On his first day on the job as Royal Reporter of the land of Serendair, King Vandemere sends young Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme--known as Ven--on a secret mission within the walls of the Gated City. His quest? To discover the origin of a mysterious artifact given to the king's father. The king warns Ven to take care--because once you enter the Gated City, you might never be allowed to leave.
Within its walls, all sorts of exotic merchandise not found anywhere else in the world can be bought or sold. But not only merchandise. Dreams, wishes, memories…even childhood…can be sold--or stolen. The Gated City is ruled by the powerful Raven's Guild, and the guild is ruled by the Queen of Thieves.
Ven and his friends enter the Gated City ready for adventure. But when one friend is kidnapped and it is revealed that they are traveling in the company of the runaway daughter of the Queen of Thieves herself, their adventure turns deadly. For the ruthless Thief Queen will stop at nothing to get her daughter back….
A fun, fresh frolic of a novel starring a spoiled but lovable Texas heiress out to reclaim her fortune
Pippa Walker's wedding was to be huge―Texas huge―complete with twelve bridesmaids under contract from Pippa's mother to stay lean and long-haired, gondolas flown in from Venice, A- and B- guest lists. But when Pippa finds out her handsome husband-to-be isn't what she thought, she bolts from her own wedding, shocking society and getting herself disinherited. The only way she can get a piece of the family fortune back is to earn a degree from a school. Any school. It's a tough assignment for a girl who dropped out of SMU after pledging Kappa Kappa Gamma and shopping at Neiman's for a year.
But Pippa is nothing if not up for a challenge. Attracting one hilarious misadventure after another, she tries to earn her sheepskin at: driving school, matchmaking school, even a circus academy. It's only when she hits rock-bottom―The Mountbatten Savoy School of Household Management―that things begin to look up. But can she really be falling in love with a…valet?
"Great, silly fun, guaranteed to be seen at a beach near you." - Kirkus Reviews
The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot.
Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea -- a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls.
How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she's losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos?
This funny and surprising book is about language and thought, about words unspoken, words spoken in anger, and especially about the power of words spoken in kindness...with or without a bullhorn. It's Andrew Clements at his best -- thought-provoking, true-to-life, and very entertaining.
Kate Blessing is not your typical high school junior. She's a good student who's into guys and the latest designer jeans...and she's also part of the mob. Her father, Bobby Blessing, is the head of the family, and her mom, Amanda, is the brains behind the operation. Kate may not partake in the "family business," but she knows what goes down. She's proud of her family -- and of course, there are plenty of perks: her indoor pool, Caribbean vacations, expensive haircuts...
But when Amanda gets fed up with Bobby's cheating and moves out, someone needs to make decisions, give orders, and keep things running. Kate has no choice but to step into her mother's shoes and prop her dad up.
Bobby may be the face of the mob, but it's not long before the princess is running the show.
But she's having some serious issues:
Mosquitoes in the Adirondacks are incredibly thirsty.
Her stepmom keeps sending embarrassing feminine hygiene care packages.
She accidentally zapped away all her clothes.
And there's a backstabber in her cabin intent on making life miserable.
Good thing Rachel's a witch.
Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they’ve built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth’s surface, Peter’s search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home.
Rebecca Stead’s fascinating debut novel is a dazzling tale of mystery, science and adventure at the top of the world.
In the eighth grade, 1 math whiz < 1 popular boy, according to Tess's calculations. That is, until she has to factor in a few more variables, like:
1 stolen test (x),
3 cheaters (y),
and 2 best friends (z) who can't keep a secret.
Oh, and she can't forget the winter dance (d)!
Then there's the suspicious guy Tess's parents know, but that's a whole different problem.
Can Tess find the solutions?
Josie is independent and fierce. She may flirt with boys or kiss them, but it doesn't mean anything, not even with Michael, who's more like a friend-with-benefits. So how can she explain what happens when Carson Gold goes after her? Carson Gold, the hottest senior, the one everyone secretly watches. . . .
Maybe it's the same thing that causes all the girls to stare as he walks by. Or maybe it's something between them, something just he and Josie share.
Could you resist?
It's too much, when love finds you and pulls you under. It's too much, even for Josie.
In her heart, Nina Goldman knows that beauty is only skin deep. But as a teenager growing up in Akron, Ohio – with her larger-than-life father Artie, a colorblind carpet salesman and frustrated musician – the only thing Nina wishes for is…to be beautiful. Or at least normal. As if having such an eccentric dad wasn't enough, Nina has another issue to face: the mirror. Born with a strawberry birthmark over her eye, Nina spends countless hours applying makeup and trying out ridiculous hairstyles designed to hide her eye. Convinced that her birthmark is the only reason she's not popular and can't find a boyfriend, Nina must find other ways to survive high school. With a string of crazy exploits that have her riding in dryers and appearing on TV, Nina proves she'll do just about anything to fit in, and even more in the hope of finding love.
Al's world revolves around school, his best friend, Keith, and... well, not much else. Al and Keith aren't what one would consider the smartest kids in school, but they do okay. Then one Monday morning while Al's waiting for the school bus, he gets blitzed by some guy in a suit. Now Al has a sore rib, an encrypted flash drive, and some very strange dudes running after him.
Do you know that tennis was invented by monks? What is the most dangerous crocodile on earth? How do you say "fart" in Romanian? What does the word "pet" mean in French? (Hint: it smells like a rotten egg.) How many monarch butterflies fly from Canada to Mexico every year? What really happens to our bodies during puberty? How did the Foo Fighters get their name?
Welcome to the wacky, wonderful world of Simon Eliot
. . . a place where adults and curious kids alike can learn a few facts about things you never thought you knew, or thought you knew but were wrong, or were always afraid to ask.
Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends -- including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys.
But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.
But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girl friend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard....
The thrilling Strongbow Saga continues with this fierce sequel chronicling the adventures of a young man learning the ways of the Viking warriors. As fifteen-year-old Halfdan embarks on a perilous mission in a foreign land, he shows signs of greatness. But will he live up to his family name, or die trying? Author and Viking expert Judson Roberts draws on his detailed knowledge of this bloody time and culture to bring a young hero's exploits to life.