A yuletide adventure based on the myth of the pickle ornament. Blended with the power of myth, "Willie-Off-The-Pickleboat" taps into to a few predecessors of Santa Claus to deliver a rich Christmas adventure. Inspired by global yuletide traditions, "Willie-Off-The-Pickleboat" draws from Christmas figures such as the Italian witch "La Befana" the ominous Pa. Dutch "Belschnikel" (who doles out gifts and punishment to children good and bad respectively) to tell a timely holiday story. "Willie," a benevolent, but mischievous character, is also drawn from myth, inspired by Charon, ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology. Discover how the spirit of Christmas can be stolen and saved. One pickle. One boat. And one wish. Suitable for children ages 10 and up. Click Preview to read the 1st chapter.

Welcome to the world of the undead! A comprehensive guide to the vampire lifestyle satisfies newcomers’ thirst for lore and provides tasteful tips. (Age 12 and up)For those who join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds juicy perks — charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy and super-powered senses. But then again, one becomes . . . so terribly hungry. Is there an etiquette for feeding without causing a scene? How do you set up your crypt? What supernatural foes will make your blood run colder? In this elegant, edgy resource, the newly immortal will find everything they need to know, including:* a quiz to determine your true vampire persona * ways to turn into a vampire — or when a kiss is not just a kiss and why you should take a look at your family tree * a transformation checklist, including canine teeth and UV sensitivity * a makeup and fashion guide to looking damned good (or just damned) * knowing your weaknesses, from garlic, stakes, and sunlight to an obsession with counting * ten signs that your boyfriend is a vampire, including super coolness (body temperature-wise) and a habit of sleeping in * a field guide to vampiric variations around the world and through history

Maybe you won't rock a cradle, Muriel. Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat. Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family's closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the families' lives have been intertwined, connected by the crossing stones that span the water. But now that Frank Norman―who Muriel is just beginning to think might be more than a friend―has enlisted to fight in World War I and her brother, Ollie, has lied about his age to join him, the future is uncertain. As Muriel tends to things at home with the help of Frank's sister, Emma, she becomes more and more fascinated by the women's suffrage movement, but she is surrounded by people who advise her to keep her opinions to herself. How can she find a way to care for those she loves while still remaining true to who she is? Written in beautifully structured verse, Crossing Stones captures nine months in the lives of two resilient families struggling to stay together and cross carefully, stone by stone, into a changing world.

Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now she brings us the story of her grandmother -- told in a voice so authentic and compelling that the book is destined to become an instant classic."Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, all alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane, and, with her husband, ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. It will transfix readers everywhere.