The fifth and final pearl is the only thing that stands between the mermaid Princess Mira and her ability to lift the curse from her kingdom. Scarred from terrible encounters with sea creatures who want to steal the other four, she bravely searches for the Green Fairy, who guards the Green Pearl. Together with her friends Clyde the merman and Olena the octopus, Princess Mira meets treachery and danger, and the three must work together to save the pearls and themselves. But lost in the ocean, with no idea where home lies, they find exhaustion is a greater hardship than either the ocean or its creatures. Will they lose hope, when they are so near the end of their quest? This final story in Princess Mira’s quest for the pearls will soon become a favorite of young readers.
Now holding the White, Black, and Purple pearls, mermaid Princess Mira continues her quest to break the curse that lies across her kingdom. The journey takes her, Clyde the merman, and Olena the octopus, through dark waters far from their home. Now sea creatures have begun to seek Princess Mira’s pearls in earnest. An encounter with an unfriendly orca pod endangers their mission, and Mira must trust her friends to help her. Encounters with even more terrible beasts send them fleeing from the many who want her necklace at all costs. Only Princess Mira’s determination to save her friends and her people keep her going through a journey that is growing harder. But the guardian of the Blue Pearl is the most terrible beast of all, and Princess Mira must come to terms with her fears if she is to get the fourth pearl. Friendship and seeing past appearances make this tale one young readers will return to again and again.
The mermaid Princess Mira and her friends, Clyde the merman and Olena the octopus, have found the White Pearl, the first of five that will help deliver Princess Mira’s kingdom from a terrible curse. Now they search for the Black Fairy, who guards the Black Pearl. But danger stands in their way. Though helped by glowing rainbow fish, they must brave forests of anemones and jellyfish, and swim through terrible ocean currents. Threatened by sea snakes and swordfish, they soon realize that this is a harder journey than the one to find the White Pearl. As they reach the end of their strength, they must find a way to carry on. But the ocean is powerful, and Princess Mira will need much more than a strong tail to carry her to the Black Pearl. Princess Mira’s journey will appeal to young readers with her determination to not only reach her goal, but to protect her friends.
The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People's treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D'eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.
A spellbinding and haunting literary fable of loss, perfect for fans of The Binding and The Night Circus. 'This beautiful and beguiling book tells a poignant and haunting story rich in slow-burning intrigue and tender emotion' Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne. 'A transporting, delicious fairytale about loss, beauty, and love.' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mercies. ________________________ How do you heal a broken house? First you unlock its secrets. Alone on an island, surrounded by flowers that shine as dusk begins to fall, sits an old, faded house. Rooms cannot be rented here and visits are only for those haunted by the memory of loss. When Liddy receives an invitation, she thinks there must be some mistake - she's never experienced loss. But with her curiosity stirred, and no other way to escape a life in which she feels trapped, she decides to accept. Once there, she meets Vivienne, a beautiful, austere woman whose glare leaves Liddy unsettled; Ben, the reserved gardener; and Raphael, the enigmatic Keymaker. If Liddy is to discover her true purpose in the house, she must find the root of their sorrow - but the house won't give up its secrets so easily . . . ________________________ 'A haunting journey of self-discovery, bursting with metaphor, and with the feel of a classic fairytale. Prepare to get lost in this spellbinding world.' Ava Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman. 'Haunting, surreal, and intricate, Cartwright has deftly crafted a story about what we find when we believe we are lost.' Heather Walter, author of the Malice duology. 'Enchanting, poetic prose that enriches a beautiful fairytale world.' A. E. Warren, author of the Tomorrow's Ancestors series.
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead. "Brilliant and original, Mead’s new series starts off with a bang and will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end." —School Library Journal For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea. After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him. Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths.
“With a cast of characters reminiscent of the French film Amélie, Féret-Fleury creates a world that is delightful and enchanting...Light and sweet as a bonbon, this little confection of a book is delicious.” —Kirkus Reviews For fans of Amélie and The Little Paris Bookshop, a modern fairytale about a French woman whose life is turned upside down when she meets a reclusive bookseller and his young daughter. Juliette leads a perfectly ordinary life in Paris, working a slow office job, dating a string of not-quite-right men, and fighting off melancholy. The only bright spots in her day are her métro rides across the city and the stories she dreams up about the strangers reading books across from her: the old lady, the math student, the amateur ornithologist, the woman in love, the girl who always tears up at page 247. One morning, avoiding the office for as long as she can, Juliette finds herself on a new block, in front of a rusty gate wedged open with a book. Unable to resist, Juliette walks through, into the bizarre and enchanting lives of Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. Before she realizes entirely what is happening, Juliette agrees to become a passeur, Soliman’s name for the booksellers he hires to take stacks of used books out of his store and into the world, using their imagination and intuition to match books with readers. Suddenly, Juliette’s daydreaming becomes her reality, and when Soliman asks her to move in to their store to take care of Zaide while he goes away, she has to decide if she is ready to throw herself headfirst into this new life. Big-hearted, funny, and gloriously zany, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is a delayed coming-of-age story about a young woman who dares to change her life, and a celebration of the power of books to unite us all.
Don’t miss the gripping new book from the Sunday Times bestseller, Susan Lewis – available to buy now! ‘A compelling, timely mystery’ bestselling author, Lisa Ballantyne ‘You'll be surprised and captivated right to the end!' Irish Times bestselling author, Carmel Harrington
Secrets, betrayal and shocking revelations await in Sweden’s stunning holiday islands . . . The Hidden Beach is the addictive page-turner by bestselling author, Karen Swan. Two’s a love story. Three’s a crowd. In Stockholm’s oldest quarter, Bell Everhurst loves her job working as a nanny for the rich and charming Hanna and Max Mogert, caring for their three children. But one morning, everything changes. A woman from a clinic Bell has never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake. But the man isn’t her husband Max. As the truth about Hanna’s past is revealed, the consequences are devastating. As the family heads off to spend their summer on Sweden’s idyllic islands, will Bell be caught in the crossfire? ‘Deliciously glamorous, irresistibly romantic!’ - Hello! Enjoy more of Karen Swan's captivating seasonal novels: The Greek Escape and The Rome Affair.
