Street kids, alone, unloved, and unwanted band together. One by one, they find each other and become a family mosaic of personalities-- a gang with one positive twist: They hate drugs, dealers, and violence. Hiding from a drug dealer who wants revenge, the gang looks for a good time at Point Amusement Park. The Tunnel of Terror brings a fatal accident. At the point of death, a mysterious being, The Face, captures the young teens and slips them into an underground dimension. Under control of their rescuer and His sword of death, they labor in caves. The Face brooks no backsliding, but feeds them well and trains them. Five years later The Face declares they are ready to move from servitude to leadership. He gives each gifts, what ordinary humans call superpowers, and returns them to their original dimension as ‘The Insiders’. They awake to discover they are in their original bodies maintained on life support by a secret government lab. A general wants control of their powers at any expense– including their lives. They must escape and complete The Face's directive: save the "innocent," children stolen by Human Traffickers and Pedophiles. As The Insiders learn about their new abilities, they discover their original talents enhanced. • Picker walks through walls and can transport others with him. A prison’s nightmare, few barriers can stop his molecules from sliding through. • Motor twists physics, allowing him to manipulate mechanical devices. Tied into the internet and power grids, he can manipulate machines like they’re remote control toy cars. • Bat forms shields and barriers, aiding Insider’s defense with protective bubbles. Adversaries find it hard to bring a guy down when attacks bounce off. • Babe mesmerizes and influences, able to persuade outsiders to aid their mission. When looks and charm fail, she turns on her hypnotic eyes that few can resist. • Ears can literally hear a pin drop– a hundred miles away. His super-hearing interprets languages and intercepts radio signals. Bad guys don’t talk about him behind his back. • Lookout's supervision sees through solids and into the distance. Closing the bathroom door doesn’t help with this guy, not that he’d peek. • Chief, narrator and nucleus of his Insiders cadre, becomes a strong leader with second sight and an ability to sense others in trouble. He’ll go to any length to protect them. Together The Insiders act as one. Only their skills and dedication stand against dark forces. As Earth's clock ticks down, the survival and renewal of the innocent and all humanity hang in the balance.

Winner of the Mom's Choice Awards Gold Medal. This is a story that will tickle your funny-bone and touch your heart.  "Gently inspiring prose in the style of Charlotte's Web," raves The Midwest Book Review. "A touching tale with kindness, empathy, and courage." "Delightful." "Unforgettable."  "Amiable traveling companions" take you on "a journey with considerable suspense," writes Publisher Weekly.  "All the right elements for an epic read-aloud adventure," says Seattle Child's Magazine.               Horatio has lived alone as long as he can remember. His only friend is a river otter named Rollic, who visits him nearly every day. But when Rollic goes missing, Horatio knows he must try to find him. With the help of hamster twins, Whisklet and Whimser, Horatio embarks on an adventure beyond anything he could have dreamed. Along the way, Horatio meets Leala, a champion archer from the hedgehog village--a village Horatio never knew existed. Leala opens a door to a home Horatio has yearned for all his life. Will Horatio continue on and risk his life to rescue his friend or will he follow Leala back to his long-lost home?Enter a world full of magic and mystery, of woodland creatures and strange beasts.  Horatio's One Wish is a humorous and heartwarming story that shows what true friendship means. Show less

Natalie Bouchard, a high school student from Portland, Maine, becomes convinced that her younger brother didn't drown in an accident years before, but was kidnapped and taken to Colombia. Without telling her parents, she flies to the Colombian capitol city of Bogotá, accompanied by a nineteen year old friend, Caleb Ferguson. A search of city streets and orphanages ends in disappointment. Finally, as her grandfather arrives to take her home, she gets a lead. Her little brother may have been taken by illegal emerald miners to a highly dangerous area north of Bogotá.

Fifteen-year-old Kathleen Gallant is on an archaeological adventure at Tsavo East National Park in Kenya when she unearths the grave of an ancient woman known as Njeri. The natives are horrified by this discovery; Njeri is so infamous that no local will even speak her name. They fear the discovery of Njeri's corpse will bring about pestilence and disease upon their tribe. The legend of Njeri goes back to the mystical Mchanga and Misitu War. This war was fought long ago, and historians are still unsure of how it ended. It seems the soldiers from this war apparently disappeared. Now news of local villagers either gone missing and even some found dead are worrying her friends, but Kathleen feels strangely drawn to the story of Njeri; she begins to have nightmares and visions of a past life and a battle of wills. Someone is taking over Kathleen's young mind-someone who wants revenge. With the help of her new friends Sekani and Okechuku, Kathleen discovers the ancient war never really ended. Under the influence of Njeri, she learns more about the past than she ever expected to-and realizes she may become the weapon through which Njeri exacts her revenge.