Books published by publisher Midnight Sky Press

SET IN CHERNOBYL: A girl's 11th birthday always brings big changes to her world, but for Katya Dubko, it is truly the end of the world as she knows it. In the northern Ukraine, an area of dense forests, abundant wild life, and sparkling rivers, Katya's little village of Yanov has been a fairytale home. Her family life is rich with ancient traditions and magical beliefs, and her father has a good job working for the government at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, a complex bigger than her whole village.Steeped in the imagery of her people, Katya believes that the station is a magical factory, and she looks for men in white robes, the angels she has heard push buttons to create electricity. When she asks her father about the station, he reassures her that it is safe: "so safe I would let you and Mama sleep there. I'd let a baby sleep there." Yet when Katya is sent into the forest to play while her family prepares her birthday dinner, she meets Vasyl, a mysterious otherworldly boy who tells her the agonizing truth: her world will be destroyed in an explosion. What is she to believe?On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, and the Soviet government refused to acknowledge the extent of the disaster. As Katya struggles to survive in the aftermath, Vasyl reenters her life and helps her to realize that there can be no healing without truth, however difficult it may be to face. As she reconnects with her friends from before the explosion, she begins to learn more about the scientific concepts that have changed their world, and she discovers that blind patriotism like her father's can be the undoing of a country as well as a man. With the help of friends she could have never imagined in her old life, Katya begins to understand that the things that are most important about her homeland and herself have survived the disaster. Combining the mythological truths of her ancestors with an understanding of the science behind the Chernobyl explosion, Katya finds the strength to fulfill a promise she made to herself many years before. And from her new vantage point she realizes that she is no longer the little girl in the fairy tale, she has become the author of her own story.Radiant Girl weaves history, fantasy, photographs and illustrations together to create a fictional coming of age tale that offers readers insight on surviving the powerful forces of change that rock their own lives, both from within and without.

Crazy about basketball, twelve-year-old Sam Davis longs to be a part of the team that practices outside his window. But Sam’s different from the other boys: he has cerebral palsy. Confined to a wheelchair, Sam’s never touched a basketball. He’s never even been to school.It’s 1968, and only a few enlightened educators understand that a boy like Sam might have a brain that’s as good as anybody else’s. When the Stirling Junior High principal finally agrees to let Sam enter sixth grade, Sam gets his chance to move into the world beyond his window.All Sam knows about school, he’s learned from Miss Perkins, the English lady who cleans his apartment. Perkins spends hours reading to Sam about Winston Churchill. Sam knows so much about him that Winnie— as they call him—starts talking to Sam in his head. At first, Sam doesn't understand what a boy in a wheelchair has in common with one of the world’s greatest leaders, but Winnie says, Don't you see Sam? I was just a boy once, too. A boy nobody believed in.Junior High school can be difficult, not just for boys in wheelchairs. Sam learns that if he can't make it work at Stirling, there are places for boys like him. When the challenges seem overwhelming, Winnie reminds Sam, Our lives are what we choose to make of them. If Sam can only believe in Winnie, he‘ll finally be part of the team—a window boy no longer.

My new life began the moment I woke up, empty and broken, in a pitch-black room with only one memory: my own violent death under wide, flowering trees and a purple midnight sky. Taken in by four lost souls who named me Orchard, I was soon horrified to discover their ancient secret. They were a clan of vampires who killed anyone who would destroy balance in the world, and they had claimed me for their own. As my body began to transform and perfect itself, and I gained new senses and abilities, I struggled to remain true to the girl I believed myself to be. A strange vision, a new danger, and an unexpected connection with a boy all threatened to turn my new world upside down. Frightened and confused, I was left with an impossible choice. Should I stay with the terrifying group who had brought me back from the dead? Or should I make a desperate attempt at escape to reclaim my lost identity? Breathe. I can do this.

My new life began the moment I woke up, empty and broken, in a pitch-black room with only one memory: my own violent death under wide, flowering trees and a purple midnight sky. Taken in by four lost souls who named me Orchard, I was soon horrified to discover their ancient secret. They were a clan of vampires that killed anyone who would destroy balance in the world, and they had claimed me for their own. As my body began to transform and perfect itself, and I gained new senses and abilities, I struggled to remain true to the girl I believed myself to be. A strange vision, a new danger, and an unexpected connection with a boy all threatened to turn my new world upside down. Frightened and confused, I was left with an impossible choice. Should I stay with the terrifying group who had brought me back from the dead? Or should I make a desperate attempt at escape to reclaim my lost identity? Breathe. I can do this.

My new life began the moment I woke up in a pitch-black room with only one memory; my own violent death. I was a vampire now, part of an ancient clan protecting the world from those who would destroy it. I still struggled with much of my new existence, but I'd come to learn I was a necessary evil. What made life bearable was my family: Violet, Mouse, Knife, and our newest member, Cove.But a new band of vampires, arose, threatening to take everything from us in a bloody bid to rule the world. Old enemies became friends, and old friends were exposed as enemies. An encient story of eternal love deepend my connection with Tanner and threatened to derail me even further as we uncovered a mysterious group known only as the Nameless Ones. As I desperately searched for answers and kept losing those closest to me, I had an almost impossible task; save Cove from the others, from herself, and even from me.Breathe, I can do this.

When a beloved grandmother becomes ill and unable to be out in the sun, her creative grandchild is inspired to help her feel better. With Poppa's help, the child secretly transforms Nana's garden into a place where she can once again be with creatures and plants that bring her joy. At first, unfamiliar night sounds seem frightening, but soon they learn the call of the crickets, the sad song of the whip-poor-will, the rustles of a family of raccoons stealing into the garden for a midnight snack. They cultivate moonflowers, star jasmine, and dozens of other luminous, fragrant plants, discovering the sensory beauty of the garden at night. Will Nana discover their surprise before the garden is ready? Join them as together they find the healing power of their new "shadow" garden - a true gift of love. Educational sidebars introduce nocturnal plants, animals and insects and give tips to build a garden. All illustrations created by children battling cancer at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and proceeds from the book go back to the Children's Cancer Hospital.

Children experience the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright house that boldly cantilevers over a waterfall in the western Pennsylvania mountains through the eyes of the Kaufmann family's most beloved dog in residence. Beginning with the initial site survey, the loveable dachshund reflects on the myriad details that make the Big House so special. Moxie and her siblings' preferred picnic site, the rock, becomes the foundation that supports the residence's dramatic design, and the grand fireplace built around the big rock provides a warm stone where the dogs nap whenever they want. Fallingwater's steep, cascading staircase mimics the waterfall and parallels the house's dramatic descent down the hillside, and the plunge pool built into the stream is just right for a brisk, refreshing swim. A handy glossary features both images and text to explain key architectural terms.

My new life began the moment I woke up in a pitch-black room with only one memory; my own violent death. I was a vampire now, part of an ancient clan protecting the world from those who would destroy it. I still struggled with much of my new existence, but I'd come to learn I was a necessary evil. What made life bearable was my family: Violet, Mouse, Knife, and our newest member, Cove. But a new band of vampires, arose, threatening to take everything from us in a bloody bid to rule the world. Old enemies became friends, and old friends were exposed as enemies. An encient story of eternal love deepend my connection with Tanner and threatened to derail me even further as we uncovered a mysterious group known only as the Nameless Ones. As I desperately searched for answers and kept losing those closest to me, I had an almost impossible task; save Cove from the others, from herself, and even from me. Breathe, I can do this.

Dwight Frye's Last Laugh details the dramatic rise and fall of the actor who won immortality as the giggling Renfield of Dracula and the sadistic hunchback of Frankenstein. Authorized by Dwight's son Dwight David, the book includes detailed information of Frye's early stage work, his Broadway triumphs and his ghoulish typecasting in Hollywood—which ironically assured him a posthumous cult status among horror film disciples.

How can you be true to yourself, when you don't know who you are? My new life began the moment I woke up, empty and broken, in a pitch-black room with only one memory: my own violent death under wide, flowering trees and a purple midnight sky. Taken in by four lost souls who named me Orchard, I was soon horrified to discover their ancient secret. They were a clan of vampires who killed anyone that would destroy balance in the world, and they had claimed me for their own. As my body began to transform and perfect itself, and I gained new senses and abilities, I struggled to remain true to the girl I believed myself to be. A strange vision, a new danger, and an unexpected connection with a boy all threatened to turn my new world upside down. Frightened and confused, I was left with an impossible choice. Should I stay with the terrifying group who had brought me back from the dead? Or should I make a desperate attempt at escape to reclaim my lost identity? Breathe. I can do this.

Inspired by true events and a family tradition spanning over 30 years, The Magic Gingerbread House tells the story of 5 of Santa’s Elves-Hans, Grietal, Kirsten, Franz, and Stefan who teach sisters Meghan and Mollie, and their friend Sammy, about the power of hope and believing in the magic of Christmas. Once the house is built, the elves come to live with the girls at night to get a respite from the North Pole. Each night the Elves come alive and have fun at the house and leave a special note of encouragement to the girls. Sammy is lonely as both her parents have been deployed to the Middle East, and she has moved to town to live with her grandparents. With the help of the Elves, the girls learn to have hope and believe in the magic of Christmas.