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My Mom's a Mortician
by Patricia WilesWinner of the 2004 Middle Grade Fiction Award from the Association for Mormon Letters. It's bad enough that Kevin's mother is about to graduate from mortuary college, but when his parents tell him they're moving to a small town in the Arkansas delta to run the Paramount Funeral Home, Kevin is certain it's his life that's over. After all, normal people don't live in houses with dead bodies downstairs! Once in Armadillo, Arkansas, Kevin tries to adapt to the family business. When he's targeted by the biggest bully in the seventh grade, Kevin begins to "hear" advice from an unlikely source--Cletus McCulley, an old Mormon fisherman and one of his mother's dead customers. Cletus's messages from beyond the grave lead Kevin to uncover not only the bully's secrets, but the truth about a family tragedy that shattered his parents' faith and led them away from God. It's up to Kevin to find the courage to face the bully, and to find a way to help his family heal.
Early-Morning Cemetery
by Patricia WilesAll Kevin wants is to be like any other high school student and learn how to drive and hang out with his friends. But when your parents run a funeral home, it's tough to have a normal life. And when you're a Mormon living in the South, well, that just about triples your weirdness quotient. Especially when an elderly woman from church drafts you into the Granite Girls, a group that records the names on all the tombstones in Armadillo, Arkansas. Try explaining that to the local sheriff who catches you in a graveyard at 6:30 in the morning. One not-so-weird thing about Kevin's family is the love they have for Marcy--a young African-American woman who's like the sister Kevin never had. Just as the family prepares to help Marcy renovate the house across the road with money left to her by her late father, a stranger shows up at the Paramount Funeral Home. It's Ruby, Marcy's mother, whom she hasn't seen in twelve years. Soon after Ruby's arrival, things begin to disappear--and Ruby makes sure Kevin takes the blame. As her threats become more personal, Kevin must find a way to expose Ruby and to convince others of the truth, not only for Marcy's sake, but to save his own reputation.
The Final Farewell
by Patricia WilesKevin’s senior year of high school isn’t going as he’d planned. So much has changed, and choices he once thought would be easy to make have become increasingly difficult. His best friend has moved away, his girlfriend has dumped him for the school football hero, and life after graduation looms ahead like a chasm without a bridge. Kevin’s got a hot scholarship offer in his hands, but even though it’s hard for him to talk about his Mormon faith with others, he can’t shake the feeling in his heart that he should serve a two-year mission. When the time comes for Kevin to make the most important decision of his life, one that no one else can or should make for him, he must take a leap of faith and learn to trust his own feelings. Will his decision be the right one, even when tragedy strikes? Find out where Kevin’s choices take him in The Final Farewell, the final volume in the Kevin Kirk Chronicles.
Dig Too Deep
by Amy AllgeyerWith her mother facing prison time for a violent political protest, seventeen-year-old Liberty Briscoe has no choice but to leave her Washington, D.C., apartment and take a bus to Ebbottsville, Kentucky, to live with her granny. There, she can at least finish high school and put some distance between herself and her mother--or her former mother, as she calls her. But Ebbottsville isn't the same as Liberty remembers, and it's not just because the top of Tanner's Peak has been blown away to mine for coal. Half the county is out of work, an awful lot of people in town seem to be sick, and the tap water is bright orange--the same water that officials claim is safe. And when Granny's lingering cold turns out to be something much worse, Liberty wonders if somebody at the mine is hiding the truth about the water. She starts to investigate and is soon plunged into a world of secrets, lies, threats, and danger. Her searches for answers and justice lead to even tougher questions--should she turn to violence and end up like her mother? Give up her quest for the sake of keeping the peace? Or keep fighting until the mine is shut down for good?
Future Shock
by Elizabeth BriggsElena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory all her life--or so she thinks. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation selects her for a top-secret project, she can't say no. All she has to do is participate in a trip to the future to bring back data, and she'll be set for life. Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive thirty years in the future, something goes wrong, and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates. Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.
Kelsey the Spy
by Linda J SingletonKelsey can't resist collecting secrets in her spy notebook--just like her hero, Harriet the Spy. When she learns Leo has been hiding something from the group, she writes his secret in her notebook as well. But Kelsey accidentally brings her Notebook of Secrets to school and loses it. Everything she's collected about classmates, friends, and family could be released into the world! When she receives a ransom note, she tries to solve the mystery on her own but soon realizes she needs everyone in the Curious Cat Spy Club to rescue the notebook, help a homesick 130-year-old Aldabra tortoise, and unmask a thief. A surprise ending changes Kelsey's life in a way she never imagined.
The Rain and the Fire and the Will of God
by Donald WetzelSet in the Gulf Coast country of Alabama, The Rain and Fire and the Will of God, is told by a fourteen-year-old farm boy and encompasses a brief summer of time in which he gains awareness and maturity.
Edgar Allan: A Novel
by John NeufeldSelected as one of the New York Times Book Review's Best Books of the Year and honored worldwide, Edgar Allan was an immediate sensation when it was first published. "This is not a novel about prejudice or race relations or brotherhood, or anything too simple. It is about parents and children, young people and older people, about love and failure, loss and discovery, coming to terms with our self and others. Edgar Allan . . . is a work of Art. " Its value has not been diminished over time, and readers throughout the world contact the author regularly to discuss their reactions to it. A straight-through read, it is full of anxiety, excitement, suspense, and finally, understanding.
The Dragon in the Cliff: A Novel Based on the Life of Mary Anning
by Sheila Cole T. C. Farrow"I scraped off the wet clay with mounting excitement. There was no mistaking what I saw." What Mary Anning found in the cliffs in 1811, when she was 13, was the first complete fossil of an ichthyosaurus, a marine dinosaur. She hunted and sold fossils to save her family from poverty after her father died when she was 11 years old. Despite social disapproval of her unfeminine occupation, Mary persisted and became a leading fossilist who made valuable contributions to science.
Pride and Prejudice: Pride And Prejudice Is A Classic 1813 Romantic Novel Of Manners Written By Jane Austen
by Jane AustenJane Austen&’s classic comedy of manners is one of the most enduring love stories in English literature In a remote Hertfordshire village in the early nineteenth century, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have a problem. Or rather, five vivacious, headstrong problems: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia. Mr. Bennet loves his daughters dearly, but spends more time with his nose buried in a book than planning for their futures. Since her husband&’s property can only pass to a male heir, Mrs. Bennet insists that the girls find rich husbands. But her daughters would rather fall in love than listen to their mother&’s advice. Jane, the eldest and most beautiful, attracts the attentions of a young gentleman named Charles Bingley, but his good friend Mr. Darcy disapproves of the match. Elizabeth, always eager to defend her sweet-natured sister, detests the prideful Mr. Darcy, even after he asks for her hand in marriage. But when a chance encounter reunites the combative couple, Elizabeth realizes that her prejudices have been standing in the way of her heart&’s true desire. A razor-sharp satire of English country life and a stirring tribute to the power of romance to overcome the longest of odds, Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen&’s masterwork and one of the finest novels ever written. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Around the World in Eighty Days: Kelly's English Comics Simplified Characters (Collector's Library)
by Jules VerneFor the sake of a bet, an Englishman embarks on the journey of a lifetime, in this classic adventure tale from a master of the form Phileas Fogg believes the world has gotten smaller. With the opening of a new railroad across India, he calculates it will now be possible to circumnavigate the globe in as few as eighty days. When the men at his club disagree, Fogg bets them the astonishing sum of £20,000--half his worth--that he can make the trip. Accompanied by his new manservant, the eccentric Passepartout, Fogg risks his fortune, his honor, and his life to prove the naysayers wrong. From the sands of Egypt to the jungles of India to the icy waters of the Pacific to the dark corridors of a Chinese opium den, Fogg and Passepartout use every mode of transportation possible to race from one exotic exploit to the next. Pursued by a Scotland Yard detective, derailed by a herd of bison, and attacked by Sioux Indians, the travelers never lose sight of their goal--even when they stop to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress. A brilliant blend of comedy, adventure, and fantasy, Around the World in Eighty Days continues to delight and amaze readers of all ages, long after the world of Jules Verne's imagination became our reality. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Mark of Zorro: The Curse Of Capistrano (Foundation Classics Ser.)
by Johnston McculleyTo free his people, a masked rider goes to war against an empire in this swashbuckling adventure story In the untamed wilds of California, evil reigns at the mission of Los Angeles. A sinister governor grinds his subjects beneath his boot, bleeding them dry for the sake of the Spanish crown. Only one man dares challenge him. By day, Don Diego Vega is a debonair playboy known for his devil-may-care attitude. But by night, he dons a black mask and a black cape, and fights in the name of justice. When he bests his enemies, he carves a Z in their cheek: the mark of Zorro. The inspiration for countless films, comic books, and stories, The Mark of Zorro is one of the great action novels of all time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
For Teenagers Living With a Parent Who Abuses Alcohol/Drugs
by Edith Lynn Hornik-BeerFor Teenagers Living With a Parent Who Abuses Alcohol/Drugs by Edith Lynn Hornik-Beer answers questions about alcoholism asked by teenagers. Included are: What causes alcoholism? Where can I get help? What do I do about the abuse? Should I stay at home? Where can I go? How can anyone expect me to concentrate in school? Why do I fight with my parents even when they are sober?
The Slave Dancer
by Paula Fox Christopher Paul CurtisNewbery Medal Winner: A young Louisiana boy faces the horrors of slavery when he is kidnapped and forced to work on a slave ship in this iconic novel. Thirteen-year-old Jessie Bollier earns a few pennies playing his fife on the docks of New Orleans. One night, on his way home, a canvas is thrown over his head and he's knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, Jessie finds himself aboard a slave ship, bound for Africa. There, the Moonlight picks up ninety-eight black prisoners, and the men, women, and children, chained hand and foot, are methodically crammed into the ship's hold. Jessie's job is to provide music for the slaves to dance to on the ship's deck--not for amusement but for exercise, as a way to to keep their muscles strong and their bodies profitable. Over the course of the long voyage, Jessie grows more and more sickened by the greed of the sailors and the cruelty with which the slaves are treated. But it's one final horror, when the Moonlight nears her destination, that will change Jessie forever. Set during the middle of the nineteenth century, when the illegal slave trade was at its height, The Slave Dancer not only tells a vivid and shocking story of adventure and survival, but depicts the brutality of slavery with unflinching historical accuracy.
Ned Kelly and the City of Bees
by Thomas KeneallyNed Kelly would never have imagined shrinking his size in order to escape the dreary hospital bed where he’s recovering from appendicitis. But, that’s exactly what Apis, his new friend (who happens to be a bee), helps him do with the aid of a special gold liquid. At apian size, Ned flies off with Apis and Nancy Clancy (who speaks only in rhyme) to try life in the hive. Although he questions some of their practices, like disposing of old drones who can’t work anymore, Ned soon makes friends with the bees, including Romeo, a drone lovesick for the Queen, Basil, a drone-rights activist, and even the haughty Queen herself.
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (P. S. Series)
by Piers Paul ReadThe #1 New York Times bestseller and the true story behind the film: A rugby team resorts to the unthinkable after a plane crash in the Andes <P><P>. Spirits were high when the Fairchild F-227 took off from Mendoza, Argentina, and headed for Santiago, Chile. On board were forty-five people, including an amateur rugby team from Uruguay and their friends and family. <P><P>The skies were clear that Friday, October 13, 1972, and at 3:30 p.m., the Fairchild's pilot reported their altitude at 15,000 feet. But one minute later, the Santiago control tower lost all contact with the aircraft. For eight days, Chileans, Uruguayans, and Argentinians searched for it, but snowfall in the Andes had been heavy, and the odds of locating any wreckage were slim. <P><P>Ten weeks later, a Chilean peasant in a remote valley noticed two haggard men desperately gesticulating to him from across a river. He threw them a pen and paper, and the note they tossed back read: "I come from a plane that fell in the mountains . . ." <P><P>Sixteen of the original forty-five passengers on the F-227 survived its horrific crash. In the remote glacial wilderness, they camped in the plane's fuselage, where they faced freezing temperatures, life-threatening injuries, an avalanche, and imminent starvation. As their meager food supplies ran out, and after they heard on a patched-together radio that the search parties had been called off, it seemed like all hope was lost. <P><P>To save their own lives, these men and women not only had to keep their faith, they had to make an impossible decision: Should they eat the flesh of their dead friends? <P><P>A remarkable story of endurance and determination, friendship and the human spirit, Alive is the dramatic bestselling account of one of the most harrowing quests for survival in modern times.
You Are You, I Am Me: Understanding Diversity (Elf-help Books for Kids)
by R. W. Alley Cynthia GeisenIn You Are You, I Am Me, author Cynthia Geisen helps children reflect on how we can appreciate--and even celebrate--the diversity in the world around us while also helping them to recognize those things that we all share.
The Greengage Summer: A Novel (Perennial Bestsellers Series)
by Rumer GoddenA sixteen-year-old girl captures the dangerous attention of an older man in this New York Times-bestselling novel by the author of Black Narcissus. Soon after the end of the terrible Great War, Mrs. Grey brings her five young children to the French countryside for the summer in hopes of instilling in them a sense of history and humility. But when she is struck down by a sudden illness and hospitalized, the siblings are left to fend for themselves at the lovely, bullet-scarred hotel Les Oeillets, under the suspicious, watchful eyes of its owner, Mademoiselle Zizi. The young ones find a willing guide, companion, and protector in charming Englishman Eliot, a longtime resident at Les Oeillets and Mlle. Zizi's apparent paramour. But as these warm days of freedom, discovery, and adolescent adventure unfold, Eliot's interest becomes more and more focused on the eldest of the Grey children, sixteen-year-old daughter Joss. The older man's obsession with the innocent, alluring, heartbreakingly beautiful woman-child soon threatens to overstep all bounds of propriety. And as Eliot's fascination increases, so does the jealousy of his disrespected lover, adding fuel to a dangerously smoldering fire that could erupt into unexpected violence at any moment. Told from the point of view of Cecil, Joss's sharp-eyed younger sister, The Greengage Summer is a beautiful, poignant, darkly tinged coming-of-age story rich in the sights, smells, and sounds of France's breathtaking Champagne country. It remains one of the crowning literary achievements of Rumer Godden, acclaimed author of beloved classics Black Narcissus, The River, and In This House of Brede.
Devil Storm
by Theresa Nelson“The great hurricane that devastated Galveston in 1900 is the centerpiece of [this] tightly knit novel. The writing is powerful. A fine work, integrating nature with character.” —The Horn Book, starred review “Nelson’s strong sense of place, poetic style and inspired characterization make this far more than just an enthralling adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews
The 25¢ Miracle
by Theresa NelsonWinner of the Washington Irving Children’s Choice Award A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Selection of the Junior Library Guild Star light, star bright . . . Elvira wishes for a mother and finds instead the father she scarcely knew she had.
Moby Dick: Moby Dick, Afrikaans Edition (Literatura Juvenil (panamericana Editorial) Ser.)
by Herman MelvilleThis nineteenth-century classic is at once a thrilling adventure, a timeless allegory, and &“the greatest of American novels&” (The Atlantic Monthly). Despite strange warnings, Ishmael, a young schoolteacher from Manhattan, signs up for a voyage aboard the Pequod, a whaling ship departing from New Bedford, Massachusetts. While on shore, he strikes up a friendship with Queequeg, a tattooed South Seas cannibal. The unlikely friends are hired for the journey—only to discover their commander will be Captain Ahab, a brooding, one-legged, tyrannical old man fixated on avenging Moby Dick, the great white whale who crippled him. Along with the rest of the crew, including unforgettable characters like the intellectual first mate Starbuck who risks standing up to Ahab, cheerful second mate Stubb, and African harpooner Daggoo, Ishmael sets out for a hair-raising adventure laden with danger and nameless horrors. As they dare to challenge God&’s most dreaded creation and nature&’s indifference to human survival, their fate lies with their monomaniacal captain, whose obsession can only lead to tragedy. Considered a masterpiece of American literature, Moby Dick—from its famous first line, &“Call me Ishmael,&” to its dramatic climax—has fascinated generations of readers.
The Moonflower
by Phyllis A. WhitneyThe wife of a scientist fights for her marriage—and her husband’s sanity—in postwar Japan in this novel by “a superb and gifted storyteller” (Mary Higgins Clark). When Jerome Talbot’s brilliant career as an atomic physicist leads him once again to Japan, his wife, Marcia, knows it means yet another long separation, but she hopes to reunite with him soon. Confidently awaiting word to join him, she is blindsided when she receives a letter demanding divorce. Stunned and hurt, she leaves their home in Hawaii to confront Jerome in Kyoto, certain she’ll get an explanation to heal her wounded heart. But when Marcia arrives, she can’t be sure of anything . . . Jerome has become a stranger—obsessed, cruel, unhinged, and resolved never to return home—committed only to his work, which reaches back to World War II. Even more peculiar, he’s living in unusual intimacy with a a close-knit, unnervingly private Japanese family whom Marcia is forbidden to talk to and to whom Jerome seems not only beholden, but enslaved. Marcia resolves to stay in Kyoto until she discovers the secret driving her husband mad—and the truth behind a terrible legacy that could threaten both their lives. A “brilliant, absorbing, [and] moving” novel of romantic suspense by a New York Times–bestselling, multiple award–winning author—who was herself born in Yokohama—The Moonflower is an authentic exploration of life in postwar Japan, as well as a chilling tale of guilt, family secrets, and a marriage at risk in the never-forgotten shadow of Hiroshima (Richmond Times-Dispatch). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author’s estate.
Out of Bounds (All-Star Sports Stories #11)
by Fred BowenThere’s “plenty of soccer action” in this story of a middle schooler who has to figure out how to balance good sportsmanship with the goal of winning (Booklist). Eighth-grader Nate Osborne is a forward on his U-14 soccer team, the Strikers. He and the rest of his teammates are very competitive—especially when it comes to their rivals, the Monarchs. They want the Monarchs to lose so badly that they’ll even root against them when they play other teams. Then, during a game between the Strikers and the Monarchs, a boy on the opposing team gets injured, and Nate must decide between going for a goal or kicking the ball out of bounds as an act of sportsmanship. His aunt, who’s also a soccer player, has taught him the importance of fair play, but when Nate stops the clock and sacrifices his chance to win the game, his teammates just don’t understand. From the author of the Sports Stories and All-Star Sport Stories series, as well as the kids’ sports column “The Score” for the Washington Post’s KidsPost section, Out of Bounds is an entertaining and thoughtful tale about young athletes striving to become not only great players, but also great people.
Maid of Honor
by Charlotte MacleodA young woman must escape family conflict—and find her own identity—in order to track down a thief in this novel by an acclaimed mystery writer. Persis Green’s existence has been overshadowed by the looming prospect of her older sister’s wedding. Her family was once normal—boring, but normal. Then the engagement was announced and all hell broke loose. Now, Persis’s father acts like a zombie at dinner parties, her mother goes from zero to shrieking in seconds, and her sister is utterly self-absorbed. When Persis wins a statewide piano competition and a scholarship to a prestigious music conservatory, her big news is pushed aside. In addition to the general chaos of the impending nuptials, one of her sister’s wedding gifts, a wildly expensive piece of jewelry, has disappeared. Feeling like the only sane member of the family, Persis commits her cool head to solving the mystery. But there are other surprises she’ll discover in the course of her investigation in this absorbing tale by the author of the popular Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn series.