Haakon Olesson, leader of the Vikings aboard the dragon ship, Red Hawk, must rescue his wife from her kidnappers and receives a golden ax from Thor the god of thunder

In a brutal world where hunting and cannibalism are necessary for survival, something is going terribly wrong as even the globes on the roof of the world are fighting, but one young man, influenced by a beautiful and mysterious stranger, begins to envision new possibilities.

An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything. The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger.

Steggie has a hard time speaking because of her stutter. When she is unable to warn her friends to stay out of the dangerous Dark Forest, they all find themselves in trouble. This charming story will entertain and provide gentle guidance to young readers with an emphasis on patience, friendship, and understanding and appreciating differences in others.

When Cornelia's mother runs off with a boyfriend, leaving her with an eccentric aunt, Cornelia must finally confront the truth about herself and her mother.