This simple and warm story is a fantasy about a 12-year old boy named Odd, a lucky name in Viking tradition, who has had two pretty rough years. But Odd has a kind heart and a positive attitude. Life took on a better light for Odd when he met three chatty animals - supposedly Viking gods sent by the Frost Giant.

It is not just the living who are prey to 1780s London's criminals and cutpurses. Corpses, too, are fair game -- dug up from fresh graves and sold to men of science for dissection. Dr. Thomas Silkstone's unscrupulous rival, Dr. John Hunter, has learned of the imminent death of eight-foot-tall Charles Byrne, known as the "Irish Giant," and is obsessed with obtaining the body for his research. When Dr. Hunter is implicated in the horrific murder of...

"17 years ago: A girl in South Dakota falls through the earth, then wakes up dozens of feet below ground on the palm of what seems to be a giant metal hand. Today: She is a top-level physicist leading a team of people to understand exactly what that hand is, where it came from, and what it portends for humanity. A swift and spellbinding tale told almost exclusively through transcriptions of interviews conducted by a mysterious and unnamed character,...

Abby and Jonah take a trip through the magic mirror and finally end up in Jack and the beanstalk (which happens to be Jonah's favorite story ever)--but things soon start to go wrong, and the children have to try and set the tale right, even if it means trading their dog, Prince, for the magic beans, climbing the beanstalk (three times!), and reaching an amicable settlement with the giants (Magnus and Philippa, who are really quite nice), and the sneaky...

By turns mythic and realistic, farcical and tragic, ironic and moving, T.C. Boyle's stories have mapped a wide range of human emotions. The stories in this volume, written over eighteen years, reflect his maturing themes. Along with the satires and tall tales that established his reputation, there are also stories speaking to contemporary social issues. Others capture timeless themes, from first love to confrontations with mortality, or explore the...

"Greek and Roman demigods from the Prophecy of Seven must work together to seal the Doors of Death--and help Percy and Annabeth escape the Underworld in the process"--