Books with author Kate Hall

"Chess players are losers, Louie!" That's what my dad said when he heard I was in the chess club. "They're walking targets!" Dad is right. I've seen Glen Glenn, the class bully, use my teammates as punching bags. So I keep my chess playing a secret. Only now I'm supposed to play in a huge tournament! I really want to, but if I do Glen Glenn will be on to me. But guess what? I know how I can play without anyone finding out it's me--because I have another secret...

"The Aliens are coming! The Aliens are coming on Halloween!" That's what my dad's been telling everyone in town. Why? Because he saw a spaceship. And he spoke to one of the Aliens on board. Exciting, right? Wrong. Here's why... 1. I built the spaceship. 2. My friend Gruenwald was the "Alien" dad spoke to. 3. Now the whole town is sitting on my lawn, waiting for the creatures from outer space to arrive!

Sixteen-year-old Ari Wyndham lost her best friend in the sea. Everybody told her it was an accident, but Ari can’t forgive herself. Her own life is cut short when a tiger-snake delivers a deathly bite, and a beautiful, ghostly and strangely familiar young woman appears, summoning Ari's soul to the underworld. Ari, however, refuses to go. Though she knows there will be a terrible price to pay for her transgression, the mysterious guide chooses to save Ari. Their rebellion upsets the balance of life and death in Ari’s remote coastal village. A rift opens from the underworld, unleashing dark magic: savage dog packs emerge at night, fishermen catch ghostly bodies in their nets, and children go missing. Together, Ari and her guide battle the dark powers of the underworld and heal the rift. Though their bond seems unbreakable, it may not be enough. It is up to Ari to find the courage to do the one thing that will save the world from darkness.