Timothy Freshwater--a smart-aleck boy who just got expelled from the last school in the city--learns that the Chinese mail clerk at his father's office is really an enslaved dragon who, with Timothy's help, must scale the Dragon's Gate in order to resume his true form.

Eleven-year-old Timothy Freshwater has been expelled from every school in his city. With nowhere else to go, he joins his father at the Tall and Imposing Tower of Doom and lands himself an (unpaid) internship with Evans Bore, a hopelessly awkward CEO who hasn't been invited to single fancy party in his entire life. When his father is called away on business, his real education begins. Left in the care of an eccentric neighbour named Mr. Bazalgette, Timothy learns some curious facts about Mr. Bore and his unusually loyal mail clerk, Mr. Shen--facts that lead to unbelievable revelations: about dragons, servants, and the laws that bind them. With time running out, Timothy takes it upon himself to change one dragon's fate, and begins an adventure that will not end until he is relentlessly pursued by a pack of blood-thirsty black cabs, a crazed ninja and the most feared pirate in the South China Sea! This stand-alone read is the perfect introduction to Adrienne Kress' wild imagination. Those readers who loved her first book, Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, will rejoice in the reappearance of Alex, Captain Magnanimous and the peculiar Jack Scratch.

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is the last of the Demonsouled, and has defeated every enemy who ever challenged him. Yet in the sinister Prophetess of Marazadra, he faces a subtle foe unlike any other adversary. And unless Mazael's masters the Prophetess's deadly game, the dark goddess Marazadra will rise in blood and terror...

When sixteen-year-old Kevin Trent considered his life in his homeland of Aurana, he didn't see much potential. Having never known his father and having lost his mother three years before, it seemed as though the only thing he could do with his life was to pick up a trade and pass up his dream to travel the lands as an adventurer. Even his best friend had told him as much, and made fun of his daydreaming. Meanwhile, he watched as his homeland of Aurana was steadily being conquered from the south by the newfound kingdom of Desolunar. But all of that would change when a mysterious man locked eyes with Kevin in a crowded city street, and the wheels were set in place to change forever the lives of himself and his friends...

Dragons in Southern California? Tamara was waiting for that special someone, Acacia was desperate. When he rescued her he had hopes she would help him. She did, but it came with a condition. Little did she know how deeply she would fall in love.

Five stories. Five formative sparks before fire takes the world. One World on Fire anthology. Dragon’s Fate When Daniel Drake’s simple, Sixth Century life shatters, he and his brothers run for their lives—and directly into the arms of the dragons. But some fates cannot be avoided, and Daniel’s uncanny ability to see the future comes with a price, and a choice: enslavement to a Roman Emperor, or the death of the person he loves the most. Conpulsio Rome presses outward. Vesuvius smokes. Ladon exacts a terrible vengeance for an unthinkable act—and sets in motion the unavoidable collision of four people: Two Fates bound by the rigidity of the past and the arrogance of the future. One Shifter with a gift too vile to use. And a man and a dragon who must save them all from the mountain’s smoldering anger—and the weight of their souls’ ashes. Pop Rocks Billy Bare’s comeback tour was supposed to set him up for a return to arena shows. Then he found himself face-to-face with a demonic creature… Dmitri and the Mad Monk Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov: Athlete. Royal. Man who would be Tsar—and the only Shifter alive capable of killing Rasputin. Scent of a Dragon When Daisy Pavlovich realizes a young boy’s true nature — and the true danger his Shifter father presents to both her and the child — she runs headlong into a paranormal fire she should have left alone. But every child deserves a chance, and Daisy’s going to get the boy his even if it kills her…. Note: The five stories of this collection were previously published in various box sets and anthologies.

The Union of Arcana has become the most powerful civilization in human history, expanding through the portals linking parallel universes and laying claim to one uninhabited planet after another. But now the Union's scouts have discovered a new portal, on the far side of which lies a shattering revelation.

Jim is a small-town police officer, proudly doing his duty like any law enforcement agent would. When a call comes in reporting the grizzly deaths of several animals from a local farm; Jim begins an investigation that will change his life forever. After crashing his vehicle following a bloody trail in the woods , he wakes up and realizes that he is not only lost, but he's in a dangerous land where dragons, dinosaurs and magic exist. Jim's continuing adventures as he helps to ensure the future for the family he is building. A fast paced adventure filled with dwarves, elves, & dragons. From the cold and snow in the North to the depths of the oceans in search of the legendary dragon crystal which might give Jim just enough power to defeat the deadly Malum and the evil wizard Chavez. He relies on his training and survival instincts to continues to cheat death. Will he finally be able to balance the power before the dark forces take over. An evil wizard and the creatures he has aligned with must be destroyed before they bring ruin to the entire world he has grown to love. This world has waited for a long time for someone.... a leader . . . . a hero. Can Jim be this person? Things certainly are heating up in more ways than ever expected!

‘In rural China in 1865, 14-year-old Otter eagerly sails to California to join his father and legendary uncle on the transcontinental railroad. On a freezing, snow-filled mountain in the Sierras, Otter begins his harrowing journey toward self-knowledge. An engaging survival-adventure story, a social history, a heroic quest.’—BL. ‘Told with humanity and compassion… a tribute to the survival and courage of these immigrants.’—1994 Newbery Committee. 1994 Newbery Honor Book Notable Children's Books of 1994 (ALA) 1994 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) 1993 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA) 1994 John and Patricia Beatty Award (California Library Association) 1994 Silver Medal for Literature (Commonwealth Club of America)