Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

Did you love Madeline Miller’s Circe? Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls? Jennifer Saint's Elektra? Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships? But did you ever wonder who the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War were? Now award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey to uncover the astonishing true story of the real women behind ancient Greece’s greatest legends – and the real heroes of those ancient epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.Because, contrary to perceptions built up over three millennia, ancient history is not all about men – and it's not only men's stories that deserve to be told . . .In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems, piecing together evidence from the original texts, recent astonishing archaeological finds and the latest DNA studies, she reveals who these women – queens, mothers, warriors, slaves – were, how they lived, and how history has (or has not – until now) remembered them.A riveting new history of the Bronze Age Aegean and a journey through Homer’s epics charted entirely by women – from Helen of Troy, Briseis, Cassandra and Aphrodite to Circe, Athena, Hera, Calypso and Penelope – Mythica is a ground-breaking reassessment of the reality behind the often-mythologized women of Greece’s greatest epics, and of the ancient world itself as we learn ever more about it.

In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible a young foreign man who appears outside her window.One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

Leila Taylor takes us into the dark heart of the American gothic, analysing the ways it relates to race in America in the twenty-first century.Haunted houses, bitter revenants and muffled heartbeats under floorboards -- the American gothic is a macabre tale based on a true story. Part memoir and part cultural critique, Darkly: Blackness and America's Gothic Soul explores American culture's inevitable gothicity in the traces left from chattel slavery. The persistence of white supremacy and the ubiquity of Black death feeds a national culture of terror and a perpetual undercurrent of mourning. If the gothic narrative is metabolized fear, if the goth aesthetic is romanticized melancholy, what does that look and sound like in Black America?

Dive into a dark, empowering world where folktales, horror and feminist magic collide. This collection features 26 modern retellings of legends and folktales about fierce female deities and spirits from around the world. Perfect for women who own their power.Dark goddess energy is powerful and transformative, embodying the sensual, the hunter, the warrior, the mother, and even the grotesque and horrific. These 26 tales of powerful female goddesses and spirits will entrance those daring enough to explore the shadows of the human psyche, offering lessons from our ancient origins and help us understand ourselves in today's world. Embrace your own inner darkness alongside these fierce deities and spirits, such The fierce Indian goddess Kali, who teaches not to fear endings but instead use our creativity to remove obstacles and carve out our own path. The mighty Yoruba orisha Yemaya, who birthed the waters of the whole planet, and teaches of the need to nurture and love oneself.The ravenous Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, who is the very definition of "I am woman, hear me roar!"The occult Greek goddess Hecate, beloved of modern witches, who offers a stunning portrayal of femininity manifesting in magic. And many more!The retold legends are accompanied by information about the goddess's history, symbols and core energy. This stunning volume is perfect for those who love fantasy and horror and all who wish to learn about the powerful female archetypes in cultures around the world.

Tsalagi should never have to live on human blood, but sometimes things just happen to sixteen-year-old girls. Following one extended Cherokee family across the centuries, from the tribe’s homelands in Georgia in the 1830s to World War I, the Vietnam War, our own present, and well into the future, each story delivers a slice of a particular time period. Alongside each story, Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards delivers illustrations that incorporate Cherokee syllabary.

Why do buttercups glow when held beneath your chin? Why are bluebells known as fairy phones? Why are foxgloves sometimes given the ominous name ‘Deadman’s Bellows’? And what is the true meaning of a rose? Discover the fascinating folklore behind more than 40 of nature’s most beautiful flora and fauna, and learn how you can apply their timeless teachings to modern day life, and embrace the ritual of getting out into nature.   Often forgotten but always intriguing, humans have given meanings and stories to plants and flowers for thousands of years. From myths of Ancient Greek Gods who pecked out the eyes of anyone who moved the sacred but thorny Peony plant, to 19th century Victorian tales of superstition that saw flowers foreshadow love, life, and death, you’ll never look at bunch of flowers in the same way again! With details on the origins of the folklore behind each plant, and a beautiful ritual to help you better connect with the teaching each plant has to offer, this is the perfect gift for foragers, gardeners, and budding horticulturists looking to develop their knowledge of plants beyond the exterior. From the old wife’s tale that sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household (and husband!) firmly, to poppies growing in places where blood has been shed, learn the meanings and stories Tulips / Sunflowers / Orchids / Lily of the Valley / Basil / Bay / Lotus / Mint / Mulberry / Daffodil / Hyacinth / Rose / Rosemary / Parsley / Nightshade / Ragwort / Red Clover / Solomon’s Seal / Yarrow / Lavender / Cistus (Rock Rose) / Aconite / Violet / Cowslip / Hawthorn blossom / Stitchwort / Valerian …and more! Including common plants found all over the world, and traditional herbs and flowers used in medicines for thousands of years, this is a truly unique and fascinating exploration of floral folklore from around the world.