School spirit has hit rock bottom at Elmwood Elementary. The annual Elmwood Bulldogs basketball championship is just days away, and their mascot, Howler the Bulldog, has vanished! Can fifth-grader Maya and her best friend, Leo, crack the case and find Howler before the big game? Their hunt leads them on a trail of cryptic clues left by the mascotnapper, from the dusty attic to the mysterious janitor's closet. Will Maya and Leo be able to save Howler and reignite school spirit in time for the championship? Or will the Elmwood Bulldogs take the court mascot-less, facing certain defeat? Find out in this wacky, fast-paced mystery perfect for young sleuths!

Elijah's lips touched the sensitive skin of Artemis' neck. Artemis was supposed to be afraid of this man. As she had been afraid of her since she saw him for the first time in that cemetery. But for some reason, he didn't terrify her at that moment. "Say it out loud! I want to hear you say that. Say it, babygirl. That you are mine." Elijah demanded. Artemis flinched but not because of his demanding tone. She flinched in pleasure as one of Elijah's hands rubbed against Artemis' inner thigh. "I am yours, my Alpha!" Artemis moaned loudly as she threw her head back in pleasure. With a satisfied smirk on his face, Elijah pecked her cheek as a reward. --------------------------------------------------------- Artemis was a human, living her life at the fullest. She was unaware of the world that awakens at night. Until one night, she found herself staring in the red glowing eyes of a big black wolf who was ready to tear her apart. Alpha Elijah, the werewolf Alpha who strictly followed the rules he had made. A ruthless and merciless alpha who never once thought about having a woman beside him. Until he set his eyes on a pure beauty that took his breath away. Two people, totally different from each other. Will they ever be able to accept each other? * This is Book 1 of the howler werewolf series

These hilarious fictional diaries put us inside the heads of hapless figures from history. Meet Roderick – a scrawny, unremarkable teenager keeping a diary of his life in the Middle Ages. When he’s chosen to become a knight on a quest to find a holy relic (the fingers of St Stephen), Roderick is determined to prove his honour and graduate from zero to hero. ‘Get Real’ fact boxes feature throughout, providing historical context and further information, as well as a timeline, historical biographies and a glossary in the end matter.

Providing an indispensable resource for students and general readers, this book serves as an entry point for a conversation on America's favorite pastime, focusing in on generational differences and the evolution of American identity. In an age marked by tension and division, Americans of all ages and backgrounds have turned to film to escape the pressures of everyday life. Yet, beyond escapism, popular cinema is both a mirror and microscope for our collective psyche. Examining the films that have made billions of dollars through a new lens reveals that popular culture is a vital source for understanding what it means to be an American. This book is divided into four sections, each associated with a different generation. Featuring such era-defining hits as Jaws, Back to the Future, Avatar, and The Avengers, each section presents detailed film analyses that showcase the consistency of certain American values throughout generations as well as the constant renegotiation of others. Ideal for any cinephile, The American Blockbuster demonstrates how complex and meaningful even the summer blockbuster can be.

From a lonely observatory in the North of England an astronomer watches a meteor unaccountably change course. Some time later, in the dead of night, fourteen "Portals" are delivered within large population centers. Accompanying this arrival are sporadic reports of alien beings. The portals instantly become the best kept secrets in history. From her boring job in Portland Oregon, ex-radio astronomer Mindy Patoy learns that the once harmless meteor is now on a course leading it straight towards Earth. She embarks on a desperate quest and will become embroiled in a conspiracy that rises to the highest level of government, and beyond. The portals are the only escape from a doomed world, who will survive? Who will be chosen?

Achim is eleven years old when he moves from the orphanage to the house by the sea. Here everything is strange and new. But one day he discovers an unusual door that leads to a circular room with walls made of rough stone. The light coming through the window is hazy, as if the room is under water. It is a magic room—which he calls “The Adopted Room”—belonging to another world. And on a bed in the room sits a boy who is waiting to take Achim with him into the realm of the powerful Nameless One. Achim learns that the boy, Arnim, is the long-dead son of Achim’s new parents. When he died in a car accident at the age of four, Arnim was supposed to have become a bird and flown free to the land of the dead, which can be seen through the window of The Adopted Room. But the Nameless One has somehow locked Arnim inside, so he cannot leave. Achim, however, finds he can turn into a bird, slip through the window, and fly across the strange land. And thus begins a journey in which Achim must fight the Nameless One and free Arnim so he can finally leave his parents and they can let go of their grief. Antonia Michaelis’s fresh voice helps to address the delicate issues of death, grief, and mourning, portraying them as an essential part of life. The Secret Room is full of humor and adventure, but also brings to light these difficult life issues in a way that young readers can understand. The first in a trilogy, with its sequel, The Secret of the Twelfth Continent, to follow next spring, this captivating mid-grade novel is sure to become a favorite series with young readers.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction that unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century—the story of the legendary British explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization and never returned. “Suspenseful…rollicking.” —The New York Times In 1925, Percy Fawcett went into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.” In this masterpiece, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle. Look for David Grann’s new book, The Wager, coming in April 2023!