An island paradise... and a killer on the loose. Warm Caribbean sunshine and the whisper of waves upon the shore beckon blind PI Steve Smiley. He's come for the wedding of his friend, Bella, at her parents' island resort, but the tide turns on the joyous occasion when the man slated to purchase the resort is found dead. When a guest claims someone is framing her for the murder and pleads for Smiley's help, he's no longer on vacation. With the help of his partner and Bella, Smiley's investigation shines the light on a host of people vying for the slice of paradise. But who would be desperate enough to kill for the beachfront property and its untouched barrier reef? Smiley dives in head first to solve this mystery before the body count rises and the bride's dreams of a picture-perfect wedding are all washed up. Escape to the islands with Smiley and McBlythe as they hunt for a killer intent...

Twelve-year-old Mitchell got involved with the wrong kid this past summer, and the prank they played led to an elderly woman's injury. Now he finds himself at the police station—his "sentence" is to chat online with a nursing home resident twice a week for the next month. Mitch isn't thrilled; what could he and some "old" person possibly talk about? But Mitch's new online friend has a personality all her own. Her name is Wootie Hayes, and she has plenty to talk about: how she got her name, how much she misses her own home, and how she detests bingo. But she also wants to know about Mitch's situation. Without expecting it, they help each other face the truth and begin a new friendship in the process."This intriguing narrative thinks outside the box, and should inspire more experiments with programs like the one presented here." —Kirkus ReviewsJan Siebold lives with her husband in East Aurora, New York. She spent more than thirty years as an elementary...

Lizzie's never been one to take risks—not with her mom, who worries so much, and especially not now that she's the new kid at school. But once a week Lizzie watches fives strangers in a theater class learn the art of improvisation.

Richard gets frustrated by most of Mr. Best's assignments, but this latest one is the worst. He has to write a composition about a proverb that illustrates something that has happened in his life. And as if that isn't bad enough, Mr. Best has told him he needs to find his "writing voice." While working on the assignment, Richard finds his voice in more ways than one. He discovers that being himself makes a big difference in his writing and in his life."Each chapter is an invitation for classroom discussion and can stand alone." —School Library JournalJan Siebold lives with her husband in East Aurora, New York. She spent more than thirty years as an elementary school librarian. She has written for numerous magazines and journals and published three children's books. She enjoys hiking, biking, snowshoeing and "doing time" with a good book.

Written in real time, as the Nazis consolidated their power over the winter of 1933, The Oppermanns captures the fall of Weimar Germany through the eyes of one bourgeois Jewish family, shocked and paralyzed by an ideology they cannot comprehend.In the foment of Weimar-era Berlin, the Oppermann brothers represent tradition and stability. One brother oversees the furniture chain founded by their grandfather, one is an eminent surgeon, one a respected critic. They are rich, cultured, liberal, and public spirited, proud inheritors of the German enlightenment. They don't see Hitler as a threat. Then, to their horror, the Nazis come to power, and the Oppermanns and their children are faced with the terrible decision of whether to adapt—if they can—flee, or try to fight. Written in 1933, nearly in real time, The Oppermanns captures the day-to-day vertigo of watching a liberal democracy fall apart. As Joshua Cohen writes in his...

Six centuries ago, the Islamic world was the pinnacle of civilization. What was it really like? The answer is in the twelfth-century diaries of Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler who spent thirty years journeying some 73,000 miles. Here, in this short-form book from acclaimed writer and bestselling author Jan Morris, in the little-known story of perhaps the greatest traveler of all time.

Jake Adams, former Air Force Intelligence Officer and CIA Agent, is called in to find the missing tech rep in charge of an avionics retrofit at a U. S. Air Base in Germany. There is evidence of an international conspiracy and a sell-out of vital top-secret technology from the new U.N. Joint Strike Fighter. Pulled back into a changing Europe, Adams struggles to survive as profits become more important than patriotism or principles. The threads lead from a U. S. Aircraft Carrier off the coast of Italy, to the chill banks of the Rhine. Adams is pursued by ruthless German and Hungarian agents who are also looking for the missing man and the secrets to the techonology he holds. It is up to Jake Adams to stop their fatal network....**

AD 1618 -- Post-Reformation Central Europe is on the verge of a cataclysmic new religious conflict--the Thirty Years War--that will ultimately lead to the deaths of eight million and the dramatic alteration of European civilization. When Peter Erhart, a young German Lutheran, comes to the aid of a frightened Catholic boy named Hans Mannheim on the day of the war's outbreak in Prague, he embarks on a life journey that will severely test his courage, humanity, and faith. A decade later, Peter, now married and pastoring in Magdeburg, Germany, sees this test begin in earnest when powerful rivals threaten his career and the war engulfs the city. As the Catholic imperial army approaches, Peter encounters Anna Ritter, a peasant girl of uncommon beauty and wit who has secretly adored him for years. Each must fight bravely for survival of their families and friends when local villains invade countryside cottages and the army, led by an awe-inspiring Black Knight, besieges the city. At the pinnacle of their trial, unthinkable tragedy unites Peter and Anna and links their fates with Hans, now a grown man with a reputation to prove. Will faith and forgiveness prevail over despair and death when the three face together their ultimate test in the siege's horrific aftermath? Recalling one of the last times and places in history when religion and state were inseparable, where warrior kings and ambitious nobles personally led their armies in battle, and fully armored knights fought to preserve the honor of their dying tradition, Hope of Ages Past captures the reality of 17th Century religious war in a compelling story of faith and love--a story that, once begun, will be hard for the reader to put down. **Hope of Ages Past offers a thrilling, continually evolving panorama of international religious warfare, intrigue, family love, and romance.** --CHANTICLEER BOOK REVIEWS-- FIVE-STAR RATING AND FIRST PLACE CHAUCER AWARD WINNER