Showing results by narrator "Nick Mondelli" in All Categories

Wily’s enemies are after his throne. The man who kept him captive for much of his childhood, the evil mage Stalag, is still at large, and Wily knows the kingdom will never be safe as long as he’s a threat. Meanwhile, Wily’s father, the Infernal King, has escaped prison, and he’s looking to retake power. When Wily learns the villains are traveling to the fabled Eversteel Forge to build a mechanical army, it’s up to him and his companions to journey across the sea and stop their enemies.

A daughter of rock ’n’ roll royalty has a secret crush. A lonely ticket-taker worries about his sister. An almost-famous songwriter nurses old wounds. A stage manager tires of being behind the scenes. A singer-songwriter struggles to untangle her feelings for her best friend and his girlfriend. In this live-out-loud anthology, the disparate protagonists of 16 stories are thrown together for one unforgettable event: their high school’s battle of the bands.

People fear death (apparently just a tiny bit less than public speaking). We don't know how to talk about it, especially to children, and we're afraid to bring it up for fear of making people sadder. Yet children, especially, have questions, and this incredibly gentle and surprisingly light story is full of both comfort and vividly imagined answers. The first one gives the story its title: A boy hears the voice of his sister calling him one day, a sister he's never met because she died before he was born. The sister in the faded photograph on the wall.

This collection of tales is for fans of ghost-story writer Mary Downing Hahn’s scary but not too scary books. Even the stories without actual ghosts are spooky. Each tale turns something ordinary - a pigeon, a white dress, a stranger on the bus, a puppet - into a sinister link to the supernatural. For the human characters, secrets from the past or careless behavior in the present can lead to serious trouble. All the stories have a young person as their central character, so all will resonate easily with young listeners who enjoy the eerie, the creepy, and the otherworldly.

When Elijah is dragged to a high school play in the next town, he can't take his eyes off Kristen, the star. But when his swooning face is captured on camera along with an out-of-context sexual comment, his words go viral. Elijah sets out to apologize, and, surprisingly, she forgives him for his unthinking comment. They hit it off right away, and Kristen believes she's finally found a boy who understands her. But strangers online are threatening Elijah's special needs sister, and Kristen's father wants Elijah gone.

In the seaside town of San Benedetto, soccer (or calcio) is more than just a sport: it's an obsession. Twenty-two-year-old Etto, however, couldn't care less about soccer. His twin brother Luca, a rising soccer star, died tragically in a motorcycle accident, and their mother, unable to cope with her grief, drowned herself on the anniversary of Luca's death.

M.E. Kerr's beloved young adult novel tells the story of two very different teenagers, both struggling to stand up to their parents. Whether it's going to college instead of taking over the family funeral parlor, coming out in a town where homosexuality is considered demonic possession, or choosing between a life of fame or normalcy, the young characters in I'll Love You When You're More Like Me all bravely struggle to become who they want to be - even when they don't know themselves.

There are 36 hours left until the end of the Level Run. Only the top three finalists will have the chance to meet with the Dark Sphere and request its help. I'm fifth. And I need to make it into the top three. Because that's the only way I'll be able to save Anya.

Buying and renovating the old plantation house seems like a great idea. The fact that it’s supposedly haunted by the spirit of a murdered prostitute is a minor oversight. I don’t believe in that crap anyway. But after a late-night rendezvous with a sexy spirit elicits a very real nocturnal emission from me, I have to rethink my belief in poltergeists…and love. The intoxicating woman who has been trapped here for over a century casts a spell over me with her humor, courage, and passion. I have to do something to free her from her ethereal prison.

I'm Andrew First, Leader of the Architects Clan. I founded the City of Sangis, and it’s grown so much that it's now become a nation of its own. Together with my friends, I was able to build a place of safety in this post-apocalyptic world. We've been attacked by zombies, monsters, and people—but we've managed to fight off all of them. But it seems the Dark Sphere doesn't want to leave us in peace. It's announced that there's going to be a LEVEL RUN!

A diverse range of community helpers introduce the vehicles that help them keep their communities safe while teaching children about what each vehicle was built to do. In volume one of Finn's Fun Trucks, learn about vehicles used by rapid responders, the airlines, the military, the post service, and even those who work in space!

Fiona Denali’s mind is a fortress of secrets: things she can’t tell, people she must protect. She never wanted to hurt anyone, but they hurt her first. Now, she must protect the one person she can still count on—herself. On the run from anyone who knows her face, Fiona crosses paths with a man whose eyes seem just as haunted as her own. She could save him...but he could destroy her. It’s a choice she’s had before, but last time she chose wrong.

Featuring all-new tales of dark fantasy, cosmic horror, supernatural revenge, and the sorcery of terror from masters of the craft, this issue includes stories and poems by Alma Katsu, Heather Graham, Maurice Broaddus, Fran Wilde, Priya Sharma, Anne Walsh, Yvonne Navarro, Jake Bible, Gabrielle Faust, and Christina Sng.

Diana Wolf likes to think she has it all: a rock-god husband, an empty nest, a wine cellar, and a dream home in the woods. Life is good. It has to be. But when she hires a cartographer, Kerry Perkins, to survey and map her estate in rural Tennessee, she pulls back a frayed corner of the lie that is her fairytale life. On his first night at Wolf Hollow, Kerry stumbles across a young girl's skeleton buried in the woods. But what really scares Diana is a familiar symbol carved into the girl’s skull: two wolves.

Kiran is caught in world of gods, time magic, and troublesome clans bent on his destruction. But with danger comes opportunity: the chance to truly grow as a cultivator and grab the power to control his own destiny.

A diverse range of community helpers introduce the vehicles they use to keep produce and grow their cities as well as keep their cities clean. In Volume 2 of Finn's Fun Trucks, children will discover an assortment of vehicles, including those that clean and haul stuff, construction vehicles, demolition vehicles, and farm vehicles.

As a member of the Charmers Council, Gaige is able to form lasting bonds with the magical beasts of his world. At least, he used to be a Charmer...until he died and was brought back as one of the immortal assassins of Cruor. Now he's far more dangerous...and something beyond the shadows lies in wait, hungry to claim him for its own.