A debut novelist casts a satirical eye at southern society while celebrating the power of great teachers in this award-winning comedy of manners. Winner of the 2015 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction As an English teacher at an elite private school in Mountain Brook, Alabama, Norman Laney is as unorthodox as he is morbidly obese. A natural wonder from the blue-collar South, Laney has barged into the exclusive world of Mountain Brook with a mission to defeat “the barbarians,” introduce true civilization in place of its thin veneer, and change his southern world for the better. Laney is adored by his students and by the society ladies who rely on him to lead their book clubs and charm their party guests. But there are others who think he is a larger-than-life menace to the status quo. When Laney is suddenly faced with an ultimatum and his imminent dismissal, he must outflank the principal at his own underhanded game, find out who said what about him and why, and launch his current crop of Alabama students into the wider world—or at least into Ivy League colleges.

The ultimate battle against darkness begins... Energy levels are dangerously low, and it's affecting day-to-day life on Starland. The Star Darlings have been working furiously to discover who is behind the crisis, but they've made a grave mistake. Can they fix it before their world goes dark? When Adora goes on her Wish Mission, she accidentally reveals her identity to her Wisher! Clover's mission to help a girl with her overprotective parents is like no other. Then all hopes hinge on Gemma, who has the final Wish Mission; she encountered trouble on Wishworld, but it's nothing compared to the battle she and the other Star Darlings must fight when she returns!

Clover is way too rigid and often plays it safe. She must learn to be more flexible and spontaneous and take more risks. Clover's Wishworld mission involved a girl who is an only child whose parents completely baby her. Clover tries some very subtle, safe maneuvers to prove that the girl is ready for some independence, but needs to make a bold move to help the girl's parents realize their little girl isn't a toddler anymore.

“Life is not a balanced concept and stories are predicated in the understanding that obstacles will come. They always do. It is up to us to find a way to be true to ourselves while navigating through them.” SJ, Daniel, Jason, and Blue have returned from Dreamland having achieved their goal of waking their two classmates trapped in a sleeping curse. The problem—their best friend Crisanta Knight didn’t make it back with them. With Crisa captured by the antagonists, our four heroes must team up with their fairytale friends to enact the ancient enchantment of Midnight Law. As they journey through more magical worlds than in any adventure before, and become entangled in the lore of Mulan, Alice in Wonderland, Rumpelstiltskin, and beyond, our heroes will need to face some hard truths about themselves and their relationships. And they have to hurry. Because if they don’t find Crisa by the time the clock strikes midnight, she’s not the only one who’s doomed . . .