Book picks similar to
The Candle Star by Michelle Isenhoff
historical-fiction
young-adult
historical
fiction
The Garden on Sunset
Martin Turnbull - 2011
The lush grounds soon become a haven for Hollywood hopefuls to meet, drink, and revel through the night. George Cukor is in the pool, Tallulah Bankhead is at the bar, and Scott Fitzgerald is sneaking off to a bungalow with Sheilah Graham while Madame Alla Nazimova keeps watch behind her lace curtains.But the real story of the Garden of Allah begins with its first few residents, three kids on the brink of something big.Marcus Adler has a lot to prove after his father catches him and the police chief’s son with their pants down. He flees Pennsylvania for Hollywood with his mouth shut and his eyes open, and begins to write the lines all those starlets will say out loud. Can a smart, sensitive guy find his own voice in a town that’s just learning to talk?Kathryn Massey’s childhood was a grinding routine of auditions, but she couldn’t care less about being a movie star. When she takes off with her typewriter, determined to become a newspaper reporter, she finds that breaking into the boys’ club is tougher than breaking free of her bossy mother. To make it in this town, she’ll need some serious moxie.Gwendolyn Brick is a sweet Southern beauty who’s come a long way to try her luck on the big screen. She’s hoping the same succulent lips the guys want to kiss will land her more than a bit part on a casting couch. She’s going to need some help keeping everyone in line.Nobody gets a free pass in Hollywood, but a room at the Garden on Sunset can get your foot in the door.
In Times Like These
Nathan Van Coops - 2013
How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" Benjamin Travers has been electrocuted. What's worse, he and his friends have woken up in the past. As the friends search for a way home, they realize they're not alone. There are other time travelers, and some of them are turning up dead. When Ben meets an enigmatic scientist and his charming, time-traveling daughter, salvation seems at hand, but escaping the dangers of the past may lead to a deadly future. If he hopes to save his friends, Ben must learn to master space and time, and survive a journey where past and future violently collide.
The Peculiar
Stefan Bachmann - 2012
Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, The Peculiar is Stefan Bachmann's riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.
Town Secrets
Scott Gelowitz - 2014
Mythical, historical and scientific secrets are hidden in a small prairie town, and a group of boys may be the only ones able to protect the biggest secret of all.______________________________A centuries-old organization within the tiny town of Grayson protects many secrets - from unknown scientific discoveries to the truth about the mythical island of Atlantis, along with information that ties it to historical events from around the world, such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.Thirteen-year-old Adam McTaggart and his wise-cracking friends learn some of these secrets and discover that their boring small town is much more exciting than they had always believed it to be.But someone is coming, looking for an ancient power protected by the secret organization, and they are destroying towns as they draw near.Can Adam and his friends learn all they need in time to protect the biggest secret of all before it’s too late?
The Rose and The Thorn
Mischelle Creager - 2015
He didn’t trust himself.The death of Sarah Greer’s husband granted her two things—freedom from his abuse and his large estate. In hopes of freeing her younger brother from their controlling grandfather, the pair travels to the new mining town of Central City, only Sarah finds herself caught up in scheme that forces her to marry again.The last thing widower Mac MacPherson wants is a marriage of convenience. Haunted by the past, the only reason he left his family’s Colorado ranch is to hunt down the last man to see his wife alive. But when he finds himself hitched to Sarah, he can’t ignore the woman who gets under his skin—or the sparks that fly when they’re together. Can Sarah and Mac put the past behind them and find a future together?This edgy historical romance is Book 1 in the MacPherson Brides series.Book 2: The Scar and The StarBook 3: The Hawk and The Eagle
The Magic Shop
Justin Swapp - 2013
And why should he? Marcus and his twin sister, Ellie, live in the loft above their grandparents magic shop, and he's all too familiar with the hand buzzers, card tricks, and fake vomit kits. So, imagine his shock when he stumbles upon his grandfather hiding something in a secret room in the magic shop -- the one that all the rumors are about. Join Marcus and Ellie as they unravel a laundry list of family secrets, and are thrown into a world they never knew existed. Not only is the family business is a front, but Marcus has to develop his powers before the Dun-Bahr find him and assimilate the magic he was born to protect. Will they survive? Will they find their parents? First Marcus and Ellie must discover the secret their grandparents have been keeping from them all these years. It all comes down to what's hidden at the Magic Shop.
Dreamlander
K.M. Weiland - 2012
Every night, she begs him not to come to her. Every night, she aims her rifle at his head and fires. The last thing Chris expects—or wants—is for this nightmare to be real. But when he wakes up in the world of his dreams, he has to choose between the likelihood that he’s gone spectacularly bonkers or the possibility that he’s just been let in on the secret of the ages.Only one person in a generation may cross the worlds. These chosen few are the Gifted, called from Earth into Lael to shape the epochs of history—and Chris is one of them. But before he figures that out, he accidentally endangers both worlds by resurrecting a vengeful prince intent on claiming the powers of the Gifted for himself. Together with a suspicious princess and a guilt-ridden Cherazii warrior, Chris must hurl himself into a battle to save a country from war, two worlds from annihilation, and himself from a dream come way too true.
The Affair
Gill Paul - 2013
The cameras roll on the film set of Cleopatra and the explosive Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton love affair is about to capture the world’s attention.When Diana Bailey begins work as a historical advisor, tensions are running high. The film is in financial crisis and a media storm is brewing over the Taylor-Burton relationship.Diana adjusts to a new life away from her troubled marriage, and strikes up a close friendship with Helen, a young make-up artist, as well as seeking solace in Ernesto, a charismatic member of the film crew. But Helen is harbouring a dark secret - one that will affect Diana in more ways than she could ever imagine…An enthralling story of love and passion, set against the stunning backdrop of one of the most iconic Hollywood movies ever made.
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science
John Fleischman - 2004
Phineas, a railroad construction foreman, was blasting rock near Cavendish, Vermont, in 1848 when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Miraculously, he survived to live another eleven years and become a textbook case in brain science.At the time, Phineas Gage seemed to completely recover from his accident. He could walk, talk, work, and travel, but he was changed. Gage "was no longer Gage," said his Vermont doctor, meaning that the old Phineas was dependable and well liked, and the new Phineas was crude and unpredictable.His case astonished doctors in his day and still fascinates doctors today. What happened and what didn’t happen inside the brain of Phineas Gage will tell you a lot about how your brain works and how you act human.
Danger's Kiss
Sarah McKerrigan - 2008
Now she'll seduce it. A trained thief, Desirée of Canterbury can wriggle out of any tight spot with a coy smile. Until she meets her match in Nicholas Grimshaw, the most feared lawman in the shire. Ruggedly handsome and all brawn, Nicholas is the key to avenging the unjust execution of her elderly guardian. Yet the crackling passion burning between them, stoked by every stolen touch, could defeat all her plans. Nicholas is bound to Desirée by a debt of honor-though the lush, quick-witted beauty may be the death of him yet. Unwillingly installed in his household, Desirée mischievously disrupts his well-ordered life until he doesn't know whether to kiss or kill her. But soon Nicholas must use all his wiles to save them both from a merciless enemy...and, finally, claim her merry heart.
Invisible
DelSheree Gladden - 2013
He’s not a ghost, either. And she’s pretty sure he’s not a hallucination. He’s just Mason. He is, however, invisible. When Olivia spotted the crying little boy on her front porch at five years old, she had no idea she was the only one who could see him. Twelve years later when new-girl Robin bumps into the both of them and introduces herself to Mason, they are both stunned. Mason couldn’t be more pleased that someone else can see him. Olivia, on the other hand, isn’t jumping at the chance to welcome Robin into their circle. Jealousy may have something to do with that, but honest fear that Robin’s presence will put Mason in danger is soon validated when a strange black car shows up outside Olivia’s house. The race to find out what Robin knows in time to protect Mason from whatever threats are coming becomes Olivia’s only focus.
Giggleswick: The Amadán Map
Matthew Mainster - 2012
It’s called Giggleswick, and twelve-year old Elliot Bisby has never heard of it, that is until he and his family are approached by an unusual man and asked to move there. Before they know it, the struggling Bisby family finds themselves on a tiny boat captained by a man who prefers a singing parrot to a compass, and they soon embark on a journey that no other seaman could make and live to tell about. In Giggleswick, Elliot and his parents find themselves mingling with a colorful set of locals the likes of which include an Irish-Arabian bagpiper, a man who thinks he’s a knight, and a woman who does her exercises on the roof in high-heels.At last, Elliot has found the happiness he’s been waiting for and a place to call his own, but what he doesn’t know, is that helping Giggleswick to remain hidden from the rest of the world may prove far more difficult and dangerous than he could have ever imagined ...
Banished Love
Ramona Flightner - 2014
She defies her family’s wishes, continuing to teach poor immigrant children in Boston’s West End, finding a much-needed purpose to her life. Radical… As a suffragette, Clarissa is considered a firebrand radical no man would desire. For why should women want the vote when men have sheltered women from the distasteful aspects of politics and law? Determined… When love blossoms between Clarissa and Gabriel McLeod, a struggling cabinetmaker, her family objects. Clarissa’s love and determination will be tested as she faces class prejudices, manipulative family members and social convention in order to live the life she desires with the man she loves. Will she yield to expectations, or follow her heart on a journey of self-discovery as she learns what she cannot live without?
Viking Quest Series
Lois Walfrid Johnson - 2006
After the young Viking prince Mikkel sets Devin free on the Irish coast far from home, Bree and Devin embark on separate journeys to courage. Readers will be captivated by the unfolding drama as Bree sails to Norway on the Viking ship and Devin travels the dangerous road home. They both must trust their all-powerful God in the midst of difficult situations. In "Mystery of the Silver Coins," Bree finds herself in a physical and spiritual battle for survival. With another young slave, she makes a daring escape from the ship as soon as it reaches harbor. They hide in the woods as Mikkel and his Viking sailors begin a relentless search, certain that Bree is responsible for a missing bag of silver coins. Bree must face her unwillingless to forgive the Vikings, and Mikkel begins to wonder: Is the God of these Irish Christians really more powerful than our own Viking gods' In "The Invisible Friend," Bree arrives in Norway and is sent to work as a slave for the family of Mikkel, her Viking captor. She struggles to adjust, feeling worthless and disrespected, and wondering why God wants her in Norway. Her prayers are answered when she is given the opportunity to teach Mikkel's grandparents to read using an illuminated Bible stolen from an Irish monastery. In the "Heart of Courage," Bree learns that her brother, Devin, her sister, Keely, and her friend, Lil, will set out for Ireland. She longs to go with them. Instead, Mikkel asks her to be a cook for voyage to Greenland. Somehow her excellent food becomes inedible and the Vikings think she's trying to sabotage their voyage. Join Bree and Devin for more adventures in this fourth installment of the "Viking Quest" series.In "The Raider's Promise," Bree, Devin, and Mikkel enter a new world with the explorer Leif Erikson. Their first task: build a shelter to survive the winter. But danger lurks from within the shadows on the horizon of a life where everyone needs the courage to win. Can Mikkel conquer his enemies and find new purpose for his life' Will he keep his promise to Bree and Devin to take them home to Ireland' Will he keep his pledge of honor, even if it means death'
They Met at Shiloh
Phillip Bryant - 2011
Peace is shattered as Confederate and Federal troops meet on the fields and farms surrounding a tiny Methodist church. In the midst of death and destruction, friendships form as four soldiers struggle to survive the battle. Forced to leave his position as minister, Phillip Pearson knows his life is in danger, but not just from the Confederates. The Harper family, incensed at Pearson's refusal to bury a philandering son, has a vendetta against him that is played out on the battlefield. Demoted from his command by a West Point graduate, Capt.Michael Greirson is forced to choose between ambition and duty. When a bumbling youth becomes his shadow, Private Robert Mitchell gains an unlikely friend—something that has been missing from his life. Afraid to trust, he is forced to confront those fears and depend on others in the heat of battle. War is an adventure to Private Stephen Murdoch and his best friend, William Banks. For months they dream of the glory of war before volunteering together. On the eve of battle, they sense something momentous is about to happen. Their idealistic views fade in the blood of their fallen comrades. Of the 40,000 Confederates and 30,000 Federals about to come face to face along the banks of the Tennessee River, these four soldiers will experience fear and questions of faith for what lies beyond. Two days of horrific fighting turn boys into men and sever the sacred bonds of comradeship in the bloodiest days of the war.