The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him


Book Description

A new book from the creator of the award winning Orville Mouse series! Odo Whitley is translucent, human frosted glass, eyes peering through him, never at him. His achingly lonely existence is upended when a strange girl with flaming orange hair passes him a cryptic note in science class, sending the two unlikely new friends on an interdimensional quest for a mysterious lost doll.With help from the enigmatic man in the gray hat, a huge yellow octopus from Plindor, a lovely old brainless dead lady, and their new boss at the Serendipity Salvage Company, Odo Whitley and Sephie Crumb must travel to the terrifying world of Atroxia and find the doll before it falls into the hands of the murderous children of Sensus.




Juniper


Book Description

A micro-preemie fights for survival in this extraordinary and gorgeously told memoir by her parents, both award-winning journalists. Juniper French was born four months early, at 23 weeks' gestation. She weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces, and her twiggy body was the length of a Barbie doll. Her head was smaller than a tennis ball, her skin was nearly translucent, and through her chest you could see her flickering heart. Babies like Juniper, born at the edge of viability, trigger the question: Which is the greater act of love -- to save her, or to let her go? Kelley and Thomas French chose to fight for Juniper's life, and this is their incredible tale. In one exquisite memoir, the authors explore the border between what is possible and what is right. They marvel at the science that conceived and sustained their daughter and the love that made the difference. They probe the bond between a mother and a baby, between a husband and a wife. They trace the journey of their family from its fragile beginning to the miraculous survival of their now thriving daughter.




Those Who Saw Her


Book Description

"...A treasure for those who seek to find Mary's presence, both in these astonishing appearances and in their daily lives." -- James Martin, author of My Life with the Saints For almost the lifespan of the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been returning to the world she left almost twenty centuries ago. In its attractively redesigned and updated second edition, Those Who Saw Her brings readers the latest developments, updates, and Church statements on the apparitions of Mary -- the most famous apparitions at Guadalupe, Rue de Bac, La Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain, Knock, and Fatima, as well as the fascinating but less-known appearances at Akita, Japan; Kibeho, Rwanda; San Nicolas, Argentina; and Betania, Venezuela. The book also now includes a complete chapter on the 17th-century appearance of Mary to the young Benoite Rencurel at Laus, France. The Laus apparitions, approved in 2008, were the first Marian apparitions approved by the Church in the 21st century. Let Mary's prophetic messages bring comfort and hope to your life in this thorough and compelling presentation of the extraordinary visits of the Mother of God to her children around the world.




May Bird, Warrior Princess


Book Description

At Hog Wallow Middle School, May Ellen Bird was always slightly invisible. Then she went on a long trip to the land of the dead, where ghost towns glowed blue in the dark dusk and spooky specters dwelled in cities on the Dead Sea. Back on Earth at last, May and her hairless cat, Somber Kitty, are now famous, their faces plastered across souvenirs and sportswear that read "May Bird Went to the Land of the Dead and All She Brought Me Was This Lousy T-Shirt." But, finally in the spotlight, May feels more than ever that she doesn't belong. Every night she sits by her bedroom window, gazing at the sky and dreaming of another place, wishing -- despite herself -- to be back among the ghosts. And then one night she gets her heart's desire in a way she would never have wished for. Only the Ever After isn't anything like the world May left behind three years ago. The spirits have vanished, and the towns -- once full of every manner of things that go bump in the night -- are deserted. Evil Bo Cleevil has made the Ever After as cold as his own frigid soul, and put up a bunch of tacky malls to boot. Now, with her friends missing and enemies all around her, May must find her way to the edge of the universe, where night swallows the stars, where allies are few and often have bad breath, where endings can also be beginnings, and where the truest hero lurks in the unlikeliest of souls. But Bo Cleevil's got one last trick up his sleeve -- one that no one on Earth is ready for. With the worlds of the living and the dead in the balance, will May's courage fail her one last time? Or will she finally become the warrior she was always meant to be?




The Romance of Religion


Book Description

C. S. Lewis said that Christianity works on us like every other myth, except it is a myth that really happened. Dwight Longenecker grabs this idea and runs with it, showing that the Christian story is the greatest story ever told because it gathers up what is true in all the fantasy stories of the world and makes them as solid, true, and real as a tribe of dusty nomads in the desert or the death of a carpenter-king. In The Romance of Religion Longenecker calls for the return of the romantic hero—the hero who knows his frailty and can fight the good fight with panache, humor, and courage. Conflict and romance are everywhere in the story of Christ, and our response is to dust off our armor, don our broad-brimmed hats, pick up our swords, and do battle for Christ with confidence, wonder, and joy. Is religion no more than a fairy tale? No, it is more than a fairy tale—much more: it is all the fairy tales and fantastic stories come true here and now. “This book is witty, whimsical, and deadly serious. With panache and aplomb, Dwight Longenecker sets out to prove that Christianity is, in every sense of the word, fabulous. And does he succeed in his quest? I encourage you to read it to find out.” —Michael Ward, senior research fellow, Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and professor of apologetics, Houston Baptist University “If you've never thought about the Christian faith as romance and story, then this book will introduce you to a whole new way of thinking.”—Frank Viola, author of God's Favorite Place on Earth




Warrior Princess


Book Description

At Hog Wallow Middle School, May Ellen Bird was always slightly invisible. Then she went on a long trip to the land of the dead, where ghost towns glowed blue in the dark dusk and spooky specters dwelled in cities on the Dead Sea. Back on Earth at last, May and her hairless cat, Somber Kitty, are now famous, their faces plastered across souvenirs and sportswear that read "May Bird Went to the Land of the Dead and All She Brought Me Was This Lousy T-Shirt." But, finally in the spotlight, May feels more than ever that she doesn't belong. Every night she sits by her bedroom window, gazing at the sky and dreaming of another place, wishing -- despite herself -- to be back among the ghosts. And then one night she gets her heart's desire in a way she would never have wished for. Only the Ever After isn't anything like the world May left behind three years ago. The spirits have vanished, and the towns -- once full of every manner of things that go bump in the night -- are deserted. Evil Bo Cleevil has made the Ever After as cold as his own frigid soul, and put up a bunch of tacky malls to boot. Now, with her friends missing and enemies all around her, May must find her way to the edge of the universe, where night swallows the stars, where allies are few and often have bad breath, where endings can also be beginnings, and where the truest hero lurks in the unlikeliest of souls. But Bo Cleevil's got one last trick up his sleeve -- one that no one on Earth is ready for. With the worlds of the living and the dead in the balance, will May's courage fail her one last time? Or will she finally become the warrior she was always meant to be?




The Last Ajita: Book One


Book Description

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Wu's life takes an unexpected turn when she manifests as The Last Ajita, a powerful being with the ability to transform worlds. Suddenly hunted by those who seek to exploit her power, Sarah and her loved ones must fight to keep her safe and prevent Earth and Mars from falling into the wrong hands. But Sarah's enemies are not to be underestimated. The Adversary, a master manipulator with nearly limitless resources, has been planning for this moment for centuries. And she's not alone. An otherworldly force known only as "Father" lurks in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. As Sarah struggles to come to terms with her newfound abilities, her friends and family must rally around her to keep her safe. But they're not alone in this fight. The Azan, once responsible for maintaining balance and peace across the world, still exist, though changed by time and tragedy. And their most skilled warrior, Azan Chai, will stop at nothing to protect The Last Ajita. In a race against time, Sarah and her allies must navigate a dangerous world of ancient prophecies, secret societies, and shadowy conspiracies to prevent the ultimate destruction of everything they hold dear. Will Sarah rise to the occasion and fulfill her destiny as The Last Ajita, or will she fall to those who seek to control her power? Find out in this thrilling first installment of The Last Ajita Chronicles!




The Sketch


Book Description




Ohio


Book Description

“Extraordinary...beautifully precise...[an] earnestly ambitious debut.” —The New York Times Book Review “A wild, angry, and devastating masterpiece of a book.” —NPR “[A] descendent of the Dickensian ‘social novel’ by way of Jonathan Franzen: epic fiction that lays bare contemporary culture clashes, showing us who we are and how we got here.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “A book that has stayed with me ever since I put it down.” —Seth Meyers, host of Late Night with Seth Meyers One sweltering night in 2013, four former high school classmates converge on their hometown in northeastern Ohio. There’s Bill Ashcraft, a passionate, drug-abusing young activist whose flailing ambitions have taken him from Cambodia to Zuccotti Park to post-BP New Orleans, and now back home with a mysterious package strapped to the undercarriage of his truck; Stacey Moore, a doctoral candidate reluctantly confronting her family and the mother of her best friend and first love, whose disappearance spurs the mystery at the heart of the novel; Dan Eaton, a shy veteran of three tours in Iraq, home for a dinner date with the high school sweetheart he’s tried desperately to forget; and the beautiful, fragile Tina Ross, whose rendezvous with the washed-up captain of the football team triggers the novel’s shocking climax. Set over the course of a single evening, Ohio toggles between the perspectives of these unforgettable characters as they unearth dark secrets, revisit old regrets and uncover—and compound—bitter betrayals. Before the evening is through, these narratives converge masterfully to reveal a mystery so dark and shocking it will take your breath away.




Purity Before Existence


Book Description

In their eternal struggle against all of that which they perceive to be evil, the heavens, driven by their own ideals, bestowed upon the Sacred Nyrheimian Kingdom a supernatural power, known as "the Energy of the Gods." They ordered the people of the kingdom to use the power they were given to convert the rest of the world to their own religion, Jafnaorism, a religion centred around a set of ethical principles, according to which a person possesses human rights only insofar as that they are a fully morally good person. The Nyrheimians were given a time period of three years to master the Energy of the Gods, before they are to declare war against every country that would refuse to convert to Jafnaorism. While the Jafnaorists prepare for their upcoming crusade, two seemingly ordinary schoolgirls from a faraway country also experience their own personal battles against evil in their day-to-day lives. However, by some unknown process, they, too, develop the Energy of the Gods at the climax of their conflicts with their enemies. Guided by this power, as well as their own senses of justice, Shirosakura Hakutenshi and Arumariya Angeletta continue their fights against evil, which very quickly escalate to a scale far grander than the personal struggles they have encountered thus far.