Search results for ""astra publishing house""

Hugo winner Jim C. Hines's hilarious and clever Magic ex Libris series, where books come alive and libriomancer Isaac Vainio combats magical threats that spring from the page “Superior worldbuilding.” —Charlaine Harris • “Really, really clever.” —Patrick Rothfuss • “Magic librarian and ass-kicking dryad adventure story we’ve all been waiting for.” —Seanan McGuire When Isaac Vainio helped to reveal magic to the world, he dreamed of a utopian future, a new millennium of magical prosperity. One year later, things aren’t going quite as he’d hoped. An organization known as Vanguard, made up of magical creatures and ex-Porters, wants open war with the mundane world. Isaac’s own government is incarcerating “potential supernatural enemies” in prisons and internment camps. And Isaac finds himself targeted by all sides. It’s a war that will soon envelop the world, and the key to victory may lie with Isaac himself, as he struggles to incorporate everything he’s learned into a new, more powerful form of libriomancy. Surrounded by betrayal and political intrigue, Isaac and a ragtag group of allies must evade pursuit both magical and mundane, expose a conspiracy by some of the most powerful people in the world, and find a path to a better future. But what will that futures cost Isaac and the ones he loves?

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The first book in the action-filled urban fantasy Dreamwalker trilogy follows Jessica Drake as she navigates the dangerous landscape of distant worlds and dimensionsAll her life Jessica Drake has dreamed of other worlds, some of them similar to her own, others disturbingly alien. She never shares the details with anyone, save her younger brother Tommy, a compulsive gamer who incorporates some aspects of Jessica’s dreams into his games. But now someone is asking about those dreams...and about her. A strange woman has been watching her house. A visitor to her school attempts to take possession of her dream-inspired artwork.Why?As she begins to search for answers, it becomes clear that whoever is watching her does not want her to learn the truth. One night her house catches on fire, and when the smoke clears she discovers that her brother has been kidnapped. She must figure out what is going on, and quickly, if she and her family are to be safe.Following clues left behind on Tommy's computer, determined to find her brother and bring him home safely, Jessica and two of her friends are about to embark on a journey that will test their spirits and their courage to the breaking point, as they must leave their own world behind and confront the source of Earth's darkest legends – as well as the terrifying truth of their own secret heritage.

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Ben Aaronovitch's bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series • “The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” —io9 • 2015 Locus Recommended Reading for FantasyWhen two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved. It’s purely routine—Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all. Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear....

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A return to the vivid fantasy world of the highly popular Sword-Dancer saga, featuring iconic characters Tiger and Del.Sword-Bearer marks a return to the vivid world of Jennifer Roberson’s highly popular Sword-Dancer saga, featuring iconic characters Tiger—the South’s most famous and gifted sword-dancer—and Del, a Northern-born woman and expert sword-singer. Tiger and Del have settled into semi-retirement to raise their daughter, establishing a school for those who wish to become sword-dancers, part of a highly ritualized rite in which specially trained sword-fighters are hired to settle feuds among rich and powerful desert princes. Death-dances are few and far between; the goal is simply to win within the confines of “the circle.” But Tiger is an outcast, a man who attained the highest level of achievement at the training school he attended faster than anyone before him, only to voluntarily break all oaths in order to save Del. By doing so, he made himself a target of men formerly his colleagues, now sworn enemies. He is constantly challenged to death-dances where rules, and oaths, no longer apply. Now, with the world around them falling victim to a malignant Northern-born magic, Tiger gathers Del and his adult son, Neesha, to end the magic threatening the world—and discovers, along the journey, yet another element of magecraft within himself. Yet even as Tiger learns more about his gifts, Del comes face to face with the daughter she left behind so many years before. Fans of Roberson’s bestselling series should enjoy this wildest of rides alongside the Sandtiger and Delilah.

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The first book in the Web Shifter's Library series returns to the adventures of Esen, a shapeshifting alien and member of an ancient yet endangered race, who must navigate the perils of a hostile universe.Esen's back! And the dear little blob is in trouble, again. Things began so well. She and her Human friend Paul Ragem are ready to celebrate the first anniversary of their greatest accomplishment, the All Species' Library of Linguistics and Culture, by welcoming his family back. He hopes. Having mourned his supposed death years ago, understandably, feelings are bent. Instead, they’ve unexpected guests, starting with an old acquaintance. Paul's father has gone missing under dire circumstances. Before he can convince Esen to help him search, a friend shows up to use the Library. A crisis on Dokeci Na is about to explode into violence. To stop it, Evan Gooseberry needs answers. Unfortunately, the artifact he brought in trade holds its own distracting secret. A touch of very familiar blue. Web-flesh. The race is on. Paul, to find his father. Esen, to search for a mysterious legacy while helping Evan avert an extinction. What none of them realize is the price of success will be the most terrible choice of all.

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Bobby Dollar is an angel—a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own—pride, anger, even lust.But his problems aren’t all his fault. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new kid that Heaven has dropped into their midst, a trainee angel who asks too many questions. And he sure as hell doesn’t trust the achingly gorgeous Countess of Cold Hands, a mysterious she-demon who seems to be the only one willing to tell him the truth. When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing, catching both Heaven and Hell by surprise, things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. End-of-the-world bad. Beast of Revelations bad.Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get—in Heaven, on Earth, or anywhere else he can find them. You’ve never met an angel like Bobby Dollar. And you’ve never read anything like The Dirty Streets of Heaven.Brace yourself—the afterlife is weirder than you ever believed.

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Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G'ladheon in the first book of the New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy series On her long journey home from school after a fight that will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her uncertain future. As she trudges through the immense Green Cloak forest, her thoughts are interrupted by the clattering of hooves, as a galloping horse bursts from the woods. The rider is slumped over his mount's neck, impaled by two black-shafted arrows. As the young man lies dying on the road, he tells Karigan he is a Green Rider, one of the legendary messengers of the king of Sacoridia. Before he dies, he begs Karigan to deliver the “life and death” message he bears to King Zachary. When she reluctantly he agrees, he makes her swear on his sword to complete his mission, whispering with his dying breath, “Beware the shadow man...”Taking on the golden-winged horse brooch that is the symbol of the Green Riders, Karigan is swept into a world of deadly danger and complex magic, her life forever changed. Compelled by forces she cannot understand, Karigan is accompanied by the silent specter of the fallen messenger and hounded by dark beings bent on seeing that the message, and its reluctant carrier, never reach their destination.With memorable characters, unique magic, and a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, this action-packed, feminist fantasy is a must-read for lovers of the genre.

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Magic, danger, and adventure abound for messenger Karigan G'ladheon in the second book in Kristen Britain's New York Times-bestselling Green Rider fantasy seriesKarigan G'ladheon was once a Green Rider, one of the king of Sacoridia's elite magical messengers. In the messenger service, she was caught up in a world of deadly danger, and though she defeated the rogue Eletian who cracked the magical D'Yer Wall—which had protected Sacoridia for a thousand years from the dark influence of Blackveil Forest, and Mornhavon the Black's evil spirit imprisoned within it—she had nonetheless been tainted by his wild magic.Exhausted in body and spirit, and determined to take control of her own destiny, Karigan returned to her home in Corsa. But even Karigan's stubborn determination is no match for the Rider's call. Ghostly hoofbeats echo in the deep regions of her mind. When she awakes to find herself on horseback, halfway to Sacor City in her nightgown, she finally gives in. Karigan returns to the court, only to find the Green Riders weakened and diminished. Rider magic has become unreliable, and she herself has ghostly visions of Lil Ambriodhe, First Rider, and founder of the Green Rider corps. But why is the First Rider appearing to Karigan? And will Karigan be able to seek the help of a woman who has been dead for a thousand years?

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From master storyteller and New York Times-bestseller Tad Williams comes the second book in the landmark epic fantasy saga of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Tad Williams introduced readers to the incredible fantasy world of Osten Ard in his internationally bestselling series Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. The trilogy inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time. 



“One of my favorite fantasy series.” —George R. R. Martin “Groundbreaking.” —Patrick Rothfuss “One of the great fantasy epics of all time.” —Christopher Paolini BOOK TWO: STONE OF FAREWELL It is a time of darkness, dread, and ultimate testing for the realm of Osten Ard, for the wild magic and terrifying minions of the undead Sithi ruler, Ineluki the Storm King, are spreading their seemingly undefeatable evil across the kingdom. With the very land blighted by the power of Ineluki’s wrath, the tattered remnants of a once-proud human army flee in search of a last sanctuary and rallying point—the Stone of Farewell, a place shrouded in mystery and ancient sorrow. An even as Prince Josua seeks to rally his scattered forces, Simon and the surviving members of the League of the Scroll are desperately struggling to discover the truth behind an almost-forgotten legend, which will take them from the fallen citadels of humans to the secret heartland of the Sithi—where near-immortals must at last decide whether to ally with the race of men in a final war against those of their own blood. After the landmark Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy, the epic saga of Osten Ard continues with The Heart of What Was Lost. Then don’t miss the sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard, beginning with The Witchwood Crown!

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In celebration of renowned illustrator Kveta Pacovska's 90th birthday, minedition presents a special tribute edition. This retelling of one of her favorite childhood stories, reminiscent of the Goldilocks tale, is a lavishly produced collector's edition, featuring gold and silver foil stamping, 3 pop-up pages, and UV spot lacquer. It is a feast for the eyes and the imagination, and a fitting tribute to the vitality and talent of this much celebrated visual artist.

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It’s nearly time for lights out but Benny and Penny just can’t settle down. The moon has gone missing, there’s a flashlight to play with, Benny can’t sleep without his favorite pirate hat—and he left it inside the spooky backyard playhouse!

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A poetic and lyrical picture book, bursting with colors, about our interdependent world, from cell to self and seed to sky. "With bright artwork and a spare, poetic text, this inviting comic for little ones takes on a truly gigantic topic: the interconnectedness of the universe... It’s eye-catching stuff, and the tone of the text is general enough that, if the concept soars over the heads of little ones, they’ll still be able to grasp the overall message, which is warm, encouraging, and hopeful."--Booklist

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Oedipus is born to a terrible fate. Can he escape it to save himself and his family? An oracle makes a ghastly prediction: the young prince will kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, King Laius decides to kill his infant son before he can ever grow up to fulfill that prophecy. But destiny can't be avoided so easily. That child is Oedipus, who lives to lead a country. Discover his true family, and see how his own rash actions have only furthered the gods' plans. With unique flair and a wealth of details, cartoonist Yvan Pommaux brings to a new generation the tragic tale, which has thrilled and terrified us for thousands of years. A must to nourish young readers' imaginations.Yvan Pommaux is a beloved children's book author in France who is known for his detailed research and illustration style. In 1995, he was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris. Three schools have been named after him as a testament to the joy and educational appeal of his work for children.

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Power up kids’ second-grade skills! With pages of fun puzzle-based activities including Highlights Hidden Pictures, this workbook offers age-appropriate fundamentals in language arts, math and science, plus reading, phonics, vocabulary, grammar, cursive, addition and subtraction, fractions, time, social studies, map skills, science and more! Every exercise will boost their confidence and supplement what they’re learning in school. This 256-page workbook also features simple tips for parents to extend learning, a Certificate of Achievement to celebrate their hard work, plus links to online activities. Developed with educational experts, teacher-approved, and aligned with state standards, the Second Grade Big Fun Workbook will engage students and get them excited about learning. It’s a Family Choice Award Winner, PAL (Play Advances Language) Award Winner, a Parents' Choice Recommended Book and a PAL Top Ten Pick.

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More than 300 silly jokes perfect for back-and-forth play! Curated by the editors at Highlights, this collection is filled with 365 age-appropriate animal knock-knock jokes kids ages 6-9 will love. A great gift for budding comedians, Best Kids’ Knock-Knock Jokes Ever will knock kids’ socks off with laugh-out-loud fun.Knock-knock jokes are wildly popular with kids, and this collection features hundreds of them for sharing with anyone who needs a laugh. Comical black-and-white cartoons and kid-friendly topics like lunch, music, sports and fairy tales add to the appeal. Kids will love amusing themselves—and friends and family—with this hilarious knock-knock collection.Joke books encourage kids to read for fun and provide screen-free entertainment for road trips, rainy days and more—a great option for reluctant readers! Plus, sharing jokes with friends and family isn’t just fun; wordplay found in jokes boosts young readers’ language skills. Telling jokes also helps kids build confidence and social-emotional skills to help them succeed in school.

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Thrilling tales, lighthearted twists!Eisner Award winner LINIERS brings his exuberant cartooning style and irrepressible sense of fun to the spooky folktales of his childhood, telling three from across Latin America: the Iara, a mermaid who lures her love to her underwater domain; La Lechuza, an enormous owl who terrorizes a town after dark; and La Luz Mala, a spooky light that menaces gauchos on the pampas. Combined with back matter on the region’s fascinating ecology, culture, and history, these stories will send a delicious shiver down young spines, while encouraging children to appreciate a rich and dynamic heritage.

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Publishers Weekly BEST Books for Summer 2016. "Sea Change is like a dip in cold Canadian waters: just step inside, and soon you're completely swept away, finding yourself overwhelmed and breathless, entranced by this whirlwind of a book. Bravo, Frank Viva. And glub, glub, glub." - Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events. "Truly heartbreaking! Viva ingeniously weaves words and pictures to evoke that strange, wonderful moment - when the very worst experience of your life somehow becomes the very best." - Chip Kidd, author of Only What's Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts. One summer can change your whole life. As soon as school lets out, Eliot's parents send him to the very edge of the world: a fishing village in a remote part of Nova Scotia. And what does the small town of Point Aconi have to offer? Maggots, bullies and grumpy old men. But along the way, Eliot discovers much more�a hidden library, starry nights and a mysterious girl named Mary Beth. See Point Aconi through Eliot's eyes, as he finds that this place he never wanted to visit is becoming a home he doesn't want to leave.

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Go "outside," "elsewhere," and down the "rabbit hole" with this hilarious introduction to compound words. Young readers will fall in love with the English language as they watch star cartoonist Ivan Brunetti put his sly spin on vocabulary. The lesson here? Even "homework" is fun when you let yourself play with the words.

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This companion to Where Do You Poop? makes sleep training fun and fascinating, as each baby animal goes to sleep in the very best place.

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Jojo needs to pee. Urgently! But to get to the toilet, he'll have to meet the ogre in the hallway. Pascal Lema�tre's brave Jojo and adorable ogre will help kids giggle away nighttime fears. It's late at night, and Jojo knows two things: First, he has to pee, urgently. Second, an ogre lives in the hallway, and he'll have to see him on the way to pee. Not an easy situation to solve. Sword in hand, Jojo creeps along the walls of the dark hallway. Finally he reaches the door, where he discovers that the ogre is inside and on the potty! Jojo tells the ogre to scram, but the sad and sweet-faced ogre is too upset! He has a stomach ache and yes, he's also afraid of the dark! The mayhem escalates from there as more creatures appear, piling into the bathroom to hide from their many nighttime fears. Clever and funny with stellar art by Pascal Lema�tre, this is a story that will delight children who love monsters and spooky stories as it defangs their fears of the dark.

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Bear wishes he could fly. He wants to swoop and glide and feel the wind in his fur. Yet no matter how hard he flaps his arms, he can't get off the ground. Goose and Fox offer support, but Bear remains earthbound�until he hears music. Suddenly, Bear is gliding and swooping and light on his feet. In Suzanne Bloom's lovable story, the seventh in the popular Goose and Bear series, Bear discovers that not getting what you want isn't always a bad thing. In fact, it may lead to something surprising.

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Goose has an important message for Bear, and he asks Fox to deliver it. But Fox has her mind on other things�which only leaves Bear to wonder and worry. Fortunately, in the end, these friends are as good at forgiving as they are at forgetting. Fox gets a starring role in this warmhearted and beautifully simple story about the meaning of being responsible. Featuring gentle humor and charm, this latest entry in Suzanne Bloom's acclaimed Goose and Bear series will help children build foundations for friendship, empathy, and cooperation.

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Astra Magazine is the new literary magazine of the moment, a must-read for anyone interested in the most vital contemporary literature from around the world. Astra Magazine connects readers and writers from New York to Mexico City, Lagos to Berlin, Copenhagen to Singapore and beyond. Each issue contains prose, poetry, art and comics, artfully produced on silky smooth paper with luxurious French flaps. It's the most covetable accessory of the fall — dark and playful, pretty and smart. The Filth issue features work by Elif Batuman, Sheila Heti, Raven Leilani, Aracelis Girmay, Samuel R. Delany, Brontez Purnell, Wayne Koestenbaum, Clarice Lispector, McKenzie Wark, Mariana Enríquez, Safiya Sinclair, Maggie Millner, and many more. There is a moral element to filth. It is both what we have been taught to hide, and the subversive pleasure in revealing it. Many of the writers in this issue are queer or trans or otherwise outsiders. When you are taught that an intrinsic part of you is shameful, you find power in that shame. All that filth, compressed by the pressure, sparkles like diamonds when it is let it into the light. Have you ever felt the relief of telling your own secrets? There’s a reason why people revel in their own filth. It’s a place for revelling

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In this debut collection, Puloma Ghosh spins tales of creatures and gore to explore grief, sexuality and bodily autonomy. Embracing the bizarre and absurd, Mouth stretches reality to reach for truth.Desiccation follows a teen figure skater with necrophiliac fantasies who is convinced the other Indian girl at the rink is a vampire. When a woman returns to Kolkata in The Fig Tree, she can't tell if she is haunted by her dead mother or a shakchunni or both. Nip bottles up the consuming and addictive nature of infatuation, while Natalya is a hair-raising autopsy of an ex-lover. In Persimmons, a girl comes to terms with her own community sacrifice.Full of fangs and talons, Mouth lays bare the otherwise awkward and unmentionable with a singular sharpness. Through surreal and captivating prose, Puloma Ghosh delves into otherworldly spaces to reimagine ordinary struggles of isolation, longing and the aching desires of our flesh.

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"[A] firecracker of a debut."—The New York Times"Andrea Abreu’s debut novel about two girls in the summer heat of Tenerife is perfect for these dog days."—Shreya Chattopadhyay, The New York Times Book ReviewMy Brilliant Friend meets Blue is the Warmest Color in this lyrical debut novel set in a working-class neighborhood of the Canary Islands—a story about two girls coming of age in the early aughts and a friendship that simmers into erotic desire over the course of one hot summer. High near the volcano of northern Tenerife, an endless ceiling of cloud cover traps the working class in an abject, oppressive heat. Far away from the island’s posh resorts, two girls dream of hitching a ride down to the beach and escaping their horizonless town. It’s summer, 2005, and our ten-year-old narrator is consumed by thoughts of her best friend Isora. Isora is rude and bossy, but she’s also vivacious and brave; grownups prefer her, and boys do, too. That's why sometimes she gets jealous of Isora, who already has hair on her vagina and soft, round breasts. But she's definitely not jealous that Isora’s mother is dead, nor that Isora's fat, foul-mouthed grandmother has her on a diet, so that she is constantly sticking her fingers down her throat. Besides, she would do anything for Isora: gorge herself on cakes when her friend wants to watch, follow her to the bathroom when she takes a shit, log into chat rooms to swap dirty instant messages with strangers. But increasingly, our narrator finds it hard to keep up with Isora, who seems to be growing up at full tilt without her—and as her submissiveness veers into a painful sexual awakening, desire grows indistinguishable from intimate violence.Braiding prose poetry with bachata lyrics and the gritty humor of Canary dialect, Dogs of Summer is a story of exquisite yearning, a brutal picture of girlhood and a love song written for the vital community it portrays.

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"Delicately weaves generations of women to the lasting wounds of nuclear destruction and the hubris of war. A unique and unforgettable novel." �Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Woman of Light. A literary thriller about the effects of nuclear power on the mind, body, and recorded history of three generations of Japanese women. Nine years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, Japan is preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. An unnamed narrator wakes up in a cold, sterile room, unable to recall her past. Across the country, the elderly begin to hear voices emanating from black stones, compelling them to behave in strange and unpredictable ways. The voices are a symptom of a disease called Trinity. As details about the disease come to light, we encounter a thread of linked histories�Prometheus stealing fire from the gods, the discovery of radiation, the nuclear arms race, the subsequent birth of nuclear energy, and the disaster in Fukushima. The thread linking these events begins to unravel in the lead-up to a terrorist attack at the Japan National Olympic Stadium.� � A work of speculative fiction reckoning with the consequences of the past and continued effects of nuclear power, Trinity, Trinity, Trinity follows the lives of three generations of women as they grapple with the legacy of mankind's quest for light and power.

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"I have been waiting for this sumptuous, prismatic collection for literal years. Theodore McCombs is a poet of queer pasts, presents, and futures, and Uranians is a formidable debut." -Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties For readers of Ted Chiang and Karen Russell, a genre-defying debut story collection that explores the essential role of queerness in this and every other possible world. At the end of the Victorian era, a handful of forward-thinking public intellectuals advocated for societal tolerance of the "Uranian"-a man who loved other men-wondering if these "intermediate sexes" might in fact constitute totally different beings, even hopeful guides toward the future. The six stories in Theodore McComb's kaleidoscopic debut span several possible worlds, teasing the boundaries between coexisting realities and taking up the question of queer difference from one surprising vantage after another. In "Towards a Theory of Alternative Lifestyles," a heartbroken young man stands in line at an exclusive underground gay nightclub promising visions of parallel lives across the multiverse. In "Ora et Labora," an adolescent novice at a Gothic monastery is forced to labor slavishly over math problems for the good of society entire. In Boston, at the turn of a very different 20th century, a domineering matron-cum-hangman feels that if you want things done right, you'll just have to do them yourself. Finally, in the titular novella "Uranians," an expedition of queer artists, scientists, and one transgender priest are on a lifelong interplanetary voyage that requires them to renegotiate their connections to a remote and hostile Earth, while keeping their ship's biome alive in the harsh void of space.

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This wipe-clean phonics book combines curriculum-based language-arts-skills practice with puzzles, humor, and playful art. The convenient, reusable format is designed to make learning phonics exciting and fun. Phonics skills are important building blocks for reading success. Highlights brings "Fun with a Purpose" to this essential learning activity with this 56-page, full-color, write-on wipe-off book that includs a dry erase marker. This book, created with education experts, covers consonant blends, rhyming words, vowel sounds, spelling patterns, and more--all designed to help kids improve reading and writing skills and build confidence in the classroom. Hidden Pictures puzzles, mazes, and other activities help reinforce learning and add to the fun.

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The Flying Man – Otto Lilienthal, the World’s First Pilot Here is the little-known history of Otto Lilienthal, a daring man whose more than 2,000 successful flights inspired the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers. In 1862, balloons were the only way to reach the sky. But 14-year-old Otto Lilienthal didn’t want to fly in balloons. He wanted to soar like a bird. Scientists, teachers, and news reporters everywhere said flying was impossible. Otto and his brother Gustav desperately wanted to prove them wrong, so they made their own wings and tried to take flight. The brothers quickly crashed, but this was just the beginning for Otto, who would spend the next 30 years of his life sketching, re-sketching, and building gliders. Over time, Otto’s flights got longer. His control got better. He learned the tricks and twists of the wind. His flights even began to draw crowds. By the time of his death at age 48, Otto had made more than 2,000 successful glider flights. He was the first person in history to spend this much time in the air, earning the title of the world’s first pilot and paving the way for future aviation pioneers. Beautifully illustrated - this books will absorb you into the story with fascination, excitement and ease!

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Guitar Turn it up! The newest addition to the nonfiction Eureka! series is a “biography” of guitars, an essential invention that gets people rocking. With a timeline spanning from the first time someone strummed a string stretched across a hollow object to electric guitars that bring stadiums of people to their feet today, Guitar is a fun and informative look at the development of an invention that adds music to our lives. This STEAM non-fiction title is part of the Eureka! series, with each book focusing on one ground-breaking, world-changing discovery that millions of people use every single day.

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The Secret Life of the Flying Squirrel Follow a year in the life of Volans, a flying squirrel, as she glides in the night air to hunt for food, deftly avoids danger from a raccoon, and gives birth to three tiny pups before preparing once again for the coming winter. Emerging at night from a cosy nest high in a tree, Volans the flying squirrel glides down. Although called a “flying” squirrel, she doesn’t fly—she glides using fur-covered flaps. Her instincts lead her to her hidden cache of food. She is also looking for a roomier hiding place because she is ready to give birth. When her pups are born, she stays close to home, giving them milk and keeping them safe from predators until they can venture out on their own. Filled with intriguing facts and gorgeous illustrations, readers will be fascinated by the story of these remarkable rodents. This latest title in the Secret Life series has been vetted by a flying squirrel expert and includes back matter with more in-depth information, a glossary, and further resources.

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Highlights for Children's often-imitated, never-equaled Hidden Pictures puzzles have delighted children—and adults—for over 67 years. This irresistible book is packed with more than 100 favorite puzzles straight from our beloved magazine. Drawn in Highlights' classic black-and-white style, each puzzle is carefully designed to engage and entertain children while honing their concentration skills and attention to detail. With more than 1,200 objects to find, this book provides kids of all ages with hours of puzzling fun. A surefire hit with Hidden Pictures fans who just can't get enough!

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Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year This simple and endearing story about friends learning to understand each other's differences is filled with author/illustrator Suzanne Bloom's gentle humor and trademark pastel illustrations.Sometimes Bear likes quiet time by himself. But his friend Fox has a very different idea of what "quiet" means. Can Bear's quiet aloneness and Fox's noisy togetherness ever result in a satisfying compromise? "This title offers a winning combination of earnestness and flippancy, sweetness, and saltiness. Readers will gain insight into the rewards of contemplation and quiet. The book will inspire rich discussions about what it means to be alone and together and what the experience of "alone togetherness" might mean for friends." —School Library Journal

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Bats are among the world's most misunderstood animals. This Parents' Choice Award book gives readers an inside look at the earth's only flying mammals. Readers discover how bats can pluck insects from the air, fish from the water, and help giant trees and other tropical plants to reproduce, among other fascinating facts. Featuring stunning illustrations, this is a great introduction to an extraordinary mammal.

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Now in paperback, this third book in the Rewilding Reports cli-fi series from a nationally recognized anthropologist explores a frozen future where archaic species struggle to survive an apocalyptic ice age. It's been 925 summers since the Jemen introduced zyme, a bioluminescent algae, into the world's ocean and unwittingly triggered an ice age that has consumed most of the planet. All but a handful of Jemen flew to the stars, but before they left, they recreated several extinct species that had thrived in the last ice age. After almost a thousand summers, the archaic hominins that struggle along the edges of massive glaciers are dwindling. All they have to save them is a dying quantum computer called Quancee and her student, a Denisovan man named Lynx. When the last Jemen, Vice Admiral Jorgenson, tells Lynx he's going to dismantle Quancee and use her parts to create a new computer, Lynx is stunned. But while Lynx battles to save Quancee, the quantum computer has other priorities. Before she dies, she has to save a special boy who cannot save himself. Meanwhile, in the lodges of the Sealion People, a sick boy on the verge of manhood hears voices, including an old woman who sings to him. When Jawbone goes on his first quest to find a spirit helper, that same old woman finds him, and his life will never be the same. An insightful story of climate change with a basis in anthropological research, The Ice Orphan takes readers on a journey to a world at once strange and familiar.

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Seanan McGuire's New York Times-bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated urban fantasy InCryptid series continues with the thirteenth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around usMary Dunlavy didn't intend to become a professional babysitter.  Of course, she didn't intend to die, either, or to become a crossroads ghost. As a babysitting ghost, she's been caring for the Price family for four generations, and she's planning to keep doing the job for the better part of forever.With her first charge finally back from her decades-long cross-dimensional field trip, with a long-lost husband and adopted daughter in tow, it's time for Mary to oversee the world's most chaotic family reunion. And that's before the Covenant of St. George launches a full scale strike against the cryptids of Manhattan, followed quickly by an attack on the Campbell Family Carnival.   It's going to t

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Now in paperback, from Africanfuturist luminary Okorafor comes a new science fiction novel of intense action and thoughtful rumination on biotechnology, destiny, and humanity in a near-future Nigeria.Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong.Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the "reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist" and the "saga of the wicked woman and mad man" unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn't so predictable. Expect the unaccepted.

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The fourth book in The Song of Shattered Sands series--an epic fantasy with a desert setting, filled with rich worldbuilding and pulse-pounding action.When a battle to eradicate the Thirteenth Tribe goes awry, the kingdoms bordering the desert metropolis of Sharakhai see the city as weak and ripe for conquest. Çeda, now leader of the Shieldwives, a band of skilled desert swordswomen, hopes to use the growing chaos to gain freedom for Sehid-Alaz, the ancient, undying king of her people. Freeing him is only the beginning, however. Like all the people of her tribe on that fateful night four centuries earlier, Sehid-Alaz was cursed, turned into an asir, a twisted, miserable creature beholden to the kings of Sharakhai—to truly free her king, Çeda must break the chains that bind him. As Sharakhai’s enemies close in and the assault on the city begins, Çeda works feverishly to unlock the mysteries of the asirim’s curse. But danger lies everywhere. Enemy forces roam the city; the Blade Maidens close in on her; her own father, one of the kings of Sharakhai, wants Çeda to hang. Worst of all, the gods themselves have begun to take notice of Çeda’s pursuits. When the combined might of Sharakhai and the desert gods corner the survivors of the Thirteenth Tribe in a mountain fastness, the very place that nearly saw their annihilation centuries ago, Çeda knows the time has come. She was once an elite warrior in service to the kings of Sharakhai. She has been an assassin in dark places. A weapon poised to strike from the shadows. A voice from the darkness, striving to free her people. No longer. Now she's going to lead. The age of the Kings is coming to an end . . .

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The long-awaited story of the founding of Valdemar comes to life in this 3rd book of a trilogy from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.The refugees from the Empire have established a thriving city called Haven with the help of the Tayledras and their allies. But the Tayledras have begun a slow withdrawal to the dangerous lands known as the Pelagirs, leaving the humans of Haven to find their own way.But even with Haven settled, the lands around Haven are not without danger. Most of the danger comes in the form of magicians: magicians taking advantage of the abundant magical energy in the lands the Tayledras have cleansed; magicians who have no compunction about allying themselves with dark powers and enslaving magical beasts and the Elementals themselves.Kordas, his family, and his people will need all the help they can get. But when a prayer to every god he has ever heard of brings Kordas a very specific and unexpected form of help, the new kingdom of Valdemar is set on a path like nothing else the world has ever seen.Perfect for longtime fans of Valdemar or readers diving into the world for the first time, the Founding of Valdemar trilogy will delight and enchant readers with the origin story of this beloved fantasy realm.

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The seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring him to justice.But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that the Faceless Man, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London's two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.To save his beloved city Peter's going to need help from his former best friend and colleague--Lesley May--who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch....

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