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Skin (A Roald Dahl Short Story)
by Roald DahlSkin is a short, sharp, frightening story from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking taleIn Skin, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells a sinister story about the darker side of human nature. Here, a very unusual painting proves to be more valuable than anyone, especially its owner, could ever have predicted . . .Skin is taken from the short story collection Someone Like You, which includes seventeen other devious and shocking stories, featuring the wife who serves a dish that baffles the police; a curious machine that reveals the horrifying truth about plants; the man waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach; and others.'The absolute master of the twist in the tale.' (Observer ) This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Tamsin Greig.Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.
A Skinful of Shadows
by Frances HardingeShortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2017.'A Skinful of Shadows confirms Hardinge's status as one of our finest storytellers. It's rare to find a book which is every bit as intelligent and stylish as it is riveting - I was enthralled' - Sarah Perry, author of The Essex SerpentFrances Hardinge weaves a dark, otherworldly tale in A Skinful of Shadows, her first book since the Costa Award-winning The Lie Tree.When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding.Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.And now there's a ghost inside her.The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.
Sky Gazing: A Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets, Stars, Eclipses, and Constellations
by Meg ThacherThis rich visual guide takes readers aged 9–14 on a journey through the Earth&’s solar system, around the galaxy, and into deep space to learn about the moon, sun, planets, stars, and constellations.
Sky Island
by L. Frank BaumThis captivating tale by the "royal historian of Oz" recounts the further adventures of a little girl named Trot and Cap'n Bill, an old sailor, after their visit to the Sea Fairies. A remarkable fairyland in sky country, Sky Island turns out to be a place that Trot, Cap'n Bill, and their friend — a little boy nicknamed Button-bright — were glad to leave after having experienced some unpleasant moments there. Transported by a magical umbrella that whisks the three travelers off to this island in the sky, they meet the six snub-nosed princesses, discover the King's treasure chamber, encounter a blue wolf, meet Tourmaline the poverty Queen and Rosalie the Witch, and eventually make the long journey home.
Sky on Fire: Monument 14, Sky On Fire, And Savage Drift (Monument 14 Ser. #Bk. 2)
by Emmy LaybourneTrapped inside a superstore, fourteen kids have worked together to create a refuge while a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and a terrifying chemical weapons spill, mean they cannot leave. Then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, but also bringing a glimmer of hope. Knowing that the polluted air outside will turn them into bloodthirsty rage monsters, some of the kids decide to stay in the safety of the store. But their sanctuary has already been disturbed once ... The others, determined to find their parents, head out into the darkness and devastation in their recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected . . . 'Riveting' New York Times'A post apocalyptic wild ride' Huffington Post
The Sky Weaver: Iskari Book Three (Iskari #3)
by Kristen CiccarelliLavish, romantic and magical, The Sky Weaver is a new standalone story set in the world of The Last Namsara - one that fans of Leigh Bardugo, Holly Black and Laini Taylor will flock toAt the end of one world, there always lies another.Safire, a soldier, knows her role in this world is to serve the King of Firgaard-helping to maintain the peace in her oft-troubled nation. Eris, a deadly pirate, has no such conviction. Known as The Death Dancer for her ability to evade even the most determined of pursuers, she possesses a superhuman ability to move between worlds. When one can roam from dimension to dimension, can one ever be home? Can love and loyalty truly exist?Then Safire and Eris-sworn enemies-find themselves on a common mission: to find Asha, the last Namsara. From the port city of Darmoor to the fabled faraway Sky Isles, their search and their stories become threaded ever more tightly together as they discover the uncertain fate they're hurtling towards may just be a shared one. In this world, and the next.
Skylark (The\skylark Trilogy Ser. #1)
by Meagan SpoonerVis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power, and in power, life. For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city. Lark did not expect to become the City's power supply. Her only choice is to escape; follow the birds into the wilderness beyond.Into the Iron WoodPerfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Skylark is an electrifying tale of magic, secrecy and survival.
The Skyscraper Throne: The Goddess of London is missing and now the hidden London lurking beneath the surface of the city is under threat of complete annihilation (Skyscraper Throne #Bk. 1)
by Tom Pollock'An impeccably dark parable, endlessly inventive and utterly compelling' Mike Carey, author of The Girl with all the GiftsWelcome to the world of the Skyscraper Throne: a hidden London that lurks just beneath the surface of the city, full of marvels, magic . . . and menace.When seventeen-year-old graffiti artist Beth runs away from home, she doesn't suspect that beneath our London, lies a hidden world of creatures who live off the city, nor does she expect to find Filius Viae, the Urchin, the Son of the Streets, or to drag her friend Pen along with her.When war threatens to decimate this world Beth must decide - fight, or flee?This omnibus edition contains The City's Son, The Glass Republic and The Skyscraper Throne plus bonus material!
Sleep No More
by Aprilynne Pike‘Inception’ meets ‘The Body Finder’ in this dark thriller from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike – perfect for fans of Kelley Armstrong, Alyson Noel and Kimberly Derting.
The Sleeper and the Spindle
by Neil Gaiman Chris RiddellA thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Slovenly Betsy: The American Struwwelpeter (Dover Children's Classics)
by Heinrich Hoffmann Walter HaynSlovenly Betsy, Proud Phoebe, Lazy Charlotte, and other naughty girls get their comeuppance in these darkly humorous fables by Heinrich Hoffmann, the author of Struwwelpeter (Shock-headed Peter). Hoffmann's Slovenly Betsy features the same hilarious approach to manners and morals as its famous predecessor. Adults and children alike will revel in these quaintly illustrated rhyming stories of bad habits and their dire consequences. <p><p> More than 40 full-color drawings accompany Hoffman's cautionary tales in verse of Sophie Spoilall, who deliberately breaks her toys; The Little Glutton, whose greed for sweets leads to a misadventure with a beehive; Envious Minnie, whose pretty face is ruined by jealousy; and other rude and disobedient children. The first large-format edition of a lost classic, this volume will delight book collectors and bibliophiles as well as all readers with a taste for perverse drollery.
Small Steps (Readers Circle Ser.)
by Louis SacharArmpit and X-Ray are living in Austin, Texas. It is three years since they left the confines of Camp Green Lake Detention Centre and Armpit is taking small steps to turn his life around. He is working for a landscape gardener because he is good at digging holes, he is going to school and he is enjoying his first proper romance, but is he going to be able to stay out of trouble when there is so much building up against him?In this exciting novel, Armpit is joined by many vibrant new characters, and is learning what it takes to stay on course, and that doing the right thing is never the wrong choice.
Smith (A Puffin Book #36)
by Leon Garfield Kenny McKendryYoung Smith was a pickpocket - a very accomplished one. But one day his pick-pocketing was to lead him into a sinister and dangerous web of murder, intrigue and betrayal.
The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge
by Jamie JamesAlthough it was still too dark to see well, Joe absentmindedly thrust his right hand into the sack to extract the specimen and have a look. Immediately, he winced with pain and yanked out his hand. A tiny black-and-white banded snake, less than ten inches long, was dangling limply from his middle finger, its fangs still sunk into his flesh. In the fall of 2001, deep in the jungle of Burma, a team of scientists is searching for rare snakes. They are led by Dr. Joe Slowinski, at forty already one of the most brilliant biologists of our time. It is the most ambitious scientific expedition ever mounted into this remote region, venturing into the foothills of the Himalayas. The bold undertaking is brought to a dramatic halt by the bite of the many-banded krait, the deadliest serpent in Asia. In the moment he pulled his hand from the specimen bag and saw the krait, Joe knew that his life was in grave and imminent peril. Thus began one of the most remarkable wilderness rescue attempts of modern times, as Joe's teammates kept him alive for thirty hours by mouth-to-mouth respiration, waiting for a rescue that never came. A daredevil obsessed with venomous snakes since his youth, Slowinski was a modern-day adventurer who rose quickly to the top of his field, discovering many previously unidentified snake species in his brief yet exhilarating career. The Snake Charmer is at once brilliant biography and exotic travel literature, blended with an accessible introduction to the bizarre, fascinating-and sometimes controversial-world of snake science. The narrative transports the reader into primeval wilderness, from the Everglades to Peru to Burma, in search of rattlesnakes and boa constrictors, kraits and cobras. Joe Slowinski's career was fast and exciting, his tragic final expedition a pulse-pounding struggle between man and nature. In The Snake Charmer, renowned journalist and author Jamie James captures the life and death of this charismatic, endlessly fascinating man. Exhaustively researched in interviews with Slowinski's colleagues and family, and the author's own trek into the wilds of Burma, this is narrative nonfiction in the tradition of Into the Wild and The Perfect Storm.
The Snake Trap: Travis Delaney Investigates (Travis Delaney Investigates #3)
by Kevin BrooksFollowing a death-defying escape from the hands of a criminal overlord, young PI Travis Delaney thinks he might finally be getting closer to finding out who killed his parents, and why. But things are about to get a whole lot more deadly . . .One moment Travis is trapped in an armed face-off in the offices of Delaney & Co, private investigators. The next terrorists have stormed the building and he's been abducted. Kept captive alongside Winston, the rogue security officer who Travis believes is responsible for his parents' death, Travis is quickly plagued by more questions than answers.As the truth begins to emerge, Travis is faced with the ultimate dilemma: how do you choose between saving your own life or saving the life of someone you love?
Snow Crash: A Novel (Gateway Essentials)
by Neal StephensonThe only relief from the sea of logos is within the well-guarded borders of the Burbclaves. Is it any wonder that most sane folks have forsaken the real world and chosen to live in the computer-generated universe of virtual reality? In a major city, the size of a dozen Manhattans, is a domain of pleasures limited only by the imagination. But now a strange new computer virus called Snow Crash is striking down hackers everywhere, leaving an unlikely young man as humankind's last best hope.
The Snow Queen: A Dual-language Book (english - Russian)
by Hans Christian AndersenA fresh new translation of one of the world's best and most inspiring fairy talesWhen Kay is cursed by a magic mirror, he can no longer perceive goodness in anything - not his best friend Gerda, nor the roses in the garden. One wintry evening, he is kidnapped by the wicked Snow Queen and swept away to live for ever in her kingdom of ice.Friendless and shoe-less, Gerda must travel through inhospitable lands, with only crows to guide her and bandits for company, in order to find her beloved friend. And when she gets there, how will she melt the ice in his heart?Nearly two centuries after its first publication, The Snow Queen endures as a tale of love and loss, good and evil, and loyalty in the face of great hardships.Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is one of the best-loved tellers of fairy tales. He was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker. The king helped to pay for his education, enabling him to become a short-story writer, novelist and playwright. Hans Christian Andersen remains best known for his fairy tales, which include The Red Shoes, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling.
So You Wanna Be A Pop Star?: A Choices Novel
by Zachary SergiAn energetic, interactive YA novel about five solo pop artists navigating drama, finding their sound, and discovering what it truly takes to chase their dreams of music stardom after being forced into a pop group together. Everly Brooks knows she has what it takes to be the next big singer-songwriter. At least, that's if she could get her onstage presence to stop feeling so wooden and blossom like her rich, moving lyrics. The reality signing competition, SO YOU WANNA BE A POP STAR? is her chance at proving to the world—and herself—that her talent and artistry can mean something more than just live streams and online videos. Vinny Vecchi thought he was heading toward a life full of makeup, wigs, and werking it on the drag stages of NYC. But a powerful diva voice is a precious thing to waste and, in need of money to make his drag dreams come true, SO YOU WANNA BE A POP STAR? is the next best thing. However, surrounded by competitors with clear brands and sharpened musical identities, he wonders if he can break through while still discovering himself. When a group performance on the show goes viral overnight, Everly and Vinny find their careers unexpectedly tied together. Along with their competitors—influencer Dea Seo, pop-punk CeCe Winnifred, and heartthrob Stern Green—these five artists are forced to become the newest pop super group: Jeweltones. You, the reader, get to make choices that will make or break Everly, Vinny, and the group&’s meteoric rise in this interactive novel. Will you mend the cracks to help Jeweltones shine bright, or will they burn out under pressure? The choices are yours to make!
Soldier: A Poet's Childhood
by June JordanWritten with exceptional beauty throughout, Soldier stands and delivers an eloquent, heart-breaking, hilarious and hopeful, witness to the beginnings of a truly extraordinary, American life.
Solitaire (A Solitaire Novella Ser.)
by Alice OsemanA CHILDREN’S TOP 10 BESTSELLER (TCM) The debut novel from Alice Oseman, author of the 2021 YA Book Prize winning Loveless. Solitaire features the characters that inspired the beloved series Heartstopper – now a major Netflix series. “The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age” The Times
Some Day You'll Thank Me for This: The Official Southern Ladies' Guide to Being a "Perfect" Mother (Playaway Adult Nonfiction Ser.)
by Gayden MetcalfeA hilarious guide to that incomparable creature--the Southern mother. Southern society is arranged along matriarchal lines, since the Southern matriarch is a far more formidable being than the much nicer Southern male. She has to be this way; she was put on earth with a sacred mission: to drum good manners and the proper religion--ancestor worship--into the next generation. In Some Day You'll Thank Me for This, Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays, bestselling authors of Being Dead Is No Excuse and Somebody's Going to Die If Lily Beth Doesn't Catch That Bouquet, deliver up a hilarious treatise--complete with appropriate recipes from those finicky, demanding moms--on the joys, trials, and tribulations of being the daughter of a Southern mother. Including sections such as A Crown in Heaven (a Southern mother's favorite fashion accessory), Grande Dames, Toasting the Southern Mother, and why grandmothers prefer their "precious angel baby" grandchildren to their own "bad" children, this is the perfect gift for any Southern mother--or daughter of one.
Someone Else's Summer
by Rachel BatemanFor fans of Julie Halpern and Morgan Matson comes a summer road trip story about adventure, sisters, and finding out who you truly want to be. Anna's always idolized her older sister, Storm. So when Storm dies in a tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation, Anna is completely lost and her family is torn apart. That is, until she finds Storm's summer bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever--which includes taking an epic road trip to the coast from her sleepy Iowa town. Setting out to do everything on Storm's list along with her sisters best friend Cameron--the boy next door--who knew that Storm's dream summer would eventually lead to Anna's own self-discovery?
Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill
by Kevin O'Malley Heather L. MontgomeryWhen Heather L. Montgomery sees a rattlesnake flattened on the side of the road, her first instinct is to pick it up and dissect it--she's always wanted to see how a snake's fangs retract when they close their mouths, and it's not exactly safe to poke around in a live reptile's mouth. A wildlife researcher with a special penchant for the animals that litter the roadways, Heather isn't satisfied with dissecting just one snake. Her fascination with roadkill sets her off on a journey from her own backyard and the roadways of the American South to scientists and kids in labs and homes across the globe. From biologists who use the corpses of Tasmanian devils to investigate cures for a contagious cancer, to a scientist who discovered a whole new species of bird from a single wing left behind, to a boy rebuilding animal bodies from the bones up, to a restaurant that serves up animal remnants, Heather discovers that death is just the beginning for these creatures. This engaging narrative nonfiction is an eye-opening and irreverent look at the dead and dying animals that we pass by without a second thought--as well as a fascinating insight to the scientific research process.
Sometime in Summer
by Katrina LenoFrom critically acclaimed author Katrina Leno comes a tender love letter to books and summertime, with a touch of magic.Anna Lucia Bell believes in luck: bad luck. Bad luck made her best friend stop talking to her. Bad luck caused her parents&’ divorce. Bad luck is forcing her mother, Miriam, to sell the family&’s beloved bookstore. And it is definitely bad luck that Anna seems to be the only person in the world Miriam is unable to recommend a life-changing book.When Anna finds out that she and her mom are spending two months in a New England seaside town called Rockport, she expects a summer plagued with bad luck too. But Rockport has surprises in store for Anna, including a comet making its first appearance in over twenty years and two new—but familiar—friends.In what will prove to be the most important summer of her life so far, Anna learns about love, herself, and the magic that an ordinary summer can bring.
The Son of Neptune: The Graphic Novel (Heroes of Olympus #2)
by Rick RiordanThe bestselling Heroes of Olympus title by Percy Jackson creator, Rick Riordan - now in stunning graphic novel form!Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, has come face to face with two snake-haired ladies who refuse to die.But they're the least of his problems. Because Percy finds himself at a camp for half-bloods, which doesn't ring any bells for him. There's just one name he remembers from his past. Annabeth. One thing is certain - Percy's adventuring days aren't over. He faces the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven. If he fails, it's not just their camp at risk. Percy's old life, the gods, and the entire world might be destroyed . . .