Along the U-shaped table, the subdued clatter of dinnerware and the buzz of conversation was dying out; the soft music that drifted down from the overhead sound outlets seemed louder as the competing noises diminished. The feast was drawing to a close, and Dallona of Hadron fidgeted nervously with the stem of her wineglass as last-moment doubts assailed her. The old man at whose right she sat noticed, and reached out to lay his hand on hers. "My dear, you're worried," he said softly. "You, of all people, shouldn't be, you know." "The theory isn't complete," she replied. "And I could wish for more positive verification. I'd hate to think I'd got you into this—" Garnon of Roxor laughed. "No, no!" he assured her. "I'd decided upon this long before you announced the results of your experiments. Ask Girzon; he'll bear me out." "That's true," the young man who sat at Garnon's left said, leaning forward. "Father has meant to take this step for a long time. He was waiting until after the election, and then he decided to do it now, to give you an opportunity to make experimental use of it." The man on Dallona's right added his voice. Like the others at the table, he was of medium stature, brown-skinned and dark-eyed, with a wide mouth, prominent cheekbones and a short, square jaw. Unlike the others, he was armed, with a knife and pistol on his belt, and on the breast of his black tunic he wore a scarlet oval patch on which a pair of black wings, with a tapering silver object between them had been superimposed....

Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold short story collection—written by some of the best children’s authors including Kwame Alexander, Meg Medina, Jacqueline Woodson, and many more and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. "Will resonate with any kid who's ever felt different—which is to say, every kid." —Time Great stories take flight in this adventurous middle-grade anthology crafted by ten of the most recognizable and diverse authors writing today. Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander delivers a story in-verse about a boy who just might have magical powers; National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson spins a tale of friendship against all odds; and Meg Medina uses wet paint to color in one girl’s world with a short story that inspired her Newbery award-winner Merci Suárez Changes Gear. Plus, seven more bold voices that bring this collection to new heights with tales that challenge, inspire, and celebrate the unique talents within us all. AUTHORS INCLUDE: Kwame Alexander, Kelly J. Baptist, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, Jacqueline Woodson “There’s plenty of magic in this collection to go around.” —Booklist, Starred “A natural for middle school classrooms and libraries.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Inclusive, authentic, and eminently readable.” —School Library Journal, Starred “Thought provoking and wide-ranging . . . should not be missed.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred “Read more books by these authors.” —The Bulletin, Starred

One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus. Libby comes from a long line of bullies. She wants to be different, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. To bolster herself, she makes a card with the message You are amazing. That card sets off a chain reaction that ends up making a difference in the lives of some kids who could also use a boost—be it from dealing with bullies, unaccepting families, or the hole that grief leaves. Receiving an encouraging message helps each kid summon up the thing they need most, whether it’s bravery, empathy, or understanding. Because it helps them realize they matter—and that they're not flying solo anymore.

The book that inspired the Academy Award–winning short film, from New York Times bestselling author and beloved visionary William Joyce. Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. But every story has its upsets. Everything in Morris Lessmore’s life, including his own story, is scattered to the winds. But the power of story will save the day. Stunningly brought to life by William Joyce, one of the preeminent creators in children’s literature, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a modern masterpiece, showing that in today’s world of traditional books, eBooks, and apps, it’s story that we truly celebrate—and this story, no matter how you tell it, begs to be read again and again.

"A spectacularly understated page-turner. Each story enters a world apart, often spoken with a poetic dry wit, sometimes acerbic to the point of controversial, honest to the point of brutal. Some people and situations are so funny you'll wish you'd been there. Many times you wonder how some have survived - some don't. From Ceduna, Madura, Mundrabilla, Kimba, and Yalata near the dog fence, Lewis has met, worked, and lived with the creme-de-la-creme of drifters and transients, as well as the fourth and fifth generational outback station owners. In the great Australian outback - among the dry red soil, the mulga and saltbushes, where the kestrels observe and keep their secrets - beware who you're talking to." Helen Travers, author of 'A Little Lower Than Angels'

By chance, Olivia Spenser-Graf and Sadie Hunt turned onto Route 33, thinking the autumn foliage too spectacular to bypass. A year later bibliophile Olivia would be telling customers that it had been their Robert Frost moment, "except ours was the road taken that brought us here." Only a few miles up that road they pulled into a weedy parking area, drawn to the boarded-up one-room schoolhouse that, within a year, would be renovated and opened as Stacks and Snacks, a bookshop and natural foods eatery. In eighteen stories, some touching, some raucous, Eric Selby examines redemption, grace, family, and community dysfunction through the lives of small-town people living in Gilead County, Vermont. His unforgettable characters include a beloved old-time barber, a cast of frustrated teachers and students, a family whose farm has to be sold, religious nuts, a retired out-of-state couple with long-held hostilities, and a hymn-singing child who confuses hosanna with Obama. As people in the county grapple with their problems, Sadie and Olivia find themselves woven into most of their lives. A Gift of Maple Syrup and Other Stories offers insights into the human condition. These stories celebrate the endurance of the human spirit.

For the passengers and crew, American Cruise Airlines Flight 839 was supposed to be a routine red-eye. But destiny often changes people's lives in ways they can't imagine. When a dinosaur fossil is unearthed in the central Nevada desert, the last thing Andrea Alejandro, a graduate student in paleontology, expected to find was the tail section of an airplane in the same strata of earth. After Flight 839 crash lands in unfamiliar terrain, Sarah documents the daily routine she and her fellow passengers follow, waiting to be saved. Slowly but surely the survivors come to realize that they have crossed through time. The daily horrors of Cretaceous life become clearer as they encounter a family of Tyrannosaurus rexes that grows increasingly interested in the survivors and their shell of an airplane. As timelines collide, one woman's battle for survival becomes another woman's fight for the truth. Tomorrow's Flight is the new novel from Amazon bestselling authors M.E. Ellington and Steven Stiefel.

A collection of seventeen short stories, presented in Spanish and English, that examine the lives of Chicano men and women in the contemporary United States.

A New York Times best seller! From the New York Times and international best-selling author Tatiana de Rosnay comes The Other Story, "[a] brilliant pager-turner"(BookPage), layered and beautifully written, that is a reflection on identity, the process of being a writer and the repercussions of generations-old decisions as they echo into the present and shape the future. Vacationing at a luxurious Tuscan island resort, Nicolas Duhamel is hopeful that the ghosts of his past have finally been put to rest... Now a bestselling author, when he was twenty-four years old, he stumbled upon a troubling secret about his family-a secret that was carefully concealed. In shock, Nicolas embarked on a journey to uncover the truth that took him from the Basque coast to St. Petersburg-but the answers wouldn't come easily. In the process of digging into his past, something else happened. Nicolas began writing a novel that was met with phenomenal success, skyrocketing him to literary fame whether he was ready for it or not - and convincing him that he had put his family's history firmly behind him. But now, years later, Nicolas must reexamine everything he thought he knew, as he learns that, however deeply buried, the secrets of the past always find a way out. "The tension of Nicholas's unsustainable half-truths and the gradual parceling out of his father's secrets will keep readers in de Rosnay's thrall, hoping redemption will come. Readers in real life should anticipate de Rosnay's latest with all the fervor Nicholas's fans show in awaiting his."-Shelf Awareness "de Rosnay's fans...will not be disappointed."-Library Journal

"The revelatory account of a woman's quest for a new life in Africa in the wake of World War II--a heroic career that hid a dark wartime past"--