Urban For Children

When the high sovereign of the rapidly industrializing realm of Ghavarim is murdered by a mysterious assassin, the rulers of the five kingdoms of the Federation are plunged into a vicious power struggle. Jason Tern, a noble captain from the borderlands, must battle shadowy half-human assailants with limbs of brass and steel while untangling an ever-widening web of lies and intrigue to discover the true identity of the killer before mounting tensions spark a bloody civil war.

In a town where it's not safe to be out after dark, student Claire Danvers and her friends have had their fair share of thrills. But Morganville still has a few secrets left to tell. Now, in this collection, you can venture down the town's strange streets, revisit all the tales you've come to love, and experience six new stories featuring your favorite Morganville residents - both human and vampire.

The prophecy has awoken and with it the rise of an ancient evil intent on destruction. The fate of the kingdoms rests on Maea's shoulders. As she fights to avoid the final fatal confrontation, she pushes her abilities and loyalties to the limit as she makes one last desperate attempt to save the man she loves.

What force can stop someone who will stop at nothing? Haunted by a single night four months ago, Krissa has cut herself off from her friends and loved ones, afraid to taint them with the darkness swelling within her. Left reeling from the consequences of the spell that removed an unwanted consciousness from her body, Crystal will do anything to reclaim the magic she lost. Set adrift in a world she never prepared to live in, Sasha clings to the one thing she believes will bring her peace: seeking revenge against the person who destroyed her future.

Falcon Hyatt may have discovered the menace threatening the city of K'vitch, but he now faces his most dangerous challenge to date. His hometown of Ladria has been sacked and is under the control of the dreaded general, Draknorr. Forced into servitude and slavery, more of his people die every day. Unsatisfied with control over just one city, the Suteckh Empire is now recruiting the most powerful clans of Va'siel, determined to take control of the planet once and for all.

When Wyatt first entered the magical world known as the Realms, it was a pleasant escape from an oppressive world. But the longer Wyatt stays, the more he begins to realize that the memories he locked away in the shadows of his mind cannot be silenced forever. Though no longer a Druid, Wyatt's newfound sister, Lucy, unveils untold power as she begins to open up memories as if they were worlds to walk upon, exposing secrets none should see.

Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn't care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter.

So many secrets are buried within these compound walls. I used to be one of those secrets. After returning to the Diotech compound and undergoing an experimental new memory alteration, Seraphina is now a loyal, obedient servant to Dr. Alixter and the powerful company that created her. Happy and in love with Kaelen, another scientifically-enhanced human designed to be her perfect match, Sera's history with a boy named Zen is just a distant memory from a rebellious past she longs to forget.

When the aliens came, they didn't attack - they just hung in the sky. After a year of human hysteria, they left and the rains began. Ever since, some girls have been born with unusual abilities. The fifth daughter of Magnus Roma, creator of the extraordinary circus called The Show, Penn was born a Celestine: she can call down the stars.

Just because she has wings, doesn't mean she's an Angel... It's front page news on every Angel gossip rag: "Marcus & Ameana: Gone the Way of Brad & Jennifer". So, Who Is the "Angelina"? Emmy Baxter - a mere mortal! Ameana tries to avoid her ex and his new love by focusing on the other evil out to destroy the team. But soon her pain turns to fury. And before the end... a girl plots revenge, a leader is on the edge, and an Angel falls.

Aurora has spent the past year fighting for survival, freedom, and justice. Now she's about to face the biggest battle of her life. Field agents are turning up dead and everyone is working to stop Jared before he starts a full-blown war between vampires and hunters.

Kai is the town drunk. His life is simple, he works every day to pay for the drinks that help drown his sorrow, until one day when a beautiful warrior enters his favorite watering hole and changes his life forever. Raven is a proud warrior sworn to defend Princess Isabella. Her task to take child away from a devious stepfather is interrupted by an ambush that leaves her in desperate need of a tracker. When she goes looking for help she has an altercation with the one man who can help her!

After a daring escape from the Diotech scientists who created her, Seraphina and Zen believe they are finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await them at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness, and Sera's extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend Sera--a weapon even she will be powerless to stop.

When the line is drawn, what's important enough to risk everything? In this sequel to My Night Breeze, Audra and Mateo have been struggling to keep their friends safe, while continuing to uncover the mystery of her past. There is tension between the 'Elements,' and Audra finds herself the unwitting key to a hopefully peaceful resolution. She finally has more of a life than she ever envisioned; but the timing is all wrong. Will she be able to find out the truth of her connection in time, or will the enemy overtake them all?

Angel lives with a loving foster family, but dreams of a land that exists only in the pages of a fantasy novel. Until she meets Gregor, whose magic Talent saves her life and revives lost memories. She follows Gregor to her homeland...a world unlike any she has imagined, where she travels a path of self-discovery that leads directly to her role in an ancient Prophecy...and to the madman who set her fate in motion.

Coming of Age in the Other America shows that despite overwhelming odds, some disadvantaged urban youth do achieve upward mobility. Drawing from 10 years of fieldwork with parents and children who resided in Baltimore public housing, sociologists Stefanie DeLuca, Susan Clampet-Lundquist, and Kathryn Edin highlight the remarkable resiliency of some of the youth who hailed from the nation's poorest neighborhoods and show how the right public policies might help break the cycle of disadvantage.

Lying is unbearable, betrayal is inevitable, and choosing which path to take is impossible. Olga Gay Worontzoff ended her senior year as an eighteen-year-old girl totally in love with Nate, enjoying their new romance and about to attend the university of her dreams. Now she's spending her summer in the weird subculture of the Underworld, with charmingly witty and powerful angels, and problematic demons, trying to rescue Connor, the best friend and secret crush she was unable to save during a freak accident.

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice. Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can't imagine living without.

After centuries of waiting, the alpha has arrived. The pack is gathering. In the wilds of Mexico, the Old Ones gather around Shara as her third pregnancy nears its triumphant end. Meanwhile Kiona and Chris hide Joey in the Arkansas swamps, hoping the treachery they fomented will not find them. In California, Fenris rages over missed opportunities. As Joey grows into adulthood confined to a swamp, Morrigan, his unknown sister, comes of age under the tutelage of Holle, an Old One with an agenda all her own.

Winnie McKeller is lost in her own home, alone in the town that she has lived in since the day she was born. Her world has been shaken. Death has been haunting her family for the past year, and on one unusual night, each member of her family will be forced to confront their pain and fight to put the pieces of their lives back together.