Seven Tales

A girl who loves sneaking. Seven daughters who all pretend to be the same person. A witch who tricks a man into carving his own children out of stone. And just for good measure, a giant or two, who may or may not be friendly. In the Seven Tales, G.C.McRae proves he is a master of the ancient art of storytelling. With shades of 1001 Nights, Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, McRae's original fairy tales bring a freshness and hilarity to the world of castles and queens.

Guided by a tattered map, accompanied by Thomas the Pig Boy, and inspired by the storyteller's blood that thrums through her veins, eleven-year-old Trinket searches for the seven stories she needs to become a bard like her father, who disappeared years before. She befriends a fortune-telling gypsy girl; returns a child stolen by the selkies to his true mother; confronts a banshee and receives a message from a ghost; helps a village girl outwit—and out-dance—the Faerie Queen; travels beyond the grave to battle a dastardly undead Highwayman; and meets a hound so loyal he fights a wolf to the death to protect the baby prince left in his charge. All fine material for six tales, but it is the seventh tale, in which Trinket learns her father's true fate, that changes her life forever. The Seven Tales of Trinket is a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2012

Amber is the one true world of which all others are but shadows. Collected here in one binding are seven tales of Amber. It was Zelazny's intent to use these short stories to tie up unfinished threads from his amazing Chronicles of Amber. With stunning illustrations, this edition is sure to be a treat for the legion of Amber fans. "A storyteller without peer. He created worlds as colorful and exotic and memorable as any our genre has ever seen." -George R.R. Martin . . . his performance was never anything other than dazzling. -Robert Silverberg Roger Zelazny's work excited me. It was intoxicating and delightful and unique. And it was smart. -Neil Gaiman

Stories deal with a lonely fir tree, the search for a genuine princess, a proud family of snails, a young bird who's made fun of for his differences, a haughty needle, and a brave toy

Dare you visit the vampire's tomb at midnight when the church bell tolls? Or descend to the fiery pits of hell with a boy who has sold his soul to the devil? If not, read no further. For these are strange and ghostly tales - gruesome, pitiful, spine-chilling . . . But don't be surprised to find that supernatural events can also be wickedly funny - and even raise a ghost of a smile!

Literally translated as "ocean of the sea of stories, " the Kathasaritasagara is a collection of stories of the ancient Hindu world. It was written by Somadeva in the 11th century. Unlike those more familiar classics, this work contains no hidden moral lessons. Instead, it is an uninhibited and beautiful celebration of earthly life.