Aurelia by Anne Osterlund

Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
246 pages

Price: Paperback-$8.99 U.S.

    Crown Princess Aurelia of Tyralt is tired of people telling her what to do; she wants to make her own decisions. When assassination plots are attempted on Aurelia's life, Robert comes to help. Robert is the son of the king's former spy and Aurelia's friend. After a close call at the carnival, in which he and Aurelia are almost killed, Robert quickly takes takes action to save his friend's life. But Aurelia is convinced that she does not need to be saved.

    As the mystery thickens, Robert realizes that the assassin may not be who they expect it to be. He sets the trap, but will things go as planned?

Aurelia beamed with anticipation and graced Robert with a smile.

    At that moment he knew he was in trouble.

    "Yes, tomorrow night is Carnival, the Night of the Masks. We're old enough to go out in disguise now," Aurelia said. "You must wait for me before you go." She frowned. "It's no fun alone."

    A trace of sadness in her voice made Robert promise despite misgivings. "All right, it's not like I can refuse the order of the princess."

    Her voice fried him to ash. "It's not an order, Robert, but even if it was, I expect my friends to have enough courage to refuse an invitation."

    Nothing had lengthened her temper over the last four years. He resorted to humor, the only defence available, and swept her a mocking bow. "I'll be your lifelong friend then, since I won't put up with being pushed around.

    "Really?" Her eyes danced. She splayed  her hands against his chest and pushed, hard.

    Robert held his footing without giving ground. "Yes, and thank you for the invitation." He encircled her waist with his hands and twirled  her toward her anxiously waiting friends. His mind spun as he looked down at her laughing face. He could not imagine why someone was trying to kill her.

                                                                                   ~Aurelia by Anne Osterlund

**Book 1**

Next book: Exile

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Upcoming Releases for 2011

August:

23-Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix

30-The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman

September:

2-Diviner by Bryan Davis

October:

4-The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

11-Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

November:

8-Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

15-The Always War by Magaret Peterson Haddix

December:

6-A King's Ransom by Jude Watson

If I am missing any, please let me know so I can add them.

Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac

Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac
333 pages
Price: Hardcover-$16.99 U.S./$19.50 Canada

    Prince Rashko's parents, the king and queen, are missing. When Rashko finds an enchanted invitation in their room that says they are invited to a party, he knows something strange is going on. Soon after, the evil Baron Temny arives at the castle gate saying that his parents invited him to stay as long as he wanted. He also tells Rashko that his daughter is to marry Paulek, Rashko's older brother. Paulek quikly falls under their spell, but Rashko is not so easily deceived. With the help of his friends, the prince discovers the legend of Prince Pavol, a dragon, and the history of the castle. Untangling the secrets of Dragon Castle might be the only way to save his family and the kingdom from the Baron.

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.

Low Prices on Bryan Davis ebooks

Starlighter, Beyond the Reflection's Edge, and Eternity's Edge ebooks are 99 cents each at all ebook vendors, including Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), & Christianbook.com (epub). The sale lasts until August 1. Please repost this wherever you can.

Previously posted by Bryan Davis.

Secrets of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar

Secrets of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar

365 pages

Price: Hardcover- $16.99 U.S./$19.50 Canada

          Paperback-

    Four years have passed since the Nelson children returned from the island of Tamarind. Simon, now thirteen, wants to hhelp stop the Red Coral Project, the group that wants Tamarind's secret and magical mineral, but he knows his parents are keeping secrets from him. One night, Helix secretly tells them that he is going back to Tamarind. Simon, Maya, now sixteen, and their young sister, Penny, sneek off to Tamarind with Helix.

    Once there, the four children are taken prisoner. When they escape, Maya Simon and Penny realize that the Red Coral Project has already found the island. Simon must gather the secrets that can help save the island from destruction. If he fails, the island and all its inhabitants will die.

Previous book: The Lost Island of Tamarind

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.

The Lost Island of Tamarind

The Lost Island of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar

    Maya and Simon Nelson and baby Penny are lost at sea without their parents. When they end up on a mysterious island that is not on the map, Maya and Simon know they are in for an adventure that they could never have imagined. They explore the island with the help of Helix, an island boy.

    Finding there parents turns out to be hard than they thought. They must avoid vines that grab you if you run, hungry jaguars, and an evil women who captures children to work in mines. All the while, the mystery of their parents disappearence grows deeper when they discover a magical mineral that lives deep under the soil of the island. Can the Nelson children find their parents? Will they be safe anywhere on the island of Tamarind?

Next book: Secrets of Tamarind

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.

Belladonna by Mary Finn

Belladonna by Mary Finn

367 pages

Price: Hardcover-$16.99 U.S./$19.00Canada

          Paperback-

    When Thomas Rose meets Ling, a former circus performer, she tells him all kinds of stories about the circus. But she is not in the town to tell stories. She is looking for her hourse, Belladonna. She used to dance on the white horse when she was in the circus, but the circus master has sold her. When Ling finds out that she might have been sold to the horse anatomist, George Stubbs, she is worried.

    With the help of Thomas and Stubbs, Ling finds Belladonna. The horse now belongs to a Lady and her son. Ling is glad to have found her horse, but is this what she wants-to see her beautiful Belladonna being ridden by someone else?

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John

The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
181 pages
     When Martine's parents die in a fire, she is sent from England to live with her grandmother in South Africa. Living on a game reserve wouldn't be so bad if Martine's grandmother didn't act like she couldn't stand the sight of her granddaughter.
    Soon, Martine befriends the magical and mysterious white giraffe. Legends say that the girl who can ride this special creature will have power over all animals. But then Martine uncovers a poacher's plot to kidnap the white giraffe. Can Martine save her precious friend and also the game reserve?

Next book: Dolphin Song

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.

Happy 4th of July!!

The Battle Hymn of the Republic:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
328 pages
    Elodie is going to Two Castles to become a mansioner-an actress. When she gets there, she finds out that it is no longer free to become an apprentice; and since she has no money, she has no where to go. Then a dragon takes her in to be IT's assistant.
    When the Count Jonty Um, an ogre, goes missing and other things begin to happen in Two castles, it is up to Elodie to find out who is behind these terrible things.

Would you read this book? Why or why not? If you have read it, what did you think of it? Please share you opinion.