Adult Children

My life as I know it is over. And no, I'm not being dramatic. I've been living as a human, but now I have to return to my mermaid roots because my dad is the new king of Valora. As soon as we arrive, he sends me to the Dark Sea Academy. Whispers and glares greet me at every turn. Students accuse my dad of killing the previous king, his brother. My first night, the most popular girl tries to kill me. I barely escape, only to run into Bash. He's older and one wrong move from being expelled. Also as gorgeous as he is arrogant.

Meet Mackenzie Blue, aka Zee. She has it all--smarts, talent, humor, and style. Is it enough to survive middle school? Countdown to a 7th Grade Meltdown: 1. Your BFF moves away. 2. Someone steals your diary and reveals your deepest secrets--to the entire class. 3. You have one chance to become a rock star and one chance to totally blow it. Guess what!? All three happened to me! School's a disaster already. Don't get me wrong--I love Brookdale Academy and I have a fabulous crew of friends. (At least, I think I do.) But, if I'm going to survive, I need all the help I can get!

Trey may have saved Luke's life, but he still thinks of himself as a coward who can barely stand to be outdoors. Now Trey finds out Luke has been taken prisoner at Population Police headquarters. Trey is terrified, but he knows that if he doesn't rescue his friend, no one will. At police headquarters, Trey impersonates an officer to try getting to Luke. But just when it looks like he's close, Trey suddenly finds himself in danger of exposing not just himself but all shadow children.

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all.

When Lady Saren defies her father’s command to marry the vicious Lord Khasar, she is sealed in a tower with only her serving maid, Dashti, for company. In their cramped, dark space Dashti pours her thoughts into a daily journal while pitiless solitude engulfs them. At first the girl is optimistic: they have food aplenty, candles for light, and even a visit from Lady Saren’s true love, Khan Tegus - though he can only call to them from outside their walls. But their circumstances soon grow desperate.

It used to be that middle school was the time to talk to kids about topics like modesty and body image. Unfortunately, the at-risk demographic for distorted views on the body is now girls ages 8-10. Fortunately, Dannah Gresh has provided a resource for this need. Secret Keeper Girl is geared toward helping tween girls understand their dignity in Christ.

Donald J. Sobol’s pint-sized amateur detective has been a hit with young readers for over three decades. For 25 cents a day—plus expenses—Encyclopedia Brown will solve any case, big or small for the kids in his neighborhood. He also secretly works with his police chief father to crack the toughest investigations and keep the streets of Idaville safe. Here are 10 more beguiling mysteries that will have listeners scratching their heads.

The name of Florence Nightingale is a household word, but the exact nature and scope of her work, and the difficulties and discouragement under which it was accomplished, are unknown to many in the present generation. This story of that justly beloved woman’s life is told by one whose father was in part responsible for Miss Nightingale’s decision to devote her life to nursing. Written with a rare sympathy and beauty of style, this uplifting account of a noble life will inspire young and old alike.

Number one New York Times best-selling author of the Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot knows the difficulties (real or otherwise) of awkward teenage years. In Twilight, Cabot continues her series about Suze Simon, the teenage mediator with an other-worldly boyfriend, Jesse de Silva. But when fellow mediator Paul Slater threatens to send Jesse back to where he came from, can Suze stop him in time?

Long ago, before humans forgot them for all eternity, monsters and immortals retreated below ground to seek shelter. But what do the Greek gods do when they're bored? They bring back the Olympic Games - only a lethal version. The newest contender in these bigger, deadlier games is a young human girl they kidnapped from the streets above. For Kira Lier, it's kill or be killed as she races against beasts she thought were just myths, to cross the finish line and win a chance to earn her freedom.

When the flu season struck America, it impaired the population, crippling what the collected power of the people were capable of doing to fight the outbreak. Unfortunately, it was not the same for everyone. There were three types of people. The first had no diseases, the second had the flu, and the third were busy fostering a zombie virus that was going to bring the nation to its knees.

It is just two weeks before Christmas, and 16-year-old Leah Lewis-Hall is stuck in a hospital room. Leah is lonely and worried, but she doesn’t want to trouble her honeymooning mother. When her new roommate Rebekah needs a friend, Leah forgets her own problems as she comforts the scared little Amish girl. Leah doesn’t understand the Amish customs and beliefs, but she still looks forward to Rebekah’s teenaged sister and brother’s visits. Romantic sparks fly between Leah and brother Ethan.

Aphrodite delights in helping mortals find love, but she is definitely not delighted by the constant attention from the godboys at Mount Olympus Academy. So she comes up with the perfect plan to try and deflect some of that attention: She'll help a fellow goddess girl, Athena, find her very first crush. After giving Athena a fabulous makeover, Aphrodite is suddenly an afterthought as the boys at MOA go gaga for Athena's new look. And Aphrodite is a bit unprepared for just how much attention one of her best friends is now receiving.

Who's the fairest of them all? Young women from every settlement in the land are being handpicked to enter The Pageant, a contest reminiscent of Miss Universe from the old days. Gwyneth West's social-climbing mother wants her to compete, but Gwyn isn't so sure....The Pageant is government-sponsored. If you're lucky enough to be chosen, participation is mandatory. Aggressive competition is allowed, even encouraged. And then there's the prize...Dallas Black, otherwise known as The Dark Prince, will propose to the winner.

Persinette Basile has always known the ruling family of Gaule was meant to be her enemy. With no other choice, she fought to join them anyway. And they will break her now that they know her true name. As she sits in her prison cell, she wants one thing: for the kingdom of Gaule to burn to the ground. But they need her. When the king is kidnapped, the kingdom turns to the only person who could possibly find him: the woman tied to him by magic: Etta.

New Mark Twain! This previously unpublished Twain piece was written 125 years ago, composed in 1876 as a "blind novelette" that Twain planned to launch as a competition for other great writers of the day. The competition never took place, and the story was thought by many to have been lost. This rediscovered gem, with a new introduction and afterword by Roy Blount, Jr., and brilliantly read by Blount and Garrison Keillor, allows us, once again, to celebrate the literary genius of Mark Twain.

Fifi was one of the kindest fairies in all of Sunflower Grove. She would do anything in her power to help maintain the magic of the home that she loved so much. When something - or someone - appears to be stealing precious water from the soil, Fifi and her fairy friends will stop at nothing to restore the nature around them, even if it means going up against one of their own.

A match at bowls was being played in which Drake and other high officers of the fleet were engaged, when a small armed vessel was seen running before the wind into Plymouth Harbor, with all sails set. Her commander landed in haste, and eagerly sought the place where the English lord admiral and his captains were standing. He was master of a Scottish privateer, and he told the English officers that he had that morning seen the Spanish Armada off the Cornish coast.

Stephen Satlow is an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing - the Dodgers. Steve and his father spend hours reading the sports pages and listening to games on the radio. Aside from an occasional run-in with his teacher, life is pretty simple for Steve. But then Steve hears a rumor that an African-American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood. It's 1948 and some of his neighbors are against it. Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before.

Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of the year, with the coming celebration of the birth of Christ. However, the older I get, the more I have come to realize that Christ has been relegated to third or perhaps fourth place behind toys, decorations, and commercialism. I wanted to create a series of stories that might bring the true reason for the season back to its place of importance. These whimsical, multicultural tales evoke the timeless human needs of love, companionship, and purpose in life that are promised in the birth of a baby at Christmas.