Hard Child

Jack Reacher was alone, the way he liked it, soaking up the hot, electric New York City night, watching a man cross the street to a parked Mercedes and drive it away. The car contained one million dollars in ransom money because Edward Lane, the man who paid it, would do anything to get his family back.

When social worker Billy Jo McCabe accidentally picks up the wrong file, she discovers a shocking, twisted mystery plotted by a high-ranking social worker in the DCFS. When Billy Jo McCabe accidentally picks up the wrong file, before she realizes her mistake, she discovers a secret no one was supposed to find. She takes the file to the newly appointed chief of police, Mark Friessen, but he doesn’t believe her - that is, until they discover dozens more files and missing money from vulnerable at-risk children who have aged out of the system and are living on the streets.

Greg Heffley and his family and friends are back in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 8, the latest installment in the #1 best-selling series by Jeff Kinney and one of the most anticipated books of 2013. A global phenomenon, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has more than 85 million books around the world.

"Why me, Lord?" Amid the toddler tantrums, the mealtime melees, and the backseat blowups, have you found yourself asking God that same question? Maybe even screaming it into a couch pillow? You're not alone. Your most trying moments as a parent can quickly spiral into discouragement, hopelessness, and sometimes even resentment toward God or your family. Abbie Halberstadt, author of the bestselling M Is for Mama, shares scriptural wisdom and lessons learned from her own challenges as a mama of ten to help shift your perspective on the hardships of parenting and of life, in general.

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city - intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.

Ten years have passed on Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ravna has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them. While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them - and among the humans - who seek power. And no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization....

Trust no one. Find Reacher. Stay alive. Blood sprays across an Arizona dive bar as FBI Special Agent Kim Otto's only lead is shot and killed before her eyes. Kim’s mission to find Jack Reacher dropped her into a lethal conspiracy run by ex-soldiers, war profiteers, and government ghosts. Following the trail of her murdered informant, Kim runs straight into the kill zone. The Lone Wolf team strikes hard, fast, and silent. Operatives execute anyone who gets too close. Desert sand runs red as the mercenaries hunt across borders.

On New Year's Day, a dog finds a bone in the Hollywood Hills - and unearths a murder committed more than 20 years earlier. It's a cold case, but for Detective Harry Bosch, it stirs up memories of his childhood as an orphan. He can't let it go. As the investigation takes Bosch deeper into the past, a beautiful rookie cop brings him alive in the present. No official warning can break them apart - or prepare Bosch for the explosions when the case takes a few hard turns. Suddenly all of L.A. is in an uproar.

Appie Knoll is the kind of suburb where kids grow up right. But something is wrong. Fourteen-year-old Kevin Bartlett disappears. Everyone thinks he's run away -- until the comic strip ransom note arrives. It doesn't take Spenser long to get the picture -- an affluent family seething with rage, a desperate boy making strange friends...friends like Vic Harroway, body builder. Mr. Muscle is Spenser's only lead and he isn't talking...except with his fists

When a farmer’s sons search for gold in the field, they discover the real treasure lies in honest work—one of many inspiring tales in this book.

A plot is being hatched at Mountaintop Academy, a plot that threatens the lives of Emily and her friends...and the integrity of the Allied Lands. In a desperate bid to uncover the secrets of Mountaintop and recover her stolen notes, Emily goes undercover into Mountaintop, a mission that may cost her everything.

Someone has changed the environment from survival to hardcore. Now if you get destroyed, you can't respawn. Noah and Violet must find a way to get the world back to survival while fighting off another griefer war staged by the evil Daniel and his band of Rainbow Griefers. There's no room for error in this battle against time. With Creepers lurking in the dark and teleporting Endermen appearing out of nowhere, the duo have a lot more on their hands than only Griefers.

FBI Special Agent Kim Otto is hot on Jack Reacher’s trail as he speeds away from Chicago. Since Reacher hooked up with escaped car thief Petey Burns in South Dakota, he’s had a steady ride. Destination unknown, but traceable. Otto’s manhunt is derailed when she learns Jack Reacher’s nephew is in trouble. Jake and his mother have disappeared, leaving a dead man behind.

In Caring for Kids from Hard Places, Jayne and David Schooler discuss the reasons behind why children and teens sometimes exhibit potentially disruptive behavior. Together, they offer practical strategies on training, equipping and resourcing staff and volunteers to provide a responsive environment for children with behavioral challenges.

USA Today best seller! The next gripping Hunt for Jack Reacher thriller from Diane Capri!

Jackson is aggressive, confrontational and often volatile. His mother, Kayla, is crippled with grief after tragically losing her husband and eldest son. Struggling to cope, she puts Jackson into foster care. Cathy, his carer, encourages Jackson to talk about what has happened to his family, but he just won’t engage. His actions continue to test and worry everyone. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the true reason for Jackson’s behaviour comes to light....

When a group of short construction workers begins building a school playground, Lisa begins to suspect that they are really Christmas elves, but Melody and Howie think Lisa has an overactive imagination.

Award-winning New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Diane Capri does it again in another blockbuster Hunt for Jack Reacher series novel.

A ruthless gangster. Imprisoned at the Bolton Federal Correctional Facility. A daring prison break. Police and witnesses ruthlessly murdered as he barrels across frosty South Dakota. Now, FBI Special Agent Kim Otto lands in the middle of the gangster’s desperate escape to freedom. She joins law enforcement to recapture the brutal felon before he disappears forever. But Agent Otto is no longer working alone. She wanted a new partner, and now she’s got one.

What do REAL PIGEONS do? They nest, of course! And when they nest, they nest HARD. Protecting their city from crime is tiring work after all! But the squad can't rest yet, not with a bone-crunching vulture on the loose, a wild child running amok, and a long-lost family to find! Will the REAL PIGEONS ever find the perfect nest to take the perfect nap?