Author Richard Hefter does it again. In this title he teaches kids to count forwards and backwards and do so seamlessly, without the learning process seeming like a chore.

Bear Boy is a true-life coming-of-age story of two bears who inspire one boy to stand up for animals, question authority and discover the power of activism. "This is a book that will encourage you to follow your dreams...I simply couldn't put it down." -Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace "An empowering story of a young man who discovered his words count, his actions count, and he counts...Delightful in umpteen ways." -Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA "A truly empowering story of compassion, activism, and self-discovery." -Jasmin Singer, author of Always Too Much and Never Enough Justin is a typical teenager, dodging school bullies and waging an endless war with his parents. But when he discovers Ursula and Brutus-two sibling black bears being kept in horrific conditions at a nearby zoo-his life begins to change. He finds a cause that ignites his passion and an animal sanctuary willing to take the bears. But there's a catch: he'll have to cover the quarter-million-dollar cost. Undaunted, Justin takes his seemingly insurmountable quest to an international audience, gaining media attention and support from celebrities. With television cameras rolling, Justin fights to free the bears, and it turns out himself. Justin Barker's surprising and moving YA memoir offers the optimism of the 1990s while exploring timely issues of activism, animal rights, and LGBTQ identity with tenderness, unblinking honesty, and heart. Additional Praise for Bear Boy: "In this compelling, honest, and moving story, Justin Barker proves that one kid can make a big difference. Old and young, rich and poor, black and white, LGBTQ and straight-we all have the power to change the lives of animals for the better."-Sy Montgomery, NYT bestselling author, The Soul of an Octopus "Justin sets an example for what a motivated young person can do to impact their community and the world. Written with honesty and humor, it's fun to tag along as Justin fights his long battle to save Brutus and Ursula. We need more stories like this." -Jamie Margolin, cofounder, Zero Hour; author, Youth to Power

Big Brown Bear and Little Bear shared a cosy cave. They shared each other's company and they shared each other's food. Little Bear liked eating edges and Big Brown Bear munched up all the middles. This worked very well until, one autumn day, Little Bear woke up feeling EXTRA hungry and Big Brown Bear woke up feeling MONSTROUSLY hungry...

Sent away for their own safety, Kai and Lane have lived away from Bear Mountain for nearly a decade. Calls from home finally bring them back for an extended visit. Lane’s papa is ill… and Kai needs to confront the demons of his past—namely the death of his father, Gregor, and his brother’s part in it. Declan is happy his younger brothers have finally come home and now is his chance to convince them to stay. Only it’s more difficult than he expected it to be. His brothers are happy with the new lives they’ve built for themselves and they don’t want to return to the valley. Only Kai and Lane come face to face with a true reason to stay, a broken, battered male—one of the freed Zed victims who’s struggling to find his way in a new world. Turi’s struggle for mental health makes him skittish at best. The instinct to surrender is at war with his own inner demons. He pushes Kai and Lane away, refusing to accept himself as worthy of love. Will he push them all the way out of Bear Mountain—or can they help him find the peace he needs to heal before it’s too late?

The Saga of the Nuleys: Volume One By Terrance Tracy “Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Else tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.” - Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson In the 21st century, Tracy Michaels accidentally stumbled down a steep hill and discovered an ancient artifact written in a Native American dialect. Tracy brought the relic to his long-time friend, John Wisebear Spangler. By this discovery, their lives are dramatically altered when a fourteen year quest for the truth of their ancestry in the 18th century begins. Angus McNuley, an enigmatic character in 18th century England, and Sir Percival Slater begin a dire circumstance which lasted for three generations of the Nuley family. The Saga of the Nuleys: Volume One is how one man’s love was tragically thwarted by one man’s bitterness and the effects of Manifest Destiny on the Native Americans. Joshua Nuley, in the second part of the novel, learns how his destiny was shaped by Angus McNuley and altered by Robert Slater.

From USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author Lynn Red comes a steamy, sexy, hilarious alpha werebear romance... with two times the bears! Jill Appleton is a witty, slightly-lanky, tall-enough-to-make-most-guys-nervous biologist with a thing for bears. Whoa, whoa, not like that - she's got a thing for SAVING bears. When she hears stories of a secretive group of Kodiaks in the Appalachian Mountains, she knows she's got to check them out. First of all, they're not supposed to be there, and second – bears that live in a pack? That's about as rare as biologists who love big crowds. Or, when it comes to Jill, it’s as rare as one of her dates not turning into a train wreck. She's all but given up on finding that one guy who the universe decided was right for her. Good thing she's about to meet two. Rogue and King, joint alphas of the Broken Pine werebear clan, could not be more different. King is quiet, stalwart, and strong. He holds clan traditions and history sacred, and refuses to wear anything but a loincloth – the way the elders did. Rogue would rather get a face full of werewolf teeth than bother with all that. He’s feral, wild, loyal to a fault, and loves to guzzle craft beer straight from a keg. And also – a loincloth? Jeans all the way for this bear, thank you very much. With the outside world coming closer to Broken Pine territory all the time, and the werewolf packs getting more riled up than ever, something is wrong. But, when the two alphas - who according to clan law, both mate one woman, and mate for life - see Jill making her way to camp? The two alphas feel their hearts beat together, and know in that second that no matter what, no matter how, they will have her, they will possess her. They’ll make her theirs at any cost. ***The Broken Pine Bears is a series of standalone novels each with a complete storyline and HEA ending. No cliffhangers here!***

Their need to protect him is greater than their need to claim… Life seems to have it out for Zachary Duchamps. He’s gone from foster home to foster home, until he works his ass off to get into the University of Chicago—hopeful to change his circumstances. But when a side job brings him face-to-face with the paranormal, he’s abducted and sold to the highest bidder. Finally able to escape years later, fate brings him from one nightmare to another. When the battered, exhausted human shows up at their door, bear shifters Chase and LJ rush to protect Zach from whatever demons are chasing him. They immediately scent the man is theirs, but after all he’s been through, they hold back the instinctual need roaring in their blood. Zach’s finally safe in Bear Mountain—but there are two shifters outside the walls, demanding theyare the human’s mates and that he be returned to them. Can Chase and LJ—with the help of a whole community—keep Zach safe from harm and prove to him that not all shifters are monsters? And can Zach let go of his past and embrace his future?

Bear shifters Ari and Nikos are attacked in the middle of the night, only to be saved by a group of shifters and taken to find sanctuary in Bear Mountain. Neither of them can believe a place like it could exist—a world apart from the human one where they can be free to be who they are. It almost feels too perfect, and cynic Ari struggles to accept that Bear Mountain could be home… Until the pair finds their mate amongst the residents. Omega Cotton doesn’t want to believe it. He loves Dillon and has set his sights on having the male for his own. While Dillon is away on an errand for the alpha, Ari and Nikos press their case, confusing Cotton’s already raw feelings. When Dillon hears the news that Cotton will be claimed, the bear loses his mind. Dillon lost his heart to Cotton, as well—but he knows the omega deserves happiness. How can Dillon ask Cotton to turn his back on his fate and choose him instead?