Introduction: The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3) He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone View Details>

Introduction: I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin (Ravenloft #19) For more than a century, Strahd von Zarovich has ruled Barovia with an iron hand, feeding on the blood of his vassals and fearing no one. In all the years of his tortured rule, none have dared defy him.View Details>

Introduction: Dark Road Rising (Vampire Files #12) Vampire P.I. Jack Fleming is playing babysitter to Gabriel “Whitey” Kroun, a dangerously unstable mobster—and newly-created vampire—with deadly secrets to hide. As Jack tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kroun’s undead state, he gets caught between his charge’s violent outbursts and some syndicate torpedoes looking to rub them both out, leaving him vulnerable to an even deadlier threat— the return of an old enemy desperate to unlock the secrets ofView Details>

Introduction: Song in the Dark (Vampire Files #11) P. N. Elrod's novels of The Vampire Files blend the seductive shadows of classic noir into a sanctuary for a most unusual private investigator-vampire Jack Fleming. In Elrod's newest novel, Jack is under the gun when the New York mafia wants his hide, and the love of his life is wanted for murder.View Details>

Introduction: Lady Crymsyn (Vampire Files #9) Vampire detective Jack Fleming made a good bit of money cleaning up the streets of post-prohibition Chicago--enough to realize his dream of owning a nightclub. During renovations, workmen discover the remains of a woman, clad in a distinctive red dress. Vampire or not, Jack won't rest until he finds out who killed the lady in red--even if it means resurrecting secrets the mob would kill to keep buried.View Details>

Introduction: The Dark Sleep (Vampire Files #8) A simple case of blackmail turns deadly for vampire investigator Jack Fleming and his human partner.View Details>

Introduction: Blood on the Water (Vampire Files #6) As a journalist in Capone-controlled Chicago, Jack Fleming is used to blood--even though it's from a vampire's perspective. When the new mob boss decides to rid the city of its friendly vampire, Fleming's thirst for the red stuff gets in the way of his safety.View Details>

Introduction: Art in the Blood (Vampire Files #4) I'm a vampire, not an artist, but I know what I like. And I don't like murder: So when the career of a talented young artist is fatally cut short, I know I won't sleep easy in my coffin until I find the killer: But the world of high art--with its big money, bigger egos, and expensive forgeries--makes even bloodsucking seem simple. And safer. Dead artists can live forever: An undead detective may not be so lucky...View Details>

Introduction: Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people&mdasha lonely, sensitive woView Details>

Introduction: The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry , Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she escapes her fate—for a week. Disguised as a peasant, she attends the village school as the smart new girl, “Pat,” and attracts friends and the attention of the handsome schoolmaster. Disgusting suitors, lovable peasants, and the clueless kinView Details>