At last, Yvette was finally free of Bertha Mae’s Ghost/haint. Thankfully, she didn’t remember much of what had occurred during those horrific periods of being pummeled near to death, the nightmares, foul language, and smells of her mother. The fear of losing her mind, the quick desire to give up. Nor did she recall the ceremony that she had performed to send her mother to her grave. What she did recall was sending the man that she adored away, causing her extreme grief. Yet, there had been a plan unforeseen by her that they would come together again. However, she needed time to be free. Free from her mother’s hate in life and death, after more than twenty-nine years. Free to sleep, dream, but most of all, she needed to find out who the real Yvette Marie Hardin was. The questions lingers. What would her freedom bring her, and what remained waiting for her?

Desperate to save her life, Yvette returned to her hometown, Selma, Alabama. She sought help from her grandparents, and searched for Miss Christine, the lady who had played an important part in her childhood, a woman of faith and a clairvoyant. Could she possibly put an end to Bertha Mae’s ghost? A year had passed, and Yvette continued being haunted and violently beaten by her mother’s ghost in her sleep and even in broad daylight. Fearing for her life, Yvette’s days were nearly as horrible as her nights, merely existing, not knowing when Bertha Mae’s haint would appear in the ceiling, burst through the wall, sit on top of her while asleep, violently whip her, or choke her nearly to death. Filled with despair, at one point she nearly gave up, but was convinced to fight to save her life. She deserved to live and find happiness. But could she find the will to fight her mother’s haint? Would she survive?

Yvette Hardin was born to a narcissistic mother who detested her from the moment she entered the world. Over the years, her mother, Bertha Mae, began to strike, curse, belittle, neglect, and demand Yvette do household chores. When Yvette had time to be alone, she prayed that her mother, Bertha Mae, would not scream her name, demanding her to get her stinky, lazy behind up and cater to her. She daydreamed about a better life and prayed that one day her mother would love her. Several days after Yvette graduated high school, her mother died, leaving her without an answer, feeling lost. Frightfully, she wasn't finished taunting her.

On August 25, 1928, the sheriff of St. Louis County took into custody a fifty-year-old Missouri farmwife. Authorities sought to question her in a mystery which had been building for twenty years: Was she a selfless saint who voluntarily cared for the acutely ill in order to nurse them back to health and restore them to their families? Or a minister of death whose crimes would qualify her as one of America's few female serial killers? In this riveting nonfiction memoir, journalist S. Kay Murphy searches for the truth about her own great-grandmother-accused murderer Bertha Gifford.

In his Nautilus Award-winning classic Touching Spirit Bear, author Ben Mikaelson delivers a powerful coming-of-age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, mischief-maker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail time, Cole is given another option: attend Circle Justice, an alternative program that sends juvenile offenders to a remote Alaskan Island to focus on changing their ways. Desperate to avoid prison, Cole fakes humility and agrees to go. While there, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and left for dead. Thoughts of his abusive parents, helpless Peter, and his own anger cause him to examine his actions and seek redemption—from the spirit bear that attacked him, from his victims, and, most importantly, from himself. Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots of his anger without absolving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing. A strong choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, homeschooling, and book groups.

Lonely and shy, ten-year-old May Ellen Bird has no idea what awaits her when she falls into the lake and enters The Ever After, home of ghosts and the Bogey Man.

The eagerly anticipated followup to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times Lucky When Miss Lana winds up the mortified owner of an old inn with an unidentified ghost in the fine print, Mo’s itching to take the case. Plus, a historical ghost might make for some much needed Extra Credit in history. Who’s haunting the old inn? And why? Mo and Dale set out to solve their second big case—only to find the inn might not be the only thing in Tupelo Landing haunted by the past. A laugh out loud, ghostly, Southern mystery that can be enjoyed by readers visiting Tupelo Landing for the first time, as well as those who are old friends of Mo and Dale. Look for all the Mo & Dale Mysteries: The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, The Odds of Getting Even, and The Law of Finders Keepers "A rollicking sequel." —Wall Street Journal "An irresistible Southern narrator—a literary descendant of Scout Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird." —Newsday on Three Times Lucky

On August 25, 1928, a black sedan pulled into the dusty circular driveway of a farmhouse in the tiny rural community of Catawissa, Missouri. The sheriff of St. Louis County emerged from the vehicle and walked slowly up the front steps. A middle-aged farmwife answered his knock. She spoke quietly with him, excused herself to powder her face, then allowed herself to be led outside and taken away. Authorities sought to question her in a mystery which had been building for twenty years: Was she a selfless saint who voluntarily cared for the acutely ill in order to nurse them back to health and restore them to their families, or a minister of death whose crimes would qualify her as Americaas first female serial killer? In this riveting nonfiction memoir, S. Kay Murphy recounts the tale of searching for the truth about her great-grandmotheraaccused murderer Bertha Gifford.