Based on true events, this tale recounts the 1911 theft of history's most famous portrait, Leonardo da Vinci's MONA LISA, through the spririted narration of the proud thief himself.

A wonderful antidote when someone’s mean words or actions get you down! Sophie isn’t smiling anymore–someone took her smile away. It’s making her very unhappy. But enough moping around! Sophie is determined to confront a bully and get her smile back!

The famous painting, Mona Lisa, describes how she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, taken to France, hung in the Louvre Museum, was stolen and then recovered. Suggested level: junior, primary.

On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s most celebrated painting vanished from the Louvre. The prime suspects were as shocking as the crime: Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, young provocateurs of a new art. The sensational disappearing act captured the world’s imagination. Crowds stood in line to view the empty space on the museum wall. Thousands more waited, as concerned as if Mona Lisa were a missing person, for news of the lost painting. Almost a century later, questions still linger: Who really pinched Mona Lisa, and why? Part love story, part mystery, Vanished Smile reopens the puzzling case that transformed a Renaissance portrait into the most enduring icon of all time.

An exhilarating, wondrous middle grade debut about a brother and sister on a quest that “swoops from thrilling to terrifying to heartwarming and back again” (BookPage) to defeat a tyrannical ruler and protect a magical book. “[W]ill appeal to readers of Kelly Barnhill and Lemony Snicket” (Publishers Weekly). Rachel and Robert live a gray, dreary life under the rule of cruel and calculating Charles Malstain. That is, until one night, when their librarian father enlists their help to steal a forbidden book. Before their father is captured, Rachel and Robert are given one mission: find the missing final page. But to uncover the secrets of The Book of Stolen Dreams, the siblings must face darkness and combat many evils to be rewarded with the astonishing, magical truth about the book. Nevertheless, they resolve to do everything in their power to stop it from falling into Charles Malstain’s hands. For if it does, he could rule their world forever.

"The Stolen Sonnet: Hunt for the Viper Queen" is a thrilling series that unfolds in the enigmatic City of Diamonds. Freshly liberated from juvenile detention, Mike finds himself ensnared in a labyrinth of deception and shadows. Navigating the elusive Sunken Market, he grapples with fragmented memories and an insatiable quest for truth. The narrative is bursting with energy and perplexing twists, introducing compelling characters such as his estranged mother, Lillian, and his manipulative uncle, Wilfred Gold. Driven by a melody of defiance, Mike joins forces with Anya, a warrior cloaked in mystery, and Elara, a gem cutter whose secrets shine as brightly as the stones she cuts. Together, they delve into a maze of deceit, dodging lethal assassins and deciphering cryptic maps that lead to a hidden chamber beneath the opulent Diamond Palace. Within this forgotten vault lies not only the captive Lillian but also a truth so explosive it can topple the corrupt empire and rewrite Mike's destiny. However, the Viper Queen won't relinquish her power without a fight. As danger mounts and alliances shift, Mike must embrace his hidden potential and orchestrate a symphony of rebellion that will either illuminate the city or plunge it into chaos.

My sister sat astride the large cat creature, laughing. My sister? I strode away from the second-story window using my energy as a stage. My power buoyed me, swirling purple and red with shimmers of silver, like sparklers at a celebration. The woman on the far side of the Warlock Society’s tall brick wall did look like me. Thinner with stronger facial features, but we had the same phosphorescent green eyes and dark, wavy hair. She definitely gave off more badass vibes. With half her head shaved and riding a giant feline, she had instant tough-girl status. Her aura swirled with rainbows like an oil slick on a puddle. The cat creature was the size of a bus, with orange and black striped fur. Its long tail swayed behind it, twitching with anticipation like a house cat watching birds through a window. Zombies filled the city street, swaying around them. When my sister laughed, the undead turned and watched as if waiting for a command. A flash of sparkling fuchsia caught my eye. A child-sized woman with wings shot from behind the mammoth cat and fluttered above my sister. Bright pink hair braided in tight cornrows accentuated red, almond-shaped eyes. She smiled at me, exposing long, purple fangs. Okay… “I am Ophelia,” my supposed sister announced. “The seventh daughter of the seventh son, the shifter who cannot shift. The warlock who is a woman, the anomaly, the other part of you. Your destiny." The person Suki said I needed to end the zombies… The undead parted, and a man appeared—naked except for intricate black tattoos from his chin down to the tips of his toes. His shaved head and sharp facial features were the only parts of him not inked. “You want to introduce your friends?” I asked. Ophelia laughed again, and the cat grinned, exposing two more canines as thick as my arm. Awesome. “Okay…a shifter who can’t shift. That’s just not a shifter, right? I can’t shift either, but I don’t go around using it as a moniker.” Her lips didn’t move, but her eyes lit with amusement as she answered in my head. “I’m the shifter who cannot shift into animals.” Telepathic much? Green and yellow power pooled beneath Ophelia, lifting her into the air. She wore black leather pants and a matching halter top. I resisted the urge to look down at my own outfit—a handmade linen shirt tucked into brown leather pants, scuffed, bitten through, and dirty. The way Ophelia’s chi supported her, the way the undead obeyed, the fact she had a giant cat, a fanged pixie, and a tattooed naked dude on her side all added up to a formidable opponent. Ophelia walked toward me across her chi, stopping at the edge of the warlocks’ dome of protection. The pink woman, her wings a blur of motion, zipped above us, darting around like a bug. “I cannot shift into animals. But I can shift into the winds,” Ophelia said inside my head. Trees in the yard below us bent as a wave of cold air blasted. “I can shift into the sea, into the rains.” Thunder sounded and clouds manifested above us, curling into a storm, shot through with lightning. "Wow,” I said, because that was impressive stuff. She paced at the edge of the spell’s protection, her power moving under her. "I am your destiny," she said, stopping and putting a hand on one hip, "because I am your death." So...this isn't going to be a sweet sisterly reunion—more of a fight-to-the-death kind of thing. **Beware: This series is for adults who enjoy steamy paranormal romance with strong urban fantasy vibes and who don't mind a few f-bombs.**

In Thieves of Book Row, Travis McDade tells the gripping tale of the worst book-theft ring in American history, and the intrepid detective who brought it down. Both a fast-paced, true-life thriller, Thieves of Book Row provides a fascinating look at the history of crime and literary culture.

A heartening story that celebrates the power of dreaming and having fun, despite the difficulties we may encounter along the way. Despite having plenty of reasons to be sad, there’s always a smile on Isaac’s face thanks to the incredible stories his grandpa tells him, stories that helped him to forget about the illness that was stealing all of his curly blonde hair. Isaac is totally convinced that life is a wonderful game. He’s always dreaming about amazing places like Nuba, a kingdom where people are always happy. But unfortunately, there’s an enemy on the horizon in the land of laughter: the Lord of Noise, who threatens to destroy the happiness of the kingdom once and for all... Isaac’s LAUGH is a poignant tale that celebrates the joy of living despite the hurdles we must overcome along the way, reminding us that fun and bravery can build a world full of love and hope.

Follow the wind. . .Forever Ecstasy. . .Whispered kisses. . . Readers everywhere look to Janelle Taylor for the very best in historical romance. And Stolen Ecstasy continues her beloved Savage Ecstasy series with one of her greatest love stories ever--that of Gray Eagle's son, Bright Arrow, and his beautiful white captive, Rebecca. . . Stolen Ecstasy Seven years had passed since the Oglala Sioux had banished Bright Arrow for loving the magnificent captive, Rebecca Kenny. And though his passion for her still blazed as brightly as the evening star, it was torture for the son of Gray Eagle to be apart from his people. He yearned to ride free in the wind and to sink his knife into the hunt with the other braves. Now, Bright Arrow had to make his choice again--between his desire for a white woman and his honor as an Indian!