Showing results by narrator "Tara Sands" in All Categories

Minnie McClary is the new girl and knows that she doesn't quite fit in, especially not after she lost it one day in language arts. In art, Minnie has to paint a self-portrait - but how can she do this when she doesn't even know who she is anymore? Things aren't great at home, either. Her uncle Bill is building a huge replica of the Apache helicopter he flew in Iraq, and her father has blown some sort of whistle and has to start over in a new job. Then Miss Marks takes over Minnie's language class....

At the urge of her lucky-in-love brother, 16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of dares on her favourite bookshop shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept. Curious, snarky Dash isn’t one to back down from a challenge - and the Book of Dares is the perfect distraction he’s been looking for. As they send each other on a scavenger hunt across Manhattan, they’re falling for each other on paper. But finding out if their real selves share their on-page chemistry could be their biggest dare yet.

Are There Aliens in Allagash? Roberta is convinced she and her best friend Marilee can win the State Science Fair if only they can find an amazing project to showcase. And they've got the whole summer to work on it. But in order to win they'll need to defeat their chief competitor, "The Four Hs of the Apocalypse": Henry Horton Harris Helmsby.

Virginia "V" Dunn is alone when her dog is hit by a car. Lucky's back leg is shattered, and when she comforts him, his blood is wet on her hands. Suddenly the monotony of V's suburban life dissolves: Lucky is in a cast; her best friend, Eileen, is avoiding her; her mother's drinking is getting worse; and her father is sick with a mysterious illness.

When Fenway sees a dog leap into the air and catch a Frisbee, he wants to do it, too. But catching a Frisbee is harder than it looks. Good thing Fenway is willing to keep trying, and he impresses everyone with a special trick of his own!

Be careful what you wish for. We've all heard it, right? Nathanial only recalls ever wishing to be well. How could that possibly go wrong? He had been stuck in his bedroom hacking up a lung for 12 years, and as it had miraculously stopped about a year ago, the wishing seemed to have worked without consequence. But on his 13th birthday, that old rule of wishes comes back to bite.

From the coauthor of the international best seller The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. "I can't stand this poky little town any more. How can I bear it for three more months? Today alone has lasted years...." Disinherited by her father, the debutante Miss Layla Beck is forced to spend the hot summer of 1938 in Macedonia, West Virginia, and is tasked with recording the small town's history. She arrives with one goal: to get out as quickly as possible.

The fallen queen of the sprites is about to be voted in as Head Councilor, and she wants Nathanial in her control. The magical battle blade that he wields is too good a weapon to pass up. If only adults like Boss would let him help stop this disaster, but even Nathanial's friends think this problem is too big for teenagers to interfere with. Now, he must prove to them how imperative it is for all to act.

"I can't stand this poky little town any more. How can I bear it for three more months? Today alone has lasted years..." Disinherited by her father, the debutante Miss Layla Beck is forced to spend the hot summer of 1938 in Macedonia, West Virginia, and is tasked with recording the small town's history. She arrives with one goal: to get out as quickly as possible. Macedonia's history seems simple enough - brief and uneventful.

Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to holidaymakers and move into the apartment above the bakery they own. The apartment is where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and, despite the cramped quarters, it still feels like home. Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest, leaving her seven-year-old daughter, Gussie, in Esther’s care.

With her irresistible urge to tell a joke in every situation - even when she really, really shouldn't - 12-year-old Jacky Ha-Ha loves to make people laugh. And cracking wise helps distract her from thinking about not-so-funny things in her life, like her mom serving in a dangerous, faraway war and a dad who's hardly ever home. But no matter how much fun Jacky has, she can't seem to escape her worries.

Becoming a sprite has come with the consequence of learning how to be tricky, a trait Nathanial has never respected but now relies on for his survival. He must use this skill to navigate the castle walls in which young sprites are learning how to properly dominate the planet. Having come here to free Aliya, Nathanial must now save her from a fate worse than her imprisonment, but she may not be the only one in need of a rescue.

Regan, Sofia, Bennett, and Darius know better by now than to think the witch's curse is done with them. A mysterious family checks into Regan's family Boo and Breakfast...and they seem to take a particular interest in Regan! They're never seen during the day, they're allergic to garlic, and they speak like they're from another time. They couldn't be...could they? But why would a family of vampires want to recruit Regan?

Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn't care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter.

Usually Fenway has a great time visiting Nana with his short human, Hattie. But this time is very different—a bird is living inside Nana's house. And it speaks human! Fenway doesn't know how any of this happened, but he vows to keep Hattie safe from that bird, Merlin. Except Hattie wants them to be friends. Fenway can't believe that could even be possible, but when Merlin gets upset and Fenway realizes what's wrong, it turns out that a bird and a dog can understand each other.

Left behind in a cold and dark burrow, a baby rabbit named Tumkit is destined to die of starvation until Vella, a shrewd and fearless mockingbird, discovers Tumkit and brings him a magic berry. The berry comes from a solitary bush that grows in a cave near the top of Laurel Mountain. Vella warns Tumkit the bush is struggling to survive, and unless they act quickly the supernatural powers of its berries will be lost forever.

Perfect for fans of Twilight. Who do you run with? It's always tough being the new kid in town. And even worse when you have to live with your grandfather in the middle of the forest. But when Katelyn starts at Wolf Springs High she realizes that her new life might not be so bad. There's the enigmatic Trick, who is always there to protect her. And Cordelia Fenner and her irresistible cousin seem extra friendly. Katelyn suspects that there is more to the Fenner Family than meets the eye. But why is she so drawn to them?

Set in the same world as Justin Sayre's previous books, Husky and Pretty, Mean explores the private and public life of Ellen, who is confident, cool, and, according to Davis, mean. But if speaking the truth and being unconcerned with petty gossip makes you mean, Ellen is fine with that.

Paloma Rose is sixteen and already a major TV star. She has money, franchises, adoring fans - and an agent and parents who are dependent on her success to sustain their very comfortable lives. But all that could come to an end when Paloma becomes more famous for her bad behavior than for her acting, and her show's sponsors threaten to cancel the upcoming season if things don't improve.

Rising responsibilities, midlife complications, and the increasing disconnect with loved ones are some of the culprits that trigger anxiety. And these reasons can easily take a toll on your mental health and drain your spirit. But you don’t have to give in to these concerns and settle for less… there is hope for you to live a better life – the life that you have always imagined for yourself!