This is a guide to conquering the Yuletide season! That's right, it is time to take a stand - don't suffer through another year of brussels sprouts, gift-wrapped socks and slobbery kisses from great aunts who forget to put their teeth in. Take control of your Christmas and put the happy back in your holiday, using the handy hints, games and inspiring stories within this book.

    After a short while most of the aliens left. But others assimilated and cross-bred with humans. These children have lived ordinary lives--until now. At age 13, these offspring will manifest their alien powers . . . and have been targeted for termination. In "Alien Terror", Ethan Rogers used to be a wimp. But suddenly he knows martial arts, wrestling moves, combat skills and even weaponry. He'd think it was pretty cool--if he wasn't running for his life.

    School. Friends. Girlfriends. Actually, Senna was probably the oddest aspect of his life. She was beautiful. Smart. But there was something very different about her. Something strange.Then one day it began. One moment, Senna was with him. The next, she was swallowed up by the earth. David couldn't just let her go and neither could their friends. So David, April, Jalil, and Christopher followed Senna to a world they never could have imagined. Wolves the size of elephants, beings who consider themselves immortal, mythological gods.Now the four friends have to find Senna and get home without losing their lives. Or their minds. Or both...

    But when her parents decide to sell their house and move the family to a dilapidated old farm, Buddy thinks pigs will fly before she's happy again. The old farmhouse, however, holds some surprising secrets that may make Buddy realize just how rich her family is.The story is enjoyable and inspiring. -- Horn BookWell-written and engaging.... A down-to-earth yet upbeat story. -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksThe many serious issues flow smoothly from the strength of Wood's solid characters toward a realistic resolution. No happy ending here, but sure enough, there are possibilities. -- School Library Journal

    He dreams of riding not just any horse, but the spirit horse of the Snake people -- a majestic and wild white stallion. But Running Crane is young, and an unskilled rider - unlike the great warriors of his new band, the Kainaa. When Running Crane joins the Kainaa warriors in a horse raid on the Snake People, he is separated from the rest of his party. He discovers the beautiful spirit horse alone on the prairie. Finally he has the chance to prove his worth to the Kainaa band and to make his dream of taming a magnificent horse come true.

    But their rebellious 16-year-old cousin Rennie is there, too, and determined to torment Tory and Elijah. Then a ghostly mystery unites the three, and this time it's Sara who's left out. Her eagerness to be included leads to a tragedy no one could have predicted. Young Adult.

    

    But when he's sent to stay with his uncle on a ranch in the country, he finds that his schoolmates don't like his tough city ways. He does find friendship of a sort with Casey, who runs a riding school at the ranch. She's the bravest person Travis has ever met, and crazy enough to try to tame the Star Runner, her beautiful, dangerous horse who's always on edge, about to explode. It's clear to Travis that he and the Star Runner are two of a kind: creatures not meant to be tamed.“A powerful story. . . . Travis is Everyteen: part insecure hell-raiser, part closet intellectual, prone to both sneers and tears. Hinton continues to grow more reflective in her books, but her great understanding, not of what teenagers are but of what they can hope to be, is undiminished.”—Kirkus Reviews An ALA Best Books for Young AdultsAn ALA Quick Pick

    Luxuriously illustrated with 92 watercolors, it's a wonderful introduction to Alice's adventures as well as a splendid volume for collectors. Available for sale in the United States only.

    Only a true hero can save Bridget from the gruesome death that awaits her'and this is exactly what Bagley, much to his own surprise, proves himself to be.Notable Children's Books of 1994 (ALA)100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1993 (NY Public Library)1993 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)

    She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep-a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her.

    By digging into the stones, he discovers a strange "sleeping" creature with ointments and a dangerous weapon buried alongside. Before he knows it, he has awakened a dangerous and terrifying secret.

    But soon the shining concrete began to crack and the gleaming windows became grimy and dull. Into this colourless decay comes Mercedes Ice, Crown Prince of Shadow Point, with an impossible demand: colour.

    For Kirby, the gift of dance. For Brendon, the gift of music. And for Nancy, the most extraordinary gift of all . . . the gift of magic.

    Miranda is shocked by energetic Grandma Lila, and something awakens in her as she discovers the wildlife of the marsh her grandmother so fiercely protects.Miranda captures nature's magic with her camera. She also captures Adam's heart. Part Cherokee, Adam cares for Lila's land and shares her love for wild creatures. When a sudden turn of events brings confusion and grief to Miranda's family; it raises disturbing questions about Adam. Is he all he seems to be? And what secrets account for the fury that torments Miranda's father? For the first time, Miranda the perfect daughter must take a stand. But doing so is painful as Miranda turns the camera on her own life and past.