Books with author Ripley

Shane Ryan returns to Nashua and the childhood memories that drove him to join the Marines. After a prolonged legal battle with his aunt and uncle, Shane has possession of the family home where his parents disappeared over 20 years ago. The house, a monstrous castle filled with ghosts and secrets, is more alive than its inhabitants. When his aunt and uncle come to town, then vanish, Shane's life takes a turn for the worse. Detective Marie Lafontaine immediately labels Shane as the prime suspect. And in a race against time, Shane desperately searches for clues about his parents. But there's something lurking beyond the walls and beneath the surface. Something sinister that has haunted him ever since he saw its face in the pond behind the house. And it isn’t happy that Shane is back. It isn’t happy at all.

In the 1960s during the Vietnam War, US forces used a chemical substance called napalm to burn away the jungle in search of enemy soldiers. But when napalm came in contact with human skin, it caused horrific injuries. Its use in war became highly controversial. Chemistry has long been at the heart of warfare. The invention of gunpowder ninth-century China led to the development of guns, grenades, and other explosives. In World War I chemists created deadly poison gas―as well as gas masks to protect soldiers from enemy gas. From Greek fire to bulletproof vests, learn how chemistry has changed how wars are fought.

Maybe you don’t want to read this. But maybe you’re a regular 14-year old kid who wonders what it means to you if your best friend turns out to be gay. Or maybe you’re that best friend, who wonders how to tell if you’re gay or just, well, something else. And, if you are (gay or whatever, I mean), how to tell somebody else about it. Maybe you’re even somebody who cares about somebody who’s gay or wondering, and a pretty true story might help you figure them out. Or maybe you’re one of those people who’s over all that wondering and just wants a story, about friends, or fights, or making the team, say--that just happens to have a gay character or two. It’s even OK with me if you just have to read something, and you’re looking for anything that’s short and easy to read, not too stuck-up, and not too boring. Seriously. If any of those maybes applies to you, maybe you don’t want to read this. Or maybe you do.