In a savage land sustained by wizardry and ruled by vendetta, Lina is the enchanting but willful daughter of a village lord. She and her childhood companion, Damek, have grown up privileged and spoiled, and they’re devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But Lina’s violet eyes betray her for a witch, and witches are not tolerated in a brutally patriarchal society. Her rank protects her from persecution, but it cannot protect her from tragedy and heartbreak. An innocent visitor stands witness to the devastation that ensues as destructive longing unleashes Lina’s wrath, and with it her forbidden power. Whether drawn by the romantic, the magical, or the gothic, readers will be irresistibly compelled by the passion of this tragic tale.
Australia
Materials from Australia
Ophelia And The Marvelous Boy
Ophelia, a timid eleven-year-old girl grieving her mother, suspends her disbelief in things non-scientific when a boy locked in the museum where her father is working asks her to help him complete an age-old mission.
Always Jack
“Jack’s life is pretty good — he has great friends, everyone loves his funny jokes and he’s an awesome inventor. But things are getting complicated. Nanna’s older and wobblier, and why does his face turn red when he sees his best friend, Anna? And to top it off, Mum and Rob’s wedding seems to be taking over the world. Something really scary has also happened to his mum and it’s going to take all of Jack’s courage to deal with it.”
Mice Mischief: Math Facts in Action
Peggy: A Brave Chicken on a Big Adventure
Peggy, a hen, has a life-changing adventure when a gust of wind drops her in a big city.
The Golden Day
The Vietnam War rages overseas, but back at home, in a year that begins with the hanging of one man and ends with the drowning of another, eleven schoolgirls embrace their own chilling history when their teacher abruptly goes missing on a field trip. Who was the mysterious poet they had met in the Garden? What actually happened in the seaside cave that day? And most important — who can they tell about it? In beautifully shimmering prose, Ursula Dubosarsky reveals how a single shared experience can alter the course of young lives forever. Part gripping thriller, part ethereal tale of innocence lost, The Golden Day is a poignant study of fear and friendship, and of what it takes to come of age with courage.
Slaves of Socorro
With Hal and his fellow Herons returning home to Skandia victorious, they turn their attention to Tursgud, pirate leader of the Shark Brotherband, who has captured twelve Araluen villagers to sell as slaves.
Who’s Whose?
Three very busy families engage in such activities as school, soccer, piano playing, and cooking.
Bright Star
When she meets the famous Australian astronomer John Tebbutt, Alicia realizes that she is no longer doomed to a life of needlework and milking cows but that her future is as limitless as the stars.
Just Another Ordinary Day
Amanda’s ordinary day has her riding to school with a Tyrannosaurus rex, talking after lunch with an alien, sailing a pirate ship at the school library, and riding home on an elephant.