Most Popular Books by James Riley

In this hilarious fractured fairy tale series from New York Times bestselling author James Riley, Jack, and “punk princess” May must navigate twists and turns unlike anything you’ve seen before! Jack lives in a fantasy world. Really. He''s the son of the infamous Jack who stole the magic beans from the giant, and he''s working hard to restore his family''s reputation. He finds the perfect opportunity when a “princess” lands in front of him, apparently from the land of Punk, as her Punk Princess sweatshirt implies. May is from our world, and she’s utterly confused to find herself in the midst of the fairy tale characters she has read about. But Jack and May have more in common than they realize—and together, they embark on a hilarious and wild adventre in this highly accessible, modern middle grade fantasy novel.

Owen and Bethany try to find their way back to each other after the fictional and nonfictional worlds are torn apart in this fifth and final book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy. Bethany and Owen have failed. The villain they have come to know as Nobody has ripped asunder the fictional and nonfictional worlds, destroying their connection. Bethany has been split in two, with her fictional and nonfictional selves living in the separate realms. But weirdly, no one seems to mind. Owen—and every other nonfictional person—have lost their imaginations, so they can’t picture their lives any differently. Then Owen gets trapped in a dark, dystopian reality five years in the future, where nothing is needed more desperately than the power to imagine. Fictional Bethany is thrilled to be training with her father as his new sidekick, Twilight Girl—until she realizes that the fictional reality will fade away completely without the nonfictional world to hold it together. In this final installment of the genre-bending Story Thieves series, Owen and Bethany will be forced to risk everything to defeat Nobody and save multiple realities.

Listed by Abraham Lincoln, alongside the Bible and Pilgrim''s Progress, as one of the books that most influenced his life, few true tales of adventure and survival are as astonishing as this one. Shipwrecked off the western coast of North Africa in August of 1815, James Riley and his crew had no idea of the trials awaiting them as they gathered their beached belongings. They would be captured by a band of nomadic Arabs, herded across the Sahara Desert, beaten, forced to witness astounding brutalities, sold into slavery, and starved. Riley watched most of his crew die one by one, killed off by cruelty or caprice, as his own weight dropped from 240 pounds to a mere 90 at his rescue. First published in 1817, this dramatic saga soon became a national bestseller with over a million copies sold. Even today, it is rare to find a narrative that illuminates the degradations of slave existence with such brutal honesty.

Aided by old friends and new, Owen and Bethany try to bring the light back to Jupiter City, a comic book world where they discover a link between the Dark and Bethany''s father.

Except for reading the Kiel Gnomenfoot magic adventure series, Owen''s life is boring until he sees his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the school library and he learns that she''s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.

"Seeking revenge from his loss in the Cursed City, the Golden King starts spreading shadow magic over the kingdoms, and according the fairy queens sacred book, only Lena can defeat him and his dark spells, but first she must prove she is worthy but completing three challenges"--

Fort becomes entangled with legendary creatures and foes in this thrilling fourth novel in the fantastical series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves! The future has been saved, but at a cost: Fort Fitzgerald has been expelled from the Oppenheimer School, and some of Fort’s friends have been lost in time. But time is the one thing Fort, Rachel, and Jia don’t have, as they’ll soon be facing one of the eternal Old Ones, the Timeless One, for the fate of the world. If they lose, the Old Ones will return, and humanity is doomed. If they win, the Old Ones will still return, and humanity is doomed. Because the Timeless One can see every possibility, and plan for it. How can Fort and his friends defeat a creature like that? And what does this all have to do with the real-life Merlin, from King Arthur’s days?

Hill People reveals the startling secrets at the heart of the still-unexplained mass disappearance of the residents of Cheronkin County, California, providing an account of the lives of one Cheronkin family in the nine months prior to the vanishing.

Hoosier PoetRiley Child-Rhymes contains some of James Whitcomb Ri-ley''s best known poems such as "Little Orphant Annie," "The Raggedy Man," and "Old Aunt Mary''s." Riley was known for writing his poems in the Hoosier dialect providing a window into American childhood of more than a century ago.First published in 1890, this edition is derived from the book published in 1905 with 80 black & white illustrations throughout by Will Vawter. As always, this edition is complete and unabridged.

If a young giraffe can grow half an inch in an hour, how long would it take it to grow one foot? If you breathe 70,000 cubic inches of air each day, how long would you take to breathe all the air in a room ten feet by ten feet by ten feet? In baseball, the distance between bases is 90 feet, so how many miles did Ty Cobb run to score his record 2245 runs (a run is around all four bases)? Each of these two books presents 190 cartoon-illustrated word problems based on fascinating facts, everyday situations, and whimsical fantasies. Answers appear upside-down at the bottom of the page. Good Year Books. 192 pages each.

Will there be happily ever after? Don’t miss the fractured-fairy tale conclusion to the action-packed and humor-filled Half Upon a Time trilogy! Jack and May have gone their separate ways, and each is now set on course to fulfill their destiny…or are they? Nothing is ever quite as it seems in the world of fairy tales, and the two friends are in for some huge surprises as they prepare to battle the Wicked Queen once and for all. Knights, fairy godmothers, giants, and beanstalks—all come together in this thrilling and hilarious conclusion to the Half Upon a Time trilogy!

This book is a collage of human experiences made from overlapping pieces and woven together by themes of crises, revolution, and change, aiming to raise issues that people in the twentieth-century world tried to address.

In The Moral World of James, James Riley Strange compares the moral system in the Epistle of James with other Greco-Roman and Judaic texts. The author of the epistle prescribed moral practices in a world in which other people, both pagan and Jewish, had long been expressing similar concerns, and more would continue to take up the task centuries after Christianity was well established in the Roman Empire. In this fresh and thick analysis, Strange''s systemic comparison of texts (among them works of Plato, Plutarch, Epictetus, and Aelius Aristides, as well as Greek Magical Papyri, tractates of the Mishnah, and the Community Rule of the Dead Sea Scrolls) reveals how James''s vision of a distinctive way of community life was both part of and distinct from the moral and religious systems among which it emerged.

“Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan.” —Booklist When long-dead magical creatures are discovered all around the world, each buried with a book of magic, only children can unlock the dangerous power of the books in this start to an “imaginative and exciting” (Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author) series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves! Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic. Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government-run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books. But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!

How was it possible that such a magnificent creation as a child could slip through the cracks of a modern society time and again, until there was no clear sign pointing to the place he came from? How was it possible there could be no one to care enough to watch over him along the way, no one to come after him when he was lost, to protect him from whatever it was that brought him to my doorstep? These questions have weighed on Dean Evelyn Hartin in the fourteen years since she adopted her son Eric off the streets. Now Eric lies in a near-comatose state, and the answers continue to elude her. Eric is searching for his past, too; in his hospital room, he is dreaming-and those dreams are manifesting in strange and tangible ways in the lives of all who know him. What secrets are locked in Eric Hartin''s mind? What happens when those secrets start changing the world?

Owen is trapped in a time travel plot-your-own-adventure book, controlled by the reader, and a bizarre fellow prisoner, Kara Dox, might be his only hope for escaping to save Bethany.

Fort and his friends face more perilous ancient magic as they race towards a battle to save humanity in this fifth and final installment in the fantastical series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves! Fort Fitzgerald is finally reunited with his father and wants nothing more than for life to return to normal, the way things were before magic burst back into the world. But normal isn’t an option anymore. Not when the Old Ones could still return to enslave humanity and Damian is dead set on making that happen. Convinced he’s the Chosen One the prophecy says will save the world, Damian has mastered all six books of magic and plans to summon the Old Ones to destroy them. Fort knows better though—Damian has no chance of defeating the Old Ones once they arrive. Maybe Fort could stop Damian if he could use the magic from the dragon dictionary, but he’s consumed with strange visions each time he tries. The only hope left is for Fort, Jia, and Rachel to recruit the help of old friends—and enemies. But how can they know who to trust? Because unless they can find the truth behind the web of secrets and lies surrounding the prophecy of the Chosen One, Fort’s visions, Arthurian legends, and even magic itself, they’ve already lost.

Owen, Kiel, and Bethany confront secrets, stolen memories, and some very familiar faces in the second book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy. Owen Conners’s whole life changed the day he found out his classmate Bethany was half-fictional, and could take him into any book in the library. Which story would they jump into next? Another fantasy, like the Kiel Gnomenfoot, Magic Thief books? Maybe something with superheroes? Owen’s up for anything except mysteries—those just have too many hidden clues, twists that make no sense, and an ending you never see coming. Then Owen wakes up in a real-life mystery with a memory that’s been erased and too many questions. How did Kiel Gnomenfoot lose all of his magic? Where is Bethany? And who’s the annoying guy wearing the question mark mask and Sherlock Holmes hat, taunting Owen and Kiel that Bethany is in grave danger? Bethany is trapped in a hidden room that’s slowly filling with water, and she can’t escape until her friends find her. But is she imprisoned by more than just chains and a locked door? What’s she hiding from Owen and Kiel? Maybe some mysteries just shouldn’t be solved… Please note: The black bars in the first nine chapters are intended.

James Riley, author of the cult hit The Bad Trip: Dark Omens, New Worlds and the End of the Sixties, returns with another incisive and thought-provoking cultural history, turning his trenchant eye to the wellness industry that emerged in the 1970s. Concepts such as wellness and self-care may feel like distinctly twenty-first century ideas, but they first gained traction as part of the New Age health movements that began to flourish in the wake of the 1960s. Riley dives into this strange and hypnotic world of panoramic coastal retreats and darkened floatation tanks, blending a page-turning narrative with illuminating explorations of the era''s music, film, art and literature. Well Beings delves deep into the mind of the seventies - its popular culture, its radical philosophies, its approach to health and its sense of social crisis. It tells the story of what was sought, what was found and how these explorations helped the ''Me Decade'' find itself. In so doing, it questions what good health means today and reveals what the seventies can teach us about the strange art of being well.

The third and final book in a new trilogy of twisted fairy tales from New York Times bestselling author James Riley, set in the world of his popular Half Upon a Time series, that’s perfect for fans of Fablehaven and Chris Colfer’s A Tale of Magic series! Who doesn’t love a good Happily Ever After? The Cursed City is now the Blessed City, with its residents’ curses removed. Lena is now fully human, as are the rest of the giants, and together they live in peace with all the other humans in the city, all their differences now gone. And sure, Jin might have disappeared, but really, genie magic only caused trouble. At least, that’s what the magic spell in Lena’s head is telling her. But somewhere inside, she knows that this new world isn’t right, that no real Happily Ever After would take her giant heritage from her…and that Jin is in danger. When things are at their darkest, can a single Spark light the way?

Includes an excerpt from The future king.

Fort’s continued adventures take more surprising twists and turns in this third novel in a thrilling series from the author of the New York Times bestselling Story Thieves! Dealing with monster attacks and his missing father has been hard enough for Fort Fitzgerald in his first month at the Oppenheimer School. But there’s another school for magic, this one in the United Kingdom, that''s about to create even bigger problems. Six of the Carmarthen Academy students found themselves lost in time when they first started learning magic. Now they’ve returned, with news of a coming war that the students claim only they can stop. But their new plan for the world might lead to an even worse future, one that Fort and his friends are destined to help bring about, no matter how much they might want to fight it. Can Fort change the future that the Time students have already seen play out? Or is he destined to pay for his past mistakes for all of time?

Book Excerpt: drapery of mist From the shoulder and the wrist Flowing backward with the motion Of the waving hand he kissed. And the Sun had on a crown Wrought of gilded thistle-down, And a scarf of velvet vapor, And a ravelled-rainbow gown; And his tinsel-tangled hair, Tossed and lost upon the air, Was glossier and flossier Than any anywhere. And the South Wind''s eyes were two Little dancing drops of dew, As he puffed his cheeks, and pursed his lips, And blew and blew and blew! And the Sun''s-- like diamond-stone, Brighter yet than ever known, As he knit his brows and held his breath, And shone and shone and shone! And this pair of merry fays Wandered through the summer days; Arm-in-arm they went together Over heights of morning haze-- Over slanting slopes of lawn They went on and on and on, Where the daisies looked like star-tracks Trailing up and down the dawn. And where''er they found the top Of a wheat Read More

Classic American poem about autumn, illustrated by Glenna Lang.