Steve O'Brien has crafted a new work of fiction that successfully negotiates the tricky balance between entertainment and instruction. Overtly didactic in some ways, Elijah's Coin is also a highly suspenseful story that introduces us to characters we come to care about. The content is edifying and thought-provoking, but the story never becomes dry.
Elijah's Coin is the story of Tom, a young man who has suffered a tragic loss and is spiraling out of control. He's angry, anti-social, and rapidly descending into a life of crime. Then, during a night of folly, as he brazenly commits burglary, Tom encounters the night watchman Elijah King, a mysterious figure with a shrouded past. Elijah, unexpectedly, doesn't turn Tom in but instead becomes a stern and rather cryptic mentor to him. Rather than laying his lessons out in a straightforward manner, Elijah gives Tom an enigmatic coin and sends him on a mission of self-discovery.
The Purloined Boy, by Mortimus Clay, is a work of fantasy literature for young adults. In parts dark and grotesque, in others luminous and inspiring; it could be described as R. L. Stine meets Plato. It begins with the question, Where do all those children on the milk cartons go? It provides the answer through the eyes of one of those children, a boy named Trevor Upjohn, the purloined boy. Trevor was stolen by a bogeyman as a toddler. But he can't remember that. And he's not the only one. Thousands of children just like him were stolen by bogeys and taken to Superbia, the worst place in the universe. There, the children are cared for by group of officious and unfeeling humans known as the Guardians. For what purpose you ask? A dark and sinister purpose: the most horrid one any could possibly imagine! Fortunately Trevor is not left to fend for himself. A conspiracy comes to his aid, a conspiracy made up of an old man with one good eye, a red-haired girl named Maggie, and a mysterious but very powerful mouse named Zephyr.
Tormented by his adoptive mother and three school bullies, thirteen-year-old Danny Perkins wonders if his life can possibly get any worse. One day, however, his luck begins to change. His kind old grandfather gives him a magic amulet, which opens a doorway to another world…
Danny soon befriends all kinds of weird and wonderful creatures; but all is not what it seems. A dark magician is on the loose, infecting the weak and vulnerable with his odious schemes. Can Danny summon the courage to defeat this ancient evil? Or will he, like countless others, succumb to a fate worse than death!
In these uncertain times, here is a refreshing celebration of forgiveness and humanity. In the teenage journeys of Julia Monroe, we find hope in our youth, friendships and family through her experiences, and ways to learn the art of forgiveness.
One fateful summer night ...when one rule is broken ... five teenagers will discover an unexpected adventure full of magic, romance, and true friendship. Seventeen-year-old Whitnee has spent six years rebuilding her identity after her father's mysterious disappearance left her with more questions than answers. With her two best friends, she returns as an employee to the summer camp of her childhood. Nestled in the Texan hill country, Camp Fusion is everything Whitnee remembers ... except for the haunting visions that only she can see. One fateful night, Whitnee and her friends embark on a magical journey where unexpected adventure and heart-stopping romance collide - a journey that might unlock the dark, complicated mysteries of Whitnee's family history. But will she find the answers she is looking for before it is too late?
