Books with author Carter

Ronan Truelove barely survived his first encounter with his father and the Bend Sinister. Now, he’s determined to become one of the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect thirty-six pure souls crucial to the world’s survival.Eager to prove he’s got what it takes, Ronan is sent on his first mission with his friends Greta and Sammy to visit a weird-sounding school and take a series of tests called the Glass Gauntlet. Paper and pencils and nerdy scholarship—where’s the life-or-death challenge in that? But the Glass Gauntlet is actually something much more dangerous: head-to-head competitions against ruthless opponents. Nothing and no one are what they seem. Who can he trust, and who will kill him? Ronan has to figure it out fast because his enemies are multiplying, and soon he will have to pass the ultimate test: facing his father again and standing up to those who threaten not only him and his friends but also the world.

Mother Nature has gotten sick, and her sister Sarafina must step in to keep the Plant and Animal Kingdoms running smoothly. Will she and her best friends be able to do it? Find out how their adventures unfold in books 1-4 of the Sarafina series:#1: Sarafina and the Mixed-up RainbowSarafina has always admired nature, but she never wanted to be in charge of it! That’s exactly what happens, though, when her sister—who happens to be Mother Nature—gets sick. Sarafina has to take care of the plants and animals, and there sure is a lot to learn. It’s not long before she starts making mistakes, like mixing up the colors of the rainbow. With the help of her two best friends, will she be able to fix her mistakes and get nature back on track? #2: Sarafina and the Muddy MessEver since Mother Nature got sick, her sister Sarafina has been in charge of nature—and taking care of the plants and animals sure has been tricky. It gets even trickier when a big storm is brewing over the desert where it shouldn’t be. Sarafina and her friends have one chance to keep the storm under control. Will they be able to do it, or will they become part of the muddy mess themselves? #3: Sarafina and the Bouncy IslandTaking over Mother Nature’s job hasn’t been easy. Sarafina has managed to mix up the colors of a rainbow and turn a desert into a muddy mess. But now she’s starting to get the hang of it…Or is she?When she and her friends learn that a big earthquake is about to shake a small island, they must find a way to keep the plants, animals, and people safe. Will they come up with a perfect plan, or will they find themselves in the middle of a bouncy disaster?#4: Sarafina and the Bubbly VolcanoNo one ever told Sarafina that the Fire was so dramatic. Since taking over Mother Nature’s job, she’s learned that Air is rascally, Water is weepy, and Earth is grumbly. But it’s not until a volcano is about to erupt that Sarafina finds out just how dramatic Fire is. How will she and her friends convince Fire to keep the volcano’s eruption calm and slow rather than explosive? Perhaps some pink bubbles might help…

When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove’s seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too? His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she’s a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure—thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive. Now all those after-school activities—gymnastics, judo, survival training—she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure—dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he’s never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom’s last words of advice: Trust no one. That’s a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan’s not ordinary at all.

Sarafina and her friends have a plan to cure Mother Nature: they must find all the past Mother Natures—the Grandmothers of Nature—and get their help. Will the grandmothers know what to do? Or will Sarafina and her friends have to go back to the drawing board? Find out in books 5-8 of the Sarafina series:#5: Sarafina and the Protected PyramidSarafina and her friends are off to meet the first Grandmother of Nature! Their journey takes them to Egypt where they find Grandma Neffie protecting a very important pyramid. Will they convince Grandma Neffie to take a break from her job and help them find a cure for Aurelia? Or will they come back to the castle empty-handed?#6: Sarafina and the Bamboozled CountrysideMeeting the second Grandmother of Nature in China is off to a good start. Grandma Ann is kind, calm, and thoughtful—and she wants to help Sarafina find a cure for Aurelia. But could Grandma Ann be too kind, calm, and thoughtful? When she says it will take at least two weeks for a cure, will Sarafina and her friends find a way to speed the process along before it’s too late? #7: Sarafina and the Raging RainforestKeeping up with the third Grandmother of Nature is much harder than Sarafina expected. In the rainforest, Grandma Cora would rather swing from the trees like a monkey than stand around chatting. How will Sarafina and her friends convince Grandma Cora to help cure Aurelia if they can’t get her to stay still? One thing is for sure: the Elements better play nicely if they want Grandma Cora’s help. But will they?#8: Sarafina and the Broken RulesThis is it: the last Grandmother of Nature adventure. Sarafina and her friends are off to meet Grandma Mickeyla—who happens to be Sarafina’s mom. This trip is so different, and not just because Sarafina is excited to spend time with her mother. Mickeyla has an idea to cure Aurelia that is so crazy that it just might work. Can Sarafina and her friends make it happen? There’s only one way to find out.

Perfect for fans of Kathryn Erskine’s Mockingbird and Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting by 7s, this is a stunningly unique and poignant story of one girl’s strength and courage as she decides who she is and what she will believe in.Behind the white-washed walls of the Arizona compound, life was simple. Follow the rules, "live in the light," and all would be well. Zylynn was excited to turn thirteen and begin the work of bringing others into the light, to save them from the liars and the darkness of the outside world. But when she is taken away by a man who claims to be her father, Zylynn is confused, and desperate to return to her home.Zylynn resists her new life—until she finds small comforts, like shampoo, the color pink, and strawberries. But as her thirteenth birthday approaches, Zylynn must make a difficult decision—to stay here with the enemy, or find her way back to the light. And neither may be what they seem.

***A bestselling, award-winning series***Fire is spreading. Who will bask? Who will burn?A handicap is only one if you let it be. In the case of Henley Bickford, it was a tool manipulated to improve upon herself. Until recently she was a hard-working grant-awardee student at a prestigious school generating technology to handle the changing climate. That is until she learned the clause in her contract meant literal termination upon completion... Now, Henley’s on the run to escape her termination and warn her sister before she follows in Henley’s footsteps. When you knowingly step into the enemy’s clutches to learn at their very hands, having an escape plan is essential. But when nerdy Buster Acton finally looks up from his research to dart out the door, his conscience recognizes a girl he can't leave behind; she could be an asset...With the girl, and the two he intended to break out, Buster—whose real name is Ace—has to modify his mission to protect the nation from traveling solo to being part of a team. Outrunning the brightest minds in the country isn’t easy. The only way to reach their families across the country with their warnings in tow is to expose their secrets and learn to hold hands, intertwining android and flesh fingers...Before their own creations catch them.***This is an upper YA/NA with some sexual references and swearing***

Desperate parents leave Hanzel and Grethel in the woods to starve. For days they wander until they find a magical house covered in gingerbread and sweets of every kind. They soon discover the little old woman inside is a wicked ogress bent on a tasty meal of fat and juicy children! Will these brave children escape from the clutches of the ogress? Rediscover the classic tale of the brother and sister who overcame hunger and horror with quick thinking and perseverance.

For fans of Make It Or Break It, a novel about the road to Olympics for the world's most elite gymnasts.Work harder than anyone. Be the most talented. Sacrifice everything. And if you’re lucky, maybe you will go to the Olympics. Grace lives and breathes gymnastics—but no matter how hard she pushes herself, she can never be perfect enough. Leigh, Grace’s best friend, has it all: a gymnastics career, a normal high-school life... and a secret that could ruin everything. Camille wants to please her mom, wants to please her boyfriend, and most of all, wants to walk away. Wilhelmina was denied her Olympic dream four years ago, and she won’t let anything stop her again. No matter what. Monica is terrified. Nobody believes in her—and why should they? By the end of the two days of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, some of these girls will be stars. Some will be going home with nothing. And all will have their lives changed forever.

A heartwarming and poignant story that explores the bonds of family and the importance of knowing your own history, from the critically acclaimed author of My Life with the Liars and the ALA Notable Book Forever, or a Long, Long TimeAlma has everything she needs, except answers to her questions. Her mother won’t tell her why her beloved stepfather, Adam, is suddenly gone this summer. Or about life in Portugal, where her parents met. Not even about her father, who Alma cannot find, no matter how many graveyards she searches with her best friend, Julia.Then Alma’s mother shocks her by moving them both to Lisbon so Alma can fall in love with the vibrant city where her father grew up. There she discovers she has more family than she could have imagined.She hopes Portugal holds the answers she’s been desperately searching for, but it turns out finding the truth may be more complicated than she, or her mother, bargained for.

***#1 International Bestseller, 14th Best Indie Book of 2018 by Read Freely, #1 Amazon Hot New Release, 5 Stars from Readers Favorite***The waters of chaos are rising. It’s time to sink or swim.Sirena hasn’t spoken since the day she was found waterlogged on a riverbank. Her lips are sealed around a lone, horrific memory of her holding her father underwater and saying goodbye with a life-ending kiss. Now, Rena is treading water to fit in to a world in which she doesn’t belong. When a bully begins tormenting her, she fears it’s his life at stake.Misreading the situation, mysterious new student, Norton, comes to Sirena’s defense, as if she’s the one that needs help navigating shark invested waters. Seeking clues about a fateful car accident, he believes she's a treasure chest he needs to pry open. But high school is more difficult than the home schooled undercover investigator anticipated.When they discover links between her past and his missing friend, Nor and Rena fear foul play. The murky waters the past are churning in this small coastal town, dredging up dangerous truths that could put Rena’s life under a microscope and Norton in the line of fire.Storms are rolling in from all sides, threatening family and friends. Can Nor find a way to keep them from drowning or will those antagonizing Rena be caught in a maelstrom of her defensive fury?​----------------------------------------------***Fans of the Maze Runner, the Hunger Games, and the movies The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 will get sucked into the gripping trilogy reviewers call unique and refreshing with dynamic characters, a smattering of romance, and twists and turns of edge-of-your-seat action, mystery and danger!***​Grab the internationally bestselling, award-winning first book in the disaster dystopian trilogy called "refreshing" and "unique"! (An upper YA with some sexual references and swearing.)----------------------------------------------"refreshingly different from the usual YA/NA plotlines and very cleverly put together ... an intelligent novel" - Award-winning author C.L. Monaghan."a riveting YA story woven with important topics, mystery, action-packed moments, and endearing characters." - 5 stars from Readers Favorite