Synopsis: Fall under the spell of Wake―the first book in an achingly beautiful new series by celebrated author Amanda Hocking―and lose yourself to the Watersong.

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention―but it's Gemma who's attracted theirs. She's the one they've chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all―she's carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He's always been just a friend, but this summer they've taken their relationship to the next level, and now there's no going back. Then one night, Gemma's ordinary life changes forever. She's taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she's is forced to choose between staying with those she loves―or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Synopsis: Thirteen is when a Beaumont’s savvy hits—and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, Mibs Beaumont is eager to see what she gets. But just before the big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident. And now all Mibs wants is a savvy that will save him. In fact, Mibs is so sure she’ll get a powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus with her sibling and the preacher’s kids in tow. After this extraordinary adventure—full of talking tattoos and a kidnapping—not a soul on board will ever be the same.

A Discussion Guide to Scumble and Savvy by Ingrid Law

Book Details:Format: PaperbackPublication Date: 3/23/2010Pages: 368Reading Level: Age 8 and Up

Synopsis: Time has never been an issue for Baxter Jacobs, but then she never knew she had the ability to Bend it.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Baxter inherits a pendant that will change her life. Connected to the pendant is a dark and mysterious young man named Declan Ashdown. Trapped in a Time loop for the past 122 years, Declan needs Baxter’s help to escape. The only problem is, she has no idea how to do it.

To acquire the power she needs to free him, she’ll become one of the Interred, those whose Magical abilities emerge as they come of age. When she does, she’ll discover that Declan isn’t the only one interested in the fact that she’s a Time Bender.

As the Interment arrives, Baxter knows this will be no Sweet Sixteen. A vengeful relative and the ruthless Council are determined to control her. Declan’s powerful and charming descendant, Jack Ashdown, claims he can save her. She’ll soon have to decide who she can trust, and how to master her new abilities before Time runs out.

Synopsis: Leaf is an impish, stick creature called a Twig. He lives in an old forest at the foot of an ancient volcano capped by a vast glacier ~ the Long Ice. Leaf entertains his mischievous, younger, twin brothers with stories about the rare beasts that still survive on the Long Ice even though it shrinks more and more as the seasons grow hotter. One afternoon, the twins run away to play in the vanishing ice and snow. They hitch a ride on a giant moth, befriend a snowshoe bunny, and stumble upon a hermit's creepy cave. Mistaking the hermit's odd pets for a cave beast's meal, the twins rescue them all. When a bold mountain goat kid leaps into the expedition, a mighty eagle called Slayer attacks! Panicked, the Twig twins and their terrified companions rush into the glacier's icy tunnels, and are soon bewildered by a maze of melting blue tubes. Yet all is not lost, for with the help of a courageous pika, Leaf and the grumpy hermit join forces to find the twins. But in a dreadful turn of events, it is the snow beasts of the Long Ice that will decide their fate.
 In the Twig Stories adventure novels young Twigs are thrust upon dangerous paths. Still, they discover their world has unexpected help. In the midst of disappearing habitats, beavers build mighty dams to control floods and quench wildfires. Bark beetles are fought. Rare trees are saved from extinction. Glaciers may shrink, but their precious water is not lost. Now Twigs must learn a lesson from the eruption of a volcano ~ incredible adaption is possible, so Leaf and his loyal Twig friends stick together and battle to survive. 

Royalties are shared with nature conservancy nonprofits protecting wildlife and forests.

Twig Stories are illustrated by D.W. Murray, a Disney artist. His credits include Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, Brother Bear, and Curious George. He is a recipient of the New York Society of Illustrators Gallery and the 2004 Gold Aurora Award.

Praise for Leaf & the Long Ice ~

"Excellent storytelling combined with accurate science make this book a must-read for children interested in nature and stories of adventure."
Sarah Boon, PhD, Alberta Water and Environmental Science
University of Lethbridge

"The theme of environmental change is woven into the narrative as a backdrop to a story of adventure, danger, camaraderie, and kindness. Readers of all ages will relate to the magic that draws Buddy and Burba to the snow in the first place, and will be reminded of our connection to Earth's changing cryosphere."
Dr. Gwenn Flowers, Canada Research Chair in Glaciology
Simon Fraser University

"Leaf & the Long Ice is a must-have in your library. Rich fictional characters, vivid word imagery, evocative sensorial language, and layered science content... Jo Marshall gives us a great age-appropriate teaching tool that helps lay a foundation for students in fostering a nature care-taker's ethic."
Clay Heilman, Environmental Educator
Nature Vision

Synopsis: When Marin was little and monsters chased her through nightmares, she learned to weave her own dreams. Her mother called the lucid dreaming a gift, and when an accident takes her mother and leaves her baby brother an empty shell, Marin uses this gift to spin a new reality for herself. One without time or sorrow. A world without memory.

But just when Marin thinks she’s safe in her make-believe fantasy world, the monsters come back and her dream turns to a nightmare. Something in the dream doesn’t want Marin to wake up. In order to heal herself and her family, Marin must face the truth she’s forgotten and conquer what lies behind the fourth wall.

Synopsis:
It is during the early 1970s when American teen Christopher Marcos is falsely accused of drug running and is sent to the infamous Tijuana Jail. There he has an altercation with a sadistic guard and is sent to Mexico’s Federal island prison Islas Tres Maris. A prison located 60 miles to sea south west of Mazatlan. It is told that no one has ever escaped, never making it past the marauding sharks or being discovered by the Federales on the mainland.

The moment Christopher arrives in shackles on Islas Tres Marias he meets the warden El Jefe and his constant companion, the bullwhip. Soon he is integrated into the prison community and he befriends Checo the alpha inmate and vital ally. Using his martial arts skill along with his love of cooking, Christopher collects a vital key if he is ever to escape….pesos, money.

One day while working near the island landing he meets Juanita the daughter of a visiting boat captain. She is also the apprentice to Mazatlan’s la Curandera, mystical healer. As their romance blooms the urge to escape is heightened. They plot. Hurricane Olivia looms.