A. S. King - Free Library Land Online - History

Still Life With Tornado

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 10:26:44 +0300

“I am sixteen years old. I am a human being.” Actually Sarah is several human beings. At once. And only one of them is sixteen. Her parents insist she’s a gifted artist with a bright future, but now she can’t draw a thing, not even her own hand. Meanwhile, there’s a ten-year-old Sarah with a filthy mouth, a bad sunburn, and a clear memory of the family vacation in Mexico that ruined everything. She’s a ray of sunshine compared to twenty-three-year-old Sarah, who has snazzy highlights and a bad attitude. And then there’s forty-year-old Sarah (makes good queso dip, doesn’t wear a bra, really wants sixteen-year-old Sarah to tell the truth about her art teacher). They’re all wandering Philadelphia—along with a homeless artist allegedly named Earl—and they’re all worried about Sarah’s future. But Sarah’s future isn’t the problem. The present is where she might be having an existential crisis. Or maybe all those other Sarahs are trying to wake her up before she’s lost forever in the tornado of violence and denial that is her parents’ marriage. “I am a human being. I am sixteen years old. That should be enough.”

Ask the Passengers

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:26:43 +0300

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions--like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better. In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 10:26:43 +0300

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising. From the Hardcover edition.

The Quest for Hope

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 10:26:44 +0300

In the dark land of Novus, a Light is beginning to move. As the true High King attempts to rally his forces, crystalline beings move among mortals, seen and heard only by those specially attuned to their existence. One of the Erela stands supreme above all the rest. Known as the Dark One, Zohar has all but succeeded in erasing the name of the High King from the hearts and minds of everyone in Novus. It is now up to the rest of the Erela to stop his wrath. In an unknown community tucked away in a hidden valley, an Erela recruits a young apprentice to help carry out their important mission. As Levi embarks on a dangerous quest to fetch a princess and bring her to Zion to fulfill her destiny, she is struggling to understand why she has been chosen to be the new Queen of Novus. After twelve-year-old Aliatta learns the truth about her identity, her life intertwines with Levi's. As the pair begins the long trek to Zion, they have no idea that the Dark One's fury has just begun. The Quest for Hope begins an exciting saga of good versus evil as a young apprentice and a princess journey through a perilous land so she can fulfill her purpose to become their new queen.

Reality Boy

Thu, 24 Oct 2013 10:26:44 +0300

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school. Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that. In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

Fri, 24 Oct 2014 10:26:44 +0300

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last--a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.
Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities--but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she's never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person's infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions--and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying: A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women's rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she'll do anything to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.

I Crawl Through It

Sat, 24 Oct 2015 10:26:44 +0300

Four talented teenagers are traumatized-coping with grief, surviving date rape, facing the anxiety of standardized tests and the neglect of self-absorbed adults--and they'll do anything to escape the pressure. They'll even build an invisible helicopter, to fly far away to a place where everyone will understand them... until they learn the only way to escape reality is to face it head-on.

Switch

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:25:59 +0200

A surreal and timely novel about the effects of isolation and what it means to be connected to the world from the Printz Award-winning author of Dig.
Time has stopped. It's been June 23, 2020 for nearly a year as far as anyone can tell. Frantic adults demand teenagers focus on finding practical solutions to the worldwide crisis. Not everyone is on board though. Javelin-throwing prodigy Truda Becker is pretty sure her "Solution Time" class won't solve the world's problems, but she does have a few ideas what might. Truda lives in a house with a switch that no one ever touches, a switch her father protects every day by nailing it into hundreds of progressively larger boxes. But Truda's got a crow bar, and one way or another, she's going to see what happens when she flips the switch.

Everybody Sees the Ants

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:26:43 +0300

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far. But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

The Dust of 100 Dogs

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:26:44 +0300

In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with "the dust of one hundred dogs," dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body-with her memories intact. Now she's a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.

Pick the Lock

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:45:13 +0200

From Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King, a weird and insightful new novel about a girl intent on picking the lock of her toxic family.
Jane Vandermaker-Cook would like her mother back. As Jane's mother tours the world to support the family, Jane lives and goes to school in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their mendacious father who confines Jane’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. And then there's weirdly ever-present Aunt Finch, Milorad the gardener, and his rat, Brutus. For Jane, this all seems normal until she suddenly gains access to the files for a lifetime of security-camera videos—her lifetime.
A.S. King's latest surrealist masterpiece follows Jane’s bizarre and brilliant journey to reconnect with her mother by breaking out of her shell and composing a punk opera.

Attack of the Black Rectangles

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:35:15 +0200

Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write.

When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged.

Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.

But who?

Even though his unreliable dad tells him to not get so emotional about a book (or anything else), Mac has been raised by his mom and grandad to call out things that are wrong. He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship... but her response doesn't take them seriously.

So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself.

Mac's about to see the power of letting them out.

In Attack of the Black Rectangles, acclaimed author Amy Sarig King shows all the ways truth can be...

I Crawl Through It

Sun, 08 Nov 2015 15:50:32 +0200

Four teenagers are on the verge of exploding. The anxieties they face at every turn have nearly pushed them to the point of surrender: senseless high-stakes testing, the lingering damage of past trauma, the buried grief and guilt of tragic loss. They are desperate to cope, but no one is listening.
So they will lie. They will split in two. They will turn inside out. They will even build an invisible helicopter to fly themselves far away...but nothing releases the pressure. Because, as they discover, the only way to truly escape their world is to fly right into it.
The genius of acclaimed author A.S. King reaches new heights in this groundbreaking work of surrealist fiction; it will mesmerize readers with its deeply affecting exploration of how we crawl through traumatic experience-and find the way out.

The Quest for Hope | Christian Fantasy Adventure (Invisible Battles Book 1)

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:50:49 +0200

"The Quest For Hope" is the exciting new novel that thrills as it inspires.

This book is the highly acclaimed first installment in the Invisible Battles series. Readers are calling this a major literary success. The Quest For Hope kicks off the series in style with strong characters and an exciting plot filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Humor is always present, and there are many hard to miss references to well-known Biblical lessons and stories. In total, this book entertains while it teaches and inspires.

The book starts with the major characters in the new land of NOVUS. This is a mysterious kingdom packed with adventure and twists that keep the plot churning. There is never a risk of it becoming dull.

Unfortunately, NOVUS has been taken over by The Dark One, who uses his power to rule over the people. Their lives are steeped in forced ignorance and misery, unable to change their lives out of fear for The Dark One.

However, things were once quite different in NOVUS. Many people remember the benevolent and wise High King, who sees all that happens in the land. The truth of who he is affects everything. The King is now presumed dead by many.

The Dark One knows this memory is a threat to his power, so he works tirelessly to propagandize people into believing the High King was evil and cruel. The Dark One is rather successful at convincing his subjects that HE is the better of the two.

However, there is hope. It turns out the High King is alive and well and stirring up trouble. Servants are sent out through the land to recruit rebels who will fight The Dark One.

Meanwhile, The Dark One believes he has solidified his rule of the land. He needs just one more element to finalize his control. That is Lady Aliatta.

Thus enters one of the book's most fascinating characters. Lady Aliatta is a spoiled young aristocrat whose life becomes entangled with the fate of Novus. Her quest brings her face to face with a shape-shifting apprentice and a master Knight. She is also drawn into an ever-increasing awareness of both the visible and invisible elements of her world

"The Quest For Hope" is a compelling, well-written story of guiding values and the struggle for freedom and happiness. You will find the always evolving plot and rich characters to be thrilling while inspirational.

Get "The Quest For Hope" now and experience an adventure you will never forget **

Review

"Amazing Start to a Series" ~ Veronica "An enjoyable and thought-provoking read." ~ June "Great read." ~ ozcrete

From the Author

May His Light Never Be Extinguished. Prologue

Into the company of the crowded hall entered an Erela: a warrior, seemingly sculpted of diamonds--the many facets of his form catching the light and releasing it in dazzling patterns. He paused for a moment, facing the King and Queen of Novus who were seated on the raised dais at the far end of the room. Then, he began to move slowly and purposefully toward them. His dark eyes pierced deeply into their souls. Once he arrived at the foot of the thrones, he spoke. It was a strong and powerful voice--a voice not easily ignored. "I, Zohar, Chief Commander of the High King, have come to you on his behalf. He knows of your worries and has sent me to ease your concerns." His tone became soothing, melodic. "The High King is concerned that this task He assigned you is simply too much for you to bear. I have requested, on your behalf, to be allowed to relieve you of some of that burden, so that your lives might be easier. In time, you will be better equipped for your new responsibilities. Until then, I have been tasked to share with you my wisdom and strength until you are ready to rule on your own. The High King did not mean to leave you so unprepared." Reaching into unseen folds of iridescent cloth, Zohar withdrew a small object. "As a token of my solidarity, I bring you this, the Gem of all Knowledge. With this in your possession, you will be able to serve and protect your people, especially, your daughter--" The Queen let out a sharp breath and her eyes widened with longing. Zohar gave her a kind, understanding smile, and focused the full force of his spirit on her alone. Very slowly, he held up his hand. The jewel sparkled, taunting her with its untapped beauty and power. Colors soared through the room in a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of light and shadow. "Come now," he whispered, offering the Gem up to her. Malka, Queen of Novus, rose carefully and took a small step forward, scarcely aware of her action. The beauty of the Gem was hypnotizing and she found that she could not look away. Wisdom, he had promised. She would be able to better know how to serve those around her. Queen Malka moved to the end of the dias, stopping within reach of the gift. A hint of doubt crept in and she tore her gaze away long enough to look back for her husband's approval. King Lev sat frozen, as though in a trance. Something did not ring true. He had heard of this--the Gem of all Knowledge--there was something he should know ... no. He fought to remember. What was it about this Gem? The High King had said to ... or not to ... not to what? King Lev shook his head. Something did not ring true--and yet his wife looked so hopeful. He should do something. He should-- Zohar's hand shot out and seized Malka's outstretched palm. The queen's eyes snapped back to connect with His. She was almost completely in his power, and yet, the choice had to be hers. Ever so slowly, he moved the Gem closer. Glancing back once more, Queen Malka beheld no movement from her husband, no indication that he was even aware of the situation. Very carefully, very consciously, she reached out with her free hand, and took hold of the Gem of All Knowledge. Buy Now and Continue Reading Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.