Once upon a time, a dark evil crept into my kingdom, stealing my loved ones and the happy life I knew. The world turned against me, and I swore to become stronger, to keep myself safe. Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince, hair dark as ebony, skin as pure as the freshly driven snow, and I became the only one who stood between him and death. Once upon a time, our stories intertwined, and now, healing my heart may be the only way to save us all from the evil that threatens to destroy what little we have left.

Three kingdoms. One man. A destiny written in blood. An epic fantasy series begins . . .Seemingly always the outsider, Gavril Andar - an impoverished young painter - yearns to join the privileged circles of Muscobar polite society. However, unknownto him, he does have royal blood in his veins: the dark and powerful blood of a father he never knew.

An engaging biography of a dedicated artist and political activist who followed her heart and her ideals and burned out early, leaving a legacy of unforgettable photographs.

Cass feels the long winter shadows on her heart. Her mother died of cancer and her father has remarried a woman who has moved into their old Manitoba house with her nasty, babyish daughter and an attitude that's very hard to take. Christmas promises to be a miserable time. More than a century earlier, Christmas is proving to be difficult for Beatrice, too, for she has shadows of her own. Some are cast by her circumstances. She sees the growing prejudice against people like her who are of mixed Cree and Scottish backgrounds. And like Cass, she has a stepmother. Her father's new wife is threatened by Beatrice and is driving a wedge into the family. Beatrice can only be sure of her beloved Cree grandmother, relegated to a room upstairs. When a way of escape presents itself to Beatrice by way of an eligible bachelor, she is torn by the choice it offers her. Should she settle for a man she doesn't love or address the problems at home? Through her journal, she explores the answer and, at the same time, inspires Cass to find the strength she needs to face her own situation. Margaret Buffie's great skill as a storyteller creates a splendid, engaging novel that offers readers a rich combination of fine history, suspenseful shifts in time, and unforgettable characters.

Set during the winter Olympics in Sarajevo, this is the story of Megan Carroll, an American who is working for a sports agency in London. She loves her work but finds herself in a head-on collision course with Ian McLaren, who overthrows her conceptions about herself and her values.

Princess Snow Cavell finds herself captured by her evil stepmother and handed over to seven ruthless men known as Shadows-the most feared assassins in the known galaxies. Snow's link to the Cosmos is a threat, one that can no longer be tolerated if her stepmother intends to win the war and rule the Intergalactic Alliance. Their orders are clear-either execute her or deposit her on one of the slaver colonies to be sold. But the Shadows have other plans for the beauty, plans that will fracture alliances throughout the galaxies and shift the tide of the Intergalactic War. No one controls the Shadows. They'd sworn to remain neutral during the War, but all bets are off now that Snow's life hangs in the balance.

Traipse to a small village in the snowy north, where Maria stumbles upon a mysterious gray bundle, covered in wintry snow -- an abandoned wolf cub! Grandfather is hesitant to support his granddaughter's plan to nurse the cub to health, but soon Maria and Shadow warm the hearts of almost every villager.

Overview: A source of inspiration as well as information, this fascinating exploration of color, shape, value and line shows artists how to use the concepts of good painting to create beautiful light and color with pastel.

Landon Snow questions the meaning of life and after falling through the pages of the Book of Meaning, he enters a fantasy realm where new friends are discovered and answers are unearthed.

A splendidly illustrated collection of poems inspired by young children that address common themes such as having a hard day at school, feeling shy or being a newcomer. The poems in Climbing Shadows were inspired by a class of kindergarten children whom poet and playwright Shannon Bramer came to know over the course of a school year. She set out to write a poem for each child, sharing her love of poetry with them, and made an anthology of the poems for Valentine’s Day. This original collection reflects the children’s joys and sorrows, worries and fears, moods and sense of humor. Some poems address common themes such as having a hard day at school, feeling shy or being a newcomer, while others explore subjects of fascination — bats, spiders, skeletons, octopuses, polka dots, racing cars and birthday parties. Evident throughout the book is a love of words and language and the idea that there are all kinds of poems and that they are for everyone — to read or write. Cindy Derby’s dreamy watercolor illustrations gently complement each poem. Beautiful, thoughtful, sensitive and funny, this is an exceptional collection. Key Text Features illustrations table of contents author’s note Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.