Beyond Desert Walls

Essays by an inmate of the Arizona State Prison focus on the natural history of the region and on his own personal experiences of the region.

In this wise and lyrical book about landscapes of the desert and the mind, Edward Abbey guides us beyond the wall of the city and asphalt belting of superhighways to special pockets of wilderness that stretch from the interior of Alaska to the dry lands of Mexico.

Perfect for fans of The Theft of Sunlight and the Alanna books, this page-turning fantasy immerses readers in a vivid desert landscape and the mysteries and dangers that lie beyond the Wall. Malenie doesn’t need anyone… By her fourteenth year, Melanie has learned how to survive on her own in the harsh reality of her small town. Bullies. Judgmental neighbors. A broken friendship. She also knows how to hide her secret, the one emblazoned on her skin that she herself barely understands. Then a stranger comes to town, one who knows more about Malenie than she does, and he takes from her the person most precious in the world. Her Papa. To save her father, she must get in touch with her ancestral magic, dare to forge new friendships and confront a deadly villain. Papa's freedom, and her own, are bound up in secrets from the past and Malenie's own courage to face them. The Desert Wall is the first book in a new series about friendship, families and magic.

A triumphant tale of a young woman and her difficult childhood, The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience, redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and wonderfully vibrant. Jeannette Walls was the second of four children raised by anti-institutional parents in a household of extremes.

Choose Your Own Adventure.

Palestine, first century A.D.-the Jews have revolted against Roman occupation. The ten Greek cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings. Apollodorus, a merchant of Philadelphia, takes a risk and rescues a man whom a Roman patrol has left to die in the desert. When Apollodorus is killed by robbers, his three sons are left almost penniless and must each find a way for themselves. Philo, the youngest, is befriended by Xenos, the man saved from the desert, who has lost his memory. From him the boy learns the art of the scribe, and together they try to find their identity-one from the past, the other for the future. A serious story of an important time in history. This is the sequel to The Ides of April.