Alex and Sasha are twin sisters, physically identical down to their freckles. But the resemblance is only skin deep—Sasha is profoundly autistic, while Alex is not. Sasha can’t communicate and acts bizarrely, and the family revolves around her and her intense needs. Yet the aged, wealthy, and mysterious Aunt Nana seems to have a particular interest in both girls. Offering a helping hand, she encourages the family to move to San Francisco to be near her. And when the young twins discover a tunnel in Nana’s tool shed, it leads them on a journey across the world and back 100 years in time. The tunnel is a pathway to the Firebird Estate, the home of their ancestors, located in rural Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Even more remarkable, through the effect that twisting time has on cognition, Sasha is not autistic when she’s at the Firebird Estate. Now, growing up in two strikingly different times and places, the twins must face their separate destinies among the ravages of the incipient Russian Revolution. Can they save their families on both sides of the tunnel? Can they simultaneously stay true to their own hearts, to each other, and to the people they left behind? Each sister must face her own personal challenge — but only together can they discover their own future within their family’s past.
The Bellringer by William Timothy Murray
The Bellringer by William Timothy Murray
For centuries, the Great Bell was silent…
It remained undisturbed, nearly forgotten by history, hidden away in the ruins of an abandoned fortress. The enchantments within its iron slumbered, its secrets protected by silence. Until someone discovered how to ring the Bell, other secrets would remain safe.
One day, while running an errand, a young store clerk took a wrong turn, then another, until he found himself deep within the old fortress where the Great Bell waited.
It waited for him.
And when the hapless clerk rang the Great Bell and released its enchantments, his troubles began.
For he had become the Bellringer.
He claimed it was all an accident, that he did not mean to ring the Bell. Fate, it seemed, thought otherwise, and proof of the Bellringer’s destiny began to emerge just as the world spiraled into war. Revolt and treachery worked to break apart the Seven Realms. Armies were on the march. The faraway King, obsessed with his own power, seemed unwilling or unable to prevent the looming catastrophe.
Perhaps a new King was needed…if only someone could penetrate the secret of the King’s power and take the throne before it was too late. It was foretold that the person who discovered the True Name of the King would become the next King. But who was capable of such a thing?
The Bellringer.
– – – – About THE YEAR OF THE RED DOOR:
244 Days Remain.
That is all.
The Year of the Red Door has begun, and four months have already passed by.
This is the story of the final days of the Second Age.
Uncanny things are taking place in the world, mysterious powers are stirring, and there are signs of coming change. Like pieces on a game-board, ancient forces are moving into position, gathering strength. Many sense the portents and see the signs, but few know their meaning. Fewer still understand what must be done. But who is there to do it?
In only 244 days, six intrepid travelers must cross thousands of miles, to the far edge of the world, to find a place that may not even exist. A legendary place called Griferis where a new king may be prepared, trained, and judged for worthiness. It is their bid to find that place, to discover the secret Name of the King, and to make one of their companions the new King. But hope is thin, and time runs out. Can the Name be found? Can the Usurper use it to take the throne? And will it make any difference? It already seems too late.
In the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles Dickens comes a new heroic tale, a story of ageless love and brave determination, of tragic loss and the hope of redemption. During this quest, mythic powers arise from the ancient past, fate collides with destiny, and the world edges swiftly to its final destruction or to its ultimate fulfillment. Only the Bellringer can tip the balance of fate, but the world is almost out of time…
The Year of the Red Door
https://youtu.be/K-PyyZDJXXg
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Descendant by Nichole Giles
Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.
Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.
Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.
Tom’s Inheritance by TJ Green
When Tom accidentally crosses to the Otherworld in search of his missing grandfather, he meets the mysterious woman who has been appearing in his dreams – Vivian, the Lady of the Lake. She tells him he must travel to Avalon and wake King Arthur from his enchanted sleep. Something dark is stalking the old forest and Vivian needs Arthur’s help.
The journey is filled with danger, magic, powerful allies, and an ancient enemy. Tom’s life may never be the same again.
A magical tale for older children and all lovers of Arthurian legend.
Stinky Steve by PT Evans
Oh, No! Minecraft Steve has Uncontrollable Gas!
See what happens in the wonderful world of Minecraft when Steve can’t stop farting. Are the Creepers and zombies terrified – or attracted – to Steve’s toxic smell? Can Steve find a way to overcome his flatulent issue, or will it get the best of him in the end? Find out in this fun new superhero series by PT Evans and Illustrated by Jake Tashjian.
If your child likes Minecraft and thinks farts are funny, then this book is for them.
Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Clockwork Glowbirds by Tom Hoffman
Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Clockwork Glowbirds by Tom Hoffman
2016 Gold Medal Winner • Best Young Adult Adventure Book
Readers Favorite International Book Award
“Hoffman comes across as a master in the teen fantasy genre…” –Romuald Dzemo
“…magical, exciting, witty and wise…” –Jack Magnus
Orville Wellington Mouse lives with his Mum in the quiet fishing village of Muridaan Falls, Symoca. His life takes an unexpected turn when he learns his best friend Sophia Mouse is not only from another planet, but is also a member of the Shapers Guild, a group of powerful mice who are able to convert their thoughts into physical objects.
When Orville notices a group of seven glowbirds exhibiting rather extraordinary behavior, he and Sophia attempt to uncover the origin of the unusual birds but soon find themselves enmeshed in a fiendish plot to embroil Symoca in a horrific war. Captured by the powerful and mysterious Red Mouse, the two adventurers are hurled through a spectral door into the terrifying world of Periculum, home of the dreaded giant carnivorous centipedes.
With help from the secretive Metaphysical Adventurers, Proto the Rabbiton, the Mad Mouse of Muridaan, a gigantic Gnorli bird, some ghostly Anarkkian warriors, and the enigmatic Monks of the Blue Robe, Orville and Sophia must find their way home and stop the evil Red Mouse before he destroys Symoca.
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Milijun by Clayton Graham
It is Australia in 2179:
On a moonlit Nullarbor night, Laura Sinclair and son, Jason, witness aliens descend to Earth. The extraterrestrials endeavour to form a symbiotic relationship with humankind, and Jason is chosen as a genetic link in a bizarre trial involving the impregnation of human females with hybrid embryos and exploration of spiritual compatibility.
Laura crosses swords with Major General Sebastian Ord from the Australian Defence Force, Eucla and Uriel, the enigmatic head of Milijun, a reclusive research facility in the outback. Following a disastrous armed attempt to capture aliens at Cocklebiddy Cave and a fierce confrontation at Eucla, Jason is abducted by an alien swarm.
What follows tests the resolve of Laura to the core. Caught in a relentless web of frightening new technologies and alien mystery, spurred by the undying love of her son, she gains a strength of character she never thought possible.
All she has to do is save herself, Jason and several women and unborn children from the scheming plans of man and alien alike …
https://youtu.be/d_0Na9Zu8JE
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H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright
H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright
H.A.L.F. #9 is the product of genetic engineering, a hybrid of human and alien DNA. Kept secret in an underground lab, he was engineered and trained to be a potent weapon in a secret war we don’t know is coming.
But #9 has escaped the lab into the Arizona desert. He’s never felt more alive, more powerful or more deadly.
Erika Holt is hanging out in the desert with some friends on a Saturday night completely unaware that there are things more dangerous lurking in the dark than scorpions and rattlesnakes. Soon she will cross paths with H.A.L.F. #9 and their fates will become intertwined in an intergalactic adventure.
“A fast-paced sci-fi adventure. A Silver Medal Winner and highly recommended.” ~The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
[Read more…] about H.A.L.F.: The Deep Beneath by Natalie Wright