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Betrayed (Cursed and Betrayed)
by Rhianne AileWill Northland's brother, Tristan, went to America to break a centuries-old curse and found love in the most unexpected of places: within the heart of a werewolf. When Will goes to visit, he meets not only Tristan's mate, Benjamin, but their friend Raul, who receives a plea for help from his old werepack: his twin brother, Richard, has gone missing and is possibly under the influence of a witch. Raul leaves to find his brother, and Will goes with him, offering to use his magic to both locate Richard and protect them all from the threat of dark magic. But when they find him, a totally unexpected passion explodes between Richard and Will, stunning them both. Suddenly, discovering who betrayed Raul and Richard isn't the only challenge. It's now a struggle to solve the mystery so Will can claim Richard's heart just as the wolf has claimed Will as his mate.Don't miss Cursed, the story of Will Northland's twin brother, Tristan, and his struggle to free Benjamin Sterling from a centuries-old curse.
Cursed (Cursed And Betrayed Ser.)
by Rhianne AileUpon their grandmother's death, Tristan Northland and his twin, Will, inherit her Book of Shadows and discover that one of their ancestors, a spurned witch, is responsible for dark magic that has affected the Sterling family for generations: Your firstborn son shall know the lure of the night and the lust of the moon... he will become a creature of nightmares... until the true love that should have been, finally is. Determined to right the ancient wrong, Tristan sets off across the ocean to reverse the centuries-old curse. Benjamin Sterling might not be happy alone—not quite human, nor accepted by true werewolves—but his life is predictable, at least until Tristan Northland shows up in his office, unannounced and with nowhere to stay. Because of the curse he carries, Benjamin has plenty of reason to distrust witches and Northlands as well as the werewolf tribe that has always treated him as an outcast. But with Tristan at his side, Benjamin finds himself and his future transformed by two unexpected emotions: blooming hope and enduring love.
A Dying Plane: Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy)
by Barton Aikman V. K. Blackwell Steve Carr Brandon Crilly Ana Maria Curtis Kate Dollarhyde Megan Dorei Stephanie Ellis Michael Kortes E. E. King Raymond Little Ken Liu Thana Niveau John B. Rosenman Anita Ensal Sydney Rossman-Reich Elizabeth Rubio Zach Shephard Shikhandin Alex Shvartsman Kristal Stittle Rebecca E Treasure Francesco Verso Marian WomackResources running low, the population exploding, the planet is in danger: are we masters of our own destruction, or have we been invaded by aliens bent on mass extinction? Is this a pattern across the entire universe, or just our small sector of cosmic life? This new title in our successful Gothic Fantasy Short Stories series explores the theme of a dying planet, written by a fabulous mix of classic, ancient and brand new writing, with contemporary authors from all over the world. For the first time we&’ve made a conscious effort to reach beyond our usual submissions seeking a broader voices. This book offers a glorious mix of American, British, Canadian, Italian, Indian, Spanish and Chinese writers with contributions from Elizabeth Rubio, John B. Rosenman, Francesco Verso, Marian Womack, Zach Shephard, E.E. King, Raymond Little, Ken Liu, Shikhandin, Alex Shvartsman and many more. In these pages too, first-time contributions jostle with the work of Camille Flammarion, Clark Ashton Smith, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Jack London, William Hope Hodgson, H.G. Wells and, stretching back much further, to the Norse Eddas and Sagas, and an Ancient Egyptian Myth on the death of humankind.
The Weight of the Heart
by Susana AikinSet in contemporary Spain, Susana Aikin&’s latest novel is a colorful, beautifully written examination of memory, romance, and the intricacies of family duty. On a sweltering August day in Madrid, Anna, Julia, and Marion return to their childhood home. The once grand mansion, furnished with exotic objects and art that reflected the cultures of their English father and Spanish mother, once bustled with visitors. But since their father&’s death, all three sisters have been reluctant to go back, still feeling the weight of his domineering influence. Julia believes that before the house can sell, it needs to be cleared of negative energy, and she has planned a limpieza, or cleaning ritual. Marion, the oldest, fears what the ceremony might unleash. Anna, the youngest and most capable and ambitious of the trio, is skeptical of the Cuban santeria hired by Julia. Still, she is wary of antagonizing her siblings, or of stirring up old resentment. But as the ceremony progresses, guilt and recrimination become impossible to ignore. And if there&’s a chance of bringing their house and their lives out of the shadows, it rests in the sisterhood, strength, and indomitable love that remains when the ghosts of the past surrender at last.
The Wall at the Edge of the World
by Jim AikinAfter the apocalypse, a group of telepaths live in isolation, until one of them discovers people on the other side of the wall.
OMG... Am I a Witch?! (OMG Series #1)
by Talia Aikens-NuñezA silver winner of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, OMG… Am I a Witch?! is sure to please young readers."This fast-paced, humorous book is a fun read."—Susan Heim, parenting author and editor, Chicken Soup for the Soul"OMG...Am I A Witch?! is an easy to read, well-balanced, chapter book that will satisfy young readers, fuel their imaginations, and entertain."—Project MayhemApril Appleton is so annoyed at her older brother that she searches the Internet for a spell to turn him into a dog. When the spell works, April realizes she has more powers than she ever dreamed of! Now she has to figure out how to turn him back to normal before her parents find out. She has little time, but with help from her friends Grace and Eve, she finds a book of magic that will hopefully reverse the spell. Will it work, and will April&’s newfound magic save the day?Check out the other books in this series:OMG...I Did It Again?!OMG...Is He Also a Witch?!
OMG... I Did it Again?! (OMG Series #2)
by Talia Aikens-Nuñez"A sweet, fun, and magical read perfect for any young reader!"—Bianca Turetsky, author, The Time-Travelling FashionistaGrace, Eve, and April are at it again in this second book in the OMG series!April Appleton wakes up to quite the sight: a herd of elephants marching down her street! When her brother bursts into her room with an accusing look on his face, she realizes that her powers of witchcraft have done it again.With her friends, Grace and Eve, April must figure out how the elephants got to her town in the first place and then how to get them back home. But with elephants playing in the neighbor's pool, sitting on cars and eating everyone's trees, how will they do it?"Very well written … definitely recommend…"—Book Nook NutsCheck out the other books in this series:OMG...Am I a Witch?!OMG...Is He Also a Witch?!
OMG... Is He Also a Witch?! (OMG Series #3)
by Talia Aikens-Nuñez"A sweet romp for young readers who like humor and magic."—Kirkus ReviewsGrace, Eve, and April are at it again in this third book in the OMG series!Fifth-grade witch April Appleton can&’t believe her eyes: a boy just made a large tree branch fall on her dad&’s car in the middle of the night! When she gets to school, the mayhem continues, the heat is cranked way up, birds are flying through the hallways and there&’s a boy standing in the corner quietly observing all of it.While her friends, Grace and Eve, try to help, April realizes that she must figure out this craziness on her own. Is this boy the cause of all the trouble? Or is the new math teacher somehow involved? But with ghosts appearing and time stopping, April must take a deep breath and trust in the magical powers of herself and others to make things normal again.Check out the other books in this series:OMG...Am I a Witch?!OMG...I Did it Again?!
The Kitchen Warriors
by Joan Aiken Jo WorthA secret village of elves living in the cupboard must fend off vacuum witches and deep-freeze trolls in the battles of the kitchen wars The people who live in the house have no idea that an entire village of elves resides in their china cupboard, behind the soup bowls and bread-and-butter plates. And when the humans start their spring-cleaning by taking everything out of the cabinets, the king elf's crown disappears. Now the elven community is in a terrible state, and the only way to save the realm is to find what their ruler has lost. Luckily Prince Coriander has returned, after years of training at the elf school, to hunt down the crown. But the kitchen holds hidden dangers--Fendire, the infrared dragon who lurks behind the gas burners; deep-freeze trolls who can swallow an elf in a single mouthful; very scary kelpies in the dishwasher; and the great cat Mistigris. The prince soon finds himself battling a furnace dragon, retrieving his mother's ring from the bottom of the dishwasher, and rescuing a nixie girl who lives in the kitchen sink--all while racing to discover who will become the new king of the elves! This ebook features illustrations by Jo Worth and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The Erl King's Daughter
by Joan Aiken Paul WarrenKimballs Green Junior School's newest student is more than a little strange--in fact, she might be the feared daughter of the Erl King! Kevin loves sharing the stories his grandmother used to tell him about trolls and witches with his school friends. His favorite tale is about a scary spook named the Erl King who rides on a black horse at night. But when a new student, Nora Scull, arrives at Kimballs Green elementary school, Kevin begins to wonder if maybe the stories are true. Skinny as a broom and with dark, stringy hair, Nora never laughs, but she's always watching and listening. She also steals and makes Kevin do all sorts of bad things. Who is Nora, and what will Kevin have to do to save himself--and his school? This ebook features illustrations by Paul Warren and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The Last Slice of Rainbow: And Other Stories
by Joan Aiken Margaret WaltyThe 9 stories in this collection explore the magic and mystery of strange lands populated not just by ordinary boys and girls but also by elves, fairies, kelpies, and a queen with screaming hair! In "Clem's Dream," a boy loses his dream and asks the Slipper, Tooth, Apple, Bread, and Water Fairies to help get it back for him. In "The Queen With Screaming Hair," 5-year-old Princess Christina of Laurestinia snips off the white whiskers of the all-powerful palace cat, Crimplesham, who then transforms her golden hair into a hundred teasing, spiteful voices. And in the title story, Jason can see the patterns in the stars and remember every tune he ever whistled. When the wind forgets its favorite song, Jason reminds him and is granted a wish in return. He asks for a rainbow of his own to keep in his pocket, but will Jason be able to hold onto it? These inventive, thought-provoking adventures remind us of the magic of language and its power to educate and enchant. This ebook features illustrations by Margaret Walty and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The Midnight Moropus
by Joan Aiken Gavin RoweCan Jon find a ghostly horse that's been extinct for centuries? Jon is a lonely orphan who lives on a farm with his adopted parents. When they ask what he'd like for his birthday, Jon knows immediately: to see the Moropus, a prehistoric horse that's big and furry, with claws on its feet instead of hooves. According to legend, it haunts the lonely moors at a waterfall that is known as Horse Force because its gushing cascade sound just like a mare's whinny. But there's 1 problem: If Jon wants to see the ghost of the legendary creature, he has to visit Horse Force at the stroke of midnight--alone. Can he get up the courage to go there all by himself in the dead of night? Luckily there is 1 friend who can help Jon--his faithful pony Whiskers! This ebook features illustrations by Gavin Rowe and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
Fog Hounds, Wind Cat, Sea Mice: Three Stories
by Joan Aiken Peter BaileyA trio of fantasy and adventure tales by the award-winning author of the beloved Wolves Chronicles In "Fog Hounds," Tad and his sister, Ermina, know better than to venture outside after dusk. Twilight is the time when huge misty creatures roam the land on silent feet, their eyes glittering like red pennies. No one who is chased by the hounds lives to tell the tale--that is, until the night Tad meets an unusual stranger. . . . In "Wind Cat," Lukey Web has come to live with Aunt Mildrith, who used to be a witch and is writing a book about the history of magic mirrors while studying footprints in the sky. When their neighbors go on vacation, a striped cat named Tib is left in Lukey and her aunt's care. It isn't until 1 of Tib's 9 lives is threatened that Lukey discovers her own awesome gifts. In "Sea Mice," Hella looks out her window every night at the northern lights and her very own plum tree, which has just produced its 1st perfect crystal plum. It's a special tree, a gift from her sea captain father, who warns Hella not to pick any fruit until she turns 12. When her dad's ship sinks, everyone says that sea mice caught him and his crew. But Hella is not afraid; she has a different vision of these mystical creatures that will transform her life in the years to come. This ebook features illustrations by Peter Bailey and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The Jewel Seed
by Joan Aiken Peter BaileyAn English orphan unwittingly holds the key to a powerful source of magic The graduation ceremony of the Grand and Ancient College of Siberian Witches takes place in the winter darkness of the Far North. But despite the celebration, the night is full of warnings and worry. The Wanderer is abroad in search of the coveted Jewel Seed that has been lost for centuries. Whoever finds it can unlock all knowledge and will have unlimited power. . . . Meanwhile, orphan Nonnie Smith is leaving the home she shares with her grandmother and grown siblings in Sesame Green to go live in London with her cousins and eldest sister, Una. Nonnie's problems begin when her old neighbor Mrs. Wednesday returns from the Siberian witch conference and discovers that someone has taken a mysterious shirt off her clothesline. Nonnie is sure the linen blouse was Una's, but why is Mrs. Wednesday so desperate to get her hands on it? Then Una is kidnapped--along with famous historical characters Julius Caesar, Mozart, and Jane Austen--and it's up to Nonnie and her cousin John to outsmart both the Winter People and Mrs. Wednesday in order to save her.. The Jewel Seed is Joan Aiken's retelling of a story her father, the poet Conrad Aiken, used to tell her and her siblings when they were young. This ebook features illustrations by Peter Bailey and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The Scream
by Joan Aiken Ian AndrewWhen Davey and his sister are orphaned, their grandmother comes from a remote island to look after them--bringing macabre powers and dark secrets When Davey and his family moved to the city from the island of Muckle Burra off the coast of Scotland, they left his grandmother behind. But now his parents are dead--after a car accident that left Davey confined to a wheelchair--and Gran has moved in to take care of him and his sister, Lu-Lyn. A strange girl with a bizarre personality, Lu-Lyn is obsessed with 2 things: ballet and returning to Muckle Burra, where she was born. She believes that both she and Gran are "Ridders" who have strange, dark powers: With just 1 cast of their Evil Eye, bad things will start to happen. . . . When Lu-Lyn puts a terrible curse on the neighborhood boys who've been terrorizing her, it seems as if Gran's dark arts have followed her from Muckle Burra. Then tragedy rocks their family again, and Davey embarks on a journey that will reveal the true secret of his grandmother's rare gift--and the limitless power of his own potential. This ebook features illustrations by Ian Andrew and a personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
The People in the Castle: Selected Strange Stories
by Joan Aiken Lizza Aiken Kelly LinkPraise for Joan Aiken's stories:"Wildly inventive, darkly lyrical, and always surprising . . . should be cherished."--Publishers Weekly"Darkly whimsical stories. . . . Aiken writes with surpassing spirit and alertness, her elegant restraint and dry wit never fail to leave their mark."--Kirkus Reviews"Will appeal to readers of short stories and literary fiction. Highly recommended."--Library Journal"Aiken's pastoral meadows and circus chaos, gothic grotesques and quirky romances . . . have a dream-like quality executed with a brevity and wit that is a testament to her skill as a story-teller."--California Literary Review"Fantasy is combined with magic, myth and adventure to form weird, wonderful and immersive tales."--For Book's SakeHere is the whisper in the night, the dog whose loyalty outlasted death, the creak upstairs, that half-remembered ghost story that won't let you sleep, the sound that raises gooseflesh, the wish you'd checked the lock on the door before dark fell. Here are tales of suspense and the supernatural that will chill, amuse, and exhilarate. Features a new introduction by the late author's daughter, Lizza Aiken.Best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (1924-2004) wrote over a hundred books and won the Guardian and Edgar Allan Poe awards. After her first husband's death, she supported her family by copyediting at Argosy magazine and an advertising agency before turning to fiction. She went on to write for Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Vanity Fair, Argosy, Women's Own, and many others. Visit her online at joanaiken.com.
The Monkey's Wedding
by Joan Aiken Lizza AikenJoan Aiken's stories captivated readers for fifty years. They're funny, smart, gentle, and occasionally very, very scary. The stories in The Monkey's Wedding are collected here for the very first time and include six never before published, as well as two previously published under the pseudonym Nicholas Dee. Here you'll find the story of a village for sale . . . or is the village itself the story? There's an English vicar who declares on his deathbed that he might have lived an entirely different life. After his death, a large, black, argumentative cat makes an appearance. . . . This hugely imaginative collection includes introductions by Aiken as well as by her daughter, Lizza Aiken.Best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (1924-2004) wrote over a hundred books and won the Guardian and Edgar Allan Poe awards. After her first husband's death, she supported her family by copyediting at Argosy magazine and an advertising agency before turning to fiction. She went on to write for Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Vanity Fair, Argosy, Women's Own, and many others. Visit her online at: www.joanaiken.com.
The Cockatrice Boys
by Joan Aiken"What does a cockatrice enjoy most for dinner? Anyone it can find." So the alarmed inhabitants of England discover when a plague of monsters--known as cockatrices--invade their country and begin gobbling them up. They must be stopped! A plucky band of survivors dubbed the Cockatrice Corps--including youngsters Dakin and Sauna--decide to fight back. But how? A rollicking adventure filled with breathtaking twists and turns, The Cockatrice Boys is Joan Aiken at her comic best.But there is also a powerful message in her only full length Sci- Fi (or even Cli-Fi!) YA novel as Joan Aiken imagines the result of human folly, in an earlier version of global warming, with the hole created in the ozone layer becoming a channel for evil to arrive on earth as an invasion of monstrous creatures. Joan Aiken believed in the power of the imagination, and using stories to prepare us for our future. In The Cockatrice Boys she wrote:"People need stories...to remind them that reality is not only what we can see or smell or touch. Reality is in as many layers as the globe we live on itself, going inwards to a central core of red-hot mystery, and outwards to unguessable space. People's minds need detaching, every now and then, from the plain necessities of daily life. People need to be reminded of these other dimensions above us and below us. Stories do that." "Besides being a daringly original, funny, scary, and morally instructive book, it also contains one of the strongest statements of the purpose of fantasy stories and fairy tales . . . This book was excellent, I highly recommend it . . . buy it now!" Mugglenet.com"Readers will be reminded of Alice in Wonderland . . . and the movie trilogy Star Wars" School Library Journal"This one is a real page-turner - as usual for Aiken - and sometimes really quite sinister, with a lot of gallows humour. It's suitable for all adults and most children... just as creepy as anything by M.R. James" Amazon Reviewer"Like all Aiken's best work, there is a deeply scary, nightmare thread running through this book, which makes it thrilling and involving for older readers and adults ...but the monsters are especially entertaining - drawn from Lewis Carroll, ancient mythology, and even Monty Python, they are scary and funny at the same time. A brilliant book" Amazon Reviewer
Cold Shoulder Road (The Wolves Chronicles #9)
by Joan AikenIs Twite and her cousin, Arun, use their telepathic gifts to find Arun's missing mother in this gripping adventure set in an alternate British kingdom When Is Twite and her cousin, Arun, return to Cold Shoulder Road in Folkestone after their astonishing adventures in the North, the town is deserted and Arun's mother is missing. Some say she took off with the sect Arun was raised in before he ran away. Known as the Silent Folk, members of the group are not allowed to talk and must communicate through sign language. But there are others who insist that Ruth Twite is a witch. To make matters worse, Is's sister Penny has also vanished, along with the mute Handsel child. The only clue to all of their whereabouts is an elusive stranger called Admiral Fishskin. When Is and Arun finally track down the cult, Arun discovers that they have new leader. Evil, charismatic Dominic de la Twite plays dangerous mind games and is able to block telepathic communication between Is and Arun. The cousins also find themselves up against a band of smugglers called the Merry Gentry that is using hidden tunnels beneath the city to search for buried treasure. With its sprawling cast of Dickensian characters and imaginative historical and social setting, this gripping adventure will delight existing fans of the Wolves Chronicles and new readers alike. Cold Shoulder Road is the 9th book in the award-winning Wolves Chronicles, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
Dangerous Games (The Wolves Chronicles #5)
by Joan AikenDido Twite, with the help of some sacred shaman healers, must foil a sinister plot to overthrow the king of a remote South Sea island healers Sailing the high seas in pursuit of Lord Herodsfoot, roving ambassador to the ageing King James III, Dido Twite's search has led her to the remote South Sea island of Aratu. She arrives with a new friend she made en route, the enigmatic Dr. Talisman, who is returning to the isle after many years. Soon they discover that there's something even more dangerous in the ancient rain forest than its poisonous pearl snakes, sting monkeys, and 30-foot-long crocodiles. Dido and Talisman are confronted by the Angrian invaders, who drove the Dilendi natives from their home 400 years earlier. Luckily, Dido befriends the gentle Forest People, who can heal with their magical touch. When she learns about a plot to overthrow the island's suffering king, Dido enlists the Forest People to help her thwart the scheme, save the monarch, and reunite him with his long-lost daughter. Dangerous Games is the 5th book in the award-winning Wolves Chronicles, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
Fantastic Fables
by Joan AikenThis final collection of Joan Aiken's stories, taken from nearly sixty years of her writing career, is rooted in the classic fables and fairy tales familiar to us all, but which she has brought up to date by adding her own voice, and a touch of that mysterious added ingredient that makes you return to them again and again, at any age. They range from fantastic fairy tales to science fiction, from a future where the sun no longer shines thanks to human folly, to one where all the best words are kept locked away in a forbidden forest . . . they take us to lands that could be from our own past, where we can call upon magical friends like the mysterious Miss Samphire, or long lost magic spells to save a castle from Viking attack. These are absolutely timeless tales, for as she said:'They come from nowhere, and they are aimed at nobody's ear; or rather they are aimed at the ear of anybody who happens to pass by just at that moment'
The Green Flash and Other Tales of Horror, Suspense, and Fantasy
by Joan AikenThis collection of short stories includes some of Aiken's best spooky gothic tales and fantasy stories. Suitable for young adult readers as well as adult readers.
The Haunting of Lamb House
by Joan Aiken"LAMB HOUSE is in Rye, an ancient town of East Sussex, England. It is very much a real place, even a famous one, yet The Haunting of Lamb House is as elusive to review as it must have been to write. It is safe to say that no one but Joan Aiken could have written it, not only because she was born in Rye and has the town in her bones as it were, but also because she has the power -- shown in her other books -- of evoking strange, often eerie events of the past and making other times, places and people vividly alive. This book goes further: She has taken the real history of Lamb House and interwoven happenings that are purely imaginary, working so skillfully that even those who have lived there can hardly tell which is which!"So wrote novelist Rumer Godden, who also lived in Lamb House. She went on:"For those who do not sense such things, The Haunting of Lamb House is a most skillful and intriguing interweaving of fact and fiction; to those who do, it is a memorable evocation. In either case it is a little masterpiece."Lamb House in Joan Aiken's birth town of Rye in Sussex is said to be haunted. This is her story of what might have happened to cause the haunting: using the imagined diary of an earlier Mayor of Rye, Toby Lamb, whose father built the handsome Georgian house, and later episodes that might have occurred during the occupancy of two of its famous literary tenants - Henry James and E.F. Benson.Joan Aiken was born in another haunted house owned by her father Conrad Aiken: Jeake's House, just around the corner in Mermaid Street, Rye, which she also wrote about in Return to Harken House."Joan Aiken has written a clever book, kindling a whole world of feeling out of small macabre details, presenting to the senses a series of apprehensions of reality which seem to touch a completeness beyond themselves. An impressive achievement; I shivered as I admired" Robert Nye, The Guardian"Joan Aiken's artful web of truth and fancy is divided into three histories of haunting - the first employs Aiken's considerable skill in a vivid evocative rendering of the old town of Rye when the house was built...followed by the twenty years of Henry James' residence. The end is worth waiting for...where E.F.Benson encounters hideous apparitions and even an exorcism in the last enthralling twenty pages" Miranda Seymour, T.L.S."Aiken has conjured up a deliciously scary ghost story...her mastery of style serves her well in the creation of three separate voices. Those familiar with Henry James's writing especially The Turn of The Screwwill derive special enjoyment from this novel, but there are shivers enough for any reader willing to acknowledge the possibility of ghosts and the reality of evil" U.S. Library Journal"In three interlocking ghost stories this veteran British novelist places a fictional haunting within the history of a real house, and displays a masterly way with several contrasting narrative styles, sympathetically evoking some ghostly presences...the wayward spirit of the house and the growing number of literary presences which gradually take possession" Publisher's Weekly
Is Underground (The Wolves Chronicles #8)
by Joan AikenThe children of London are disappearing--can Is solve the mystery before she vanishes too? Is Twite, younger sister of the daring Dido, is on a desperate mission. An uncle she never knew just showed up at the cottage she shares with her sister Penny. He is being pursued by ravening wolves, and before he dies, the uncle begs her to find his missing son--Is's cousin, Arun. The quest takes Is to London--a city mysteriously devoid of children, including the king's only son and heir. Is soon finds herself aboard the Playland Express, a secret midnight train that leaves town once a month, just before the new moon. The kids aboard believe they're headed to a far-off kingdom filled with fun and games. In reality, Playland is a freezing underground city ruled by the greedy "Gold Kingy," who has lured the youngsters there under false pretenses. His real objective is to put them to work in the coal mines. But the worst is yet to come: Gold Kingy is none other than Is's other uncle Roy! Now it's up to Is to avoid a terrible fate and use her wits, ingenuity, and powers of telepathic communication to free the children. Is Underground is the 8th book in the award-winning Wolves Chronicles, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Joan Aiken including rare images from the author's estate.
Midnight Is a Place
by Joan AikenThe author of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase presents a darkly humorous adventure starring two troubled orphans in a weird and wild world. Lucas Bell is lonely and miserable at Midnight Court, a vast, brooding house owned by his intolerable guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby. When a mysterious carriage brings a visitor to the house, Lucas hopes he&’s found a friend at last. But the newcomer, Anna Marie, is unfriendly and spoiled—and French. Just when Lucas thinks things can&’t get any worse, disastrous circumstances force him and Anna Marie, parentless and penniless, into the dark and unfriendly streets of Blastburn . . .Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl &“There is nobody like Joan Aiken for creating chilling nightmares. In . . . Midnight is a Place we have machines which crush children to death, herds of man-eating hogs in subterranean sewers . . . . Aiken writes superbly, with a force, a color, and strength of imagination that one encounters all too rarely today.&” —Daily Telegraph (UK) &“An abundance of action, suspense, and melodrama . . . there is never a dull moment.&” —School Library Journal &“Aiken knows how to keep a kid on the edge of his seat.&” —Book World &“The author proves once again that she writes about children in distress better than anyone since Dickens.&” —Time