Ash, a solitary imp from a secretive, hidden world needs help and Tilly, a young girl with mysterious connections, might just be able to help him. Tilly has spent most of her life shadowing her grandfather's explorations in the natural world. As a twelve year old with a passion for science and nature, she loves to search the great outdoors in the hope of finding the next big botanical discovery. While a bewildered Ash, left vulnerable and alone after a traumatic event, Tilly stays at her grandfather's house for the last time as her family sort out his belongings, after he sadly passes away. She spends many hours exploring the cottage garden, but then, is drawn into the mysterious Whispering Woods which lie at the back of the cottage. A challenging journey awaits the young explorer as she ventures in alone and quickly finds herself lost. But then she hears strange whispers calling her. With curiosity and perhaps a touch of magic, Tilly is drawn into a different magical world where she is desperately needed to help the saddened imp left all alone, cruelly separated from the rest of his family. It is not long before Tilly discovers a mystical past to her grandfather's life and she is persuaded to help the lonely imp in his quest to re-join his mysterious clan. The unlikely pair must create the Newid charm, but to do that they must first find the scroll and gather what is needed for the charm to work. With magical fairies, endangered species and frightening beasts along the way, the pair face many challenges, yet cling onto hope and each other. Craving success for her new friend, Tilly goes on a journey of magical discovery which seems almost impossible to achieve. With an uncertain path and unforeseen events the quest appears fraught with dangers and with little time to achieve. Will the new friendship between Ash and Tilly survive the challenge ahead? And will Ash be reunited with his family before time runs out?

The Last Fidget draws the reader into a magical world, where Tilly discovers her grandfather's extraordinary past and a solitary and vulnerable imp needing her help.

Busy hands equal a happy brain! Learn how fidgeting can help increase productivity and decrease stress, with 101 ways to tap, jiggle, doodle, and click your way to better concentration and creativity. Fidget spinners are the latest popular trend, but pen clicking, pencil chewing, and stress-ball slinging have been commonplace for decades. According to recent research, it’s been shown that fidgeting helps you concentrate and prevent stress. If something we are working on isn’t interesting enough to hold our attention, the additional sensory-motor input of fidgeting allows our brains to become fully engaged and focused. In Fidget! you’ll discover 101 ways to help increase your productivity and decrease stress, so you can fully engage at work and achieve calm, creativity, and mindfulness.

Elliot, the King of the Brownies, might be able to survive some unusual self-defense lessons and a king-napping plot, but withstanding the friendship of his arch-nemesis, Cami Wortson, may be more than even he can handle.

Readers familiar with Sam Pickering's delightful essays will certainly hope that the title of his latest collection is not intended as prophecy. A true original, Pickering offers observation on everyday life that never fail to sparkle with wit, insight, amusement, and wonder. Freely blending fact with fiction-"Writing makes liars of us all," he notes-Pickering ranges easily and amiably from his home base in Storrs, Connecticut, to his roots in middle Tennessee, with numerous side trips to observe the natural world to refelct on the bonds of family and friends. One essay finds him playing auctioneer at a local arts council event, jollying the attendees with "tattered country tales" and fanciful, extravagant claims for items being sold. In another piece, his tongue-in-check remarks about the split infinitive, when quoted in a newspaper, ignite a small controversy that lands him on radio talk shows and provokes a flood of sometimes angry e-mail. Yet, whenever the irritations of the human world become a bit too wearying, Pickering finds ready refreshment in the doings of birds and insects and the splash of sunlight on a tree or flower. Throughout these sixteen essays, Pickering implicitly heeds the advice he offers his son just before the boy much meet the parents of his prom date: :The good storyteller, I instructed Francis, heaps paragraph upon paragraph, just like a waitress serving mashed potatoes in a family-style restaurant." Having dined at the table of a master storyteller, readers will depart this collection feeling fully sated-indeed, well nourished. The Author: A native of Nashville, Sam Pickering is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut and author of eleven previous books of essays. His most recent collections are Living to Prowl, Deprived of Happiness, and A Little Fling.

As intriguing as it is relatable, Paige Roberts’ compulsively readable novel delves into the secrets and ties that lie between friends—and neighbors. When Amy Kravitz opts to leave Washington, D.C., behind in favor of a less stressful life in the Philadelphia suburbs, she has a certain kind of house in mind. And on a charming street in a family-friendly neighborhood, she and her husband Rob find it. It’s a perfect brick colonial with plenty of space, a beautiful yard, and great schools nearby. The sellers, Julian and Grace Durant, are eager to make a deal. In an unexpected bonus, the Durants’ young son, Ethan, strikes up a friendship with Amy and Rob’s introverted four-year-old, Noah. Soon, Amy is unpacking boxes in her new home and arranging playdates for Noah and Ethan. But as weeks go by, Amy suspects something isn’t quite right. Julian’s mail keeps arriving at their old address, and Amy can hardly miss the “Final Notice” stamped on the envelopes in big, red letters. Behind the laid-back veneer projected by the Durants, Amy senses lives reeling out of control. But how much does Grace know, how much is she choosing to ignore—and is there more at stake in Amy speaking up or in staying silent? Praise for Virtually Perfect “Newcomer Paige Roberts serves up a fresh take on reinvention and acceptance. Light and satisfying, Virtually Perfect is the perfect weekend read!” —Amy Sue Nathan, author of Left to Chance “Entertaining and incisive . . . Readers are treated to ample helpings of snappy dialogue and vivid characters.” —Publishers Weekly “Roberts’s spot-on debut novel delves into the virtually perfect façade of an internally imperfect family. The author also eloquently splashes in a dash of humor.” —Library Journal

The Bastion was humanity's last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. A fortified city with a high wall, surrounded by lush land rich with all the resources needed to survive, protected by high mountain summits, and a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, the Bastion became the last stronghold of the living on earth. But one fateful day, the gate failed and the Inferi Scourge destroyed the human settlements outside the walls and trapped the survivors inside the city. Now decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city as resources and hope dwindle.Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her whole life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of her lover, Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.

This may appear just another book set in backdrop of a small coal mining village in the north of England in the early part of the twentieth century...or so you might think....This is the remarkable true story of a man's life that should have been as simple as the next, except it was not....THIS IS TOM'S STORY. As a man all he wanted to do was make a simple living for himself and provide for his family. In spite of and perhaps because of events, his life would demand of him extraordinary courage to handle situations most would find impossible. In the midst of all of this he retained his spirit of humour and fun but even this would be sorely tested to breaking point...

Meredith Tate's gripping YA thriller about sisterhood and secrets--now in paperback! When band-geek Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars. Her older sister Autumn is a different story. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn't had real friends--or trusted anyone--in years. Even Ivy. But Autumn might not be tough enough. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and held hostage. Now, trapped between life and death, she leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence--except her sister. When Autumn doesn't come home, Ivy just knows she's in trouble. Unable to escape the chilling feeling that something isn't right, Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to rescuing her sister... and closer to danger. Autumn needs Ivy to find her before time runs out. But soon, both sisters realize that finding her also means untangling the secrets that lead to the truth--about where they're hiding Autumn, and what Autumn has been hiding.