Evangeline has been lonely her whole life. Her mother rarely lets her play outside . . . especially not when it's snowing. It's almost as if she wants to hide her daughter from the world.For as long as she can remember, Evangeline has felt someone missing, like a best friend who moved away, or an imaginary friend she's forgotten. She knows it sounds crazy, but the thought has always given her comfort-the idea that there's someone waiting for her, looking for her. Someone who cares about her.On her birthday, Evangeline finds her window has blown open, and her room is full of snow. There's a message written in the frost. One word.HELPEvangeline learns that she has a sister, a twin, in fact. They were both born in another world-a land of snow and music and ancient magic. Now, someone is calling Evangeline back, and will stop at nothing to lure her into the magical realm where danger lurks.

Hearts in the Ice is a story of adventure and action, courage and connection, sustainability and survival. Hilde and Sunniva will take you inside their personal accounts of a year of surviving and thriving in a rustic trappers cabin 140 km away from the nearest town-a pivotal moment in Svalbard history; a quick peek at the female explorers who came before them and a testament to the power of community and collaboration.

In the aftermath of a devastating plague, a fearless young heroine embarks on a dangerous and surprising journey to save her world in this brilliantly inventive dystopian thriller, told in bold and fierce language, from a remarkable literary talent. My name be Ice Cream Fifteen Star and this be the tale of how I bring the cure to all the Nighted States . . . In the ruins of a future America, fifteen-year-old Ice Cream Star and her nomadic tribe live off of the detritus of a crumbled civilization. Theirs is a world of children; before reaching the age of twenty, they all die of a mysterious disease they call Posies—a plague that has killed for generations. There is no medicine, no treatment; only the mysterious rumor of a cure. When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find this cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Traveling hundreds of miles across treacherous, unfamiliar territory, she will experience love, heartbreak, cruelty, terror, and betrayal, fighting with her whole heart and soul to protect the only world she has ever known. Guardian First Book Award finalist Sandra Newman delivers an extraordinary post-apocalyptic literary epic as imaginative as The Passage and as linguistically ambitious as Cloud Atlas. Like Hushpuppy in The Beasts of the Southern Wild grown to adolescence in a landscape as dangerously unpredictable as that of Ready Player One, The Country of Ice Cream Star is a breathtaking work from a writer of rare and unconventional talent.

DESCRIPTION: Elmore Leonard meets Franz Kafka in the wild, improbably true story of the legendary outlaw of Budapest. Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant--if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. Arrayed against him was perhaps the most incompetent team of crime investigators the Eastern Bloc had ever seen: a robbery chief who had learned how to be a detective by watching dubbed Columbo episodes; a forensics man who wore top hat and tails on the job; and a driver so inept he was known only by a Hungarian word that translates to Mound of Ass-Head. BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is the completely bizarre and hysterical story of the crime spree that made a nobody into a somebody, and told a forlorn nation that sometimes the brightest stars come from the blackest holes. Like The Professor and the Madman and The Orchid Thief, Julian Rubinsteins bizarre crime story is so odd and so wicked that it is completely irresistible.

When an off-duty police officer paraglides into her remote English home the day before New Year's Eve, wrecking part of her property and endangering her livelihood, Hettie Sampson can't believe her bad luck. The last thing she needs is a cop hanging around, snooping into her business--even if he does have a body built for sin and a smile to die for. All Nate Taylor wanted was a brief, adrenaline-fuelled escape from the memories of his failed relationship and now he's in a quandary--fix his mistake and risk getting stranded or ignore his conscience and leave the fiery-spirited owner of the property in a mess. When a snowstorm hits and they're trapped together, it's only a matter of time before Nate discovers the guilty secret that Hettie's been keeping, finding himself pulled deeper into her life than he ever could have imagined. The question is, can they keep their hearts on ice amidst the heat of their connection?

Tania Dunn is a promising ice-skater, but is in for a shock when her coach decides to pair her with Zac, a daredevil novice skater, for the summer ice show. Tania is outraged! She has always been a singles skater and she doesn't trust Zac on the ice at all. But Zac is very good looking and willing to try anything and slowly but surely he begins to win Tania over . . .

The end of the 23rd century. Earth lies in the grip of a new Ice Age. Famine, cold and fanatic cults threaten what is left of civilization. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Nine of the strongest heroes of the age come seeking the ultimate prize: the Heart of Volent, an object with the power to reshape reality. All are ruthless, powerful, determined. To succeed they must work together. But only one can have the Heart. Choose your alliances with care. Weigh up who to trust. Be ready for betrayal. When the moment comes, the future of mankind will rest on your judgement. * * * Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A soldier whose combat skills are a match for any foe. A stealthy assassin leaping between rooftops. An explorer who can survive in the harshest conditions. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills. Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre. Put yourself in the heart of the story.