Issue: October 2008

Runner

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Charlie’s father is dead, and although his mother insists he stay in school, Charlie has no patience for the classroom. All he wants is to make money, to give his mother and baby brother a better life. So when he catches the eye of Squizzy Taylor, a notorious mobster, and is offered a job as [...]

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Into The Woods

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Storm, Aurora, and Anything Eden live in a decaying mansion on the edge of the wilds with their erstwhile father and indolent mother. When an accident leaves them orphaned and at the mercy of the sinister Dr. DeWilde, these three courageous and eccentric sisters are forced to flee into the woods, where they encounter kidnappers, [...]

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The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse Of Salamander Street

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Sequel to Shadowmancer. Kate and Thomas have barely escaped the evil sorcerer Demurral, and are sailing to London to make a fresh start. But someone knows they are coming, and is lying in wait to lure them into the darkest heart of the city. Meanwhile, Raphah, who has had a narrow escape of his own, [...]

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Forged in the Fire

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

London, 1665. Cast out by his father for becoming a Quaker, the newly independent Will travels from the countryside to London to earn a living. He and his beloved Susanna wait patiently to be reunited and, at last, married. But when Will is thrown into jail for his beliefs, the pair’s future becomes uncertain. The [...]

Posted in England (UK), Historical Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dreamquake

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

The dreamhunting began as a beautiful thing, when Tziga Hame discovered that he could enter the Place and share the dreams he found there with other people. But Tziga Hame has disappeared and Laura, his daughter, knows that the art of projecting dreams has turned sour. On St. Lazarus’s Eve, when elite citizens gather at [...]

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Evil Genius

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now he’s fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, misinformation, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his [...]

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A Company of Fools

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Before Micah came to St. Luc’s, he knew how to beg, how to steal, and how to run from a beating. He did not know how to comb his hair, walk in line when he felt like running, or obey anyone’s whim but his own. He was a stranger in a strange land. If it [...]

Posted in France, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14) | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rex Zero and the End of the World

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Why does everyone seem so scared? That’s what the new boy in town, Rex Norton-Norton, aka Rex Zero, wonders as he rides his bike through Ottawa’s streets. Is it spies? Kidnappers? Or is it because of the shadowy creature some say is stalking Adams Park? One thing is certain in this summer of 1962 as [...]

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Swimming in the Monsoon Sea

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

The setting is Sri Lanka, 1980, and it is the season of monsoons. Fourteen-year-old Amrith is caught up in the life of the cheerful, well-to-do household in which he is being raised by his vibrant Auntie Bundle and kindly Uncle Lucky. He tries not to think of his life “before,” when his doting mother was [...]

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Always Come Home to Me

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

This is a tale of two children and their parents, and the beloved pet doves that help them to understand one another. Twins Mei-Mei and her brother, DiDi  leave for school each morning with their mother’s words ringing in their ears: Fei, fei—fly little birds,”Fei, fei — fly, fly, little birds, but always come home [...]

Posted in China, Fiction, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment