Scared, confused, and angry, he sought out a monk who told him about a haunted castle on Rheembeck Mountain -- and the old, strange wizard who lived there. Perhaps there Colin would find a way to stop his pain....But instead of answers, the wizard showed him a locked oak door. Beyond it lay an ancient stone maze that led to a mystical land, a place where bandits roamed freely, where people lived within dark caves, afraid of the light, where cruelty was the way of the world, and where beautiful girls were not always what they seemed.The wizard opened the oak door and invited Colin to enter. If Colin came through this strange place alive, he might indeed be able to ease the pain in his heart. But once inside, there could be no going back....

    Here, Lady Jane and the attractive, friendly Nicole rapidly make a niche for themselves until we feel it is indeed Kirkmeikle that is their "proper place."

    We’re the guards, we are. We hear that the house has gone all to sixes and sevens since we left it, but that’s going to be remedied now’Young Kay Harker lives in an old house in the country, filled with portraits of his ancestors. His only companions are his unpleasant guardian Sir Theopompus and his governess Sylvia Daisy Pouncer (who, Kay suspects, has stolen all his toys). Life is lonely and dull, until one night Kay’s great-grandpapa Harker, a sea captain, steps out of his portrait to tell him about a stolen treasure that belongs to Kay’s family. The evil Abner Brown is searching for it too, but Kay is helped by the midnight folk: creatures like Nibbins the cat and Rollicum Bitem Lightfoot the fox, and even his lost toys, who will join him on his dangerous quest.The Midnight Folk is a feast of imaginative story-telling, a glorious cornucopia of pirates and witches, lost treasure and talking animals. Although it was published in 1927, it evokes an older world: houses are lit by oil lamps, and travel is by horse, carriage – or broomstick. Masefield perfectly captures a child’s perspective, from the terrors of tigers under the bed to the horrors of declining a Latin adjective. Yet there is also plenty of humour that adults will appreciate, from Miss Piney Trigger, who swigs champagne in bed and prides herself on having backed a host of Derby winners, to Kay’s lessons: ‘Divinity was easy, as it was about Noah’s Ark. French was fairly easy, as it was about the cats of the daughter of the gardener.’ This mingling of past and present, reality and fantasy, has made this one of the most rewarding and influential children’s books ever written.

    As with all of Wilde's short stories it embodies strong moral values and is told with an effervescence akin to that of the 1001 nights. It is the tale of a lovestruck student who must provide his lover with a red rose in order to win her heart. A nightingale overhearing his lament from a solitary oak tree is filled with sorrow and admiration all at once, and decides to help the poor young man.She journeys through the night seeking the perfect red rose and finally comes across a rambling rose bush but alas, the bush has no roses to offer her. However, there is a way to MAKE a red rose, but with grave consequences. This story can be found freely on many websites:http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...http://www.literaturepage.com/read/th...http://www.oscarwildecollection.com/

    Down in the Quarters people pray for freedom - they sing 'bout freedom, but to keep Mas' Henley from knowin' their true feelings, they call freedom "heaven." Everybody's mind is on freedom.But it is a word that aine never showed me no picture. While fannin' this afternoon, my eyes fell on "freedom" in a book William was readin'. No wonder I don't see nothin'. I been spellin' it F-R-E-D-U-M.I put the right letters in my head to make sure I remembered their place. F-R-E-E-D-O-M. I just now wrote it. Still no picture...

    100 illustrations.

    But when one of them decides to go and explore and doesn't return, it's up to the remaining three to build a boat and set out to find him. This is the story of the gnomes' epic journey in search of Cloudberry and is set against the background of the English countryside, beginning in spring, continuing through summer, and concluding in autumn, when the first frosts are starting to arrive. First published in 1942, this book is still fondly remembered and well-loved by readers everywhere.This edition includes the original black and white illustrations by the author.

    It is also the story of the entanglements and rivalries of the two families who separately employ Alice and Tom.

    But this time things are different. Her aunt's once bright and lively home is now dead with silence. Evil lurks in every corner and the dark, shadowed walls watch and whisper late at night. Emily is desperate to uncover the truth about what is happening at Sugar Hill Hall. But time is running out, and she must find a way to save the people and home she cares so much about.

    Natalie is astonished to discover that she belongs to this world -- and that now she has to save it. The sinister Lord Hawk, exiled to the human world, is planning his revenge against the Spell Lords. Only Natalie suspects he's developed a poison to kill the soul trees -- and only Natalie can stop him.With the help of a loyal magehound, a herd of unicorns, and the spirit of her dead mother, Natalie must do battle with an evil force determined to spread its power across both worlds.

    When she arrives, her husband-to-be is waiting, but not for her. When he disregards his mail-order bride, Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands. Not one to give up on her dream to live out west, Sarah decides to find a job and start a new life with or without a husband. The timing could not be worse. With hopes of avoiding his mother’s meddling at all costs Robert Fields had planned to get married as soon as his bride arrived. That Sarah and his parents arrived in the same coach was an unfortunate catastrophe. Not wanting to let on that Sarah was there for him, he hustles his parents home with the intent of later explaining to Sarah and going forward with the marriage quickly… and quietly. A compelling American western historical romance

    A whole day ahead. Anything might happen, said Mr. Wilson. "Anything!" Meg repeated his words as she pedaled down the tree-lined drive of her home. Almost immediately things did happen. That morning Meg heard that Mrs. Partlow's Holly House had been broken into, and that very afternoon, her garden party was ruined by the appearance of Mrs. Glynn and her poodles. Then just when the guests were calm, they found that the Partlow diamonds were missing! Meg and her friend Kerry Carmody had many questions. What was Kerry's little cousin Cissie doing at Mrs. Partlow's party? Why did Mrs. Glynn decide to give Meg the collar? And most important to Meg, where was Thunder? When you are Margaret Ashley Duncan and can sense a mystery almost before it's begun, and you have a whole day ahead of you, almost anything can happen -- and does -- in Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds.

    Losers, has fallen hard for Anabell Stackpoole, and she likes him, too. But both are much too shy to do anything about it.It's Pete's friend Ed Sitrow to the rescue, as he and other eighth-graders at South Orange River School cook up a scheme to give the budding romance a boost. The school production of Romeo and Juliet stars the bashful pair in the leading roles -- and everybody's waiting for the kissing scenes. What they get is more action than Shakespeare ever imagined, in the funniest, most disastrous...and most romantically successful production ever!

    Although she has been hearing her grandmother's stories about the enchanted realm of Mistolear for as long as she can remember, being a princess is the furthest thing from her mind. What's worrying Willow these days is finding a way to get accepted by the in-crowd at her high school without betraying her friend Abby. Suddenly, Willow finds herself magically transported to the real Mistolear, where it turns out she actually does have a large family--and a royal one at that. Willow's courage and intellect are put to the test as she attempts to save the kingdom from a terrifying spell that turns people into chess pieces. Willow must decide the right course of action before the spell that threatens her newfound family takes away all her choices. In The Princess Pawn, the traditional fairy tale is turned upside down. This princess doesn't wait to be rescued, nor does she plunge into the fray without a backward glance. And in a world in which queens have all the power, violence is not assumed to be the only solution to conflict. The Princess Pawn is an engaging, fast-paced tale and is both a quest and a coming-of-age story. The Princess Pawn will appeal to all those girls who wished that Hermione could have been the hero of the Harry Potter series.

    Robin Hood is the best-loved outlaw of all time.In this edition, Henry Gilbert tells of the adventures of the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest - Robin himself, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Alan-a-Dale, as well as Maid Marian, good King Richard, and Robin's deadly enemies Guy of Gisborne and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.