The BFG

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Sid Fleischman

***A shout comes echoing up the stairway. "Fetch the whipping boy!"*** **A young orphan named Jemmy rouses from his sleep.** "Ain't I already been whipped twice today? Gaw! What's the prince done now?" It was forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. **Jemmy had been plucked from the streets to serve as whipping boy to the arrogant and spiteful Prince Brat.** Dreaming of running away, Jemmy finds himself trapped in Prince Brat's own dream at once brash and perilous. ***In this briskly told tale of high adventure, taut with suspense and rich with colorful characters, the whipping boy and Prince Brat must at last confront each other.*** Award-winning author Sid Fleischman again blends the broadly comic with the deeply compassionate in this memorable novel.

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Laini Taylor

**LIFE DOESN'T NEED MAGIC TO BE** *magical.* **(BUT A LITTLE BIT SURE DOESN'T HURT.** Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for her timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her "rabid fairy," her "voodoo eyes" are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to her crush, Mik, also known as Violin Boy, her courage deserts her. Now enough is enough! Zuzana is determined to seize the night, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It's a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter's night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself! Violin Boy is not going to know what hit him. *New York Times* bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor brings to life the funny, romantic, and magical first date of fan favorites Zuzana and Mik. Now in print for the first time, featuring breathtaking illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo, this companion tells the story of a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. A perfect love story for new and old fans alike! This description comes from the publisher. *Night of Cake & Puppets* is a novella that takes place during *Daughter of Smoke & Bone*, the first book in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.

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Rhoda Lerman

"Call Me Ishtar is the outrageous manifesto of a Goddess determined to right the wrongs of the 3000 year-old patriarchy. She is Ishtar: Mother Goddess, Queen of Heaven, Angel of Death, and Whore of Babylon, and, returning to earth in this most recent incarnation, suburban housewife and sexual subversive. Gallivanting through upstate New York, Ishtar breaks into a Hostess factory to taint its products, catapults a rock band to stardom via satanic rituals, and rises from the coffin at her own funeral."--Page 4 of cover.

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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.