In a world where learning and reading are forbidden, the fairy princess Ariel is taking huge risks to explore the knowledge avaliable among the elves she’s befriended on the other side of the valley. As she becomes more entwined in their world, Keeper the patriarch of her new band of friends, warns Ariel of the dangerous path she's on and reveals a shocking truth about her own family. Ariel is left with a difficult choice. Should she return to the barbarian, illiterate security of her colony, or continue risking everything in her attempts to quench her awakened thirst for knowledge? In this captivating tale of alliances and self-discovery, Ariel and Keeper form an unlikely pact that will change their lives forever.

Bright lights flicker in the dark evenings of summer. Pinpoints of hope float against the black descent of night. The sweetest of small and innocent creatures finds its way through the shadows. Fireflies seem to dance on sheer air, illuminating the space between heartbeats. Children give off a similar brave glow, despite the challenges of their young lives. The lessons of childhood are often painful, the shedding of fragile wings in the gloam of an uncertain future. These rich novellas are small jewels reflecting the essence of what it means to grow up dancing among the shadows of life, carrying a brave, small beacon because you know that even the brightest days always, always, end in darkness. Childhood can be so sweetly sad and sadly sweet, profound and deceptively easy to categorize, yet poignant to remember. New York Times bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen (GARDEN SPELLS, SUGAR QUEEN, THE PEACH KEEPER) anchors THE FIREFLY DANCE with her wistful and funny novella about Louise, a North Carolina girl whose keen observations of the lives around her weaves an unforgettable spell with just a hint of everyday magic. Phyllis Schieber's Sonya, a child of Holocaust survivors, is confronted with the responsibilities of her legacy when she has a poignant encounter with a classmate, another child of survivors, and her mother, in a local shop in their 1970's New York neighborhood. Kathryn Magendie's Petey deals wryly with her family's move from the cool blue mountains of North Carolina to the hot flatlands of Texas. Augusta Trobaugh's stoic Georgia boy leads us through his surreal encounter with a mysterious backwoods toddler who turns out to be anything but ordinary.

Eleven-year-old Emily doesn't think Badger Cottage will ever be home. But there is something out there that needs her; a bright pair of eyes in the darkness. In the middle of a fierce battle between conservationists, who want to rewild the lynx in the woods, and the local farmers, Emily tries to shield a baby lynx she calls Lotta, afraid it will be killed by the person who killed its mother.

Discover the summer camp adventure of a lifetime in this charmingly cheerful middle grade novel. Lauren, Isla, Jade, and Archer meet the first day of summer camp, and friendship magic is made in Firefly Cabin. If only they could immortalize their summer memories by winning the contest to be the face of the camp's website. But it won't be easy; not with rival cabins, distracting crushes, and of course, the girl’s own secrets getting in the way. Can friendship—and the Fireflies—triumph over all?

In a world of elven tribes and mythical creatures, Ariel challenges the dogmatic laws and norms of her kin and begins a transformative journey, learning various skills from the compassionate Rapha. In her adventures with different elves, like Rosie the gnome and Sage the tree sprite, Ariel is exposed to a world where care, knowledge, and community are paramount. But because of his haunting memories and biases, Keeper still struggles to trust Ariel. Soon, the Rapha begin to reconsider their own stories and beliefs, and Keeper has to face his own troubled past. An enlightening and heartwarming fantasy adventure, THE RAPHA AND THE FIREFLY is the third book in The Year Of The Firefly series by GeAnn Powers.

Ariel is a fairy princess from a colony of scavengers. Her life has been one of hunger, emptiness, and fear. In a year’s time, she will have to choose one of her ruthless barbarian kin to marry, and be condemned to a life of servitude and hopelessness. Basil is a well-educated young elf, used to a life of books, warmth and friendship. With his pack full of vials and potions, he was just wanting to get home. But after one chance encounter in a spider's web, their lives entangle, and their worlds will never be the same again.

"[In] a revision of the 1963 edition, [a] brief, clearly written text [tells of a young girl who] learns some interesting facts about fireflies from her grandfather. Alexander uses richly hued pastels for her illustrations of the young girl, her grandparents' farm, and the creatures of a summer night."—SLJ.