But in July 1944, Judy’s carefree days and her innocence are shaken by a discovery: The man she’s always called Pa isn’t her real father. Even more shocking, Judy learns that the father she doesn’t remember was an alcoholic who abandoned his family. That’s why Judy’s mother emigrated to America from Norway. Now Judy feels jumbled inside: She’s angry at her mother for keeping the truth from her–and she’s suddenly awkward around Pa. Nothing her parents say soothes the hurt.At first, even the attentions of Jacob Jacobsen don’t make her feel any better. Judy likes Jacob; it’s just that his dad’s drinking binges hit too close to home. Ashamed, Judy doesn’t want anyone to find out her secret. But as misfortune befalls Jacob, Judy’s close friends, and her own family, Judy rallies to their side, and in the process recognizes that growing up encompasses forgiveness–of others and of herself.

    What she doesn't realize is that the girls are about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. Susanna faces a painful choice. Should she keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or should she "break charity" with the group--and risk having her own family members named as witches? Reader's guide included.

    It contains three novellas, two deleted scenes, mindjack flash fiction, and more. TOP 5 FINALIST for 2012 Best Indie Book, Young Adult Fiction - The Kindle Book ReviewThe Mindjack Origins Collection is comprised of THREE SHORT NOVELLAS which are companion stories to the Mindjack Saga (read after Free Souls), a young adult science fiction series. There are three novels in the original trilogy, five novellas that accompany the series, and plans for another trilogy in the works (see Susan’s latest novella, The Locksmith, for a peek at a new Mindjack character for the coming trilogy – or better yet, subscribe to her newsletter, and get The Locksmith for free!).READING ORDERMindjack Trilogy (novels): Open Minds, Closed Hearts, Free SoulsMindjack Origins (shorts): Mind Games, The Handler, The Scribe, KeeperThe Locksmith is a standalone novella that can be read independently of the trilogy and novellas.

    Stirling.

    Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows—a fascinating boy who’s not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary’s sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies—Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.

    Both have found their own ways to cope: Shoshona has become a bossy mother figure; Jake, who is a budding comic book artist, has created an alter ego named Jakeman. And unbeknownst to his sister, Jake continues his one-man letter-writing campaign to the Governor, pleading for clemency for their mom.Along with an assortment of nervous, angry, and damaged kids, Jake and Shoshona take a community-provided school bus four times a year on the long overnight journey through New York State to visit their mother in jail.This time will be like no other trip they've ever taken. Their adult chaperones contract food poisoning on the way back and must be dropped off at a hospital. And their driver, refusing to wait for another adult to replace their chaperones, sets off again with only the kids and a hidden bottle of booze in tow. In no time they are off the main highway and lost. And their driver, now staggering drunk, abandons the kids and walks off, leaving them in the middle of nowhere.Angry and sick to death of a system that has deserted them at every turn, Shoshana takes the wheel. And through a series of crazy side trips, Jake and the others hatch a plan to visit the Governor's mother. And when the old lady sees that her son has dismissed Jake's appeals and refused to even reply, she helps them face off with the Governor himself. Jake and the others find themselves at a photo opportunity that ends in tragedy even as it gives the long-abandoned kids a forum to be heard at long last.

    What does that say for the future of the world ... for the past ... for the present? Two Time City boys, determined to save it all, think they have the answer in Vivian Smith, a young Twenty Century girl whom they pluck from a British train station at the start of World War II. But not only have they broken every rule in the book by traveling back in time — they have the wrong person! Unable to return safely, Vivian's only choice is to help the boys restore Time City or risk being stuck outside time forever...

    He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby.He is going to save the world.And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....Cover illustration by Victor Lee

     Adam and his family live in a lonely cabin in the mountains, facing the dangers of the wilderness alone. One day, Adam¹s stepfather announces that he must leave for a weeklong trip to Cheyenne. Adam is put in charge of the family. Everything goes smoothly until three cutthroat gold prospectors come crashing into the cabin and hold the family at gunpoint. Late that night, Adam manages to escape. Unfortunately, the men let the red pup loose, and the one thing that dog does best is track Adam...Will the pup lead the men to Adam? And if he does, can Adam still save his family?

    Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight readers of all ages.

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    She struggles to understand the frailty of her grandmother, the strain of the war, her intensifying feelings for her friend Nick Grissom, and the uneasiness caused by the mysterious fires plaguing her town. Through her growing passion for photography, she hopes eventually to gain perspective on the times--and on her place in the world.

    He answers a distress radio call from Peewee, scrawny rag doll-clutching genius aged 11. With the comforting cop Mother Thing, three-eyed tripod Wormfaces kidnap them to the Moon and Pluto.

    But local fortunes are built on slavery and the whip.As the new Federal Parliament passes the law that will force Pacific Islanders from their homes, Hannah and her mother risk everything to run a secret school, while Hannah and Jamie must fight for their rights to education and equality. Can friendship and love win against prejudice and power?Inspired by real events, this powerful new novel brings to life the bravery and battles of the past, and gives us courage for the challenges of today.Praise for Pirate Boy of Sydney Town'... filled with swashbuckling action, tension and twists and turns ...'Kids Book Review

    Home to a civilization dedicated to o'thia, the ruling ethic of pure logic. But it was not always so; thousands of years before, Vulcans were a violent, warlike race, with tempers surpassed only by the planet's hot, arid sands. The philosopher Surak would show his people another way, teach them to reject their emotions and embrace logic and knowledge. The Vulcans would evolve and prosper, eventually exploring the stars and attaining further enlightenment as they encountered other cultures. In the twenty-third century, Commander Spock, Captain Kirk, and the U.S.S. Enterprise are summoned to Vulcan when its people consider seceding from the Federation and returning to their isolationist ways. Vulcan's savage history becomes fully revealed as Spock, his father Sarek, and Kirk work to preserve the planet's future from anti-Terran factions with hidden agendas. The crisis is twofold for the half-human Spock -- should Vulcan secede, he will be required to resign from Starfleet and return home, or forever sever ties with his homeworld.Years later, a decades-old plot to destroy the Federation from within forces Ambassador Sarek from the bedside of his dying wife, Amanda. The ambassador's decision widens the long-standing rift between himself and Spock at a time when they must pool their resources together. While the Enterprise crew contends with Romulans, Klingons, and the mysterious Freelans, Sarek's only comfort comes from reading Amanda's journals, which reveal more about his human spouse, his son, and himself than he ever realized.