This coming-of-age story is a tale of fantasy and mystery, of goblins, elves, and flying reindeer, and of how a boy from the humblest beginnings fulfills his destiny.

Shocked by the Bible sets the record straight with well-researched, controversial, myth-breaking assertions about what the Bible really does—and doesn’t—say. And guess on which day the Bible says Jesus died. Believe it or not, the Good Book doesn't mention Friday, and even more surprisingly, while the Bible says Jesus rose from the grave, it does not say it occurred Sunday morning. Remember, Jesus' followers found an empty tomb then. But don't feel bad if you've always assumed otherwise. Like countless millions of people, you've just been misinformed, misled or even (dare we say) lied to about what the Bible actually says. In a stunning investigation, news veteran Joe Kovacs goes on a mission to help both Christians and non-Christians alike find out what the Bible really contains, and what it doesn't. "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" is an educational juggernaut that relies solely on the Holy Bible to reveal hundreds of Scriptural facts that many people of all persuasions simply don't know. The book instantly skyrocketed to the No. 1 position in three Bible-related categories on Amazon.com. "I'm among the biggest fans of the Bible of all time," says Kovacs. "My goal is to educate people about the solid truth of Scripture and to stop the spread of erroneous information. I want people to crack open their Bibles and see with their own eyes what's actually printed on the pages, and what's not. It's shocking!" According to Scripture, you won't find "Three Wise Men" mentioned anywhere in the story of Jesus' birth. For that matter, none are said to have shown up at the manger in Bethlehem. The truth straight from your own Bible is that an unspecified number of wise men first met Jesus as a "young child" in a "house," not a babe in a manger, and it might have been more than a year after He was born. Go ahead, look it up for yourself. Also, according to Scripture, you won't find a single mention of Easter eggs, but you will find God warning His people not to have anything to do with a pagan fertility goddess, whose name is synonymous with "Easter." "Yes, I'm a Bible-believing Christian," says Kovacs. "But I'm not here to convert anyone. People are free to believe whatever they wish and can come to their own conclusions. I just want to show them the biblical record is often very different from what many assume. Not only will Christians love this book, but I think Jews, Muslims and even agnostics and atheists will get a kick out of it as well."

Princess Maagy has bid her best friend Mary a temporary farewell and boarded the big black carriage headed home for the holidays. Harvest Festival is over, and Krispen is just around the corner. Maagy will miss her friend but looks forward to seeing her again soon. Suddenly, something terrible happens. Maagy’s world is turned upside down. Her faith in everything and everyone around her is destroyed. Maagy slips into a deep malaise. She refuses to participate in decorating Avington Palace for Krispen. She won’t come out of her room and doesn’t get dressed most days. Lady Periwinkle is crushed when Maagy rebuffs their annual trip to Montclair for the Queen’s Tree Lighting. Maagy’s dear friend Lord Wesley Applegate seems to be the only one she will talk to, though reluctantly. She confides her fear and loneliness to him, but even he is unable to soothe her. On the night before Krispen Eve, Maagy is awakened by an unexpected visitor who convinces her to embark upon a clandestine adventure. Along the way, Maagy begins to wonder about her secretive companion, as they journey through the desolate, snowy countryside. Maagy’s pluck and resolve are put to the test, as she must summon all her bravery to rescue her friend. Only time will tell if Maagy’s adventure is successful and her faith is restored. This fairy tale for middle readers is the second in the seven-book Maagy Series about the coming of age of a young woman.

Almost wherever we look, depictions of sexuality, both subtle and not-so-subtle, are omnipresent. Whatever the medium, popular culture representations tell us something about ourselves and about the ideologies of which they are symptomatic. These essays examine the strategies of power implicit in popular representations of sexuality. The authors--scholars in fields such as sociology, philosophy, biology, political science, history, and English literature-- eschew rigid disciplinary boundaries.