Heroes of the valley

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Anna Holmes

"Emmet Brickowski was the most ordinary guy in the whole world. That is, until he found the Piece of Resistance! Now a group of rebels called the Master Builders want Emmet to use the Piece of Resistance to stop Lord Business from gluing the world together. Emmet isn't quite sure he has what it takes. But there's one thing Emmet is sure of: Today is going to be the most awesome day of his entire life."--Page 4 of cover. After finding the Piece of Resistance, Emmet is drafted into a group of rebels, the Master Builders. The rebels are on an epic quest to stop the evil Lord Business, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly underprepared.

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Lloyd Alexander

It's 1872, and adventurous Vesper Holly and her guardian set out for the tiny country of Illyria, on a quest for its legendary treasure. But once Vesper and Brinnie arrive, they are plunged into a fierce struggle between rebel forces— and someone is out to kill the two of them! If anyone can triumph over those kind of odds, it's Vesper — one of Lloyd Alexander's most intrepid (and best-selling) heroines. "A story that moves at breakneck speed and is filled with delicious details Alexander is to be commended for his elegant writing, astute characterizations, and his presentation of an intelligent heroine." — Booklist, starred review "With its wonderfully exaggerated characters, tantalizing chapter endings, literate style, and witty repartee, the book must have been almost as much fun to write as it is to read." — The Horn Book

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Brian DeLeeuw

Luke is six. He is a lonely child, but he has one friend, his best friend - Daniel - whom he met in the playground on the day his parents finalized their divorce. Only Luke can see Daniel. They play games together and Daniel watches over Luke; he is there when he first wakes up and there when he goes to sleep. Daniel's first memory is of Luke calling his name in the playground. Daniel is not an ordinary child. Luke's mother spends more and more time in her room, haunted by family memories. She takes Luke and Daniel from New York to a deserted beach town, as winter sets in. Daniel is changing. He feels faint, weightless. Luke seems forgetful of him. Time passes. Luke and Daniel have not seen each other for a long time. Until, one night, Daniel suddenly finds himself standing in Luke's bedroom, woken by the sound of breaking glass. He does not know how much time he has, but he knows how he can be saved. A frightening, gripping tale. This is one of the most fascinating and controlled first novels I've ever read - a sustained performance that hypnotizes and terrifies -- Edmund White. Original subversive, funny, twisted, and toatlly engrossing ... a mind-bending tour de force. I read the last page, flipped back to the beginning, and immediately started it again. -- Chelsea Cain. The relationship between Daniel and Luke is unique in the annals of literature. I haven't been this entertained by a debut novel in years -- Dale Peck.

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Helen Dunmore

Sapphire's father mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived. She misses him terribly, and she longs to hear his spellbinding tales about the Mer, who live in the underwater kingdom of Ingo. Perhaps that is why she imagines herself being pulled like a magnet toward the sea. But when her brother, Conor, starts disappearing for hours on end, Sapphy starts to believe she might not be the only one who hears the call of the ocean.