Welcome to the world of Izzy Bear and her Friends! One morning Izzy Bear woke up and ran outside to play with her friend Duck, along the way to meet their friends down by the lake they realize that Izzy Bear has lost something very valuable- her shadow. Have your children read along to meet all the lovely and lively characters in this soon to be cherished family favorite! See how all of Izzy Bears friends try to lend their shadows so she is not so upset by losing it and not having hers. In the end they not only learn about how to be a good friend, but also how we are all unique and need to cast our own individual shadow in life. Izzy Bear's Mom let's them know that no matter what we must be who we are as individuals or it just does not fit "right" for us!

When she enters into a fake engagement with Lord Julian Blackworth in order to preserve her reputation, Izzy Temple finds herself falling for the disreputable peer, but is not sure that she can trust him.

Some risk it all to save a friend. They must risk it all to save an enemy. All Matt ever wanted was to become a Golden Guardian, like his father before him. With decades of experience in battle and his powerful wind magic, Matt excels in every task given to him. Well, almost everything - Matt struggles to follow orders. But sometimes following the Guardian Oath means violating those orders when it's important. However, Matt isn't a Guardian yet - and he may never be if the Master Guardian has a say in it. Izzy Gildspine, Matt's partner, is also bidding for Guardianship, but she understands the Master Guardian's worries. After all, how could Izzy be a proper Guardian anyway? Her healing powers can't hold a candle to Matt's wind powers. It didn't matter how good she might be in battle - Making her a Guardian would just be a disgrace to the position if she didn't have elemental magic. But when their world is invaded, Matt and Izzy have one last chance to prove they deserve the Guardianship. Only their enemy is not what he seems... Now they have a choice to make - save themselves, their home, and their final chance at Guardianship, or risk it all for the life of an enemy. This book is for anyone who loves: - Sonic the Hedgehog - Elemental magic - Found family - Villain redemption - Deep platonic friendship Companion Stories: Black Bound and Golden Guardian. Content Warnings: Mental abuse, body horror, blood and gore, death.

VENTURA, Calif. Fairytales continue to enchant both the young and old. This enduring tradition lingers in the present day through countless movies and literary works. In his new novel, Witchcraft, author Jayme Alan Toomey spins a darkly riveting story out of the the timeless appeal of fairytales. This modern retelling follows a family, the Dooms, on vacation. Jess wants to try something different for once and so they opt for a rural community rife with local legends, cults and an otherworldly atmosphere. Jess boyfriend, Jamie, comes along with them and they eagerly enjoy the respite from their lives in the urban jungle. Unbeknownst to them all, there is more to the peace and quiet than meets the eye. Dark forces are at work beneath the towns idyll and what started as a fun getaway quickly became a deadly game involving the sacrifice of innocent blood, witchcraft and the resurgence of an evil from an all too familiar fairytale. Suffused with magic and menace, Witchcraft is a richly atmospheric novel that will enthrall fans of fairytales and fairytale retellings and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadowy realms of lore.

Annie learns shocking truths about Tristan's reason for coming to Maine. His betrayal pushes them apart, but Annie knows leaving a true mate is a pain almost too great to bear. Can she forgive the man she’s destined to be with and mend her shattered heart? Isabelle discovers fate has a surprising twist in store, and she finds she’s destined to save more than her true mate, she needs to save Tristan and Annie too.er than I ever imagined. Not only is Jean Luc Ouelette the werebear who saves me, it seems I’m supposed to save him. werebear romance, shifter romance, enemies to lovers, romantic suspense, fated mates, true mate love, magic

A quirky, empowering story about a boy recovering from a bear attack with the help of his friends and, maybe, some magic. For fans of Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones and The Canning Season by Polly Horvath. Newt Gomez has a thing with bears. Having survived a bear attack last year, he now finds an unusual bear statue. Newt's best friend thinks the statue grants wishes. But even as more people wish on the bear and their wishes come true, Newt is not a believer. But Newt has a wish too: while he loves his home on eccentric Murphy Island, he wants to go to middle school on the mainland, where his warm extended family lives. There, he's not the only Latinx kid, and he won't have to drive the former taco truck--a gift from his parents--or perform in the talent show. Most importantly, on the mainland, he never has bad dreams about the attack. Newt is almost ready to make a secret wish when everything changes. Tackling themes of survival and self-acceptance, Newt's story illuminates the magic in our world, where reality is often uncertain but always full of salvageable wonders.

Within these pages lie eighteen stories, from eighteen worlds shaped by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its first year. Some are international bestsellers. Among them are winners and nominees for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, Aurealis, Ditmar, British Science Fiction Association, and Dragon Awards. Some have been writing for decades, others are at the beginning of their careers. All have honed their craft to razor-sharpness. A teenage girl finds something strange in the middle of the Canadian prairie. An exobiologist tries to liberate a giant alien enslaved on its homeworld by humans. The music of the spheres becomes literal for an Earth ship far from home. A superhero league interviews for new members. Strangers share a drink on a world where giant starships fall. Two boys, one a werewolf, one a mage, get more than they bargained for when they volunteer to fight an evil Empire. A man with amnesia accepts a most unusual offer. A young woman finds unexpected allies as she tries to win a flying-machine race in steampunk London . . . Ranging from boisterous to bleak, from humorous to harrowing, from action-filled to quiet and meditative; taking place in alternate pasts, the present day, the far, far future, and times that never were; set on Earth, in the distant reaches of space, in fantasy worlds, and in metaphysical realms, each of these stories is as unique as its creator. And yet, they all showcase one thing: the irrepressible need of human beings to create, to imagine, to tell stories. To shape worlds.