Showing results by publisher "Blackstone Publishing" in Teen & Young Adult

Whether it’s playing through blockbuster-esque adventures, diving deep into hidden bits of story and lore, or building relationships that change the fate of the world itself, video games are bringing stories to life in ways that are immediate, interactive, and immersive. Focusing on some of the best and most memorable experiences in gaming, The Greatest Stories Ever Played examines the relationship between gaming and storytelling in a new way.

After Promise’s mother dies in a tragic car accident, it leaves a void in Promise’s life that she is yearning to fill. This titular novel finds Promise spiraling into a life of crime and drug affiliation by the company she chooses to keep. Also coping with abandonment and a lifelong broken commitment from her biological father, Promise ultimately has two goals: to graduate from high school and to be loved.

As kids, Mark and his cousin, Talia, spent many happy summers together at the family cottage in Ontario, Canada, but a fight between their parents put an end to the annual event. Living on opposite coasts - Mark in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Talia in Victoria, British Columbia - they haven’t seen each other in years. When their grandfather dies unexpectedly, Mark and Talia find themselves reunited at the cottage again, cleaning it out while the family decides what to do with it.

It’s bad enough that estranged cousins Becka and KJ must see each other at their grandfather’s funeral, but when he leaves them a bucket list of places to visit together over the summer so they can earn their inheritance, it seems like things are about to get much worse. However, with each trip the cousins complete, like riding mules into the Grand Canyon or encountering a bear and a hot tour guide at Yellowstone, they steadily learn about each other and begin to trust one another - that is, until the truth behind Grandpa’s bucket list and their family feud is revealed.

To save her lover’s life, Lira of Stone swore allegiance to a demigod known as the Dragon. She’s transformed into his weapon - the Dragon’s deathbringer, using her gifts to conquer nations and unleash demons. Yet there’s a part of Lira not even the Dragon can stifle, and the soul-reader must find a way to free herself before he declares war against the gods.

My brother is gone. My mom is too stuck in her own grief to see me, and my dad thinks pain isn’t something to ever be discussed. Even my boyfriend has let me down over and over again. It feels like there is only one way forward, only one way out. Just when I’m ready to end my own life, something sucks me back in. One note. One sweet song to keep me going. Those melodic melodies sweetly singing in my ears give me hope.

When the world's most horrible editor turns up dead, investigator Jon Scieszka has his work cut out for him. The suspect list is long. Very long. Think eighty-three-famous-YA-authors long, including Libba Bray, David Levithan, John Green, Lemony Snicket, Lauren Myracle - you get the picture. They've all got alibis, collected in this very anthology. But the question is ... Who done it? A 2013 AudioFile Editors' Pick.

Running away from home hasn’t solved Iphigenia Murphy’s problems. In fact, it’s only a matter of time before they’ll catch up with her. Iffy is desperate to find her long-lost mother, and, so far, in spite of the need to forage for food and shelter and fend off an unending number of creeps, living in Queens’ Forest Park has felt safer than living at home. But as the summer days get shorter, it all threatens to fall apart.

Twice-orphaned Sylvi has chipped out a niche for herself on Layce, an island cursed by eternal winter. Alone in her truck, she takes comfort in two things: the solitude of the roads and the favor of Winter, an icy spirit who has protected her since she was a child.

Ella was genetically engineered to be the perfect pet - graceful, demure - and kept. In a daring move, she escaped her captivity and took refuge in Canada. But while she can think and act as she pleases, the life of a liberated pet is just as confining as the Congressman’s gilded cage. Her escape triggered a backlash, and now no one’s safe, least of all the other pets. But she’s trapped, unable to get back to Penn - the boy she loves - or help the girls who need her.

Trinity Academy’s gold-plated secret society is about to be turned upside down. Seventeen-year-old Sam Evans plots revenge on her ex-bestie, Jessica, who happens to perch at the top of the Society’s social ladder - and helped put Sam’s dad in jail. Sam may no longer be cool enough to be invited to rush the Society, but she’s tech-savvy enough to know how to use it in her plan.

Unlike all the debutantes she knows, 18-year-old Vita couldn't care less about her coming out ball. Trapped in her gloomy country estate, all she wants is to spend the summer dancing to jazzy numbers in East End clubs with her best friend Izzy. Freshly returned from a year abroad, Izzy is ready for the thrill of the London Season, with its endless whirl of balls, shopping sprees, and horse races. Most importantly, she's counting on Vita to help her find the rich and handsome husband every high-society girl deserves.

Black Americans who have shaped their country and beyond: We are familiar with a handful of African Americans who are mentioned in American history books, but there are also countless others who do not get recognized in mainstream media. Their actions may not have appeared to shake the world, but their contributions to shifting American culture were just as groundbreaking.

After 10 years of living on an isolated, tech-free ranch with her mother, 16-year-old Hedda is going back to the world of the Glare - her word for cell phones, computers, and tablets. Hedda was taught to be afraid of technology, afraid that it would get inside her mind and hurt her. But now she’s going to stay with her dad in California, where she was born, and she’s finally ready to be normal. She’s not going to go “off-kilter,” like her mom says she did when she was just a little kid. Once she arrives, Hedda finally feels like she’s in control.

Ryo is the golden boy, the playboy prince, until his uncle betrays him and everything falls apart. Minor nobles Dagney and Grigfen are suddenly forced to fight for their lives after their father is branded a traitor. McKenna, queen of the enemy realm, has been given a mission of conquest, though she isn’t sure she’s fit for the task. But things are not always what they seem...all of these teens are actually players in the newest, most immersive virtual reality game, competing against each other for a highly coveted internship.

Before the massacre at Nariin, Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer - a monster and murderer, banished to a monastery for losing control of her power and annihilating a merchant caravan. Guilt stricken and scarred, Enebish tries to be grateful for her sanctuary, until her adoptive sister, Imperial Army commander Ghoa, returns from the war front with a tantalizing offer.

When an amateur chef attempts to use food as his love language, Landra, who struggles with anorexia, finds his approach off-putting. In fact, she finds Brian to be rather annoying. Undeterred, Brian snags Landra in a friendship that eventually grows into something else, as she finally trusts him enough to sample some of his homemade gourmet treats. But things have not evolved to the level Brian would like, and soon he realizes Landra's issue isn't only with the food he makes.

After her family's California home is destroyed by a wildfire, 17-year-old Julia moves in with her grandmother, a foreign-born woman with a heavy accent and hidden past. When by chance she comes across an enchanted necklace in the bottom of an old trunk, the magical artifact transports Julia to Aevilen, a war-torn land from which her grandmother had escaped a half-century prior. As Julia searches for a way home, she discovers an ancient family legacy, that if fulfilled, could bring an end to the troubles gripping this mystical land.

Sisters April and Jenn haven't been close in years. Jenn's too busy with school, the family antique shop, and her boyfriend, and April would rather play soccer and hang out with the boy next door. But when April notices her older sister is sad about staying home for college, she decides to do something about it. The girls set off to revive a pact they made as kids: spend an epic day exploring the greatest hits of their childhood and all that Los Angeles has to offer.

Violet Ashmore is an aspiring playwright who lives in her sister’s shadow. While Iris performs onstage, Violet hides forbidden magic. Should anyone discover the powers she’s hidden her whole life, she would be conscripted to fight in the same war that stole away their parents years ago. Iris Ashmore is a starlet who longs for a bigger stage than her uncle’s theatre, but she swore to protect her sister from the Crown.