Myth Fiction

"What is your favorite story?" is the question children across the country often ask professional storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. As he attempts to answer, his list grows longer and longer, until he confesses he likes them all. An untiring researcher of oral traditions, DeSpain is known for his concise versions of world folktales specifically crafted for retelling. This new, digital recording of 10 stories is excerpted from DeSpain's 22 Splendid Tales to Tell from Around the World, Volume One.

In the land of moss, magnolias, and bayous, ghost stories suffuse the landscape like mist on a moonlit swamp. Swamp ghosts, hot-tempered villains and tricksters once lived there, and live on today in such blood-chilling stories as the six in this collection.

Heartbreaking decisions: Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her - until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, The Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death's uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts - and stolen glances from a former love.

John Flanagan returns to the world of Ranger’s Apprentice to find out what happens when Will’s apprentice, Maddie - the Royal Ranger - returns home to Castle Araluen. The Kingdom may have been at peace for a number of years, but there are always those who would commit treason to take power for themselves. When Maddie learns of a plot against the crown, she must go undercover to find out more - and hopefully stop it. But going undercover isn’t easy when you’re the princess - even if you’re trained as a Ranger.

Siblings Abby and Jonah are in for a surprise when the magic mirror in their basement pulls them into the classic story of "The Frog Prince". Abby knows how the tale goes: The princess kisses the frog, and he transforms into a handsome prince. Right? Wrong. Turns out the princess is spoiled and mean and wants nothing to do with the kindly little frog. It's up to Abby and Jonah to help their new friend, the frog, while also making sure the story doesn't spin out of control.

Booted from one exclusive school to the next since his foster mom's death three years ago, 16-year-old Seph McCauley knows he's different. But he doesn't understand why he can summon menacing ravens, freeze summer ponds, and torch all he touches. And then Seph makes the mistake of trusting his new headmaster. If you like Harry Potter, you'll love Seph McCauley.

I'm spending the day with my best friends, Frankie and Robin, and - ugh - snobby Penny. I'm not expecting anything magical to happen, until Frankie falls into a mysterious hole behind Penny's house...and we all wind up in the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! I've visited fairytales before. But, in Wonderland, everything is topsy-turvy. There are potions that make you grow, cakes that make you shrink, bossy caterpillars, and a horrible Queen of Hearts who wants to put us on trial.

Elaine – now Sentinel Dawn – and the rest of the Sentinels need to rush to the front lines to attempt to stabilize the situation and bring the 2500-year long war against the Formorians to a grand finale. And yet, beyond them lurks an even greater danger. What could've possibly driven the Formorian Queens and Royal Guards out of their lairs, into human territory? Will Elaine and the Sentinels have to pay a terrible price to save humanity? Or will civilization be smashed, and humans scattered to the winds? And what, exactly, are the Dragoneye Moons?

Elaine's adventures continue at Ranger Academy! Will she pass and validate Julius' trust in her? Or will she fail out and need to find a new career?

One of Joseph Campbell’s most popular, most quoted works, A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living is a treasure trove of insight and inspiration, thought-provoking in its depth, poetic in its scope. Drawn from a month-long workshop at the world-famous Esalen Institute, the Joseph Campbell Companion captures Campbell at his best: wise, funny, intelligent, and inspiring.

Welcome back to the irresistible world of Greenglass House, where 13-year-old Milo is, once again, spending the winter holidays stuck in a house full of strange guests who are not what they seem. There are fresh clues to uncover as friends old and new join in his search for a mysterious map and a famous smuggler's lost haul. This exciting sequel to a beloved book is sure to thrill both fans and newcomers.

Lia is the princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess—one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Ilion. Every year, Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice: two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-and-death race to reach her temple. In a millennium, no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive. This year, Lia is one of the hunted.

Cerys is safe in the Kingdom of Aloriya. Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden.

"La sorcière de la rue Mouffetard", "Le géant aux chaussettes rouges", "La sorcière du placard aux balais"... Avec une malice et un humour contagieux, Pierre Gripari et François Morel nous font partager ces 13 contes modernes, insolites et savoureux! Celui qui a su ouvrir de nouvelles portes à l'imaginaire en inversant les codes du conte classique continue de faire rire et rêver avec un univers poétique et facétieux adoré des enfants.

Alan Bennett reads The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and Other Nonsense Rhymes by Edward Lear. The poems and limericks include "The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly", "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "The Duck and the Kangaroo", "The Table and the Chair", "The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker and the Tongs", "Mr and Mrs Discobbolos", "The Nutcrackers and the Sugar Tongs", "The Two Old Bachelors", "The Pobble Who Has No Toes", "The Jumblies", "The Dog with a Luminous Nose", and many more.

The realm of Azenor has spent years plagued by a curse. Every new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians - who serve as territory wardens - stand between people and their worst dreams. Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians arrive to challenge her, she is unknowingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets - as well as romance - begins to rise.

Horace is missing. Months have passed since he was sent on a military mission to Nihon-Ja. Evanlyn is worried, and in company with Will, Alyss, and Halt, she sets out to discover what has become of their old friend. They find that Horace has become embroiled in Nihon-Ja politics. The arrogant Senshi Sect has rebelled against the rightful Emperor, who Horace supports. Now he and Will must turn farm and forest workers into a fighting force that can face the highly trained Senshi warriors.

Inspired by the Celtic legend and the spirit of the imagination, Christmas in Camelot is Mary Pope Osborne's gift to young listeners everywhere. It begins with a simple invitation to spend Christmas Eve in Camelot, a magical place that exists only in myth and fantasy. What Jack and Annie don't know is that the invitation will send them on a quest to save Camelot itself, not from destruction, but from being forgotten forever.

For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it's a matter of life and death. That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing public from their threats.

The merciless Cronus and his Titan buddies are in hot pursuit of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon, who plan to travel across the treacherous boiling sea in order to save a fellow Olympian. They have a boat, but they also have a problem: Poseidon can't swim and is terrified of the water (well, really of the creatures that lurk in its depths). The group faces danger after danger as they battle singing sirens, a fishy and ferocious Titan named Oceanus, and people-eating monsters sent by Cronus himself.