Books published by publisher Shadow Mountain and Blackstone Audio

MP3 CD Format Paige's favorite family tradition on the farm is the annual bonfire where everyone tosses in a stone and makes a wish. This time, Paige's specific wish is one she's not sure can come true: Don't let Mom and Grandpa sell the farm.When Paige's younger brother finds a wounded peacock in the barn, Paige is sure it's a sign that if she can keep the bird safe, she'll keep the farm safe too. Peacocks, after all, are known to be fierce protectors of territory and family.With determination and hard work, Paige tries to prove she can save the farm on her own, but when a real estate agent stakes a “For Sale"" sign at the end of the driveway and threatens everything Paige loves, she calls on her younger brother and her best friends, Mateo and Kimana, to help battle this new menace. They may not have street smarts, but they have plenty of farm smarts, and some city lady who's scared of spiders should be easy enough to drive away.But even as the peacock gets healthier, the strain of holding all the pieces of Paige's world together gets harder. Faced with a choice between home and family, she risks everything to make her wish come true, including the one thing that scares her the most: letting the farm go.

MP3 CD Format A trio of high school outcasts--Paul, Big, and Small--face the complicated world of predators and prey in high school and come to realize that overcoming life's challenges will take more than perseverance.Paul Adams is the shortest kid at his high school, and the school bullies relentlessly pick on him. He spends the entire day wishing school would end so he can escape to his favorite sport of rock climbing. This is the only place where he feels in control, competent, and free, despite the inherent fear.Lily Small is athletic, attractive, and, despite her last name, is actually very tall. Another kid, who looks almost like a grown man, introduces himself with a long Polynesian name, but says everyone calls him ""Big,"" and he seems to like the nickname! As they get to know each other, Paul, Big, and Small discover they have a lot in common as outsiders in their high school. As the trio's friendship forms, their unique personalities are no longer those of misfits, but complement each other.Paul and Lily decide to enter a local competition for climbers, but their plans are abruptly halted by Lily's diagnosis of leukemia. Paul is terrified of what lies ahead in Lily's medical treatment, knowing what happened to his mother who died of cancer a few short years before. He retreats back to rabbit mode and can't even visit her in the hospital. But Lily really wants Paul to go ahead with the competition and advises him to team up with Conor, the student who bullies Paul the most. Reluctantly, Paul agrees to move ahead with Lily's wish, knowing that Conor is a strong climber and their best chance at winning.

Addie loves nothing more than curling up on the couch with her dog, Duck, and watching The Great British Baking Show with her mom. It's one of the few things that can help her relax when her OCD kicks into overdrive. She counts everything. All the time. She can't stop. Rituals and rhythms. It's exhausting.When Fitz was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he named the voices in his head after famous country singers. He loves puns, foreign films, and T-shirts with witty sayings. The adolescent psychiatric ward at Seattle Regional Hospital isn't exactly the ideal place to meet your soul mate, but when Addie meets Fitz, they immediately connect over their shared love of words, appreciate each other's quick wit, and wish they could both make more sense of their lives.Fitz is haunted by his past, and he's often not sure what's real. One memory weighs heavily on his mind--a tragic death he fears he may have caused--but he knows if he can just get to San Juan Island, everything will be okay. If not, he risks falling into a downward spiral that may keep him in the hospital indefinitely.Escaping the hospital becomes the first step of a journey for Fitz and Addie as they learn about life and love, forgiveness and courage, and what's necessary to let go and what's worth waiting for.

Addie loves nothing more than curling up on the couch with her dog, Duck, and watching The Great British Baking Show with her mom. It's one of the few things that can help her relax when her OCD kicks into overdrive. She counts everything. All the time. She can't stop. Rituals and rhythms. It's exhausting.When Fitz was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he named the voices in his head after famous country singers. He loves puns, foreign films, and T-shirts with witty sayings. The adolescent psychiatric ward at Seattle Regional Hospital isn't exactly the ideal place to meet your soul mate, but when Addie meets Fitz, they immediately connect over their shared love of words, appreciate each other's quick wit, and wish they could both make more sense of their lives.Fitz is haunted by his past, and he's often not sure what's real. One memory weighs heavily on his mind--a tragic death he fears he may have caused--but he knows if he can just get to San Juan Island, everything will be okay. If not, he risks falling into a downward spiral that may keep him in the hospital indefinitely.Escaping the hospital becomes the first step of a journey for Fitz and Addie as they learn about life and love, forgiveness and courage, and what's necessary to let go and what's worth waiting for.

Timothy Mayfield has nearly given up on his search for a wife. Though he is the picture of a fine, social gentleman, Timothy wishes his finances provided a more stable foundation. Then his Uncle Elliott presents to him a solution: participate in his ""marriage campaign,"" and upon approval of his choice for a wife, Timothy's inheritance will be his.Freed from the constraints of having to marry for money, Timothy is ready to marry for love instead. And he knows exactly what he wants in a wife: youth, optimism, beauty, blonde hair, fine-boned features, shapely shoulders, small waist, blue eyes, button nose, solid fashion sense, a light laugh, low voice, arched eyebrows, fair skin, elegant fingers, quick wit, calm manner, and a dazzling smile.His friend, Maryann Morrington, an heiress in her own right, tells him outright that his expectations are ridiculous--no such woman exists. Maryann had considered Timothy as a potential suitor for a time, but then their relationship shifted to friendship and she has avoided allowing herself to have feelings for him again.She agrees to help him find his ""perfect wife,"" because she's certain that the search will render nothing. Until it does. Miss Shaw appears to fulfill every single item on Timothy's list--unlike Maryann who has brown hair, brown eyes, lacks delicate features, and possesses a laugh that is definitely unladylike.But when Timothy and Miss Shaw begin courting, Timothy realizes something profound. He'd rather spend his time with Maryann. But can he trust his judgment when his heart has led him wrong so many times before?It is only when Maryann leaves the London season early, that Timothy realizes that he had truly fallen in love with her and that his list of requirements were nothing but fantasy. If he hopes to build a strong relationship, Timothy must convince Maryann that she is the very woman he'd been looking for all along--before it is too late.

Erik and Emily skillfully show it is possible to live big on a shoestring budget while giving their family an astonishing education in adventure, creativity, purpose, and grit. Linda and Richard Eyre are the bestselling authors of Teaching Your Children ValuesWorking the night shift as a temp in a high-rise cubicle, Erik Orton knew something had to change. He felt the responsibility of providing for his wife and their five children, the youngest with Down syndrome, but craved a life that offered more than just surviving.Watching the sailboats on the Hudson River during his sunset dinner breaks, Erik dared to dream. What would it be like to leave the hustle of the city and instead spend a year on a sailboat, somewhere beautiful, as a family? Despite having no sailing experience, his wife Emily's phobia of deep water, and already stretching every dollar to pay rent and buy groceries, the family of seven turned their excuses into reasons and their fears into motivation. Sure, they would miss their friends, they could go broke, they could get injured or die. Worst of all, they could humiliate themselves by trying something audacious and failing. But the little time they still had together as a family, before their oldest daughter left for college, was drifting away. The Ortons cast off the life they knew to begin an uncertain journey of 5,000 miles between New York City and the Caribbean, ultimately arriving at a new place within themselves.A portrait of a captivating and resilient family and a celebration of the courage it takes to head for something over the horizon, this is a deeply compelling story, told alternately by Erik and Emily, for all those who dream of leaving routine in their wake.

[Children's Fiction (Ages 8-12)][Edited by Jonathan Diaz]An encouraging collection of short stories by bestselling middle-grade authors.This one-of-a-kind treasury brings together the talents of nearly two dozen bestselling middle-grade authors including Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Ally Condie, and Jennifer A. Nielsen -- who have created original short stories and modern-day fairy tales, based on the lives and dreams of children they have met who all have two things in common: they have very big hopes and dreams, and they are all cancer patients.

When her mother dies, twelve-year-old Willa feels lost and alone--until she meets and befriends a humpback whale named MegWhile on a whale-watching excursion with her dad, Willa is alone on one side of the boat when she sees a humpback whale. Her awe and wonderment about this massive and beautiful creature turns to shock when the whale communicates with her, introducing herself as Meg.As their friendship develops, Willa comes to view Meg as a trusted confidant--who offers her advice about difficult issues in Willa's life.When a blue whale washes up on shore and dies, the townspeople jump into action with opinions about what to do with it. Willa enlists her friends, family, and the City Council to rescue the body of the whale and donate it to the local university where her mom taught for further study and to display the bones.Feeling good about getting her community to band together in service of science and conservation, Willa returns to the shore to tell Meg about her amazing experience. But Meg tells Willa that it is time for her pod to migrate, and Willa learns that it's okay to say goodbye.Willa and the Whale is a poignant story about caring, loss, and the deep connections that make us human.

MP3 CD Format When her mother dies, twelve-year-old Willa feels lost and alone--until she meets and befriends a humpback whale named MegWhile on a whale-watching excursion with her dad, Willa is alone on one side of the boat when she sees a humpback whale. Her awe and wonderment about this massive and beautiful creature turns to shock when the whale communicates with her, introducing herself as Meg.As their friendship develops, Willa comes to view Meg as a trusted confidant--who offers her advice about difficult issues in Willa's life.When a blue whale washes up on shore and dies, the townspeople jump into action with opinions about what to do with it. Willa enlists her friends, family, and the City Council to rescue the body of the whale and donate it to the local university where her mom taught for further study and to display the bones.Feeling good about getting her community to band together in service of science and conservation, Willa returns to the shore to tell Meg about her amazing experience. But Meg tells Willa that it is time for her pod to migrate, and Willa learns that it's okay to say goodbye.Willa and the Whale is a poignant story about caring, loss, and the deep connections that make us human.

After her grampa dies, the last place Libby expects to see him is sitting on the edge of her bed. But that's what happens the night after the funeral.Even more surprising is that Grampa has three important things to tell her: first, that she isn't alone or forgotten: ""The dead ain't never that far from the living,"" he says; second, that she has the Sight, the ability to see family members who have died; and third, that there is something special just for her in the lake. Something that could help her and her father if she can find it.Libby and Grampa try to help her father heal from his grief, but it will take all of Libby's courage and her gift of Sight to convince her father that the dead are never truly gone.Never That Far is set in the lush, rural landscape of central Florida and is a story that celebrates friendship, hope, and the power of family love.

After her grampa dies, the last place Libby expects to see him is sitting on the edge of her bed. But that's what happens the night after the funeral.Even more surprising is that Grampa has three important things to tell her: first, that she isn't alone or forgotten: ""The dead ain't never that far from the living,"" he says; second, that she has the Sight, the ability to see family members who have died; and third, that there is something special just for her in the lake. Something that could help her and her father if she can find it.Libby and Grampa try to help her father heal from his grief, but it will take all of Libby's courage and her gift of Sight to convince her father that the dead are never truly gone.Never That Far is set in the lush, rural landscape of central Florida and is a story that celebrates friendship, hope, and the power of family love.

[Children's Fiction (Ages 8-12)]A new series written by the illustrator of the Fablehaven series, Brandon DormanMeet the Hooligan brothers, Henry, Hank, and Hector, who are fun-loving, go-cart-racing, up-for-anything boys, and they are expert pranksters! The school bully, Rock, picks on the boys, tries to outprank them, and especially tries to lay blame for his pranks on them. Enter a purple, blobby, friendly outer-space alien. He has come to Earth to earn badges for his extraterrestrial space-scout sash. The brothers name him Hoolie and quickly learn about his alien ways:Hoolie gets smelly when he's hungry, and that's how the boys know it's time to feed him.He eats clothes, especially socks. Mom and Dad don't know what is going on originally, but soon they figure out why the family socks are disappearing from the Hooligan house.He has a compartment in his belly, like Mary Poppins' carpetbag, that can somehow hold an endless supply of neat gizmos and gadgets.The boys can't communicate with him at first and rig up an electronic device to help them read Hoolie's mind.The Hooligan boys keep Hoolie a secret until he saves a neighborhood girl from a burning building and the town befriends him. Then a team of mysterious strangers dressed in black who call themselves ''Animal Control'' arrive, but the Hooligan boys know this can't be true.The boys must resolve their problem with Rock, help Hoolie earn his merit badges on Earth, and help him find his way home before ''Animal Control'' captures him!