Showing results by narrator "Khristine Hvam" in All Categories

You think you know the world of magical boarding schools? Not from a teacher's perspective at a school for at risk youth. Like any 22-year-old who grew up obsessed with fantasy novels, Clarissa Lawrence expects all her Harry Potter fantasies to come true when she is invited to teach at a school for witches. Her dreams of learning magic - and being a good teacher - are complicated when she finds out her deceased mother was the equivalent of the Wicked Witch of the West.

It was the art that first captivated her, then she saw the artist - a gorgeous, reclusive man with haunted eyes. There was no way to resist him. At Last is a heartwarming story about the power of love to triumph over grief and secrets. The night her latest boyfriend kisses an almost naked blonde in front of the three friends, Henley vows to give up men. She was done with dating...until her lonely walk home from the bar leads her to a gorgeous, reclusive artist who captivates her first with his art and then with himself.

A little book with a big message . . . for when life hits us with a splat. Someday a bird will poop on all of us. But that's okay. In a world of bad news, fake news, delays, disappointments, trash talk, and tweets, things are bound to get a little poopy. What matters is not how big the mess is...

Anaya, a disillusioned 35-year-old doctor, has been looking after Gregory, a retired watchmaker and resident of an aged-care facility. On her last visit, he gifts her his final creation, an exquisitely crafted watch, knowing she will die tragically that very day. What he doesn't reveal is that it will turn back time, with one condition: she must choose the time and place to reset the clock and redo just one thing in her life.

There are a lot of things to be scared of, that’s for sure. There are mean-looking dogs, booming thunderstorms, spiders and other creepy crawly things. All this scary stuff may make you want to hide under your covers and never come out. Hiding is easy, but will it really make everything better?...

Able-bodied Arnie teases Philip—a new student at his school who uses a wheelchair. However, after Arnie injures himself while making fun of Philip, he begins to understand what it means to be compassionate and welcoming...

“Prepare yourself for a daring, unsparing takedown of millennial Manhattan, trick by glossy trick.” —Beatriz Williams We are a bifurcated generation, the Romantics versus the Realists: those who prefer transistor radios to Bose sound systems, scuffed ocean liner trunks to gleaming Rimowa...

Brianna can see her future, but it's the past that haunts her. Plans laid in place centuries ago are threatening not only her and her sister, but all of the Seven Lines. As the shadows plot their way to old rule, the visions shift again. Her power has led to some hard choices - and the occasional stab wound - but this set of futures holds nothing but darkness.

After a college student speeding in a blue Honda Civic kills her husband of less than a year, Olivia is completely lost. One hot summer day, she walks into the beachfront Rhode Island cottage she and David bought the previous August—the place where they had planned to someday start a family—and finds a stranger sitting at her kitchen table. Pregnant fifteen-year-old Ruby is looking for a safe haven for herself and her baby-to-be. Olivia takes her in, desperate to assuage her grief through human connection, even with a troubled teenager.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice...and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways...which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like.

After the beautiful Elena who used to be the captain of the Spartan cheerleaders transfers to Troy High and falls madly in love with Cassie's brother Perry, the Spartans vow that the annual homecoming game will never be forgotten. The Trojans and Spartans pull wicked pranks on each other as homecoming approaches. And the Spartans wildcard football star, Ackley, promises to take down the Trojans offensive line. But the stakes are raised when Cassie is forced to choose between the boy she loves (a Spartan) and loyalty to her family and school.

Ray Shepard is a wealthy architect who has mystified his friends by marrying Evelyn, a woman who works at a nail salon. Evelyn, in turn, hides a secret past about her former life in the circus, her ex-husband's mysterious death, and the colorful tattoos she carefully conceals under her clothes. When Evelyn starts to cave under the pressure of living in Ray's rarified world, she suggests they take in Ingrid, a 16-year-old girl with blue hair, a pet iguana, and no place to stay for the summer. 

Teaching your child to read is monstrously important, and there's no better way to do it than with everyday opportunities for laughter and play. Bringing Up Bookmonsters is full of fun ways to build literacy at home - no flashcards or timers required! Feed your budding bookmonster's brain as you: Turn storytime into playtime to build comprehension; get giggling with games and jokes that reinforce spelling; converse at family meals with varied vocabulary; satisfy your bookmonster's cravings with books they are sure to devour; and more!

Laura Hurwitz, author of Disappear Home, says, "In her brilliant collection Because the Sky Is a Thousand Soft Hurts, Elizabeth Kirschner fearlessly blends poetry, prose, memoir, and master storytelling into an amalgam that lands like a gut-punch to the soul".

How far will Savvy go to up her game? “Readers will come away with a better understanding of the controversy surrounding steroid use, and with an appreciation for a talented voice in young adult literature.”—School Library Journal, starred review All Savvy wants to do is play...

A smart, sophisticated mystery involving theft and bizarre characters, set in New York City. Marley Z. is a hip, outgoing, and confident New York City kid just starting eighth grade. When her best friend is accused of stealing a priceless violin on display at The Juilliard School, Marley steps...

The stunning debut that began with Archetype— and has readers buzzing—concludes in Prototype, when a woman’s dual pasts lock onto a collision course, threatening her present and future. Emma looks forward to the day when she can let go of her past—both of them. After more than a year on...

Demetra Brodsky's Last Girls is a twisting, suspenseful YA thriller about sisterhood, survival, and family secrets set in the world of doomsday prepping No one knows how the world will end. On a secret compound in the Washington wilderness, Honey Juniper and her sisters are training to hunt...

Anna Brisker, a once promising student, has fallen behind. Her PhD on inspiration is overdue, and instead she busies herself with power-eating strawberry Pop-Tarts and watching as her doctoral peers fly off to take posts at prestigious universities. Alone over the holidays, Anna strikes up an unexpected and life-changing friendship. But what can Helen Langley, a middle-aged antiquarian bookbinder, have in her possession that might unlock Anna’s thesis and her chronic inertia? And what laws will Anna break to get it? 

Puzzles accompany the story of a visit to Rock Castle State Park, where the students in Mrs. Jeepers's class suspect that their vampire teacher plans to use her magic brooch to bring the rocks to life as monsters...