New Releases by Michael Cadnum

It is the summer of 1588 and a pair of unlikely shipmates is traveling on the Vixen, a privateer that will soon be drafted to join a flotilla of English ships bound for a fiery clash with the Spanish Armada. Seventeen-year-old Sherwin is aboard to repay a debt he owes the ship''s roguish captain, Brandon Fletcher. Sixteen-year-old Katharine is sailing with them in a desperate bid to save her noble family''s fortune. The fight will be harrowing and bloody, and the unfolding tumult will challenge the character of both Sherwin and Katharine, who are about to discover the deeper meaning of strife and of honor. This fascinating tale affords an unusual view of one of the most important naval encounters in history, as a kindling romance between two young people takes place amidst a reluctant race to battle.

Edmund and Herbert, newly made knights, return to England expecting to revel in the pleasure of being home. Instead, scheming Prince John has a new task for the weary Crusaders; they are to escort two young women on a pilgrimage to Rome, a journey that will take them through the perilous Alps, controlled by bands of brigands. And once in Rome, even greater hazards await. Suspenseful, exciting, and filled with colorful details of 12th century Europe, this final volume of the trilogy that began with The Book of the Lion will thrill readers.

Ragged and exhausted from fighting in the Crusades, Hubert, a knight''s squire, and his fellow crusaders board a ship bound for England. But the return home is neither quick nor easy. Hubert must use his sword against ships full of attacking infidels, and he is nearly slain at the hand of a vengeful knight. A shipwreck strands them in Rome, where the beautiful and brave Lady Galena nearly tempts him to stay. Instead, loyalty to his master prevails and they finally reach their beloved land-only to find that one of their group faces execution when he steps ashore. If Hubert is to save his friend''s life, he must first save his own.

A National Book Award nominee! Returning to the same era of his "In a Dark Wood", Cadnum''s majestic novel--part mystery, part history--chronicles the pageantry and brutality of the Crusades under King Richard. Edmund, a young apprentice, is awaiting punishment as a counterfeiter when a knight intervenes on his behalf--and compels Edmund to join Richard Lionheart''s forces in the Holy Land. There, amidst the savagery of the twelfth-century Crusades, Edmund learns both courage and compassion, and discovers that cruelty is sometimes considered the will of Heaven. Set in medieval England and the war-torn shores of the Middle East, Cadnum''s tale weaves together a rich tapestry of storms at sea, the brutality of hand-to-hand combat, and one of the classic horse and lance battles in recorded history--the Battle of Arsuf.

A young boy describes how he and his parents feel when they leave their old house and move to a new house in another town.