Showing results by narrator "Renee Dorian" in All Categories

Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening.

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as - S.

Just when everything is returning to the calm that Quinn Caine and her sidekicks Ruff Barker Ginsburg and Sister Daria are used to in their beloved town of Vienna, a Broadway star crash-lands into their peace and quiet. Chad Frivole is Vienna’s prodigal son, and the once notorious lothario has returned a Broadway star, ready to make a different kind of mark on his hometown.

Kit Spencer can’t stand reading. She’d rather be outside playing and getting muddy than stuck inside with a book. But when her best friends, Josh and Alita, drag her to the local library, Kit makes an incredible discovery: She’s a wizard — and books are the key to her abilities. Unfortunately, a greedy businessman wants to tear down the beloved library, destroying all its magic. To make matters worse, there’s a sleeping dragon hidden there, and if she’s awakened, her wild power will wreak havoc.

Quinn Victoria Caine is back in her quirky town of Vienna, Virginia, starting her new life as a bookbinder in her family-owned bookshop. With her trusty German Shephard RBG - Ruff Barker Ginsburg - by her side, what can go wrong? Okay, sure, bumping into her ex Scott or her former high-school nemesis Tricia is a drag. It certainly doesn't help that they’ve acquired the new hobby of shoving their recent engagement in her face every chance they get. But that doesn't mean Quinn wanted to find Tricia dead in the road. So why does half the town think she may have done it?

In the opulent sinking city of Dantessa, the Great Game rules all. Pia Paro believes that so long as you follow the rules, you always have a chance at winning. But after her beloved Gramps is sentenced to a life of servitude, Pia accepts a dangerous offer and joins a team of players seeking to win the most perilous game of all: Noctis. The Seafoxes—Pia’s new teammates—are unlike anyone she’s ever met. There’s bold Carlo; macabre Serafina; kindhearted Pasquale; and their ringleader, Vittoria. Each has their own reason for playing, and soon, Pia begins to question all her long-held beliefs.

Girl meets dragon. Girl works to befriend dragon. A large, red, dangerous dragon. Raven Alby will have to train her new ride and save the dragon’s life or die trying. Mix in starting at Fowler Academy as a first-year, becoming a stronger mage, and oh...people disappearing. It's all adding up to typical teenager stuff for a young mage. The first lesson Raven will learn? Don’t ever let anything come between a girl and her dragon.

This collection of tales is for fans of ghost-story writer Mary Downing Hahn’s scary but not too scary books. Even the stories without actual ghosts are spooky. Each tale turns something ordinary - a pigeon, a white dress, a stranger on the bus, a puppet - into a sinister link to the supernatural. For the human characters, secrets from the past or careless behavior in the present can lead to serious trouble. All the stories have a young person as their central character, so all will resonate easily with young listeners who enjoy the eerie, the creepy, and the otherworldly.

Wini's family of enchanters runs a little bakery, but with the prices of magical ingredients skyrocketing, they're going under. Desperate to save her family's business, Wini takes a risk by casting a (sort of illegal) spell that would allow them to gather their own supply of their most needed magical ingredient: love. But the spell doesn't work. And Wini soon discovers that it didn't just not work; it backfired. Badly. Now the whole town is in danger, and the Enchantment Agency is sniffing around for whoever cast the wayward spell.

Raven Alby is finally getting the chance to be an ordinary first-year mage at Fowler Academy. Until her dragon familiar sees a dark shadow in the sky that neither of them can explain. Monsters have invaded the valley of the flightless dragons. Connor Alby’s letter warned magic was returning, but what new threats does it bring? Dragon ranches and stables are being attacked across Lomberdoon, and Raven and Leander could get caught in the middle.

Raven’s grandfather, Connor Alby, has taken off and she has suddenly found herself alone and boarding at Fowler Academy. The Swarm approaches from above and below, and these monsters don’t know how to quit. Will the old wizards be able to teach the young fighters how to finally win? Raven and her friends have barely started school and don’t know how to harness their magic or their familiars - yet. Did I mention Raven’s familiar is a very large dragon? Raven and Leander have learned how to work as one, but it’s going to take more than that to win this war.

The town of Silent Bend is about to explode into a war. Alivia swore to take the House from Jasmine after what she did, but it won't happen without retaliation. The whole town is caught in the crosshairs of their manipulation and the body count is climbing. The explanation for Ian's change is one he just can't accept. To Alivia, it should fix all their problems, but Ian has become everything he hates most. And Liv accepting her fate and position will test their relationship to the breaking point.

Caroline “Chuck” Wilson has big plans for spring break - hit up estate sales to score vintage-fashion finds and tour the fashion school she dreams of attending. But her dad wrecks those plans when he asks her to spend vacation working the counter at Bigmouth’s Bowl, her family’s failing bowling alley. Making things astronomically worse, Chuck finds out her dad is way behind on back rent - meaning they might be losing Bigmouth’s, the only thing keeping Chuck’s family in San Francisco.

Raven Alby is back at the academy and training her dragon. It’s time for final exams and the Festival of Dragons, so there’s no room for distractions like a tall, dark dragon trainer. But Raven has found new clues about her late parents’ death and is on the hunt. What she finds leaves her with more questions than before.

The echo of the spinning tire beneath her car seemed to ring louder than the music she attempted to drown her thoughts in. Watching the world pass by in a haze, America sped down the freeway and out of the city while flashbacks of her long-forgotten childhood consumed her. Her parents failed her; the foster care system failed her; social workers, probation officers, teachers, and everyone who was supposed to protect her tossed her aside.

Raven Alby knows how to train her dragon. She’s learning more every day - and fast - because raiders are attacking the kingdom. The young mage and her best frenemy, Bella Chase, are the only first-year students selected to compete in the annual Tournament of Mages. Can they figure out how to combine their skills and work together? Adventure takes them to the far reaches of the kingdom where an unexpected threat hits the bustling metropolis and disrupts the competition. With her dragon, Leander, by her side, Raven will face an even greater challenge. But will she be there alone?

Sparks fly when Molly Prince's puppy Ursula constantly disrupts the beachfront area where new-in-town marine biologist Max Miller is studying sea-turtle mating habits. Max and Molly are instantly attracted to each other, but Molly dismisses Max out of hand. As for Max, he refuses to take Molly seriously when her job is to play the aquarium's mermaid. But when Ursula won't stop digging in Max's beachfront yard and reveals her unique ability to sniff out sea-turtle nests, she might bring these two opposites close enough to help save the turtles, and maybe even save the aquarium.

Twelve-year-old Ainsley Galloway and her ten-year-old brother, Tobin, have just moved to the small picturesque mountain town of Lowry. The town is famously the setting for the blockbuster Legend of Greyhallow trilogy, and there are traces of the films wherever they go. Ainsley’s parents even bought the film director’s former home, which they dream of turning into an inn that caters to fans eager to check out the local Greyhallow Movie Festival. But when Ainsley and Tobin are fooling around in the attic of their new home, Ainsley unleashes something—something she doesn’t quite understand.

Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friendless Children. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing. No one knows why she doesn't speak anymore; silence is her protection. The orphans find work and new friends at a traveling circus. Lucy loves caring for the elephants, but she must be able to speak to them, and to warn others of danger. If Lucy doesn't find her voice, she'll be left behind when the circus goes on the rails. Meanwhile, people are searching for Lucy, and her puzzling past is about to catch up with her.

Raven Alby is graduating from her first year at Fowler Academy. There are parties and dates with William and a long summer with friends, just like any other teenager with a large dragon. But then a letter arrives from her grandfather. Magic is returning to Brighton, but not everyone is ready to handle it. It’s a race against the fear spreading through Lomberdoon. Can Raven and her friends keep their people safe as they wait for help from the capital that might not come? Will Raven and Connor find what they need in the Valley of the Keepers before magic tears the kingdom apart?