-bending story that will leave you realizing how subtle the lines that separate reality, imagination, and insanity really are.
A virus has infected Arlington, Virginia, home of NERDS headquarters, and it's much worse than your run-of-the-mill flu. Instead of coughing and sneezing, the victims of this voracious virus are transformed into superintelligent criminal masterminds. Soon nearly everyone--including some of the NERDS team--is plotting to take over the world. And who's to blame for this nasty infection? None other than former NERDS teammate Heathcliff Hodges. With more people breaking out into evil cackles every day, it's up to Flinch, the hyperactive superspy with a sweet tooth, to stop the virus. He needs to destroy the virus at its source, and to do that he's going to have to get inside Heathcliff's head--literally. Flinch will have to miniaturize himself and take a fantastic voyage through the supervillain's body to fight white blood cells, stomach acid, and a nest of nasty nanobytes in the hope that he can save the world from . . . the Villain Virus.
The captain and his crew cross swords with the villainous crow, Teach, and his dastardly gang of thieves; outrun sharp-toothed predators and furry fiends; explore hidden lairs and secret hideouts; witness strange hatchings and astonishing courage; and encounter heroes of every size, shape, and species - all set forth in this volume, artfully penned and illustrated in numerous colors by Scott Nash, Gentleman. "Read it or be hanged!" - Blue Jay the Pirate, Captain of the Grosbeak
Early Whitcomb's family needs a miracle. Their Iowa farm has been in the family for generations, but a long drought has withered their savings and left them in debt - and in danger of foreclosure. Early's uncle, Jesse, thinks he has the solution: to head West and dig for gold. Fueled by reports of prospectors striking it rich in the Rocky Mountains, Jesse can't think about anything but gold. Early is wild to go with him, as much for the adventure as for the gold. But the journey costs money-more than the boys can afford-and when Jesse flees during the night, after being accused of a robbery, Early doesn't know what to believe. Then Jesse sends an electrifying message-that he has found gold, but his life is in danger-and Early knows he must do whatever it takes to find him. The journey is dangerous and full of hardships, and the closer the travelers get to their destination, the more ruined lives they encounter-lives consumed by the hunt for gold. Then to his horror, Early learns that Jesse has been accused of another, much bigger crime. Somehow, Early must get to him without leading Jesse's pursuers right to his door. And even if he succeeds, Early will still have to make the hardest choice of his life.
'Jesus our brother kind and good Was humbly born in a stable rude And the friendly beasts around him stood Jesus our brother, kind and good'
Join a cow, a camel, a dove, a donkey, and a sheep as they explain what gifts they brought the son of God on the very first Christmas. The Friendly Beasts offers a new way to look at the birth of Jesus through beautiful, memorable illustrations, traditional holiday lyrics, and a CD with narration and music performed by Rebecca St. James.
