Download or read book The Secret of Laurel Oaks written by Lois Ruby and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A haunting historical mystery based on real life events, told in the alternating points of view of a contemporary girl and a 19th century slave accused of a horrible crime. When Lila and her family visit Laurel Oaks Plantation in Louisiana, her parents and brother scoff at the claim that the house is haunted. But secretly, Lila suspects there are ghostly presences willing to communicate with her, and her alone. One spirit eager to tell her story is Daphne, a slave girl at Laurel Oaks in the 1840s, who was blamed for the poisoning deaths of two girls and their mother. Daphne's spirit senses that Lila is the very person she's been waiting for, the one who can prove her innocence so her spirit can rest at long last. Shifting back and forth from Lila's world in the present to Daphne's world in the past, the true story of what really happened that fateful night finally comes to light. Laurel Oaks is a thinly disguised version of the legendary Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, which is on the Smithsonian's list of the ten most haunted places in America. This middle grade novel was inspired by the author's visit to the plantation and her experiences there. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Rebel Spirits written by Lois Ruby and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haunted by history. Bound by mystery. Lori Chase doesn't know what to think about ghosts. She may have seen a few in the past, but those were just childish imaginings . . . right? Only now that she is living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, spirits seem to be on everyone's mind. The town is obsessed with its bloody Civil War history, and the old inn that Lori's parent run is supposedly haunted by the souls of dead soldiers. Then Lori meets one such soldier -- the devastatingly handsome Nathaniel Pierce. Nathaniel's soul cannot rest, and he desperately needs Lori's help. Because Nathaniel was not killed in the famous battle. He was murdered. Lori begins to investigate the age-old mystery, stumbling upon shocking clues and secrets. At the same time, she can't help falling for Nathaniel, just as he is falling for her . . . .

Download or read book Steal Away Home written by Lois Ruby and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Dana uncovers a skeleton hidden in the wall of her home, she also uncovers a dark secret that stretches back years. When twelve-year-old Dana Shannon starts to strip away wallpaper in her family’s old house, she’s unprepared for the surprise that awaits her. A hidden room—containing a human skeleton! How did such a thing get there? And why was the tiny room sealed up? With the help of a diary found in the room, Dana learns her house was once a station on the Underground Railroad. The young woman whose remains Dana discovered was Lizbet Charles, a conductor and former slave. As the scene shifts between Dana’s world and 1856, the story of the families that lived in the house unfolds. But as pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, one haunting question remains—why did Lizbet Charles die?

Download or read book Soon Be Free written by Lois Ruby and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I ask you, why do weird things always happen to me? Thirteen-year-old Dana Shannon is no stranger to intrigue. Not long ago she discovered a skeleton behind a wall in her family's house -- a house in Lawrence, Kansas, that was once owned by a Quaker family, the Weavers. The diary Dana found in the sealed-off room revealed that the skeleton belonged to a runaway slave named Lizbeth Charles. Now Dana's house is a newly refurbished bed-and-breakfast, and the first guests are two shady characters who believed the house is hiding another secret. When Dana gets in their way, she becomes embroiled in a second mystery, this one involving slaves and the Weavers again, and -- somehow - Delaware Indians. As Dana tried to fit the puzzle pieces together, alternate chapters tell the story of James Baylor Weaver, a thirteen-year-old boy, in 1857. It is up to James to fulfill a promise Lizbeth made before her death. He must travel hundreds of miles to retrieve four slaves and bring them to freedom. The journey will test his strength, endurance, and courage; it will also test his character, when he has to make a terrible choice... Readers of Soon Be Free will quickly be caught up in this fast-paced mystery-adventure that links teenagers from two different centuries.

Download or read book Secret Stairs written by Charles Fleming and published by Santa Monica Press. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Containing walks and detailed maps from throughout the city, Secret Stairs highlights the charms and quirks of a unique feature of the Los Angeles landscape, and chronicles the geographical, architectural, and historical aspects of the city’s staircases, as well as of the neighborhoods in which the steps are located. From strolling through the classic La Loma neighborhood in Pasadena to walking the Sunset Junction Loop in Silver Lake, to taking the Beachwood Canyon hike through “Hollywoodland” to enjoying the magnificent ocean views from the Castellammare district in Pacific Palisades, Secret Stairs takes you on a tour of the staircases all across the City of Angels. The circular walks, rated for duration and difficulty, deliver tales of historic homes and their fascinating inhabitants, bits of unusual local trivia, and stories of the neighborhoods surrounding the stairs. That’s where William Faulkner was living when he wrote the screenplay for To Have and Have Not; that house was designed by Neutra; over there is a Schindler; that’s where Woody Guthrie lived, where Anais Nin died, and where Thelma Todd was murdered . . . Despite the fact that one of these staircases starred in an Oscar-winning short film—Laurel and Hardy’s The Music Box, from 1932—these civic treasures have been virtually unknown to most of the city’s residents and visitors. Now, Secret Stairs puts these hidden stairways back on the map, while introducing urban hikers to exciting new “trails” all around the city of Los Angeles.

Download or read book Secrets of the Oak Woodlands written by Kate Marianchild and published by Heyday Books. This book was released on 2013-08-15 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Californian may vacation in Yosemite, Big Sur, or Death Valley, but many of us come home to an oak woodland. Yet, while common, oak woodlands are anything but ordinary. In a book rich in illustration and suffused with wonder, author Kate Marianchild combines extensive research and years of personal experience to explore some of the marvelous plants and animals that the oak woodlands nurture. Acorn woodpeckers unite in marriages of up to ten mates and raise their young cooperatively. Ground squirrels roll in rattlesnake skins to hide their scent from hungry snakes. Manzanita's rust-colored, paper-thin bark peels away in time for the summer solstice, exposing sinuous contours that are cool to the touch even on the hottest day. Conveying up-to-the-minute scientific findings with a storyteller's skill, Marianchild introduces us to a host of remarkable creatures in a world close by, a world that "rustles, hums, and sings with the sounds of wild things."

Download or read book The Secret Grave A Hauntings Novel written by Lois Ruby and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2017-06-27 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of The Doll Graveyard comes a classic ghost story for fans of Wait Till Helen Comes and The Dollhouse Murders! Nightshade can be deadly.Hannah and Scooter's sprawling, ramshackle house is named for the lethal plant that grows in the dark woods behind it. Hannah knows she's not supposed to explore the forest or nearby Moonlight Lake. But she's feeling lonely and desperate for an adventure. And there Hannah meets Cady, a mysterious girl who promises everything Hannah's been missing. Only Cady has a secret: Cady wants Hannah all to herself.Soon Cady is copying Hannah's style so they can be more alike. She lies to Hannah's friends, insults Scooter, and begs Hannah to break her parents' rules and sneak out for a midnight swim. Hannah wants to believe Cady's just a little insecure. But when she discovers a cemetery beyond the lake with an eerily familiar headstone, she must decide whether to trust her new friend or dig for answers that may lead her to a watery grave . . .

Download or read book The Secret Grave written by Lois Ruby and published by Scholastic Paperbacks. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hannah believes she has finally found a friend in Cady, but soon Cady is copying Hannah's style to be more like her and begging her to break her parents' rules and venture into the forbidden woods behind Hannah's home.

Download or read book Skin Deep written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-09-08 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An angry teenager is sucked into a gang of neo-Nazis Dan shows up on his first day at a new school with long blond hair, John Lennon glasses, and a shy grin that makes every girl in the hallway swoon. But he only has eyes for Laurel, who’s in his English class. Laurel stirs feelings in Dan that he never knew existed, and suddenly, he understands love. Soon, he will understand hate as well. When a gang of violent young men invades the annual Halloween party, most of Laurel’s friends stay away. The men are white supremacists with shaved heads, steel-toed boots, and a look in their eyes that says they’re ready to fight. But something in their attitude draws Dan toward them. He’s angry at the world, and these skinheads seem to understand how he feels. As he sinks deeper into their twisted world of hate and rage, Dan risks losing not only Laurel, but also his soul.

Download or read book This Old Man written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A spunky young girl forms an unlikely friendship with a dying Chinese man while living in a group home For Greta, having light and carefree Hackey hanging around her mom is a lot more fun than having an ordinary dad. But Hackey isn’t her father—he’s more like a pimp, and no matter how friendly he is, he still treats Greta’s mom like dirt. When the situation at home goes from bad to worse, Greta is moved into a home for at-risk children where she meets some of the most interesting girls she has ever known—and a shy young boy named Wing. Greta’s riding a San Francisco cable car when she notices Wing carrying a huge basket of delicious-smelling food. It’s for his grandfather, Old Man, who is dying in the Chinese hospital. Although they don’t speak the same language, Greta and Old Man will become fast friends—two survivors, who refuse to give up on life.

Download or read book Pig Out Inn written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a new town, Dovi’s family befriends a young boy who was abandoned at their restaurant Dovi Chandler collects yearbooks. She has them from all over the country: mementos of every time her parents uprooted her to a new town, and a new crackpot business venture. They’ve managed apartment houses, tried to save failing bookstores, even sold Tupperware, but all it’s ever gotten them is debt and a new yearbook for Dovi to add to the pile. It’s not until her parents take over the Pig-Out Inn that Dovi feels ready to put down roots. It’s just another truck-stop diner, but to Dovi it’s home—and she soon discovers that she and her family aren’t the only ones living there. Hiding out in 1 of the cabins is a 9-year-old boy named Tag. He was stashed there by his father, who is negotiating a painful divorce. Tag is an entrepreneurial genius, and his brilliant business schemes will offer Dovi and her mother a chance to make the Pig-Out Inn a success—and learn the true meaning of family.

Download or read book Miriam s Well written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A terminally ill teenager is forced to choose between her religion and her life Adam doesn’t think much of it when Miriam faints in class. She’s an oddball, a student who hardly talks, never makes eye contact, and wears clothes that seem straight out of the 19th century. She says she’s fine, and he wants to believe her. But when she passes out while they’re working on an English assignment, Adam takes Miriam to the last place she wants to go: the hospital. Miriam has bone cancer. She believes that God will heal her, but if He doesn’t, she plans to let herself die. Miriam is a member of a devout religious sect in which women have little power and medicine is strictly forbidden. In order for Miriam to forgo treatment, Adam’s father sues the state on her behalf—even as Adam himself tries to convince her to accept the doctors’ help. As her illness rages on, Miriam will teach Adam the meaning of love and faith—and he will give her a reason to live.

Download or read book Shanghai Shadows written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young girl fleeing Hitler takes refuge in Shanghai, where she learns that she must fight to survive Throughout tomboy Ilse’s childhood, her mother has tried to force her to behave like a proper Austrian lady. But when Hitler annexes their country, the family flees, boarding a packed freighter and sailing around the world in search of a safe harbor. The United States refuses to take them, so they proceed to China and make a new home in steamy, mysterious Shanghai. Their lodgings are cramped, money is tight, and Ilse’s father cannot find work—but Ilse is enchanted by the city’s international flavor. In Shanghai’s shadows she finds the adventure of a lifetime. When the Japanese occupy the city, Ilse and her brother begin working in an underground resistance cell. Each day, the city grows more dangerous, and Ilse must lie, cheat, and steal in order for her family to eat. She is a long way from Austria, but she will do whatever it takes to survive.

Download or read book The Doll Graveyard written by Lois Ruby and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This graveyard hides buried dolls...and buried secrets! The house at Cinder Creek hides many secrets. Shelby and Brian Tate have heard heated voices crying out in the night. They've noticed the unsettling way things move around on their own. But the most chilling thing about their new home is the cemetery someone's built out back. The graves are tiny, only big enough for dolls. AND THE DOLLS WON'T STAY BURIED.Soon Shelby's learning all about them. Betsy Anne's angelic appearance hides a raging fire behind her eyes, while Baby Daisy changes faces as quickly as she changes moods. And Miss Amelia's cracked porcelain skin and twisted lips only hint at the pain she once endured at the hands of a very angry girl. If Shelby can help the dolls find peace, she and her family might actually be happy at Cinder Creek. But if she can't--the dolls will have their revenge....

Download or read book Katherine s Heart written by Rebecca Lorraine Walker and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katherine's Heart is a love story about a quiet girl who opens her heart to the charming Northern Dr. Wyatt Baldwin. But when Katherine attends a medical forum and rooms with a girl of questionable character who claims an intimate connection with Dr. Baldwin, she is appalled at the indiscrete girl's allegations. As Katherine deals with her feelings of betrayal, she begins to question other suspect behaviors of the Bostonian. Why does he keep sneaking off to Tinn City, and why does Nadine Norseworthy keep having secret conferences with him? Enjoy this inspiring sequel to Love at Laurel Oaks. Have a seat alongside Rebecca Lorraine Walker in the carriage of nineteenth-century romance. Experience the twists and turns of trust and betrayal as she takes you on a journey in a historical Florida setting. You will find that only God can know Katherine's Heart.

Download or read book Skin Deep written by Lois Ruby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2015-07-21 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An angry teenager is sucked into a gang of neo-Nazis Dan shows up on his first day at a new school with long blond hair, John Lennon glasses, and a shy grin that makes every girl in the hallway swoon. But he only has eyes for Laurel, who’s in his English class. Laurel stirs feelings in Dan that he never knew existed, and suddenly, he understands love. Soon, he will understand hate as well. When a gang of violent young men invades the annual Halloween party, most of Laurel’s friends stay away. The men are white supremacists with shaved heads, steel-toed boots, and a look in their eyes that says they’re ready to fight. But something in their attitude draws Dan toward them. He’s angry at the world, and these skinheads seem to understand how he feels. As he sinks deeper into their twisted world of hate and rage, Dan risks losing not only Laurel, but also his soul.

Download or read book Ghosts in America written by Diane Bailey and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2011-12-15 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a history of ghost lore in America, focusing on famous cases of ghostly phenomena and activity, such as the Greenbrier Ghost, and examines ghosts in contemporary popular culture.