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Crouching Father, Hidden Toddler: A Zen Guide for New Dads
by C.W. NeviusA witty, wise, and whimsically illustrated guide to the Zen of parenting for new dads who seek serenity in the face of flying baby food.Crouching Father, Hidden Toddler contains the treasured wisdom that will help new dads master the Buddha-like patience required to be on the receiving end of projectile pureed spinach, sleep-deprived moms, and toys with Some Assembly Required. Experienced dad and aspiring guru C.W. Nevius expounds on the ancient concept of wu wei (i.e., going with the flow) as well as some handy tips picked up from kung fu movies. An array of short essays ponder on such koans as What is the sound of one child napping? Also revealed are such proven parenting techniques as apprenticing with a learned sensei that is, the father of a child who doesn’t bite. Warm and encouraging, Crouching Father, Hidden Toddler provides the one necessity for any samurai facing a Mt. Fuji of diapers: laughter.
The Crow: The Third Book Of Pellinor
by Alison CroggonIn this third installment of Croggon's saga, the orphaned Hem is reunited with his lost sister, Maerad. When the forces of the Dark threaten, Hem discovers his own hidden gift and the role he must play in Maerad's quest to solve the Riddle of the Treesong.
Crow Call (Junior Great Books Series 3)
by Lois LowryThe two-time Newbery medalist has crafted “a loving representation of a relationship between parent and child” in post-WWII America (Publishers Weekly, starred review).This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly.“The memory of a treasured day spent with a special person will resonate with readers everywhere.” —School Library Journal (starred review)“Beautifully written, the piece reads much like a traditional short story . . . the details of [Ibatoulline’s] renderings gracefully capture a moment in time that was lost. Relevant for families whose parents are returning from war, the text is also ripe for classroom discussion and for advanced readers.” —Kirkus Reviews
Crow Fair: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Thomas McguaneFrom one of our most deeply admired storytellers, author of the richly acclaimed Gallatin Canyon, his first collection in nine years.Set in Thomas McGuane's accustomed Big Sky country, with its mesmeric powers, these stories attest to the generous compass of his fellow feeling, as well as to his unique way with words and the comic genius that has inspired comparison with Twain and Gogol. The ties of family make for uncomfortable binds: A devoted son is horrified to discover his mother's antics before she slipped into dementia. A father's outdoor skills are no match for an ominous change in the weather. But complications arise equally in the absence of blood, as when lifelong friends on a fishing trip finally confront their deep dislike for each other. Or when a gifted traveling cattle breeder succumbs to the lure of a stranger's offer of easy money. McGuane is as witty and large-hearted as we have ever known him--a jubilant, thunderous confirmation of his status as a modern master.From the Hardcover edition.
The Crow-Girl
by Bodil BredsdorffFrom Publishers Weekly Marking this Danish author's English-language debut, this lyrical novel opens in a remote cottage, where a woman has taught her granddaughter time-honored ways of wresting a living from the sea. Knowing that she is dying, the grandmother passes along to the apparently nameless girl several nuggets of advice, for example, that she must "continue wishing and hoping, for then, at last, you will get what was wished and hoped for-even if it is in a completely different way from what you had imagined." Although the girl realizes the futility of her sole wish-that her grandmother not die-after the woman's death the child finds the strength she needs to remain hopeful and does, indeed, find happiness in unexpected ways. Packing her few belongings, she follows the coast to a hamlet where a scheming woman offers her shelter and where she stumbles into the name Crow-Girl, due to her coloring and her curved nose. The lass has the good sense to flee from the evil-doer and the good fortune to encounter a sequence of individuals (some of whom have also endured monumental loss) with whom she forges mutually fulfilling bonds. The peripatetic story winds to a close that, despite its fairy tale quality, is credible and satisfying. Imagery involving water, hands and crows becomes a resonant element of the narrative. Readers will hope that more of Bredsdorff's sturdy fiction reaches these shores. Ages 8-12.
Crow Lake: A Novel (Charnwood Large Print Ser.)
by Mary LawsonMary Lawson's debut novel is a shimmering tale of love, death and redemption set in a rural northern community where time has stood still. Tragic, funny and unforgettable, this deceptively simple masterpiece about the perils of hero worship leapt to the top of the bestseller lists only days after being released in Canada and earned glowing reviews inTheNew York TimesandTheGlobe and Mail, to name a few. It will be published in more than a dozen countries worldwide, including the U. S. , the U. K. , Germany, Italy and Bulgaria. Luke, Matt, Kate and Bo Morrison are born in an Ontario farming community of only a few families, so isolated that “the road led only south. ” There is little work, marriage choices are few, and the winter cold seeps into the bones of all who dare to live there. In the Morrisons’ hard-working, Presbyterian house, the Eleventh Commandment is “Thou Shalt Not Emote. ” But as descendants of a great-grandmother who “fixed a book rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning,” the Morrison children have some hope of getting off the land through the blessings of education. Luke, the eldest, is accepted at teachers college – despite having struggle mightily through school – but before he can enroll, the Morrison parents are killed in a collision with a logging truck. He gives up his place to stay home and raise his younger sisters -- seven-year-old Kate, and Bo, still a baby. In this family bound together by loss, the closest relationship is that between Kate and her older brother Matt, who love to wander off to the ponds together and lie on the bank, noses to the water. Matt teaches his little sister to watch “damselflies performing their delicate iridescent dances,” to understand how water beetles “carry down an air bubble with them when they submerge. ” The life in the pond is one that seems to go on forever, in contrast to the abbreviated lives of the Morrison parents. Matt becomes Kate’s hero and her guide, as his passionate interest in the natural world sparks an equal passion in Kate. Matt, a true scholar, is expected to fulfill the family dream by becoming the first Morrison to earn a university degree. But a dramatic event changes his course, and he ends up a farmer; so it is Kate who eventually earns the doctorate and university teaching position. She is never able to reconcile her success with what she considers the tragedy of Matt’s failure, and she feels a terrible guilt over the sacrifices made for her. Now a successful biologist in her twenties, she nervously returns home with her partner, a microbiologist from an academic family, to celebrate Matt’s son’s birthday. Amid the clash of cultures, Kate takes us in and out of her troubled childhood memories. Accustomed to dissecting organisms under a microscope, she must now analyze her own emotional life. She is still in turmoil over the events of one fateful year when the tragedy of another local family spilled over into her own. There are things she cannot understand or forgive. In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, Lawson ratchets up the tension, her narrative flowing with consummate control in ever-increasing circles, overturning one’s expectations to the end. Compared byPublishers Weeklyto Richard Ford for her lyrical, evocative writing, Lawson combines deeply drawn characters, beautiful writing and a powerful description of the land.
Crow Talk: A Novel
by Eileen GarvinNationally bestselling author of The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin returns with a moving story of hope, healing, and unexpected friendship set amidst the wild natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Frankie O&’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old son, Aiden, who refuses to speak. At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it&’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker&’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O'Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband's wealthy family. When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.
The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships: A Novel
by Ali BryanA prison escape, a bear on the loose, botched lyrics. What more could go wrong with Crow Valley’s most anticipated night of the year?A year after forest fires ravaged the town of Crow Valley and claimed the life of Dale Jepson—karaoke legend, local prison guard, and all-around good guy—the community hosts a high-stakes karaoke competition. But when a convicted murderer escapes from nearby Crow Valley Correctional, residents discover there’s more on the line than local, perhaps even national, karaoke fame. In this darkly comedic, fast-paced ride through an unforgettable small town, five residents with intimate connections to Dale and drastically different goals for the night will collide into, conspire with, and aid one another as they scramble to make it successfully through the evening under the scrutinizing watch of neighbors. To the soundtrack of classics belted out with abandon, voices will crack, cars will be stolen, marriages will falter, and kids will slip away in search of trouble. And maybe, just maybe, lives will be transformed for the better.
The Crowded Street (Virago Modern Classics #214)
by Winifred HoltbyThis is the story of Muriel Hammond, at twenty living within the suffocating confines of Edwardian middle-class society in Marshington, a Yorkshire village. A career is forbidden to her. Pretty, but not pretty enough, she fails to achieve the one thing required of her - to find a suitable husband. Then comes the First World War, a watershed which tragically revolutionises the lives of her generation. But for Muriel it offers work, friendship, freedom, and one last chance to find a special kind of happiness...
Crowe's Requiem
by Mike McCormackOriginally published in 1998, the first novel from the author of Booker-listed Solar Bones, Crowe's Requiem, is an eerie, fable-like work that confirmed Mike McCormack as a stunning new voice in world literature. McCormack&’s myth-tinged debut novel gives us the unforgettable Crowe and his endlessly curious and self-mythologizing stories. Crowe is born in the remote village of Furnace in the West of Ireland and raised by his grandfather, a man of &“madness and bullying love,&” who teaches him grim lessons about existence. Entirely silent until his third birthday, Crowe becomes an observant and isolated teenager, eventually leaving Furnace for university in a &“wrong-footed&” and bewildering city. There he meets a woman who will change his life and outlook, but a diagnosis with a rare and fatal aging disease means that his time with her will be cut tragically short. A profound, philosophical, and darkly funny meditation on childhood, aging, and the nature of life and death, Crowe&’s Requiem challenges us with the powers and limits of stories to capture the pains, wonders, and mysteries of being a person in a &“wrong world.&”
Crown of Coral and Pearl (Crown Of Coral And Pearl Ser. #1)
by Mara RutherfordFor generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen…and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.
Crown of Coral and Pearl: The Zadie Chapter (Crown of Coral and Pearl series)
by Mara RutherfordSee the world through Zadie&’s eyes in this bonus chapter, which first appeared in the paperback edition of Crown of Coral and Pearl. When Sami invites Zadie to explore a sunken ship with him, she immediately jumps at the opportunity. After all, discovering treasures in the depths of the ocean could provide Zadie with enough money to buy the boat her family desperately needs. But swimming in open water can be dangerous, particularly when the hunt for gold serves as a distraction…Books in the Crown of Coral and Pearl duology:Crown of Coral and Pearl Kingdom of Sea and Stone
Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers)
by Nicki Pau Preto&“Absolutely unforgettable.&” —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series &“A beautifully told story about justice, sisterhood, and warrior women.&” —Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep &“Epic in the truest sense.&” —Quill and Quire An Ember in the Ashes meets Three Dark Crowns in this lush debut fantasy novel about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join a secret group of warriors that ride phoenixes into battle.I had a sister, once… In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart. I promised her the throne would not come between us. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks. But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled. Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders&’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all. Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken. Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love&’s incredible power to save—or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister&’s hands.
Crown of Oblivion
by Julie EshbaughIn this mesmerizing YA fantasy mash-up of The Road meets The Amazing Race, one girl chooses to risk her life in a cutthroat competition in order to win her freedom. In Lanoria, Outsiders, who don’t have magic, are inferior to Enchanteds, who do. That’s just a fact for Astrid, an Outsider who is indentured to pay off her family’s debts. She serves as the surrogate for the princess—if Renya steps out of line, Astrid is the one who bears the punishment for it. But there is a way out: the life-or-death Race of Oblivion. First, racers are dosed with the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memories. Then, when they awake in the middle of nowhere, only cryptic clues—and a sheer will to live—will lead them through treacherous terrain full of opponents who wouldn’t think twice about killing each other to get ahead.But what throws Astrid the most is what she never expected to encounter in this race. A familiar face she can’t place. Secret powers she shouldn’t have. And a confusing memory of the past that, if real, could mean the undoing of the entire social structure that has kept her a slave her entire life. Competing could mean death…but it could also mean freedom.
Crown of Three
by J. D. RinehartFamily secrets combine with fantasy in this epic tale of battle, magic, strange creatures, power, and fate--a Game of Thrones for a younger audience.Toronia, a kingdom composed of three realms, is wracked with civil war. King Brutan rules with an iron fist. Cruelty and suffering abound. The kingdom's only hope comes in the form of Brutan's illegitimate triplets, prophesied to kill the king and rule together in peace. But the road to the throne is long and bloody. Separated at birth and scattered throughout the realms, the triplets face a desperate fight to secure their destiny. Will they survive long enough to rule?
Crowned for the Prince's Heir: Crowned For The Prince's Heir A Night In The Prince's Bed Becoming The Prince's Wife (One Night With Consequences #21)
by Sharon KendrickA prince will do anything to claim his heir in this secret baby romance by a USA Today–bestselling author.Dress designer Lisa Bailey reluctantly broke off her relationship with Luc, knowing an affair with the prince had no future. But one last stolen encounter left her quaking with passion, drenched in desire and unexpectedly pregnant!Months later, Prince Luciano Leonides of Mardovia is on the brink of the perfect political marriage when a news article shows Lisa with an obvious bump! His baby. With Mardovian royal blood. Now he must claim his heir at any cost. She may be an unsuitable bride but she will become his queen!
Crowning Design
by Leila MeachamA tender, classic love story about the secrets that linger in our hearts and the choices that set us free...Some people aren't meant for happily-ever-after. And Deborah Standridge is one of them. When she called off her wedding to the perfect man to pursue her passion as an architect, she didn't mean to hurt anyone. But Deborah saw her chance to finally make her own dreams come and she took it, setting in motion a tragedy that has haunted her ever since.Now, as one of Denver's most successful architects, Deborah has avoided love at all costs...until Daniel Parker walks into her life. He commissions her to design his company's headquarters and soon makes her want to believe in love again. But Dan is keeping a shocking secret that could rip apart everything they've built--and break Deborah's heart once and for all. Will Deborah find the strength to put the past behind her to fight for a love that could last for all time?
Crows: A Novel
by Charles DickinsonThe crow stories are charming and touching. They're about the Smarter Crow, who saved the species by staying awake one night and discovering that crows forget everything whenever they sleep. They're about a crow who was falsely condemned and executed for murder, and a crow with a wounded wing who was saved by a vigilant female. They're about male crows who fly grief orbits when their mates are angry at them. Ben Ladysmith was flying grief orbits when he told his young friend Robert that particular crow story. Ben's wife, Ethel, was mad at him and, as usual, had locked him out of the house.
Crows and Cards: A Novel
by Joseph Helgerson<P>Three warnings for readers who hate surprises: 1. Beware of slivers, 2. and gamblers, 3. and aces. <P>Zebulon Crabtree found all that out the hard way back in 1849 when his mother and father shipped him off to St. Louis to apprentice with a tanner. Too bad he had serious allergies to fur and advice from his parents. Hearing the beat of a different drummer, Zeb takes up with a riverboat gambler who has some special plans for him, crosses paths with a slave who turns out to be a better friend than cook, and learns that some Indian medicine men can see even though blind. And then there's the Brotherhood--the one that Zeb can't seem to get out of . . . Lucky for us, the price of living in turbulent times is often a good story, and Zeb spins an unforgettable one.
Crucial Conversations: A Novel
by May Sarton&“May Sarton&’s provocative novel is about a wife who has outgrown her husband, and after twenty-seven years of marriage decides that she has had enough. . . . [Poppy] is altogether believable.&” —The Atlantic To their close friend Philip, Poppy and Reed Whitelaw&’s marriage appears stable and happy. Their ritual Sunday tennis matches and dinners are a highlight of his week, and the Whitelaws&’ repartee is an object of wonder and admiration. But beneath the surface, the marriage has slowly been unraveling for years. An artist, Poppy feels the weight of time, calculating that she has twenty good years left for her work and little remaining tolerance for her diminishing marriage. And so, as newscasts about Vietnam and Watergate issue nightly warnings about the dangers of deceit and delusion, Poppy has decided to leave. The separation guts Philip, who finds that his investment in the affairs of his friends outweighs his investment in his own. The relationship between the three friends had often been riven by jealousy, and the cataclysm of the Whitelaws&’ separation does little to lessen anxieties roiling beneath the surface. As those in the Whitelaws&’ orbit struggle to adjust to their new reality, a world of buried feelings rise inevitably to the fore.
The Crucial Years: The essential guide to mental health and modern puberty in middle childhood (ages 6-12)
by Dr Sheryl ZieglerA paradigm-shifting guide for parents and caregivers, this book offers insights, strategies and understanding to navigate middle childhood (ages 6-12). Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a seasoned clinical psychologist and mother, highlights ways to foster resilience, encourage open communication and build lasting connections during this crucial period. A pivotal sea change is happening in children's development. The age of puberty has been trending earlier for decades and now starts as young as 8 years old in girls and 9 in boys. Bullying doesn't just happen on the playground, but over text and DM. Depression and anxiety are drastically on the rise. Couple earlier puberty with ill-equipped, developing brains and the onslaught of new media and stressors that never existed when we were kids, and it's clear that parents need a new guide to raise this new generation. The Crucial Years is your essential handbook to navigating the often misunderstood and overlooked years of middle childhood (ages 6-12). As a mother and clinical psychologist, Dr. Sheryl Ziegler knows first-hand how challenging these years can be - yet she also recognizes that this is a tender age and pivotal opportunity to connect with your child before adolescence. Dr. Ziegler masterfully unlocks the enigma surrounding modern puberty and offers evidence-based strategies, interventions and answers to middle childhood's most perplexing questions and concerns. In these pages she provides: - Science-based advice to recognize the first signs of puberty and navigate the changes to come. - Candid and actionable guidance for getting your kids to talk about anxiety, depression and their complicated feelings. - Insight into the changing world of gender and sexual identity, and how to guide your child through this complicated new landscape. - A thoughtful and sensitive discussion of how race intersects with puberty and mental health, and how all parents can approach this mindfully and inclusively. - A clear explanation of the invisible threads linking mood swings, self-image and social media exposure. - Road-tested, real-world guidance to handle bullies, mean girls and other friendship and social challenges. The Crucial Years gives you everything you need to guide your child through the hazards and thrills of puberty and help them emerge as well-rounded, confident young adults.
The Crucial Years: The essential guide to mental health and modern puberty in middle childhood (ages 6-12)
by Dr Sheryl ZieglerA paradigm-shifting guide for parents and caregivers, this book offers insights, strategies and understanding to navigate middle childhood (ages 6-12). Dr. Sheryl Ziegler, a seasoned clinical psychologist and mother, highlights ways to foster resilience, encourage open communication and build lasting connections during this crucial period. A pivotal sea change is happening in children's development. The age of puberty has been trending earlier for decades and now starts as young as 8 years old in girls and 9 in boys. Bullying doesn't just happen on the playground, but over text and DM. Depression and anxiety are drastically on the rise. Couple earlier puberty with ill-equipped, developing brains and the onslaught of new media and stressors that never existed when we were kids, and it's clear that parents need a new guide to raise this new generation. The Crucial Years is your essential handbook to navigating the often misunderstood and overlooked years of middle childhood (ages 6-12). As a mother and clinical psychologist, Dr. Sheryl Ziegler knows first-hand how challenging these years can be - yet she also recognizes that this is a tender age and pivotal opportunity to connect with your child before adolescence. Dr. Ziegler masterfully unlocks the enigma surrounding modern puberty and offers evidence-based strategies, interventions and answers to middle childhood's most perplexing questions and concerns. In these pages she provides: - Science-based advice to recognize the first signs of puberty and navigate the changes to come. - Candid and actionable guidance for getting your kids to talk about anxiety, depression and their complicated feelings. - Insight into the changing world of gender and sexual identity, and how to guide your child through this complicated new landscape. - A thoughtful and sensitive discussion of how race intersects with puberty and mental health, and how all parents can approach this mindfully and inclusively. - A clear explanation of the invisible threads linking mood swings, self-image and social media exposure. - Road-tested, real-world guidance to handle bullies, mean girls and other friendship and social challenges. The Crucial Years gives you everything you need to guide your child through the hazards and thrills of puberty and help them emerge as well-rounded, confident young adults.
The Crucial Years: The Essential Guide to Mental Health and Modern Puberty in Middle Childhood (Ages 6-12)
by Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez ZieglerAn essential guide for parents and caregivers, this book offers insights, strategies, and understanding to navigate middle childhood (ages 6–12). Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler, a seasoned clinical psychologist and mother, highlights ways to foster resilience, encourage open communication, and build lasting connections during this crucial period.There is a pivotal sea change happening in children’s development. The age of puberty has been trending earlier for decades, and now starts as young as 8 years old in girls and 9 in boys. Bullying doesn’t just happen on the playground, but over text and DM. Depression and anxiety are drastically on the rise. Couple earlier puberty with ill-equipped, developing brains and the onslaught of new media and stressors that never existed when we were kids, and it’s clear that parents need a new guide to raise this new generation.The Crucial Years is your essential handbook to navigating the often misunderstood and overlooked years of middle childhood (ages 6–12). As a mom and clinical psychologist, Dr. Sheryl Ziegler knows firsthand how challenging these years can be for some and for others how they are years where a parent thinks they can finally catch their breath in between the gap from preschool and middle school. Dr. Ziegler masterfully unlocks the enigma surrounding modern puberty and offers evidence-based strategies, interventions, and answers to middle childhood’s most perplexing questions and concerns. In these pages, she provides:Science-based advice to recognize and navigate puberty.Candid and actionable guidance for getting your kids to talk about their complicated feelings and understanding their moods.Insights into the changing world of gender and sexual identity, body image and disordered eating.A clear explanation of the invisible threads linking mood swings, self-confidence, and social media exposure.Road-tested, real-world guidance to handle social stress and other pressures.With The Crucial Years, you have all that you need to guide your child through the unexpected ups and downs of puberty and help them emerge as well-rounded, confident teens.
Cruel Beauty
by Rosamund HodgeThe romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in a dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny. But on her seventeenth birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected--particularly her charming and beguiling new husband.Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy--who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.For fans of bestselling authors Kristin Cashore and Alex Flinn, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away.
Cruel Illusions
by Margie Fuston&“The perfect sinisterly magical escape…full of longing, desperation, and betrayal.&” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval trilogy and Once Upon a Broken Heart Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this &“beguiling&” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) young adult fantasy about a girl who makes a deal with a magical secret society to enter a potentially deadly competition for the chance to avenge her mother&’s death.Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home. But it&’s been ten years since anyone&’s seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she&’ll ever find one…until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she&’s hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can&’t explain. But they&’ve been waiting for her. The magicians reveal they&’re part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there&’s a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she&’s worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.