Showing results by narrator "Ramón De Ocampo" in All Categories

Some stories are all about the crime. These stories are about the maelstrom of what happens afterward. A hard-bitten crew of professional thieves pull of the score of their lives, coming away with millions in cash, enough to change their lives, make new identities, start fresh. But that's when the real trouble begins. In this linked anthology, we follow each member of the crew of culprits after the heist and watch as this perfect score ends up a perfect nightmare.

Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister, Mary, feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family", Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father - the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son.

The filming of an underwater TV show goes awry when the crew gets interrupted by a shark. Poor Shark, he wasn't trying to scare them, he's just misunderstood! Then he's accused of trying to eat a fish. Will Shark ever catch a break? After all, he wasn't going to eat the fish, he was just showing it his new tooth! Or was he? Explosively funny, extraordinarily clever, and even full of fun shark facts, this surprisingly endearing story gets to the heart of what it feels like to be misunderstood by the people around you.

Cal Klondike's life revolves around baseball. He's the Walthorne Baseball Academy's star pitcher, and everyone from his coach to his dad to the town sports blogger is telling Cal he has an unlimited future in the sport. But with all this attention comes a lot of added stress, especially as the season kicks into high gear and college and pro scouts start to show up at the games. Inevitably, tensions that have been bubbling under the surface finally boil over, culminating in a confrontation that could change Cal's relationship to baseball forever.

As a bounty hunter specializing in immigrants who do their status dirty, Domingo has had his fair share of dicey jobs. From traffickers peddling drugs, guns, and people to murderers and other fugitives, Domingo loves nothing more than putting the bad guys away. But his life’s not exactly fun and games. A seemingly easy case involving a lovestruck young heiress turns out to be anything but. Tessa Woodridge, a fast-food chain CEO, hires Domingo to find the undocumented parents of Julian Alondra, the love of her life. When Tessa was eight, fourteen-year-old Julian saved her life.

Samkad lives deep in the Philippine jungle, and has never encountered anyone from outside his own tribe before. He's about to become a man, and while he's desperate to grow up, he's worried that this will take him away from his best friend, Little Luki, who isn't ready for the traditions and ceremonies of being a girl in her tribe. But when a bad omen sends Samkad's life in another direction, he discovers the brother he never knew he had. A brother who tells him of a people called 'Americans'. A people who are bringing war, and destruction right to their home.

Annabella Donatello likes to do everything. She likes to draw, fly kites, play soccer, cook, and eat what she cooks. She even likes to do math! But there are two things she loves most of all: softball and performing. So she's thrilled when she gets cast in the school play, on top of being the star pitcher of her softball team. Unfortunately, her softball coach is less thrilled about Annabella's busy schedule. And with the championships coming up, the pressure is on to make softball her number one priority, even when an important practice conflicts with opening night of the show.

After an author visits their classroom, Buddy and his friends are inspired to write about their pets—in fact, animals are suddenly all anyone can talk about! Joey’s adorable puppy even stops by Ms. Maple’s classroom (and makes a major mess). But something seems off about the things Bea is saying about her cat. Are her stories true?

When a magic spell is put on Harmony’s trumpet, his music puts all the Smurfs to sleep.

Cook Smurf is baking a cake for everyone, and he’s run out of eggs! He only needs one more, so Papa Smurf asks Smiley and Grouchy to help get another egg. Smiley and Grouchy have opposite personalities—but can they work together to get an egg from the farmer’s chicken coop?

In Off to School!, Papa Smurf sends all of the Smurfs back to school. At 100 years old, they really need to brush up on their spelling and reading skills!

Scaredy Smurf is afraid of heights, the water, the dark … and just about everything! So when he sees a big spider, naturally he’s terrified. Until he realizes the spider is just as frightened of him as he is of it! Soon Scaredy Smurf and the spider are best friends, and they surprise everyone! This gently spooky story is perfect for Halloween or anytime for Smurfs fans.

Handy Smurf tries every way he can think of to fly in the air like a bird.

It’s picture day at school! Lots of people are dressed up, and Bea is even wearing a fluffy dress, which she’s not exactly excited about. When she tells Buddy that he should take his glasses off for the photo, he listens. Everything will be blurry without them, but he decides he won’t take them off for long. Except then his glasses go missing. Are they lost? Did someone take them? Bea volunteers to help track them down, though her “help” isn’t always helpful.

The game of love is afoot in the halls of Reginald R. Hero High. And this time, Huck and Winston—Curtis's younger brother—are center stage. Soon after Ms. Gregoire assigns the works of Sherlock Holmes in English class, Huck realizes someone is trying to sabotage Win's acceptance to the school. It's a plot only Huck can unravel—but as sparks begin to fly between the two boys, Huck has to choose whether to give in to his growing attraction to Win or focus on the case. The solution? Team up together to uncover the culprit.

Rocky Rivera arrives in the US from the Philippines the year that Jimi Hendrix dies. So begins a blazing coming-of-age story suffused with the tensions of immigration that finds Rocky moving from the counterculture of 1960s San Francisco to the extravagant 1980s Manhattan music scene. The Gangster of Love tells the story of the Rivera family as they make their new life in the States, all the while haunted by the memory of the father and the homeland they left behind.

Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That’s why she gave him her car. Diego’s best friend, Lawson, needs a ride? because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego’s not carrying, not selling, it’s cool. It’s just weed. But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened.

What happens when a room full of kids find themselves without a junior-church teacher? They choose one of their own crowd to take her place, of course! Twelve-year-old Kirby McCook, mentored by his grandfather, leads his rambunctious friends through the Bible in this creative and fun Bible storybook. Bible stories laced with middle-grade humor help teach kids that Jesus has been part of the story from the beginning and can be found throughout the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation.

Reapers, the first book in The Reapers Trilogy, is a dystopian tale with a supernatural twist. Taking place in a futuristic, urban setting, this first book in a planned trilogy will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games and similar fast-paced stories for young adults. Along with a blend of real life and imagination, it delivers action, danger, and suspense through the adventures of three teenagers, Phoenix, Singapore, and Shanghai, Reapers who collect the souls of the dying or already dead and transport them to the Gateway where they will travel to their final destination ... or so they are told.

Callum Drift has been head of E.L.F. security at the North Pole for hundreds of years, and his worst nightmare just came true. Santa, code name “Red One,” has been kidnapped. Cal will do anything he can to save Red One, even if it means teaming up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter, Jack O’Malley. Together, this unlikely duo crisscrosses the globe on an action-packed mission to figure out who took him and why. Will they be able to find Red One and save Christmas?