Attacked by an assassin, and positive that the next attempt will be fatal, 14-year-old Alex Weston seizes the slim chance of survival, choosing to abandon ship in a tropical typhoon. Subsequently shipwrecked onto the island of Eridor with his hamster Skoodle, Alex unwittingly crosses the barrier into a world of enchantment. He soon discovers that his beloved pet is not just a hamster, but rather a funny, opinionated, reluctant hero who regularly takes advice from his dead uncle. While on the island, they befriend a brilliant, ebullient monkey, a warrior bear and a sarcastic snake. Possessing no magic abilities himself, Alex is armed only with bravery, loyalty, sheer cussedness and wit as he fights to save his life and his friends. He must also wrestle with the suspicion that a few ounces of added rodent doesn't make him the strongest fighting unit on the island. On his journey, Alex is pursued by murderous crocodiles, engulfed by a man-eating mud swamp and attacked by vengeful...

A beautifully imagined adventure set in a world where islands float in the skyHunting the skies is not for the faint-hearted. In a world where water is scarce and deadly jellyfish swim through the sky, mollycoddled teenager Christien dreams of excitement and danger. When he meets the exotic and alluring Jenine and her family of Cloud Hunters, he becomes determined to fulfil that dream...In a richly imaginative tale, perfect for both boys and girls as they launch themselves into the world of fiction as independent readers, Alex Shearer creates a Dahl-esque fantasy that roams through realms of magic, wonder and adventure.ABOUT THE AUTHORAlex Shearer was born in Wick, in the far north of Scotland. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a secretary. He enjoyed writing from an early age, and sold his first television script about thirty years ago. He went on to write several TV series, stage plays, radio plays and comedy scripts. Moving into writing for...

Featuring brand-new stories by: Kathleen Kent, Ben Fountain, James Hime, Harry Hunsicker, Matt Bondurant, Merritt Tierce, Daniel J. Hale, Emma Rathbone, Jonathan Woods, Oscar C. Peña, Clay Reynolds, Lauren Davis, Fran Hillyer, Catherine Cuellar, David Haynes, and J. Suzanne Frank.From the introduction by David Hale Smith:My favorite line in my favorite song about Dallas goes like this: Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes / A steel and concrete soul in a warm heart and love disguise . . . The narrator of Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s perfect tune “Dallas” is coming to town as a broke dreamer with the bright lights of the big city on his mind. He’s just seen the Dallas cityscape through the window of his seat on a DC-9 at night. Is he just beginning his quest? Or is he on his way home, flying out of Love Field, reminiscing after seeing the woman who stepped on him when he was down?In a country with so many interesting cities, Dallas is often overlooked—except on November 22 every year. The heartbreaking anniversary keeps coming back around in a nightmare loop, for all of us. On that day in 1963, Dallas became American noir. A permanent black scar on its history that will never be erased, no matter how many happy business stories and hit television shows arise from here. In a stark ongoing counterweight to the JFK tragedy are those two iterations of the TV show. Dallas is not a TV show. It’s a real city . . . For the past forty years, my capacity to be surprised by it has not diminished one bit. I hope the stories in this collection will surprise you too.

The Belle of the ball stars in her second Disney Princess chapter book! When Mrs. Potts tells Belle about a winter ball that she used to attend years ago, Belle suggests they plan their very own dance at the castle! But although Belle is excited, she wishes that she could wear the special charm bracelet that her father made for her. The Enchanted Objects (along with the help of the Beast!) decide to surprise Belle and make a bracelet for her. Will they finish it in time?

Katani's favorite magazine, T-Biz!, is running a contest for young entrepreneurs, and she can't wait to surprise her family and the BSG with a prize-winning entry. With the deadline just a week away, major school projects due, and a promise to knit twenty(!) scarves for a Think Pink! fund-raiser, Katani is running out of time. It doesn't make things easier that Maeve has signed up for Betsy Fitzgerald's tutoring service. Betsy is Katani's competition! Katani wants to win the contest on her own, but she needs help -- and who can she turn to if not the BSG?

There are lots of strange things going on at Starling Academy these days: Leona is devastated about her Wish Pendant failure. Ophelia, the newest Star Darling, is completely clueless. Vega's roommate, Piper, is getting on her last nerve. And Scarlet? Who knows? She's nowhere to be found! So when by-the-book Vega gets sent to Wishworld on the next mission, she finds herself very distracted. Why is her Wisher so secretive? Vega needs to solve this puzzle fast. Time is running out and Starland needs every drop of wish energy it can get!

Pete has a protector and friend in the huge, green dragon Elliot. But when Pete and Elliot are rediscovered by other humans, Pete must find a way to protect Elliot in return. Pete and Elliot find friendship, adventure, and a place to belong in this junior novelization of the upcoming film Pete's Dragon.

How far would you go to claim back your fantasies? Grace Anderton is a WAG – one of the Wives And Girlfriends of a Premiership football team. In a long term relationship with up-and-coming mid-fielder, Leo Sparkes, she stays out of the limelight and has her own career, working for one of the CEOs of the UK’s wealthiest bank. When Leo betrays her in the worst way possible, she loses everything – even the dark fantasies which have sustained her. In a tail spin, she sets out to get them back, whatever the cost. Enter the Filth Monger. Heir to a fortune and criminally handsome, he can have any woman he wants...and he wants Grace. But he has his own agenda. Head of a secret organisation dealing in depravity, his life is going to shit around him. As he struggles with his own betrayals, he makes it his mission to save Grace from her one-woman ride to ruin – whether she wants him to or not, and by any means necessary. Even if it means throwing away the chance of having her for himself. The Filth Monger Series is a set of five interlinked Romantic Suspense novels. Due to scenes of an adult nature and some (extremely) bad language, they are intended for a mature readership. In all they total approx. 250,000 words.