The Witch S Child

The stunning first book in an exciting new fantasy trilogy! Murder, thievery, witchcraft and betrayal--who could resist? Julia has the unusual ability to be . . . unseen. Not invisible, exactly. Just beyond most people's senses. It's a dangerous trait in a city that has banned all forms of magic and drowns witches in public Cleansings. But it's a useful trait for a thief and a spy. And Julia has learned--crime pays. Her latest job is paying very well indeed. Julia is posing as a housemaid in the grand house of Mrs. Och, where an odd assortment of characters live and work: A disgraced professor who sends her to fetch parcels containing bullets, spiders and poison. An aristocratic houseguest who is locked in the basement each night. And a mysterious young woman who is clearly in hiding--though from what or whom? Worse, Julia suspects that there's a connection between these people and the killer leaving a trail of bodies across the frozen city. The more she learns, the more she wants to be done with this unnatural job. To go back to the safety of her friends and fellow thieves. But Julia is entangled in a struggle between forces more powerful than she'd ever imagined. Escape will come at a terrible price. One that will she will be paying over this book and the two to follow.

Just in time for Halloween, an adorable little witch has landed in YOUR book—now in board! An engaging new adventure from the team that brought you There's a Monster in Your Book and its companions. A grumpy little witch has thrown a magic spell at you! If you can capture it, you can use your finger wand to make magic yourself in this participatory book. But, be careful! Your bewitched finger wand might be more powerful than you think! This book shows how tidying up can be fun! Look for every book in Tom Fletcher and Greg Abbott's Who's In Your Book? series for more read-aloud fun! INTERACTIVE ADVENTURES FOR BIG IMAGINATIONS: There's a Monster in Your Book There's a Dragon in Your Book There's an Elf in Your Book There's an Alien in Your Book There's a Superhero in Your Book There's a Unicorn in Your Book Tom Fletcher is one of Britain's bestselling children's authors (in addition to being a rock star!), and his YouTube videos have been viewed tens of millions of times.

When Mary sees her grandmother accused of witchcraft and hanged for the crime, she is silently hurried to safety by an unknown woman. The woman gives her tools to keep the record of her days - paper and ink. Mary is taken to a boat in Plymouth and from there sails to the New World where she hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims. But old superstitions die hard and soon Mary finds that she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and stupidity, and once more she faces important choices to ensure her survival. With a vividly evoked environment and characters skilfully and patiently drawn, this is a powerful literary achievement by Celia Rees that is utterly engrossing from start to finish.

From Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza and creative partner Dan Murphy comes the long lost tale of the Christmas Witch, Santa Claus's much misunderstood twin sister. The perfect gift for the holiday season and beyond! Gather ‘round the fire to hear a Christmas legend that has never been told before...until now. Each year a mysterious figure sweeps into town, leaving behind strange gifts in the night. No, not Santa Claus, but his sister… The Christmas Witch. Her story begins many, many years ago when her brother was torn away from her as a child. Raised alone by a witch of the woods, Kristtörn's powers of magic grew, as did her temper. Determined to find her long lost twin, she set out on a perilous journey across oceans to find him. But what she found instead was a deep-seated fear of her powers and a confrontation that would leave the fate of Christmas hanging in the balance. From award-winning producer and actress Aubrey Plaza and her creative partner Dan Murphy comes a holiday story unlike any told before. With all the richness of classic folklore, they’ve woven a tale of bravery, love and magic. Whatever you thought you knew about Christmas…think again.

“This spellbinding fantasy begs for a cozy chair and several hours of uninterrupted reading time.” —The Washington Post When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Across the forest that borders Ned’s village, Áine, the daughter of the Bandit King, is haunted by her mother’s last words: “The wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.” When the Bandit King comes to steal the magic Ned’s mother, a witch, is meant to protect, Áine and Ned meet. Can they trust each other long enough to cross a dangerous enchanted forest and stop the war about to boil over between their two kingdoms? “Barnhill is a fantasist on the order of Neil Gaiman.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “[The Witch’s Boy] should open young readers’ eyes to something that is all around them in the very world we live in: the magic of words.” —The New York Times “This is a book to treasure.” —Nerdy Book Club A Washington Post Best Book of 2014 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014 A Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book of 2014 A Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” 2014

In the 1980s, a series of child sex abuse cases rocked the United States. The most famous case was the 1984 McMartin preschool case, but there were a number of others as well. By the latter part of the decade, the assumption was widespread that child sex abuse had become a serious problem in America. Yet within a few years, the concern about it died down considerably. The failure to convict anyone in the McMartin case and a widely publicized appellate decision in New Jersey that freed an accused molester had turned the dominant narrative on its head. In the early 1990s, a new narrative with remarkable staying power emerged: the child sex abuse cases were symptomatic of a 'moral panic' that had produced a witch hunt. A central claim in this new witch hunt narrative was that the children who testified were not reliable and easily swayed by prosecutorial suggestion. In time, the notion that child sex abuse was a product of sensationalized over-reporting and far less endemic than originally thought became the new common sense. But did the new witch hunt narrative accurately represent reality? As Ross Cheit demonstrates in his exhaustive account of child sex abuse cases in the past two and a half decades, purveyors of the witch hunt narrative never did the hard work of examining court records in the many cases that reached the courts throughout the nation. Instead, they treated a couple of cases as representative and concluded that the issue was blown far out of proportion. Drawing on years of research into cases in a number of states, Cheit shows that the issue had not been blown out of proportion at all. In fact, child sex abuse convictions were regular occurrences, and the crime occurred far more frequently than conventional wisdom would have us believe. Cheit's aim is not to simply prove the narrative wrong, however. He also shows how a narrative based on empirically thin evidence became a theory with real social force, and how that theory stood at odds with a far more grim reality. The belief that the charge of child sex abuse was typically a hoax also left us unprepared to deal with the far greater scandal of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, which, incidentally, has served to substantiate Cheit's thesis about the pervasiveness of the problem. In sum, The Witch-Hunt Narrative is a magisterial and empirically powerful account of the social dynamics that led to the denial of widespread human tragedy.

From the creator of the acclaimed graphic novel The Witch Boy comes a new adventure set in the world of magic and shapeshifting -- and ordinary kids just trying to make friends. Aster and his family are adjusting to his unconventional talent for witchery; unlike the other boys in his family, he isn't a shapeshifter. He's taking classes with his grandmother and helping to keep an eye on his great-uncle whose corrupted magic wreaked havoc on the family.Meanwhile, Aster's friend from the non-magical part of town, Charlie, is having problems of her own -- a curse has tried to attach itself to her. She runs to Aster and escapes it, but now the friends must find the source of the curse before more people -- normal and magical alike -- get hurt.

"One day, a witch's cat found a dusty old cookbook, and it gave him the most marvellous idea..." The witch has gone out and inspired by the old cookbook, the cat is determined to knock up a super-scrumptious surprise lunch for her. But unfortunately, his enthusiasm far exceeds his cooking abilities, and he carelessly overlooks some rather important information. But hey, what's the worst that could happen? Reviews: "A fabulously charming story with beautiful illustrations. I have a feeling we'll be reading this one again (and again, and again...)" Fran Grant"This is a super book - it's got everything! Magic, potions, a lovely witch, and of course a cheeky cat - and with such beautiful illustrations, it's one that my little ones ask for over and over." Rebecca C "I love this book because it is really funny and made me laugh out loud. I woke up the next day and made a play with my sister, I was the witch and she was the cat. I like how the cat ends up reading her own book about spells, she is a clever cat!". Words from my daughter who was captured by this delightful storybook that has clearly made an impact! Highly recommended read! Kirstie Watson is a gifted author and the illustrations are adorable." Mrs Sumudu Edirisinghe "We love the Witch's Cat - my nearly 3yr old granddaughter asks for it almost every day and knows what's going to happen on every page - she still laughs at each bit though!! This is a really well written and beautifully illustrated story which I thoroughly recommend." Kindle Customer