Heart of Stone - Softcover

Welsh, Melanie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1849920508 ISBN 13: 9781849920506

Publisher: David Fickling Books, 2013

Synopsis

After a wonderful summer of sailing, Verity Gallant just wants life to stay the same forever. But as she should know by now, not everything in life turns out as we would like. The land is shifting beneath the ancient harbour town of Wellow, causing mysterious caves to appear in cliff faces, terrifying rock falls, and dangerous landslides. And the earth isn't the only thing crumbling . . . Verity is thrilled that Jeb has returned, but their feelings for each other threaten her friendship with Henry and Martha.

Verity and her friends are embroiled in a tale of evil, intrigue, and lost love, as a powerful force works its way towards Wellow, hell-bent on putting an end to all happiness. The Heart of Stone is the key, and the race is on to find it.

About this title

About the Author:

M. L. WELSH spent her formative years in the sailing town of Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. The tightly bound community, maritime history, and captivating landscapes of the southern island were all sources of inspiration for the fictional town of Wellow in which Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone are set. Melanie lives in Suffolk, near the seaside town of Southwold, with her husband Lucien and their two sons, Joe and Ben.

To learn more about the author and her work, please visit VerityGallant.co.uk.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5-9-After vanquishing one of four powerful witch sisters who control the world's essential elements in Mistress of the Storm (Random, 2011), Verity Gallant and her friends have enjoyed an idyllic summer in their cliffside hometown of Wellow. Strange events soon shatter the peace, however: the earth is eroding away beneath their feet, causing hazardous conditions, and insidious white sand suddenly seems to be covering everything. It soon becomes apparent that these are the machinations of the Earth Witch, turned to stone and smashed into millions of pieces long ago by the cruel-hearted Wind Witch, and now determined to re-form into a vengeful whole and wipe out every "happy-ever-after" along the way. Relying once again upon hard work (including library research and brilliant code-cracking), danger-fraught investigations, and hard-earned insights, Verity and her compatriots must put together the pieces of a twist-turning mystery and try to stop this formidable new enemy. Built upon a bulwark of intricately wrought backstory and mythology, this satisfying fantasy combines fast-paced adventure with slow-brewing suspense that is both spine-tingling and delightfully unsettling. The characters are multidimensional, with heroes who experience moments of jealousy or selfishness, and villains capable of remorse. Enhanced by funny banter and believable emotions, Verity's relationships with her peers-including a budding romance-are deftly drawn, as are her own insecurities and revelations. Reading the first book first is not necessary, but those who have will better appreciate this well-written and richly imagined offering.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journalα|9781416971795|9781442454125WESTERFELD, Scott. The Manual of Aeronautics: An Illustrated Guide to the Leviathan Series. illus. by Keith Thompson. 64p. (Leviathan Series). diags. CIP. S & S/Pulse. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-7179-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5412-5. LC 2011038924. ~Gr 7 Up-Fans of Westerfeld's "Leviathan" books (S & S) will already be familiar with the steampunk story that blends history with fantasy, as well as with Thompson's amazing illustrations. The series begins in an alternate 1914 Europe, in which 15-year-old prince Alek (son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand) plays a key role in the war between the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Clankers use mechanized objects to do battle, and the Darwinists use genetically engineered beasts. The story takes place in a world in which objects that readers would usually expect to be inanimate, like ships, weapons, and even maps, are often living creatures. While the novels are mostly filled with Westerfeld's narratives, interspersed with Thompson's occasional black-and-white illustrations, Aeronautics puts Thompson's artwork front and center, now in full color. Fans of the series will appreciate the intricately detailed pictures of the airship Leviathan, as well as beasts of all shapes and sizes, uniforms, weapons, vehicles, and people. This volume might also serve as a gateway for curious readers into the novels, or even to the history books so they can learn about what really happened during The Great War.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: David Fickling Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1849920508
• ISBN 13: 9781849920506
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416