Thornghost

"When strange things start happening in the woods around Niklas's home, he and his lynx sidekick travel to another realm to save their world"--

Fans of Gregor the Overlander and Five Kingdoms will love this alternate-realm fantasy full of heart-racing action Strange things are happening around Niklas Summerhill’s home. A green-eyed beast is killing animals in the woods, and the nightmares that have haunted Niklas since his mother died grow more terrifying with every night. When the beast turns out to be a troll brought to life from his own games, Niklas knows he has to stop it. With the help of his lynx companion, Secret, he finds the source of the magic: a portal to another world. But this realm, once the home of peaceful animals, is also in danger. The evil Sparrow King is hunting down the few survivors from a devastating war, and a dark, blood-thirsty plant is infecting the valley. Niklas must try to save both worlds. But first he has to uncover the truth about his mother’s last words: "I’m a Thornghost." From the author of The Twistrose Key comes a fantasy brimming with intriguing mystery, fast-paced action, and a cast of unforgettable human and animal characters.

"After finding a mysterious key, eleven-year-old Lin Rosenquist finds herself in the wintery world of Sylver where all the inhabitants were once either beloved pets or tamed wild animals, and must find the missing Winter Prince before she can return home"--

Thomas Thorn is a rough-guy CIA agent who's been on surveillance detail in Chicago for the past forty-eight hours. He and his genius partner Irish have the 'eyes and ears' on a power hungry wannabe and his twenty-something mistress, when a call is intercepted. The voice on the intercept is someone codenamed the "Manipulator" who says the local senator "will be" the next resident of the White House. Thorn understands fully that he has just heard the conversation that if left unfettered will change the world. He surmises quickly that the Manipulator and his European cronies are out for world domination. They seek a new world order in which they hold all the power, but first, they need their puppet senator elected president of the United States. Unbeknownst to Thorn his talents are about to be incorporated into use by a very powerful secret organization known as The Keepers-a powerful counterforce dedicated to the dreams of America's forefathers. A rocket ride of twists and bullets ensues as Thorn and team embark on their quest to stop the Manipulator's duly dispatched vile agent of death-a man simply called Lyons, who has been charged with the plans to vault the puppet senator into the most powerful position in the world. Shortly after, Thorn is then called to a meeting in a small town in North Carolina where he learns of many other elements that are endangering all that America stands for. It is also at this gathering where he meets the temptress agent Vikki Gold. Three days later, after a whirlwind romance with the world-class beauty, his life is turned upside down aboard a yacht moored off of the shores of Key West. It is on board that he learns the truth about his past, the shadow life of his mom and the death of his father at the hands of Lyons. With likeness of mind, vengeance of heart, he and Vikki Gold are vaulted into action along the shores of the East Coast where every stop is a near death experience, but the steadfast goal remains the same. To stop Lyons and to save the United States-by any means necessary.

Emma Gatewood’s life was far from easy. In rural Ohio, she managed a household of 11 kids alongside a less-than-supportive husband. One day, at age 67, she decided to go for a nice long walk . . . and ended up completing the Appalachian Trail. With just the clothes on her back and a pair of thin canvas sneakers on her feet, Grandma Gatewood hiked up ridges and down ravines. She braved angry storms and witnessed breathtaking sunrises. When things got particularly tough, she relied on the kindness of strangers or sheer luck to get her through the night. When the newspapers got wind of her amazing adventure, the whole country cheered her on to the end of her trek, which came just a few months after she set out. A story of true grit and girl power at any age, Grandma Gatewood proves that no peak is insurmountable.

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on his first voyage. Though he was a scientist by profession, he was an explorer at heart. While journeying around South America for the first time aboard a ninety-foot-long ship named the Beagle, Charles collected insets, dug up bones, galloped with gauchos, encountered volcanoes and earthquakes, and even ate armadillo for breakfast! The discoveries he made during this adventure would later inspire ideas that changed how we see the world. Complete with mesmerizing map work that charts Darwin's thrilling five-year voyage, as well as "Fun Facts" and more, Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure captures the beauty and mystery of nature with wide-eyed wonder.

A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children's Book of 2015 “The Trilogy of Two is full of inventiveness, with a world that’s constructed ingeniously and characters who are vivid and attractive.”—Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials Identical twins Sonja and Charlotte are musical prodigies with extraordinary powers. Born on All-Hallows-Eve, the girls could play music before they could walk. They were found one night by Tatty, the Tattooed Lady of the circus, in a pail on her doorstep with only a note and a heart-shaped locket. They’ve been with Tatty ever since, roaming the Outskirts in the circus caravans, moving from place to place. But lately, curious things have started to happen when they play their instruments. During one of their performances, the girls accidentally levitate their entire audience, drawing too much unwanted attention. Soon, ominous Enforcers come after them, and Charlotte and Sonja must embark on a perilous journey through enchanted lands in hopes of unlocking the secrets of their mysterious past.

Which Witch? is a brilliantly witty tale of magic and marriage by Eva Ibbotson, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. 'Find me a witch!' cried Arriman the Awful, feared Wizard of the North. Arriman has decided to marry. His wife must be a witch of the darkest powers – but which witch will she be? To find the most fiendish, he holds a spell-casting competition. Glamorous Madame Olympia performs the terrifying Symphony of Death and conjures up a thousand plague-bearing rats. The magic of gentle Belladonna, the white witch, goes hopelessly wrong. She produces perfumed flowers instead of snakes. And bats roost in her golden hair instead of becoming blood-sucking vampires. Poor Belladonna longs to be an evil enchantress – but how? 'This kind of fun will never fail to delight' - Philip Pullman.

A vibrant fantasy-adventure debut about a girl who can see lies. You're a Fallow of the Orchard. You're as tough as a green apple in summer . . . Only Fallow was just six harvests old when she realized that not everyone sees lies. For Only, seeing lies is as beautiful as looking through a kaleidoscope, but telling them is as painful as gnawing on cut glass. Only's family warns her to keep her cunning hidden, but secrets are seldom content to stay secret. When word of Only's ability makes its way to the King, she's plucked from her home at the orchard and brought to the castle at Bellskeep. There she learns that the kingdom is plagued by traitors, and that her task is to help the King distinguish between friend and foe. But being able to see lies doesn't necessarily mean that others aren't able to disguise their dishonesty with cunnings of their own. In the duplicitous, power-hungry court, the truth is Only's greatest weapon . . . and her greatest weakness.

Transcriptions of first-person accounts of slavery by former slaves, collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).