Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first. To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.

In this captivating story, Tyler, now 13 years old, has lost his unique friend. Suddenly, he's captured on Earth by an ancient race of galaxy hunters called the Genzi, and must find his own way to escape without the help of Dirk, his wizard buddy. Detained along with fifteen other Earthlings, he must outwit the Genzi as they place dangerous games of skill and agility in his path. Does Dirk manage to find Tyler and save the day--or will Tyler have to fend for himself and his band of fellow humans? This is the third book of My Wizard Buddy Series, a magic and exciting trilogy that blends eye-popping fantasy along with valuable coming-of-age lessons. Some reviews: "Tyler and fifteen other Earthlings are taken by a group called Genzi. They are forced to endure challenges and games. Book Three takes on a more serious tone than the first two books. Tyler is growing up and so are his challenges. He must use his wit and not lose hope. His hope centers around his wizard friend, Dirk, who he hopes will come to his rescue. That's what friends are for." --Susanne Leist. GoodReads. "This third installment is a perfect conclusion to the trilogy and looking back it is amazing to think how much is covered in these three short works. I hope Tyler and Dirk return again soon as young adults." --James A. McCormick. GoodReads

One day, lonely 11-year-old Tyler Dunsmore wishes out loud for a best friend. Not only does his wish come true, but his new best buddy is Dirk, a 11-year-old wizard--a magical being who is from another world and is unfamiliar with Earth. Dirk often is too eager to help Tyler out with tough dilemmas in his day-to-day life, but his antics often backfire, leaving Tyler to wonder: is having a wizard for a buddy worth it? Enjoy the bonding between two very different boys in My Wizard Buddy.

Can a ship carrying Friendship Dolls to Japan be Lexie’s ticket to see her fun-loving mother again? A heartwarming historical novel inspired by a little-known true event.It’s 1926, and the one thing eleven-year-old Lexie Lewis wants more than anything is to leave Portland, Oregon, where she has been staying with her strict grandparents, and rejoin her mother, a carefree singer in San Francisco’s speakeasies. But Mama’s new husband doesn’t think a little girl should live with parents who work all night and sleep all day. Meanwhile, Lexie’s class has been raising money to ship a doll to the children of Japan in a friendship exchange, and when Lexie learns that the girl who writes the best letter to accompany the doll will be sent to the farewell ceremony in San Francisco, she knows she just has to be the winner. But what if a jealous classmate and Lexie’s own small lies to her grandmother manage to derail her plans? Inspired by a project organized by teacher-missionary Sidney Gulick, in which U.S. children sent more than 12,000 Friendship Dolls to Japan in hopes of avoiding a future war, Shirley Parenteau’s engaging story has sure appeal for young readers who enjoy historical fiction, and for doll lovers of all ages.