Search results for ""author alan"

As Abigail embarks on her third year at the Tarkana Academy, the coven is under a dark cloud: their coven leader, Madame Hestera, has fallen under a deadly curse and Anarae, a powerful High Witch, has taken over the coven. Worse, Abigail fears that Abignus, the malignant presence that once took possession of her, has moved on to Calla. While Hugo and Abigail seek answers, a surprising ally appears in Endera, Abigail’s long-time nemesis. Endera has sworn to help bring Hestera back, and now she must rely on Abigail to protect her from witchlings who want revenge and from the dark forces working to tear the coven apart. As clues surface that Anarae may not be a Tarkana witch at all but a powerful sorceress from a far-off realm, Hugo faces dire circumstances when he faces Anarae on his own. Meanwhile Abigail and Endera become stuck in the Netherworld, where they encounter nightmarish beings. Will Abigail and her companions stave off disaster one more time? Or does this spell the end of Orkney forever? Join Hugo and Abigail in their final adventure in the stunning conclusion to the Witches of Orkney series.

Read more less

"Hilarious, fun, and wonderfully insane! It's more than just a book--it's a book you can play!"--Kristen SchaalWildly funny and inventive, this interactive book pulls you, the reader, into the action. Yes, YOU!You wake up in the fictional land of Astorya, where stories from our world come to life. You're a real human being (we assume), and in this fictional world, that makes you a superhero. Armed with your trusty pencil you have the power to create: what you write, draw, or scribble in the book becomes part of the story!Only you can rescue Prince S. from the evil Queen Rulette. Aided by the Couriers--a French stoat with dangerous dance moves, a giant dung beetle, a fire ninja, a Pegasus-centaur-cowgirl and a super-intelligent femalien chameleon--you must write, draw, and puzzle your way through a hilarious adventure that is unique to every reader! And most importantly, you must prove that the pencil is mightier than the sword.

Read more less

In Sunreach, after a planet-destroying Delver suddenly appears in the sky of Detritus and vanishes just as suddenly, FM knows that the last free human society got lucky. Her Skyward Flight companion Spensa figured out how to draw this Delver away, but it won't be so easy next time. Humanity has to be prepared . . . In ReDawn, Alanik has recovered from the shock of answering a distress call and finding a planet of humans making a stand against the Superiority, only to be dismayed to discover they're considering a peace overture from their enemy. Worse, when she returns to her home planet of ReDawn, she find her own people falling into exactly the same trap. With her mentor captured, she turns to her new friends to help: can Alanik, FM, Jorgen and Rig coax an ancient technology into life in time to save both their planets from disaster?And in Evershore, the government of Detritus is still in disarray following Superiority treachery, and no word has come from Spensa, on her mission deep in the Nowhere, leaving Alanik, Jorgen, FM and Rig to pick up the pieces. So when the Kitsen send word from the planet Evershore, saying they have some humans and wish to return them, they have to decie if the strange message can be trusted . . . A gripping collection of novellas, told from the perspectives of three different characters, these superb adventures are essential Skyward reading!

Read more less

One of the world's greatest fairy tales is re-told in a graphic-novel format. To repay her father's debts, Mirabelle promises the King that she'll spin his straw into gold. An evil troll agrees to help her for a price. Now, Mirabelle must repay an even greater debt, unless she can guess the terrible creature's name.

Read more less

This hands-on guide provides both new and seasoned information professionals with a practical foundation for electronic resources management: how it came to be, where it is today and the essential tools needed to get the job done. Electronic resources management is a dynamic and ever-changing area of librarianship. Fundamentals of Electronic Resources Management cuts through the complexity of the role and offers advice on methods, tools and workflows with emphasis on the interconnection between workflows and systems. Content covered includes: the full range of purchasing options, from unbundling package subscriptions to pay per view evaluating both new content and current resources common clauses in licensing agreements and what they mean selecting and managing Open Access resources understanding methods of e-resources access authentication using a triage approach to troubleshoot electronic resources access issues the basic principles of usage statistics, and ways to use COUNTER reports when evaluating renewals tips for activating targets in a knowledge base marketing tools and techniques clear explanations of jargon, important terms, and acronyms. This guide will prove invaluable, both as an introduction for those preparing to enter the field, as well as a ready reference for current practitioners.

Read more less

Once, they ruled the EarthDinosaurs. Apex predators. Prehistoric creatures, whose very steps shook the crust of the Earth. Monsters of nightmares—or mighty creatures of honor? In these pages, you will meet:* A hunter who makes the ultimate sacrifice for his clutch* A wise king who cannot be defeated—even by the best of his warriors* A queen, facing the apocalypse of her people* A scientist who fears the outcome of her experiments* Two drunken scientists and a time traveling chicken* Dinosaur riders in the future—and the pastSome of the heroes are dinosaurs. Some are human. And some are... something else entirely. In these pages, there are dinosaurs.Are you prepared to meet them, tooth and claw?

Read more less

A powerful story about the mixture of pride and pain that one Black family finds in the American flag, and an invitation for each of us to choose how we relate to America, its history, and the flag that means so many things to so many people."With engaging, lyrical text, and breathtaking art...the book fits precisely into conversations today about Black identity in America...a bold reminder that [the flag] belongs to everyone." –EbonyWhat does the American flag mean to you? For some, it’s a vision of hope and opportunity. For others, it represents pain and loss. And for many, it’s more complicated than that—a symbol of a nation where the basic ideas of freedom and equality are still up for debate.From slavery and segregation through Rosa Parks and Barack Obama, the history of Black people in America is a mixture of pride and pain. And while the flag might mean different things to different people, with some choosing to kneel and others to salute, ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide: the American flag is ours to see and relate to as we choose. In this powerfully validating story that showcases many facets of Black American history through the eyes of a young Black boy in conversation with his grandfather, we are all invited to choose how to relate to America, and to the flag that means so many things to so many people.Praise for My Red, White, and Blue:“An effective and necessary look at patriotism, history, protest, pride, and using your voice. The beautiful art adds so much to the text.” –Teen Librarian Toolbox“Essential…This overview of Black history in America is an indispensable new classroom conversation-starter.” –We Are Teachers

Read more less

From the moment you wake up the excitement begins! Step into the pages of A Family Christmas, as the most magical day of the year unfolds. Full of fun, festivities, and all the wonderful traditions that go into making the perfect Christmas day. A story celebrating the very heart of what Christmas means to us all - family!

Read more less

A Critical Analysis of Race, Policy, and Policing provides students with a variety of readings that examine the complex and often tumultuous relationship between law enforcement and people and communities of color. The selections within this anthology offer research pertaining to racial profiling, punitive justice policies, and the use of excessive force by police.The anthology is divided into two distinct parts. Part I, titled Policing Blacks, includes readings that address racial profiling of blacks by U.S. law enforcement in Nebraska from 2002 to 2007, the taut relationship between police and black males, racial profiling in airports, and the connection between youth of color and the carceral state. In Part II, titled Policing Latinos, students read selections that examine policing of Latino communities in south Los Angeles, racial profiling of Latinos, and issues of immigration and "illegality."Through contemporary research and carefully selected readings, A Critical Analysis of Race, Policy, and Policing exposes students to modern justice issues by focusing on the lived experiences of communities most impacted by flawed criminal justice policies. It is an ideal supplementary textbook for courses in criminal justice, ethnic studies, and policing.

Read more less

This gentle introduction to the concept of exposure therapy for kids will help them deal with phobias. Tommy is terrified of dogs. When he gets an invitation to a big birthday party at his neighbor’s house, his heart sinks—he can’t possibly go, the dog is enormous and scary! But instead of staying away, he and his mom hatch a step-by-step plan to face and overcome his fears in time to enjoy the party. Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers about how to support kids working through exposure therapy.

Read more less

Cossette Consistently Brings the Old Testament to Life in an Engrossing, Fresh New Way Alanah, a Canaanite, is no stranger to fighting and survival. When her family is killed in battle with the Hebrews, she disguises herself and sneaks onto the battlefield to avenge her family. The one thing she never counted on was surviving. Tobiah, a Hebrew warrior, is shocked to find an unconscious, wounded woman among the Canaanite casualties. Compelled to bring her to a Hebrew healer back at their camp, he is soon confronted with a truth he can't ignore: the only way to protect this enemy is to marry her. Unused to being weak and vulnerable, Alanah submits to the marriage--for now. As she comes to know and respect Tobiah and his people, however, she begins to second-guess her plans of escape. But when her past has painfully unanticipated consequences, the tentative peace she's found with Tobiah, the Hebrews, and Yahweh is shaken to the core. Can Alanah's fierce heart and strength withstand the ensuing threats to her life and all she's come to love?

Read more less

Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous.Chandler Gamble has one rule: don't protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he's caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she's at his complete mercy.She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose...

Read more less

With brilliant new livery to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this ground-breaking high fantasy series, Alanna the Lioness the first woman knight rides again.Alanna of Trebond has surpassed even her own impossible dreams of becoming the first female knight. She has faced countless threats, vanquished deadly rivals, and collected adventures worthy of legend. But Alanna is far from satisfied.As trouble brews at home, she embarks on a quest to recover the legendary Dominion Jewel from the edge of her known world. Capable of gracing the holder with great power for good or ill, it may be her only hope to save the realm of Tortall.When an old enemy returns with new plans and allies, she'll need all the skills she has acquired if she is to save the ones she loves and the realm she serves.Forty years on from first publication, The Song of the Lioness Quartet retains its warmth, adventure, and steel, affirming this coming-of-age tale as a timeless masterpiece.

Read more less

Gulf societies are often described as being intensely tribal. However, in discussions of state building and national identity, the role of tribalism and tribal identity is often overlooked. This book analyses the political role of tribes in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE aiming to understand the degree to which tribes hinder or advance popular participation in government and to what extent they exert domestic political power. The research traces the historical relationship between ruling elites and nomadic tribes, and, by constructing political histories of these states and analysing the role of tribes in domestic political life and social hierarchies, reveals how they serve as major political actors in the Gulf. A key focus of the book is understanding the extent to which societies in the Gulf have become ‘re-bedouinised’ in the modern era and how this has shaped these states’ political processes and institutions. The book explores the roles that tribes play in the development of “progressive” citizenship regimes and policymaking today, and how they are likely to be influential in the future within rentier environments.

Read more less

Superhero comics reckon with issues of corporeal control. And while they commonly deal in characters of exceptional or superhuman ability, they have also shown an increasing attention and sensitivity to diverse forms of disability, both physical and cognitive. The essays in this collection reveal how the superhero genre, in fusing fantasy with realism, provides a visual forum for engaging with issues of disability and intersectional identity (race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality) and helps to imagine different ways of being in the world.Working from the premise that the theoretical mode of the uncanny, with its interest in what is simultaneously known and unknown, ordinary and extraordinary, opens new ways to think about categories and markers of identity, Uncanny Bodies explores how continuums of ability in superhero comics can reflect, resist, or reevaluate broader cultural conceptions about disability. The chapters focus on lesser-known characters—such as Echo, Omega the Unknown, and the Silver Scorpion—as well as the famous Barbara Gordon and the protagonist of the acclaimed series Hawkeye, whose superheroic uncanniness provides a counterpoint to constructs of normalcy. Several essays explore how superhero comics can provide a vocabulary and discourse for conceptualizing disability more broadly. Thoughtful and challenging, this eye-opening examination of superhero comics breaks new ground in disability studies and scholarship in popular culture.In addition to the editors, the contributors are Sarah Bowden, Charlie Christie, Sarah Gibbons, Andrew Godfrey-Meers, Marit Hanson, Charles Hatfield, Naja Later, Lauren O’Connor, Daniel J. O'Rourke, Daniel Pinti, Lauranne Poharec, and Deleasa Randall-Griffiths.

Read more less

Two young individuals must uncover the dark secrets of their stratified city in this suspenseful sci-fi standaloneThe metal City towers at the center of the mountain-ringed Heartland, standing astride the deep chasm of the Canyon like a malevolent giant, ruled with an iron fist by the First Officer and his Provosts in the name of the semi-mythical Captain. Within its corroding walls lies a stratified society, where the Officers dwell in luxury on the Twelfth Tier while the poor struggle to survive on the First and Second, and outcasts scrabble and fight for whatever they can find in the Middens, the City’s rubbish heap, filling the Canyon beneath its dripping underbelly. Alania, ward of an Officer, lives on Twelfth. Raised among the privileged class, Alania feels as though she is some sort of pampered prisoner, never permitted to explore the many levels of the City. And certainly not allowed to leave the confines of the City for any reason. She has everything a young woman could want except a loving family and personal freedom. Danyl, raised by a scavenger, knows no home but the Middens. His day-to-day responsibility is to stay alive. His sole ambition is to escape from this subsistence existence and gain entrance to the City—so near and yet so far out of reach—in hopes of a better life. Their two very different worlds collide when Alania, fleeing from an unexpected ambush, plunges from the heights of the City down to the Middens, and into Danyl’s life. Almost immediately, both of them find themselves pursued by the First Officer’s Provosts, for reasons they cannot fathom—but which they must uncover if they are to survive. The secrets they unlock, as they flee the Canyon and crisscross the Heartland from the City’s farmlands to the mountains of the north and back again, will determine not only their fate, but the fate of the City…and everyone who lives there.

Read more less