Books with author frank richards

Stu Truly has his summer all planned out, and he's anxious to spend time with Becca, the girl who makes his palms sweat and his stomach turn. Will Stu's crush turn into something more?It's the summer before eighth grade, and Stu Truly is enjoying the start of his vacation! His plans consist of playing video games, hanging out with his friends, and, more importantly, hanging out with Becca. But when Stu has a daydream of kissing Becca, he panics. He isn't even sure if he's actually going out with Becca. Sure, they've held hands a couple of times, but that doesn't mean they're going out, does it? When Stu's grandma breaks her hip, his plans are put on hold. Now, he has to help out at her store, Truly Fine Fashions. Unfortunately for Stu, it's a women's clothing store. So he has to balance his summer job and spending time with Becca. This is a hilarious and heartwarming follow-up to the contemporary middle grade novel Stu Truly. Will Stu get his first kiss from the girl who stole his heart?

This novel of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of a judge is “leavened with wit [and] finely crafted” (Kirkus Reviews). In a colony struggling for survival, in a mysterious new world where infant mortality is high and sin is to blame, Samuel Sewall is committed to being a loving family man, a good citizen, and a fair-minded judge. Like any believing Puritan, he agonizes over what others think of him, while striving to act morally correct, keep the peace, and, when possible, enjoy a hefty slice of pie. His one regret is that months earlier, he didn’t sentence a group of pirates to death. What begins as a touching story of a bumbling man tasked with making judgments in a society where reason is often ephemeral quickly becomes the chilling narrative we know too well. And when public opinion wavers, Sewall learns that what has been done cannot be undone. Crane Pond explores the inner life of a well-meaning man who compromised with evil and went on to regret it. At once a searing view of the Trials, an empathetic portrait of one of the period’s most tragic figures, and an indictment of the malevolent power of idealism, it is a thrilling new telling of one of America’s founding stories. “[Crane Pond] goes straight on to my (small) list of historical novels that draw out the capacities of the form and allow readers to brush against the pleasures and terrors of the past.” —Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall “Deftly crafted . . . perfectly balances issues of religion, faith, and law.” —Library Journal

Eldarin and Eldeena, twin siblings orphaned at a young age after the murder of their parents, were raised in the village of Umbraxia at the orphanage. Kept in the dark as to the nature of their parents' deaths, the two grew up as normal and happy as one could expect under the circumstances. They laughed, had friends, got into trouble, and loved each other as siblings should.Nearing the age of thirteen, the two were excited to learn that they would soon be going through their Choosing ceremonies to determine which of the magical aspects they showed aptitude for. Fire? Water? Land? Wind? Dark? Light? Some combination thereof? They would know on their thirteenth birthday. That is the day that their entire lives would be changed forever.....