With the menace of Miss Weaver's reign of terror supposedly behind them, the students of Hollow Fields can look forward to a more peaceful curriculum run by her ethically-minded successor, Principal Bleak. But there's one problem-rebuilding the school after Miss Weaver's reign has left Hollow Fields broke! If the school can't scrape together the cash to pay its staff or maintain its grounds, the Board of Unprincipled Mad Science Education will have it shut down and use the student body for scientific experiments. Not wanting to be separated from her new friends, Lucy stumbles upon a chance for Principal Bleak to save Hollow Fields. All they have to do is win the inter-school mad science competition and along with it, a hefty cash prize. But just what kind of things go on at a mad science fair?!

"As the dark secrets of Ms. Weaver's past become clear, it's up to Lucy to rally her fellow students into action against the Engineers' evil machinations. But how can she possibly turn the most influential girl in school, Summer, into an ally when she is actually Lucy's greatest enemy? And who is the mysterious apparition from the windmill that comes to Lucy with an ominous warning?"--P [4] of cover

FINAL EXAM As Miss Weaver finally reveals the true purpose of her gruesome "personal experiment," Lucy and Claude find themselves trapped in the windmill, facing a fate worse than death! Even with the help of unexpected allies, can they turn the tide against the Engineers, or will the students of Hollow Fields be sacrificed in the name of forbidden science? It's up to Lucy to muster every ounce of courage in order to confront Miss Weaver one last time--and save the children of Hollow Fields!

As the dark secrets of Miss Weaver''s past become clear, it''s up to Lucy to rally her fellow students into action against the Engineers' evil machinations. But how can she possibly turn the most influential girl in school, Summer, into an ally when she is actually Lucy's greatest enemy? And who is the mysterious apparition from the windmill that comes to Lucy with an ominous warning?

As Miss Weaver finally reveals the true purpose of her gruesome "personal experiment," Lucy and Claude find themselves trapped in the windmill, facing a fate worse than death! Even with the help of unexpected allies, can they turn the tide against the Engineers, or will the students of Hollow Fields be sacrificed in the name of forbidden science? It's up to Lucy to muster every ounce of courage in order to confront Miss Weaver one last time--and save the children of Hollow Fields!

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north in this “incredibly fun journey through fae lands and dark magic” (NPR), the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series. “A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic.”—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, PopSugar Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her. But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart. Book One of the Emily Wilde Series

A new anthology of twenty ghostly tales of Yuletide terror, collected from rare Victorian periodicals Seeking to capitalize on the success of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843), Victorian newspapers and magazines frequently featured ghost stories at Christmas time, and reading them by candlelight or the fireside became an annual tradition, a tradition Valancourt Books is pleased to continue with our series of Victorian Christmas ghost stories. This third volume contains twenty tales, most of them never before reprinted. They represent a mix of the diverse styles and themes common to Victorian ghost fiction and include works by once-popular authors like Ellen Wood and Charlotte Riddell as well as contributions from anonymous or wholly forgotten writers. This volume also features a new introduction by Prof. Simon Stern. "Before me, with the sickly light from the lantern shining right down upon it, was--a cloven hoof! Then the awfulness of the compact I had made came to my mind with terrible force ..." - Frederick Manley, "The Ghost of the Cross-Roads" "By the fireplace there was a large hideous pool of blood soaking into the carpet, and leaving ghastly stains around. I am not ashamed to confess that my brain reeled; the mysterious horror overcame me ..." - Lillie Harris, "19, Great Hanover Street" "A fearful white face comes to me; a horrible mask, with features drawn as in agony--ghastly, pale, hideous! Death or approaching death, violent death, written in every line. Every feature distorted. Eyes starting from the head. Thin lips moving and working--lips that are cursing, although I hear no sound." - Hugh Conway, "A Dead Man's Face"