New Releases by Krista Russell

A brave young protagonist must rely on his wits and his friends to navigate dangers and escape an unwelcome fate in this action-packed historical novel. As the son of famous Black Jack Valera, the best whaler on the eastern seaboard, thirteen-year-old Cape Verdean Lucky Valera has led a charmed life. Then his father dies and his estranged half-brother Fortuna, kidnaps him. Lucky''s hopes of joining the crew of the Nightbird are dashed as Fortuna forces him into servitude at a textile mill. When Lucky meets Emmeline, a spirited girl with abolitionist sympathies, and Daniel, who has escaped from slavery, his dream to return to his old life once again seems within reach. That is, if he and his new friends can outwit and outrun Fortuna and an enraged slave trader, both of whom will stop at nothing to get back what they believe is their rightful property. Krista Russell has created a fast-paced historical adventure that will keep readers hooked. Rich with historical detail, Chasing the Nightbird offers readers a glimpse into the past during a period of tremendous social and political upheaval, touching upon industrialization, the whaling industry in New England, and slavery.

Liam John Neeson, OBE is an actor from Northern Ireland. In 1976, he joined the Lyric Players'' Theatre in Belfast for two years. He then acted in the Arthurian film, Excalibur (1981). Between 1982 and 1987, Neeson starred in five films, most notably alongside Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty (1984), and Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in The Mission (1986). He landed a leading role alongside Patrick Swayze in Next of Kin (1989). Neeson rose to prominence when he starred in the title role in Steven Spielberg''s Academy Award-winning film, Schindler''s List (1993). He has since starred in other successful films, including the title role in the historical biopic Michael Collins (1996), the 1998 film adaptation of Victor Hugo''s Les Mis

In 1739, having escaped from slavery under the British, thirteen-year-old Jem finds himself in the custody of sharp-tongued Phaedra at Fort Mose in Spanish Florida, but his efforts to break free of Phaedra''s will have surprising results.

Set in the sixteenth century, this novel tells the story of Mari, a young Spanish-Indian servant girl in the Spanish colonial city of St. Augustine, in Florida. While searching the forest for one of the Spanish governor''s missing goats, Mari sees a mysterious Indian shaman drinking from a cavern spring. To Mari''s disbelief, the shaman disappears before her eyes. Later, after the governor''s wife threatens to send her to another city, she decides to try and learn for herself about the dark magic of the shaman. After taking a drink from the spring, she finds herself transported back to the previous evening, but when she awakens the next morning, the goats have mysteriously escaped and eaten much of the town''s corn crop. Mari is accused by the local priest of acting in concert with the devil and the local Indians. Finding her way back to the forest, Mari meets the shaman, Takala, and learns from her that the pool is the legendary Fountain of Youth, and that she will become the shaman''s apprentice and guard the spring''s secret from those who would use its magic for evil. When Mari learns of an impending attack by English pirates on St. Augustine, she must convince both the local Spanish priest and the townspeople that she is telling the truth, but she must try and keep the spring a secret.