A Letter from Author Bryan Perro
As a young boy, I had a passion for comic books, especially the French Pif Gadget and Rahan. At fourteen, I discovered my first book, The Devil’s Triangle by American writer Richard Winer. The book was about the Bermuda Triangle; I loved how it dealt with the supernatural and how unexplained forces exert power over the boats, aircrafts, and people who dare to venture in this eerie part of the Atlantic Ocean. This real-life mystery and Winer’s way with words fueled my imagination.
During my college years, I developed a deep interest in anthropology and the myths that exist throughout the world. I have around 350 books in my home--all myths and legends from places near and far. The fantastical creatures that populate these amazing stories, along with the hero in each of them, inspired me to create Amos Daragon, the series.
When I was looking for a magical item that Amos Daragon would need to find on his quest, I was surprised to learn that the first such item in the history of mankind is not the magic wand, but the mask.
When the aborigines, the first men, danced around their campfires, they personified animals. How did they do this? They wore masks! If, for example, they put on the mask of the eagle, their vision grew more piercing. This enhanced power allowed them to be a better hunter. So I wanted Amos to be in pursuit of mankind’s first magical item, the mask. Four of them, in fact! And since I wanted to write an extended series, I decided that stones would empower the masks. Not only did this allow Amos to harness his abilities as Mask Wearer slowly, it gave me the opportunity to explore all sorts of adventures for my young hero. It’s been an incredible journey for him and for me--one that I hope boys and girls will join as they begin Amos Daragon #1: The Mask Wearer.
Meanwhile, Keisha's got a problem of her own. The Grand River Steppers jump rope team has a chance to win first place in their school district this year, but Keisha's so nervous, she keeps messing up! When she and Daddy go to the Veteran's Facility to check out their squirrel situation, Keisha meets Sergeant Pinkham, who's learning how to use his new prosthetic leg. Could Sarge be just the person to help Keisha stay calm, do well, and have fun at the competition?
Perfect for independent readers, the Animal Rescue Team books offer adventurous and heartwarming stories with lots of laughs—and plenty of critters.
Miriam is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl--when pressed she admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her love life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays Miriam a visit, and she finds herself on a desperate mission to save two of her contemporaries. To top it all off, her twin brother, Mo, has also had a visitation, but from the opposite end of the good-evil spectrum, which leaves Miriam to wonder--has she been blessed and her brother cursed or vice versa? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?
Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to tear his family apart. There is his distant mother; his traumatized Vietnam vet dad; his wild sister; his former warprotester aunt; and his tough yet troubled best friend, Edie, the only person with whom he can be himself. As tempers flare and his father’s nightmares rage, Eli watches from the sidelines, but soon even he cannot escape the current of conflict. From Silas House comes a tender look at the complexities of childhood and the realities of war — a quintessentially Southern novel filled with music, nostalgic detail, a deep respect for nature, and a powerful sense of place.
In various settings ranging from Earth to deep space, Selected Shorts presents tales of those brave (or foolish) enough to adventure through the space-time continuum. Explore an era devastated by the Worlds War of 2267, cluttered with time-traveling tourists and swindlers, terrorized by the all-powerful Icelandic Mafia, endangered by ruthless corporations, and threatened by vigilante space aliens.
The future as we know it will never be the same.
(Ages 12 & Up)
Are you subject to savage moods, extreme and unexplained buffness, and cravings for meat on the rare side? Do you long for super speed and reflexes, along with rapid healing and maybe a talent for telepathy? Welcome to the pack — and get ready to howl — as you sink your claws into this guide to everything life as a werewolf has to offer. Among its abundant fur-raising topics:
— A look at good, bad, and ugly transformation styles, including an
answer to the question of what happens to your clothes.
— A quiz to determine if you’re a menace to society, and tips on
taking precautions
— Planning your social schedule around the lunar calendar
— Dating hints, from the risks and rewards of cross-species romance to
avoiding your sweetheart’s family pet
— Killer fashion suggestions, from urban (leather and hardware) to a
cute and foxy kitsune look
— Ideas, decorations, and recipes for a full-moon party
— Tales of real-life werewolves, plus lore and legends from around
the world
— Juicy reading material and gems of the silver screen
Between strict practice schedules, music classes, and regular school, Ally doesn't have time for much else. Sometimes she wishes she could break free, but she's never known any other way. Her parents—a professional violinist and a singer—would kill her if they knew she was thinking about quitting piano, especially her mother.
So she keeps on going, but as the months go by, she begins to ask herself, does she even love the piano? Why does she play? And how much longer can she stand the pressure before she breaks?
A feast of a medieval adventure with a thoroughly modern heroine.
As the murmur of prayers fills the icy room, mother and baby seem doomed. When the newborn finally struggles into the world, the Count of Flanders flees in a rage. The child is not the expected male heir -- but a girl.
Growing up under the disapproving eye of her heartless father, the strong-willed Marguerite instinctively learns to survive in the fierce and violent male world of the Middle Ages, with its pagan rituals and bloody fights to the death.
When her father demands that she wed a man she detests, the young countess uses all her cunning to stop the marriage. The only thing she cannot conquer is the plague, which marches across the land killing thousands, including the man she loves.
Based on a real character, this colorful story is told with sharp humor and is filled with dramatic intensity. The final scene in the book, in which Marguerite and her father engage in a savage sword fight, will remain engrained in readers' memories.
"Winner of six major European awards, this is a brilliantly written book, with a feisty narrator and sharp sense of humour -- the medieval world was seldom more alive."
-- girl.com.au
"Dramatic in . . . a masterly way. Power and temperament give the tale conviction, far away from mere medieval setting and brave historical obligingness."
-- Die Zeit
A job that involves a body.
A body wrapped in duct tape found hanging from the goal posts at the end of the football field.
You Killed Wesley Payne is a truly original and darkly hilarious update of classic pulp-noir, in which hard-boiled seventeen year-old Dalton Rev transfers to the mean hallways of Salt River High to take on the toughest case of his life. The question isn't whether Dalton's going to get paid. He always gets paid. Or whether he's gonna get the girl. He always (sometimes) gets the girl. The real question is whether Dalton Rev can outwit crooked cops and killer cliques in time to solve the mystery of "The Body" before it solves him.
Sean Beaudoin (Going Nowhere Faster, Fade to Blue) evokes the distinctive voices of legendary crime/noir authors Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson with a little bit of Mean Girls and Heathers thrown in for good measure. It'll tease you, please you, and never ever leave you. Actually, that's not true. It's only a book. One that's going to suck you in, spit you out, and make you shake hands with the devil. Probably.
Then the Agency saddles her with Israeli secret agent Ari Nathan, and she has a bigger problem on her hands, because tact and compromise are not Ari's strong points. Their mission is to track down a serial killer obsessed with werewolves. He sees them everywhere and shoots whenever he thinks he has one in his sights. Ari assumes the man's psychotic, but in truth he's murdering actual werewolves. Nola should know. Her younger brother Pat, a lycanthrope, was the first victim.
Can Nola's psychic talents and Ari's skill with guns keep them alive long enough to unravel the greater mystery behind the killings? Can they save the werewolves and the world while stopping Nola's family from running headlong into danger?
Who can you trust when everything is secrets and lies?
It's a new semester at the Chadwick School, and even with the ankh tattoos that brand them, Phoebe, Nick, Lauren, and Patch are hoping for a fresh start. Each day, however, they are reminded of their membership as new Conscripts in the Society. The secret group that promised to help them achieve their every dream has instead turned their lives into a nightmare.
Exclusive membership lost its luster as the Society revealed its agenda to them and two of their classmates were found dead. Now they can't help but wonder: Who's next? While they search for the elusive truth about the Society, the Conscripts are forced to face their darkest fear—that they truly can't get out.
Will Nick and Phoebe's new relationship endure this strain? Can Patch and Nick's longtime friendship survive the truth that will come to light? The deceptions of the group's leaders, once trusted friends, and family will test these four as they fight to leave the Society behind.
The Trust, Tom Dolby's sequel to secret society, is an alluring glimpse behind the facade of a life of entitlement, where secrets aren't merely fun—they're deadly.
The Demon Trapper's Daughter is the first novel in Jana Oliver's Demon Trappers―a spellbinding young adult fantasy series. Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself―and that's exactly what the demons are counting on…
Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps. The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta's local Trappers' Guild needs all the help they can get―even from a girl. When she's not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley's out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils―Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life's about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.
But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley's routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers' Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart―and her life?