The small Orcadian community of Greevoe has remained unchanged for generations. Now a shady government project, Operation Black Star, threatens to destroy the islander's way of life. George Mackay Brown's first novel describes a week in the life of the islanders as the come to terms with the repercussions of Operation Black Star in a masterful mix of prose and poetry from one of Scotland's greatest writers.

He tiptoed down the hall, eased the front door open, and was out. When he pulled on the front gate, he found it locked tight. He quickly slid the ends of his tennis shoes into the oblong squares of the fence. He was over in a few seconds. Freedom at last! He was delirious. He ran to the brick lot that was just across the way from his back door. He would show them; if they didn't want him, he would go to Africa and join up with Tarzan and be lord of the jungle. Or maybe he would go to Arabia and be a foreign legion soldier and fight all them Sheik fellers, and he might even get one of them magic lamps with his own genie. As he worked his way through the brick pile he had a great idea: he would build his own fort, right here in the brick lot. So says Timmy Garvey, the most imaginative kid on the block! Born into a dysfunctional family, Timmy learns to take care of himself and lead an upbeat life. After moving between foster families, Timmy's father, Harold, finally remarries and takes him back in. But Harold has become an abusive man, and his wife can't get away. Timmy and his stepmother work together to avoid Harold and they find a balance of harmony in their united front. As Timmy grows he learns what real life is like, charming all those he meets along the way. Discover how to overcome the most unfortunate childhoods in Johnnie Rye Gibbon's enlightening novel, Barefoot.

Resolving to earn so much money that his mother will no longer stress out over the bills, eleven-year-old Timmy Failure launches a detective business with a lazy polar bear partner named Total but finds their enterprise "Total Failure, Inc." challenged by a college-bound spy and a four-foot-tall girl whom Timmy refuses to acknowledge.

A bestselling author shares wisdom from a life in letters, lessons learned inwartime, and the challenges, humor, and rewards of raising two sons.

Ralph is a newbie in the real estate business taking on his first house-flipping project in the town of Bowling Blue, Ohio. Ralph adds to the property a group of mixed pets, ranging from a terrier puppy to a cow, from a rooster to a kid donkey. Cortney, Kayla, and Abby are pretty, hardworking ladies. They become acquainted through the university and stick with each other whenever they can outside their busy lives. Timmy and Troy are handsome brothers, born and raised Bowling Blue, and Jason is their best buddy. These six students move into Ralph's farmhouse and immediately begin repairs on their new home. Meanwhile, a daughter, traumatized and diseased in her youth, is on the loose from civilization, brain-bent on misguided notions of survival and Child Rescue Aide Cherrie Welkins is hot on her case. The Deeds of a Landlord series contains copies of lost questions and lost literature Does a horror wear a dress? Does a horror wear a tuxedo? Horror is sexy.

For fans of the film series Shrek and the Chronicles of Narnia and of Frozen, as well as classic books such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Cricket in Times Square, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle, this imaginative and engaging debut middle-grade novel by author/illustrator/animator Henrik Tamm includes plucky animal characters, action-packed adventure, and lush full-color illustrations throughout. Timmy the cat, his pal Simon the mink, and the pig brothers Jasper and Casper are inventors, and they’re hoping to sell their fabulous new contraption to a local merchant. With high hopes, they haul their machine through the crowded streets of Elyzandrium—and are promptly robbed by a gang of bullies. With the help of two new friends, Alfred, a kindly old toymaker, and Flores, a skilled cat pilot, Timmy and his pals set out to get back what is rightfully theirs. As it turns out, they’re not the only victims of these dastardly criminals. But what can this band of misfits do? In this action-packed adventure, the intrepid Timmy and his wily friends transform themselves into crime-fighting ninjas—and quite possibly heroes!

Banishment from his life’s calling can’t keep a comically overconfident detective down in the latest episode by New York Times bestseller Stephan Pastis. This book was never meant to exist. No one needs to know the details. Just know this: there’s a Merry, a Larry, a missing tooth, and a teachers’ strike that is crippling Timmy Failure’s academic future. Worst of all, Timmy is banned from detective work. It’s a conspiracy of buffoons. He recorded everything in his private notebook, but then the manuscript was stolen. If this book gets out, he will be grounded for life. Or maybe longer. And will Timmy’s mom really marry Doorman Dave?