Books published by publisher Sparkle Press

All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day. Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her. Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right. Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.

Ron Bahar is an insecure, self-deprecating, seventeen-year-old Nebraskan striving to please his Israeli immigrant parents, Ophira and Ezekiel, while remaining true to his own dreams. During his senior year of high school, he begins to date longtime crush and non-Jewish girl Amy Andrews—a forbidden relationship he hides from his parents. But that’s not the only complicated part of Ron’s life: he’s also struggling to choose between his two passions, medicine and music. As time goes on, he becomes entangled in a compelling world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Will he do the right thing?A fictionalized memoir of the author’s life as a young man in Lincoln, Nebraska, The Frontman is a coming-of-age tale of love and fidelity.

The Chinese Grammar Wiki began in 2012 as a modest website with a bold vision: to record all of the grammar structures in the Chinese language, categorize them by difficulty level, explain each one in clear, jargon-free English, and link them all together. Initially the wiki was a resource exclusively for the clients of AllSet Learning’s Shanghai-based learning consultancy. But five years later, its popularity among learners has exploded, and the Chinese Grammar Wiki has become the #1 online resource for Chinese grammar among independent learners and college students alike.This book is the second major volume, covering all essential grammar points that an intermediate learner needs to master. Together with the Elementary and Upper Intermediate volumes, the series will comprise the most complete single resource on Chinese grammar in print. This volume features:- 145 B1 (Intermediate) grammar points- 200+ separate grammar structures- 1,500+ examples (with pinyin and English translation)- Extensive interlinking of similar grammar points- Bilingual glossary of grammar terms- Learner-centric design

Part of the larger Chinese Grammar Wiki book series, this volume focuses specifically on the grammar points required for the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) Level 3 standard test of Mandarin Chinese proficiency.This book includes:• 84 grammar points aligned with the HSK 3 test• Over 900 simple example sentences illustrating the grammar points• Pinyin and English translation for all word and sentences• Simple grammar explanations that any learner can understand• Extensive interlinking of similar grammar points• Full keyword index (with pinyin)• Learner-centric designNote that many of these grammar points are also contained in our Chinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Elementary or Intermediate books, but these have been reorganized specifically according to the HSK standard.

I thought I was ordinary Rory Franco: college student, artist, and over-protected daughter. Then mages barge into my family’s home, murder my parents, and whisk me off to a university known to the rest of magical society as Villain Academy.It turns out I’m Persephone Bloodstone, the long lost heir to one of the five royal families of dark magic. I’m destined to learn how to manipulate the world with fear—and to stand beside the four other scions: the scorching-hot, arrogant young men who rule this school.Unfortunately, I’m having trouble locating my supposedly wicked skills. I don’t want to use a power that feeds off people’s pain, but I have to tap into my talents fast if I want to survive. I’ve got no time to grieve for my family. The students here are even more vicious than the teachers, and my fellow scions are worst of all. The four of them crush anyone who doesn’t kowtow. No way will I bow to any villain, no matter how brutally alluring. They can turn on the charm or tear me down, but they can’t break me, even if I can barely get my magic working. They’ve never met anyone like me before. I don’t care about ruling. I just want to avenge the people I loved.It doesn’t matter what kind of power runs through my veins. I’m taking Villain Academy down.*Cruel Magic is the first in a university-age paranormal academy series. Expect magical villainy, a tough heroine who bends to no one’s will, a dollop of steam, and a slow-burn reverse harem romance where there'll be no choosing required.*

2017 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards: Gold Medal,Best Book Series – Chapter Book2016 International Book Awards: Fiction: Young Adult Finalist2015 USA Best Book Awards: Best Cover Design: Fiction, Winner2015 USA Best Book Awards: Children's Fiction, WinnerBeverly Hills Book Award: Best Juvenile Fiction, WinnerBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards: Best New Voice Children’s/Young Adult, Silver MedalReaders Favorite Awards Children Preteen: Silver Medal WinnerSam Baron is about to get the shock of his life. First his substitute English teacher claims to have turned his old teacher into a lizard; then a strange dwarf named Rego arrives and claims Sam is from a magical realm called Orkney. When his friends are taken prisoner, it’s up to Sam to save them. Sam embarks on a journey to Orkney through a stonefire to find his friends―but when he arrives, he discovers that an ancient curse has turned the sun a poisonous red and threatens to destroy the land. With only a young witch girl to guide him, Sam must choose: save his friends, or stop the red sun from consuming the land?Drawing on Norse mythology, The Red Sun follows Sam’s journey to uncover the truth about his past―a journey during which he has to overcome the simmering anger inside of him, learn to channel his growing magical powers, and find a way to forgive the father who left him behind.

Abigail’s second year at the Tarkana Academy has been an all-out disaster. She’s just unwittingly helped Vertulious, an ancient he-witch and powerful alchemist, destroy Odin’s Stone and restore his powers, and now all of Orkney is caught up in the threat of war as the witches prepare to destroy the helpless Orkadians. Determined to set things right, Abigail and Hugo set off for Jotunheim, the land of the giants, to find a weapon to restore the balance. All they have to do is track down the God of Thunder and convince Thor to turn his hammer over to them. When their former-friend-now-foe Robert Barconian arrives with a band of dwarves, intent on stopping them, Abigail and friends must unite to prevent a war that will destroy them all. But has Abigail made the biggest mistake of all by trusting in the wrong ally?

The gods walk among us. And they just might steal your soul... or your heart.I thought I'd survived everything life could throw at me. All I wanted was to keep my distance from the criminals I work for and get my little brother out of the hell that is our mother's house.Then I died and woke up to four stunningly hot gods telling me I'm now a valkyrie.Sly, sharp Loki. Jovial but ferocious Thor. Dreamily compassionate Baldur. Grim and secretive Hod. They all have something to teach me. And around them, my walls start to crack.But the gods didn't summon me just for kicks. Their king is missing, and they need me to find him. The first three valkyries they sent on the job never made it back.More power is awakening in me than I could ever have imagined—and the gods' enemies are more devious than even they knew. It's going to take every trick in the book for me to save myself, my brother, and these divine men who're getting under my skin in the most alluring way.I'm Aria Watson, and Valhalla ain't seen nothing yet.

“This charming and brilliant novel is superbly plotted and will win over readers . . . Phoebe’s voice is dead on and authentic, as are those of her friends. The author's masterful prose and style serve the story instead of merely taking center stage . . . This author and novel are ready for prime time and the big time.”—Publishers Weekly, BookLife Prize Critic’s ReportMeet Phoebe Katz, a twelve-year-old foster kid from New York City who’s been bounced around the system her entire life. Things happen around Phoebe, but it’s not like they’re her fault! But when a statue of Athena comes to life, Phoebe gets the stunning news she’s the daughter of Zeus, has a twin brother named Perseus—and was sent away from ancient Greece as a baby to stop a terrible prophecy that predicted she would one day destroy Olympus.Athena warns Phoebe to stay in hiding, but when the vengeful god Ares kidnaps her beloved social worker, Phoebe has no choice—she has to travel back to ancient Greece and rescue him! There, Phoebe and her friends Angie and Damian discover a new prophecy, one that may fix everything. The catch: Phoebe has to collect talismans from six Greek monsters, including the fang from a nine-headed hydra, a talon from the Nemean lion, and a feather from the sphinx. No problem for a girl with the power to call up lightning bolts and change the weather! But can Phoebe collect them all and stop the prophecy before she destroys Olympus?

It's winter in Girard, Pennsylvania and the pond is completely frozen over―ready for a young boy to go skating!―but Georgie's ice skates are too small. All Georgie wants for Christmas is a new pair of skates. But times are tough in 1920s Pennsylvania, and he gets the disappointing news Santa might not come this year. Follow Georgie as he decides to take matters into his own hands by stealing Santa's identity―and discovers what Christmas is all about. The Santa Thief is a heartwarming tale of boyhood set in 1920s Pennsylvania for children ages 4-8.

After defeating the Volgrim witches, life in Orkney is quiet. Too quiet. Before Sam Baron can catch his breath, an army of fire giants led by Surt gather in the Eighth Realm of Musspell, determined to destroy Orkney―and it's all Sam's fault. After all, he took Odin's life with an ancient cursed dagger, and now, mankind has lost its protector. To make matters worse, the God of Mischief, Loki, is on the loose and determined to reunite with his evil wife, Angerboda, and their three children: Fenrir the wolf, Jormungand the sea serpent, and Helva, Goddess of Death. Orkney's only hope lies with Sam and his stalwart friends. As Surt prepares to launch his forces against Orkney, Sam and two of his fellow witches, Perrin and Mavery, set out on a journey to rescue Odin, aided by Skidbladnir, a magical ship of the gods that can fly over land and sea, and Geela, a Valkyrie who can transform into a battle-ready goose. Meanwhile, Leo and Keely travel north to stop Loki from starting a war between the Eifalians and the Vanir, while Howie is left to watch over Skara Brae. With time running out, our heroes try frantically to prove once again that they can find the courage to do what's needed when the odds are stacked against them―even when the sacrifice asked is greater than any of them could imagine.

Sam Baron is about to get the shock of his life. First his substitute English teacher claims to have turned his old teacher into a lizard; then a strange dwarf named Rego arrives and claims Sam is from a magical realm called Orkney. When his friends are taken prisoner, it’s up to Sam to save them. Sam embarks on a journey to Orkney through a stonefire to find his friends—but when he arrives, he discovers that an ancient curse has turned the sun a poisonous red and threatens to destroy the land. With only a young witch girl to guide him, Sam must choose: save his friends, or stop the red sun from consuming the land?Drawing on Norse mythology, The Red Sun follows Sam’s journey to uncover the truth about his past—a journey during which he has to overcome the simmering anger inside of him, learn to channel his growing magical powers, and find a way to forgive the father who left him behind.