Fiction
Paper Things
When forced to choose between staying with her guardian and being with her big brother, Ari chose her big brother. There’s just one problem—Gage doesn’t actually have a place to live.When Ari’s mother died four years ago, she had two final wishes: that Ari and her older brother, Gage, would stay together always, and that Ari would go to Carter, the middle school for gifted students. So when nineteen-year-old Gage decides he can no longer live with their bossy guardian, Janna, Ari knows she has to go with him. But it’s been two months, and Gage still hasn’t found them an apartment. He and Ari have been “couch surfing,” staying with Gage’s friend in a tiny apartment, crashing with Gage’s girlfriend and two roommates, and if necessary, sneaking into a juvenile shelter to escape the cold Maine nights. But all of this jumping around makes it hard for Ari to keep up with her schoolwork, never mind her friendships, and getting into Carter starts to seem impossible. Will Ari be forced to break one of her promises to Mama? Told in an open, authentic voice, this nuanced story of hiding in plain sight may have readers thinking about homelessness in a whole new way.
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Living With Jackie Chan
Jo Knowles
After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive.This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with his Jackie-Chan-obsessed uncle, Larry, and trying to forget. But Josh can’t forget. So many things bring back memories of last year and the night that changed everything. Every day the pain, the shame, and the just not knowing are never far from his thoughts. Why is he such a loser? How could he have done what he did? He finds some moments of peace when he practices karate with Stella, the girl upstairs and his one real friend. As they move together through the katas, Josh feels connected in a way he has never felt before. He wonders if they could be more than friends, but Stella’s jealous boyfriend will make sure that doesn’t happen. And maybe it doesn’t matter. If Stella knew the truth, would she still think he was a True Karate Man? Readers first met Josh in Jumping Off Swings which told the story of four high school students and how one pregnancy changed all of their lives. In thiscompanion book, they follow Josh as he tries to come to terms with what happened, and find a way to forgive.
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The Illuminated Forest
2015 International Latino Book Award Finalist--Best Young Adult Fiction (English) 12-year-old Mateo returns to his grandparents' island to deal with a family tragedy. From the moment he arrives, a series of terrifying events turn his world upside down. A stray cat with a mohawk, a ruthless town bully, and a lost ghost mysteriously come together and change his life forever. "The Illuminated Forest" is an imaginative study in parallels: the fine lines that separate the real and the fantastic, the tangible and the mystical, the plausible and the magical. The novel's heart is contained within the atmospheric, lush descriptions of the geography of an island that breathes and feels along with the characters. "The Illuminated Forest" is at times a very human portrait populated by flawed characters trying to find balance and renewal, at other times it is a magical escape into another realm when faith has failed them. "The Illuminated Forest" is a heartfelt story told through magical realism, a literary work that seeks to delve deeply into its characters' humanity without sentimentality or trite happy endings. "FIVE STARS! TENDER, YET DELIVERED WITH A PUNCH IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES... SOPHISTICATED SYMBOLISM AND WELL-HONED LANGUAGE TYPICAL OF FINE LITERATURE." -ForeWord Clarion Review
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Love's Affliction
Silver Medal: Nautilus Book Awards, Fiction 2016 Reader Views Literary Award Winner 2015/2016Finalist 2015: INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award, Multicultural FictionJoseph Fafa of Nigeria has high hopes when he begins his premed studies at a North Carolina College. But his love for the beautiful and talented daughter of a prestigious Southern family threatens to destroy his dreams of becoming a doctor. Will he escape the power of an irate father and hold onto his youthful love, a flare of illumination sparked amidst the clash between two cultures? Love's Affliction braves the limits of romantic love, overcoming barriers, and pondering how the dreams of our youth can temper and deepen our foundations.
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Fifty Years of Peace (Abrupt Dissent Series Book 1)
Charlotte Andrews
Fifty years after the war that changed everything and deemed technology illegal, Jenny Williams enjoys her simple life as a teenager on her grandpa's ranch. She goes to school, helps out on the ranch, and even sells her grandpa's cheese at the local market.But when Jenny goes to town for the Fifty Years of Peace Festival, a strange boy and a catastrophic event makes her question whether her idyllic life is really as perfect as she thought.Now, in order to save herself, her grandpa, and her town from an impending war, Jenny must decide if she should trust Jacob, her handsome friend of many years, or the strange, but intriguing boy who seems to know more than he's letting on.This dystopian adventure is part 1 of the 3-part Abrupt Dissent Series. Burning Bridges: Part 2 of the Abrupt Dissent Series is Now Available!
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A secret can change everything.After witnessing her twin brother's death, sixteen-year-old Callie shuts down. Forced to go to her family's summer beach house, she resolves to erase the pain any way she can. Enter the "Perfect's"--the Gold Card group of girls who offer escape in the form of parties, booze and boys. Things change when she meets Ethan. Callie does her best to convince herself she couldn't care less if Ethan looks like he just stepped out of a magazine and is completely adorkable to boot. Despite trying to keep her distance, Callie is drawn to his sweet ways and sexy smile. She falls hard--but her world comes crashing down when she discovers he's been hiding a secret that could change everything. Ethan came to the beach to escape, to live without the label. Because his label... is the kid with Hodgkin's disease. Callie is left with the choice of standing by Ethan's side and watching another person she loves die, or running and abandoning the one person who helped her to believe in love again. Callie's decision ends up putting her own life in danger, and changes the lives of everyone around her, forever.
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The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell
What would you do, if you knew you inherited an ancient familial curse? What would do, if you found out you were racing against time to save yourself and your loved ones? And what would you do, if you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a love triangle, amidst the unraveling curse? ****** When free-spirited and more than a little rebellious, seventeen-year-old Jewel Cardwell gained admission to Grayton Preparatory School, a prestigious, girls-only, top-notch private institution nestled in the South African farmlands of Limpopo, little did she know it would begin a trail of mysterious and unfamiliar events, changing her life forever! At Grayton prep, a battle line is drawn between 'good and evil' especially when there's a full moon and dark forces swirl and turn up in the form of hideous monsters and frightening demons. With her school fre-nemies, rivalry and treachery become the order of the day and Jewel is forced to question everything she thought she knew as she struggles to stay alive in a dubious place riddled with demonic activity! Armed with a magical secret from her dying grandmother, a golden locket, she sets a new course in motion. In the middle of this whirlwind of events, she is caught between two boys: Darwin Morton, a lad she's known growing up, and Eric Broder, a soccer team leader with a silver spoon in his mouth. Why her love life has to get interesting now is a question she can't answer! ""I welcomed death with open arms, closed my eyes and listened as the aircraft made rattling and shaking sounds through the dreary weather. If this was my time to go, I would embrace darkness, as I had nothing else to lose -- JEWEL CARDWELL." Will Jewel be able to solve the mystery before evil is unleashed against those she loves? Join Jewel Cardwell as she sets out to unlock the aged secret to the demonic activities in pursuit of her family lineage.The Saga Continues.....The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra's NestFUMI HANCOCKworldoffumihancock.com
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A Bowl Full of Nails
Finalist, Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged FictionBronze Medal, Independent Publishers Book AwardsFinalist, Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book of the Year AwardsBERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, May 15, 1969 -- Fiery young Gus Bessemer vows to stop the war in Vietnam. His weapon of choice? Guerrilla street theater. But when a Berkeley riot squad escalates from teargas to shotguns, Gus' defiant art attack screeches to a halt. Injured, outraged, and on the lam -- Gus splits for the Colorado Rockies to work with his hands and get his head together. Ironically, Gus' quest for inner peace brings him face-to-face with a Rocky Mountain counterculture full of colorful communards, FBI snitches, stolen dynamite, and a dead body in the National Forest. A Bowl Full of Nails offers the reader a suspense-filled tale bursting with humor, espionage, and rebellion while the author explores Gus' dance between personal demons and political resistance. [SCROLL DOWN to read Editorial Reviews for A Bowl Full of Nails.]
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The Majestic War And The Gods Of Olympus: The Forbidden Box
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Baymo
“Baymo” is the story of a young dog who longs for the freedom and excitement of human life without comprehending the responsibility and worries that go along with such a life. Through a bit of magic from Father Moon, Baymo’s wish comes true – he becomes a man – but his subsequent misadventures teach him that being a man has its price.Excerpt: But he was a man, a man, a man! Baymo was in a state of bliss, filled with joy and radiant. He stood, he fell, he pushed himself back up again. Tottered, veered, spun, teetering, toppling, a spinning top, out of control, overcome with pleasure. He was so involved in this new game that he did not notice Spike enter the yard. The little pug stared at him with pop eyes, amazed at the sight of a tall, wobbly, naked, golden-haired man, wearing a grin, weird noises bursting out of his mouth. Spike was so startled by the bizarre apparition that he forgot to be scared.That is, until the naked man took a step towards Spike and smiled. Spike gave a nervous bark. What to do? And where was Baymo to tell him what to do? Where was his best friend, the golden dog?Baymo teetered and tottered toward Spike, croaking with pleasure at his newfound manhood. To his amazement, the little dog raced back to the safety and sanity of his house, an escapee from the clutches of the horrible stranger.
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