The Island of Lost Thoughts On the edge of Starling Bay, where the waves whispered secrets to the shore and the stars cast a gentle glow over the sea, eight-year-old Lila sat by her bedroom window, gazing out at the vast, shimmering night. Tonight, something felt different. She could almost sense a mystery hiding in the air, like an unspoken thought waiting to be discovered. Lila’s grandmother had once told her about a magical place far beyond the village—a place where thoughts and wishes floated free, unclaimed and unspoken. She’d called it the Island of Lost Thoughts, a world only found in dreams. “Not all thoughts are made for the waking world, Lila,” her grandmother had whispered, her eyes twinkling with the memory of her own adventures. “Some get lost along the way, just waiting for someone brave enough to find them.” It was a story Lila had always loved, though she never thought it could be real. But tonight, a soft, glowing light appeared outside her window, swirling gently in the moonlight. The light was small, like a firefly made of stardust, and it moved with purpose, beckoning her to follow. Heart pounding with excitement, Lila threw on her coat and slipped quietly out the front door, careful not to wake her parents. The light guided her through the village and down to the rocky shore, where a small, enchanted boat awaited her, glowing faintly in the dark. The moment she stepped inside, the boat drifted out into the open sea, gliding smoothly over the water as if it were drawn by an unseen force. Lila watched in awe as the stars above seemed to grow brighter, their reflections dancing on the waves around her. The night was filled with a quiet magic, a feeling that she was crossing into another world. And then, just as dawn began to edge over the horizon, she saw it—a small, mist-covered island, hidden in the morning haze. The boat glided to a gentle stop at the island’s shore. Lila stepped onto the soft sand, and as she looked around, she noticed tiny, glowing petals drifting through the air like delicate snowflakes. Each one shimmered faintly, carrying words and images that seemed to whisper to her in the softest of voices. They weren’t ordinary petals—they were lost thoughts. With a thrill of wonder, Lila realized she had arrived at the Island of Lost Thoughts, the very place her grandmother had spoken of. Here, thoughts drifted like flowers in the breeze, each one a wish, a memory, or a dream left unfulfilled. She reached out, letting one of the glowing petals settle in her hand, feeling its warmth as if it held a tiny piece of someone’s soul. “Welcome, Lila,” a gentle voice called. She turned to see a small, shimmering creature—a guide for the island, with wings like translucent leaves and eyes that glowed with the light of a thousand dreams. “You are here to help these thoughts find their way back into the world, to give them a chance to inspire once more.” As Lila took her first steps onto the island, she knew she was beginning an adventure unlike any other, one that would bring her closer to the magic hidden in every forgotten wish and unspoken dream.

From the author of When Audrey Met Alice comes a sweeping middle grade novel about a city girl forced to spend her summer in North Carolina, where she becomes involved in a centuries-old mystery, turning her once boring vacation into an adventure she never could have imagined. Nell Dare expected to spend her summer vacation hanging out with her friends in New York City. That is, until her botanist mom dragged her all the way to Roanoke Island for a research trip. To make matters worse, her father suddenly and mysteriously leaves town, leaving no explanation or clues as to where he went—or why. While Nell misses the city—and her dad—a ton, it doesn’t take long for her to become enthralled with the mysteries of Roanoke and its lost colony. And when Nell meets Ambrose, a quirky historical reenactor, they start exploring for clues as to what really happened to the lost colonists. As Nell and Ambrose’s discoveries of tantalizing evidence mount, mysterious things begin to happen. And someone—or something—is keeping watch over their quest for answers. It looks like Nell will get the adventurous summer she was hoping for, and she will discover secrets not only about Roanoke, but about herself.

The Scarabean Sea. Ruled by gigantic sea scarabs that hunt whales and ships. Claimed by the mighty Brutish Empire. Home to a hundred proud kingdoms fighting for freedom, and haunt of fierce pirates. For Oop, nothing could be worse than babysitting his little sister, Lila, at the Mega Mela. And where does she take him? To some fake fakir so she can have her fortune told. Things take a frightening turn, however, when Lila discovers the fakir’s bag of 99 wish-fulfilling candies. Accidentally transported by the candy to the Scarabean Sea, right in the middle of a midnight raid on the Brutish Empire’s treasures, the two end up being hunted by the devious fakir. But Oop and Lila have allies: the fearsome Captain Angry and his crew of cut-throat pirates!Grab your eyepatch and cutlass and climb aboard this rollicking adventure on the high seas!

An invitation to readers from every walk of life to rediscover the impractical splendors of a life of learning In an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookworm, an amateur astronomer, a birdwatcher, or someone who takes a deep interest in one of countless other subjects. Drawing on inspiring examples, from Socrates and Augustine to Malcolm X and Elena Ferrante, and from films to Hitz's own experiences as someone who walked away from elite university life in search of greater fulfillment, Lost in Thought is a passionate and timely reminder that a rich life is a life rich in thought. Today, when even the humanities are often defended only for their economic or political usefulness, Hitz says our intellectual lives are valuable not despite but because of their practical uselessness. And while anyone can have an intellectual life, she encourages academics in particular to get back in touch with the desire to learn for its own sake, and calls on universities to return to the person-to-person transmission of the habits of mind and heart that bring out the best in us. Reminding us of who we once were and who we might become, Lost in Thought is a moving account of why renewing our inner lives is fundamental to preserving our humanity.

A fictional story of four generations of a family with real life situations and historical facts... staged in Puerto Rico in the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century. It addresses real-life interactions between members of all four generations at different times in their lives... in situations we can all relate to in our real-lives. Also, it is educational in that it provides correct definitions and translations of Spanish/Puertorrican nicknames, food, and ingredients for different colloquial plates that are still prepared in this day and age. It portrays beliefs that some readers will identify with and others will just file it under fantasy... but it's fun and interesting. This is just the beginning... the end of it will be coming soon!

Can a lost girl save a found dog? Find out in this unforgettable story about discovering true friendship, finding home, and the possibilities of forgiveness. Hadley is angry about a lot of things: Her mom going to jail. Having to move to another state to live with her older sister, Beth, even though they haven't spoken in five years. Leaving her friends and her school behind. And going blind. But then Hadley meets Lila. Lila is an abandoned dog who spends her days just quietly lying around at the local dog rescue where Beth works. She doesn't listen to directions or play with the other dogs or show any interest in people. So when Lila comes and sits by Hadley (which is hardly anything, but it's more than she's done with others), Beth thinks maybe Hadley can help Lila. She tells Hadley they'll bring Lila home as a foster dog and Hadley can teach her to follow commands, walk on a leash, and be more of a people dog so she's ready to be adopted. Only working with Lila is harder than Hadley thought, and so is the mobility training she starts taking to help with her failing vision. It feels like Lila is too stubborn to train and that learning to use a cane is impossible. But unless Hadley can help Lila, she'll never be adopted into a home. If Hadley could just let go of her anger, she might be able to save Lila ... and herself. New York Times bestselling author Kody Keplinger weaves an unforgettable story about discovering true friendship, finding home, and the possibilities of forgiveness.

The words "For Lila, forever" adorned the front of the envelope in blue ink, the handwriting all too familiar. But it didn't matter what it said. I didn't have the heart to open it.We couldn't be together. Not after everything ...Leaving Rose Crossing, Maine was one of the most painful moments of my life-or at least it was until the day I came face-to-face with Thayer Ainsworth again. After a decade of searching, he's found me, and he wants to know why I quit my housemaid job and left his family's island estate without so much as a goodbye. But I'm bound by a devastating secret much bigger than the two of us, and telling him the truth has consequences.Looking into the eyes of the only man I've ever loved, I tell him the only thing I'm allowed to: never contact me again. And when he's gone, I sit down and finally open his letter. Only it isn't a letter at all. And it changes everything.