Koji's world is like any boy's. He loves sports. Goes to school. Studies hard. Dreams big. But childhood ends quickly. Rebel forces enter his village. They ransack the school. Their teacher is beaten. Maybe even killed. The boys line up, guns to their backs. Koji's group goes one way. His best friend's another. What's happened to his family? They are all dead, says a rebel. And you will be too if you don't do what we say. They march for hours. Days. One boy drinks too much water. He is hit again and again. Then murdered. The boys watch and learn. That will not be their fate. It's kill or be killed. So they kill.
Oliver Twist is a penniless orphan. What chance has he got on the dangerous streets of 19th century London? Before long, he's taken in by a gang of thieves. The boy's future looks grim indeed, until a few kindly souls enter the picture.
Raul and Juan set out for a few hours of kayaking. The weather is in their favor. It should be an easy ride. Raul, who is nicknamed the Cloud Warrior, prides himself on knowing good weather from bad. But once on the river, storm clouds appear. Their only choice is to keep moving and try to beat them. Soon they learn that a storm is the least of their worries. Some unexpected campers are in the area causing trouble not only for Raul and Juan, but for a girl Raul likes.
It's the school holiday break, and Iggy is going to Las Vegas to spend time with her dad and stepmom Tiffany. How exciting! Her dad must be planning something big. The Strip. Amusement parks. Thrilling roller coaster rides. But that's not what happens. Iggy is stuck at home in suburbia with Tiffany while her dad works. Then she meets Lucas. His mom is a showgirl, and his dad is an Elvis impersonator. Their house is loud. Colorful. One night Iggy sneaks out and goes with Lucas on an adventure. Her seemingly meek stepmother boldly rescues them when the kids' plan goes awry.
Shawn always runs late. Always. He even turns homework in late but never seems to get in trouble. His grades are great. He's smart. Well liked. Except by Amanda. She's furious that he gets away with everything. They were friends once, but no more. Especially not in their video production class. The class had a big summer assignment. Now it's time to turn it in. Shawn hasn't even begun editing. To cut corners he uses a downloaded freebie app. But it's been hacked. The morning the project is due, he wakes up in an alternate universe. A place where he doesn't exist and nobody recognizes him. Except for Amanda.
High school senior Jack Porter is a track star. During one of his last meets, he asks pretty Becky Mann to the school dance. She's flirty and fun until they get to the dance. Then she gives Jack the cold shoulder. He can't figure it out and soon gives up trying. Sometime during the evening, the police show up. There's a body in Jack's car. It's Becky! The officers question and release him only to show up at his house the following morning. Jack flees. He knows he's being framed. Who killed the pretty teen? Fugitive Jack is determined to find out.
Cool girl Mia is perfection. And she knows it. She and her two besties rule the school. They declare what's hot and what's not. And the Scabs are definitely not. They are losers. One of the Scabs accidently cracks Mia's phone. Mia loses her cool. She takes her popularity a step too far and uses her status to bully the girls who ruined her expensive phone. But being queen bee can change in an instant. And it does for Mia when a doctored Instagram post shows her making out with the school dweeb. Mia is floored at how fast she falls. Once the tables are turned, she learns how harsh she's been.
Ava works hard at maintaining a certain image online and at school. As far as anyone else knows, life is great. But when she inherits an African gray parrot from her great-uncle Bernie (whom she barely remembers), Ava’s carefully crafted world starts to crumble. The parrot, Mervin, is loud and messy and obnoxious. Ava’s brother thinks it’s hilarious to post videos of Ava trying to deal with the crazy bird. He even creates a profile for the two of them. Everyone wants to see more of Ava and Mervin. Suddenly, Ava is internet famous—in the worst possible way. Her friends think the parrot is gross and start acting weird. But then a new girl at school helps Ava see that this parrot might not be the worst gift in the world and that just being yourself is the best way to be.
Fourteen-year-old Dylan is sent to live with his estranged grandfather, Angus. Basically strangers, the two avoid each other as best they can. One day Dylan discovers a young orca stranded high up on the rocky beach. Dylan runs to tell his grandfather. There’s nothing that can be done, says Angus. The sun is coming up, and soon the orca will die of exposure. But Dylan knows he has to try to save the whale. He collects towels to cover the delicate skin of the orca and begins transporting buckets of water from the ocean below to keep it hydrated. It’s grueling work, and it will be hours before the tide comes back in and the water is high enough for the orca to swim free. Angus is moved by his grandson’s determination and helps as best he can. They both desperately hope that soon the orca will be able to join its family, who have been calling out to it just offshore.
Victorian England is riding high. People are so prosperous and smug they imagine themselves the masters of the universe. Then the unthinkable happens: England is attacked by Martians! Panic erupts as the countryside goes up in flames. Is there no way to stop the ghastly, machinelike creatures and their deadly heat rays?
New seventh-grade student Carson Roberts learns the hard way not to cross the school bully, and it's only her first day. Book #1 in the series.
Jake Woods has a small construction business and will be dry walling a five-story building, but he cannot figure out why the basement is smaller than the first floor, so he seeks out his friends the Silvas and, with their help, discovers a sinister plot.
Hester Prynne must be punished. Why won't she name her baby's father? The vengeful Puritans of Boston demand an answer. Can the new doctor in town unlock the mystery of the shameful secret? Hester's gentle pastor seems unable- or unwilling- to give her any help.
Jim and his friends have the treasure map but they're badly outnumbered. Do they have a chance against the bloodthirsty mutineers? Long John Silver says he's on Jim's side. But the one-legged old pirate is clever and wily-- and Jim's very life is at stake!
"The white bar can propel my Time Machine into the future," he explained. "The black bar can send it into the past." As the Time Traveler continues his amazing story, his friends become increasingly suspicious. They can't quite believe his wild story about the evil Morlocks and the beautiful Eloi. Would you believe it?
Searching for a sea monster, a scientist discovers an amazing underwater vessel. At first he's thrilled to be invited aboard the Nautilus. What changes his mind? He discovers that the mad captain plans to stay at sea forever.
The mysterious prisoner is called Marchiali- but is that his true name? And why has an innocent man been imprisoned for so long? The fabled three musketeers suspect a royal conspiracy. But there are deadly dangers in confronting the royal family. The musketeers could be killed- and poor Marchiali could end up wearing an iron mask!
The Civil War battlefields are nothing like Henry Fleming had imagined them to be. Isn't it the duty of every living creature to save its own life? Yet Henry is afraid to return to his regiment. His comrades are sure to sneer at his cowardice.
The young man has only one dream-- join the brave company of the king's musketeers. Will he be clever and daring enough to make his dream come true? He rides into Paris on his old, broken-down horse. A world of adventure is just ahead.
Jane Eyre has had bad luck. In a fit of anger, her cruel aunt sent her off to Lowood, a bleak, charity institution for orphaned girls. There Jane learned to expect little from life. But her new position at a great country estate promises to be far more interesting than she ever dreamed.
Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer, and Frollo, the archdeacon, are both in love with Esmeralda. But the beautiful gypsy has already married another man to save his life- and her heart belongs to an army captain! Poor Quasimodo doesn't have much of a chance. Then an angry crowd cries out for Esmeralda's blood, and Quasimodo proves that true love is eternal.
On the run from his kidnapper, an orphaned boy acquires an unexpected traveling companion. Is Alan Breck the notorious outlaw that people say he is? Or is he really a patriotic hero?
Two young boys discover that they look just alike. But the lives they lead could hardly be more different. What could it hurt to trade places for a while? When the old king dies, they find out in a hurry. Will poor Tom Canty actually be crowned the new King of England?
Lemuel Gulliver has bad luck at sea. A series of shipwrecks lands him in some unimaginable places. First, there's the land of the little people. Next there's the fantastic flying island and the land of the giants. Last but not least, Gulliver visits a nation ruled by intelligent horses!
Uncas and Chingachgook are the last survivors of the once mighty tribe of Mohicans. Their friend, a white scout named Hawkeye, needs their help in the British fight against the French. The odds they face are overwhelming. Magua, a cunning Huron, is determined to see them fail.
