Showing results by narrator "Sura Siu" in All Categories

The entire country rejoiced when, out of a golden egg, Roxana Goldenscales hatched. It’s not every day (or even every decade) that a dragona princess graces the earth with her presence. But like most rare, valuable, and defenseless things, every moment of Roxana’s existence is supervised, planned, and observed. Or at least, they were. Until she ran away.

Lucy Usathorn of Fort Worth, Texas is super excited for her class trip to the Natural History Museum, where her dad works. Sure, Ms. Brock, the strict school librarian who happens to be dating Lucy's dad (awkward) is chaperoning, but it'll still be the best day ever, right? Wrong! Lucy has to watch in shock and humiliation as her dad proposes to Ms. Brock. Lucy is distraught. If only she could do this whole day over from scratch . . .

Plum and her friends are traveling to the misty Bokati Island. There they will study with the mysterious Guardian Master Em, who is the keeper of the ancient forest there. The field trip comes just in time for Plum, who still can't figure out why she's so different from the other Novices on Lotus Island. At first, Plum doesn't know what to make of this quiet and sometimes gloomy place. But it doesn't take long to discover that Bokati is brimming with an incredible array of fascinating animals and plants.

Sen Anon is assigned to be a witness for the Department of Transition, recording the changes in the environment as the world begins to rewild. Abandoned by her mother in a cabin somewhere in upstate New York, Sen will observe the monumental ecological shift known as the Great Transition, the final step in Project Afterworld. Around her drones buzz, cameras watch, microphones listen, digitizing her every move. Privately she keeps a journal of her observations, which are then uploaded and saved, joining the rest of humanity on Maia, a new virtual home.

From the New York Times best-selling creator of the Vanderbeekers series comes a triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. As their friendship grows over a shared love of classical music, June and Tyrell confront a new housing policy that puts homeless families in danger.

Even a reluctant hero can't refuse the last request of a beautiful woman. On her deathbed, the mortally wounded woman gives him a strange gem and asks him to deliver the priceless stone to her sister, far off in a North Sea fishing village. D's journey is made ever more perilous by a series of scoundrels and rogues hired by the girl's murderer. They'll stop at nothing to claim the jewel. Will they catch him?

Paige Lancaster, single mom and prodigal daughter, has returned to the East Coast from her prestigious, well-paid job in Los Angeles, writing for the smartest detective series on television. Something terrible happened to her back in Hollywood. Okay, two terrible things, one featuring a misplaced tire iron—and now she’s broke, homeless, and living with her widowed mother and eight-year-old daughter, Izzy, in her Connecticut hometown.

Margot needs a minute. She’s been working eighty-hour weeks as a newly minted partner at her law firm. She’s disconnected from her brother, the only family she has left. And she’s still not pregnant after years of trying. Stars Harbor Astrological Retreat promises rest, relaxation, and wisdom for Margot and her friends. With Instagram-worthy views and nightly astrology readings in an impeccably restored waterfront Victorian house, this getaway should be nothing but idyllic fun.

With a human mother and a werewolf father, Xander Binnigas has never fit anywhere. His father wasn't keen on being saddled with a clueless cub. His mother hated when he drank out of the toilet bowl and marked mailboxes on their Sunday strolls. Even so, he survived to adulthood, his one desire never wavering. And like a wolf with a bone, Xander still longs to find a place to belong. But after years of working like a dog in hopes of officially joining the Manhattan pack, he realizes that he’s been barking up the wrong skyscraper.

Award-winning Japanese author and poet Mieko Kawakami brings Ashes of Spring, a collection of short stories set in everyday life in Japan just before the pandemic lockdown.

Minerva Lucent has always wanted to be just like her late father: a guardian, defender of NYC from the demonic threat. She’s spent her whole life trying to secure a spot, but so far, she’s still stuck as a magical beat cop. It’s not that she hates cleaning up after the boozy vampires and miscreant werewolves. It’s just not inspiring. But when the guardian she’s crushed on for years spills about a rare opening on their force, she resolves to do anything she can to snag it for herself. If that means she has to rally her friends and do something a little crazy, well.

During the New Year break, Plum and her friends travel to fancy, fashionable Nakhon City. There they'll stay with Sam and his mother, the powerful Lady Ubon. At first, Plum is dazzled by how big and exciting Nakhon City is. She's never experienced anything like it! But under the glittering surface, secrets lurk. A storm is brewing, and Plum will have to harness all of her growing powers to survive it.

Plum's adventure continues in the fourth installment of the Legends of Lotus Island series. Lotus Island is in grave danger, and the powers of the Guardians are weakening. Plum must gather all her strength in order to fulfill her destiny and save her friends.

Sarah Talbot Jennings, a young American living in New York, has fled to Bangkok to disappear. Arriving with a suitcase containing $200,000, she rents an apartment at the Kingdom, a glittering high-end complex slowly sinking into its own twilight - and run by conveniently discreet staff. In Bangkok's shocking heat Sarah meets the beguiling Mali, a half-Thai tenant who's strangely determined to bring the quiet American out of her shell.

Breathtaking suspense, unforgettable characters, and a pinch of magic combine in the dual stories of two young people—one in 731 China, and one in 1931 Chinatown—on perilous journeys to save their families.

Princess Lien reserves her loyalty for her uncle, the emperor. Groomed as his secret assassin after he took her in, her first target is the khan of the barbarians responsible for her parents' murder. But her supernatural speed is no help when the monarch betroths her to the man she's meant to slay.

When Tessa and her sisters are told they will be staying at their grandparents in Japan, Tessa is thrilled. But her hopes are dashed when she realizes that life in Japan is just like being in California: her sisters are old enough to go into Tokyo, while her grandparents want her to stay home with the neighbor kid, Jin. When Tessa is finally allowed to go to Tokyo, it’s only to join her grandpa’s retiree aerobic class with none other than Jin. Their forced hang out comes crashing to a halt when Tessa and Jin break the Miyata family’s heirloom—releasing the malicious samurai god Taira Masakado.

Trapped in a cave in the Hindu Kush, Annja Creed has a dream vision of the Monkey King, trickster hero of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, who charges her to protect her rescuer, a historian seeking the scepter that may have inspired the Monkey King’s magic staff. The key lies in a lost journal from the Dunhuang Library, an ancient trove of knowledge deep in the Gobi Desert. But unseen rivals will kill to protect the secret or claim it for themselves. Annja begins her own journey, protecting her friend from danger and death, in the footsteps of the Monkey King himself.

At 35, Mika Suzuki is struggling. She's been fired (again). Her last relationship went up in flames. Her fervently traditional mother is perpetually disappointed in her. And now, she's had a phone call from 16-year-old Penny Calvin. The baby she reluctantly gave up for adoption when she was just a teenager herself. Mika is desperate to meet her girl. But she barely feels like she can take care of herself. Is she ready to show Penny who her mother really is?

Annja Creed has faced constant danger in her quest for the ancient scepter that inspired the legend of the Monkey King, the beloved trickster hero of the Chinese classic Journey to the West. After defeating the protector of its secrets and winning him to her side, Annja has learned of the scepter’s coveted power… which may rival the power of her own mystical sword. Now, Annja’s party of adventurers continue their journey in the footsteps of China’s most legendary explorer, racing against devious and ruthless foes in pursuit of his lost treasure.