Iain Lawrence is the best-selling author of such heralded books for young readers as Lord of the Nutcracker Men, which broached the complicated subject of human experience in war. His novels have been chosen as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal on more than one occasion. Lawrence again contemplates war in this novel set in 1943 England. Sixteen-year-old Kak escaped his abusive family in Canada to join the Canadian Air Force. Now a crewman aboard a night-flying bomber bound for Germany, Kak learns of the terror and violence of war firsthand.

I told myself it was impossible that the Lizard Man was there. He had never found us on the first day. Twice my father had heard him prowling around a new house in the first week. And in the first month … Well, that had happened more times than I wanted to think about.

Ever since he was five years old and his father witnessed a terrible crime, Igor and his family have been on the run from the Lizard Man, a foreboding figure bent on revenge. They’ve lived in so many places, with so many identities, that Igor
can’t even remember his real name.

But now he is twelve and longing for a normal life. When the people his dad calls the Protectors find his family yet another new place to live, Igor’s dad sets down the rules establishing how far Igor can go in any direction and where he
can’t go at all. Boxed into the smallest area he has ever been allowed to explore on his own, Igor rebels. Much to his surprise, he’s allowed to start school, and for the first time since kindergarten he begins to make friends.

As the months go by, Igor begins to wonder if the Lizard Man exists only in his father’s frightened mind. No one but his dad has ever seen him. But then Igor’s little sister tells him she thinks she saw the Lizard Man lurking around the house,
and Igor realizes that even if the Lizard Man is real, he would risk everything rather than abandon his friends and go back on the run.

Separated from his siblings in the midst of a dangerous forest fire, 11-year-old Virgil must find a way to survive using only his wits and the lessons his late mother taught him about the wilderness.

Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they have taken before. They carry precious cargo: the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. But when a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, the journey quickly turns to disaster.

While the oldest, Josh, is gone to find help, Virgil and his sister, Kaitlyn, spot fleeing animals and soon see flames flickering above the tree line. Once the sky begins to darken with the haze of burning timber, Virgil finds himself separated from his sister and left alone in the wilderness. He isn’t sure he can make it, but with the memory of his late mother, a science teacher, and all her lessons to guide him, he quickly learns that not everything has a perfect explanation and survival starts with letting go.

Fire on Headless Mountain showcases not only the overwhelming beauty and terrifying power of nature, but also the gift of memory when facing great emotional and physical trials. Lessons on ecosystems and fire safety are also seamlessly interwoven into this thrilling adventure tale.

Kids have been picking on 14-year-old Harold ever since he can remember. They stare at him and call him “maggot” or “ghost boy” because he’s an albino. Even his mother seems angry and withdrawn when he’s around. One day the circus comes to town, and Harold runs away to join it. When Fossil Man and Princess Minikin accept him into their family, he feels that he has at long last come home. As he gains the respect of the circus owner and the beautiful trick horseback rider, Harold suddenly finds himself straddling the line between the normal people and the “freaks.” If only he could figure out the omniscient Gypsy Magda’s warning about the high price of being “normal.” Iain Lawrence builds an insightful metaphor with this story of a teenager facing his fear of being an outsider. Narrator George Guidall is the perfect guide for readers as they join Harold on his poignant journey toward self-discovery and acceptance.

Ten-year-old Johnny’s toymaker father has volunteered for service in the British Army of World War I. At first, his spirits are high as he completes basic training, but his tone becomes grim once he reaches the front. To ease his son’s worries, Johnny’s dad carves him little figurines that reflect his experiences in the war. Comprised of letters from his father, followed by Johhny’s feelings, Lord of the Nutcracker Men is a haunting and poignant tale. Author Iain Lawrence has written numerous books for young adults, including Ghost Boy and The Smugglers.

This thrilling companion to Iain Lawrence’s award-winning The Wreckers and The Smugglers plunges listeners into high-sea action and intrigue. After 17-year-old John Spencer sets out on his first voyage to foreign lands, he and his crew are wary when they come across a stranger named Horn rowing a lifeboat in the middle of nowhere. What is the man hiding?

Tom Tin, an innocent convict, is aboard a ship bound for Australia where he will serve a lengthy sentence in prison. To avoid this horrible fate, Tom jumps ship to nearby islands, but finds that the refuge he hoped for may just be another struggle for his freedom, and his life. Acclaimed author Iain Lawrence delivers another exotic adventure tale for young readers.

Author Iain Lawrence has earned numerous accolades from publications such as Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal for his exciting tales of high seas adventure. Picking up where The Cannibals left off, The Castaways finds Tom Tin and four other convicts drifting on the ocean when they come upon an empty ship. Shortly after, they also encounter two men who appear to be refugees from the abandoned vessel. But these two are not what they seem, and they become an obstacle for Tom as he travels home.

ALA notable author Iain Lawrence pens a moving tale with a Dickensian atmosphere about a young man’s life aboard a cruel 19th-century prison ship. Fourteen-year-old Tom Tin is forced to scavenge on the grimy streets of London after his father is sent to debtor’s prison. Tom’s survival is threatened by the sinister lowlifes that inhabit his hopeless world. But when he is unjustly arrested for murder, he finds a place that is even worse than the dark city streets.

Award-winning author Iain Lawrence creates an entertaining and magical adventure in The Giant-Slayer. It’s 1955, and Laurie Valentine’s best friend Dickie has contracted polio. Confined to a breathing machine in the hospital, he begs Laurie to stay by his side and tell him a story. As Laurie creates the tale of the giant Collosso and the young boy destined to stop him, Dickie starts to believe he’s part of the story. But when Laurie is forced to stop telling the story, Dickie has to reach within himself to create his own ending.

Three years after leaving her family behind on the idyllic lighthouse island where she grew up, 17-year-old Elizabeth “Squid” McCrae returns, full of anger and accusations and eager to confront her father about a family tragedy. But as a ghostly voice from the past sparks her memories, Squid soon realizes that nothing is exactly as she thought it was, and no one-not even herself-is completely free from blame. The award-winning author of The Wreckers presents a keen exploration of the way family works to make us who we are.

Best-selling author Iain Lawrence’s adventures and mysteries for children and young adults are enormously popular selections. In the midst of the roaring ’20s, Scooter, the son of a psychic, admires Harry Houdini. He can’t wait to see Houdini perform his amazing new illusion. But backstage at the show, Scooter finds something that he wishes were merely an illusion: a dead body floating in Houdini‘s tank.

Award-winning author Iain Lawrence presents this modern-day adventure and classic in the making, in the vein of The Call of the Wild, Hatchet, and The Cay. Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they’ve got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive. Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond-and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.

It’s been two years since John Spencer and his father were shipwrecked and nearly murdered by unscrupulous scavengers. Now the Spencers have a new ship, the Dragon, and 16-year-old John is elated to be making the new schooner’s maiden voyage to London. Not long out to sea, John realizes that the captain and crew of the Dragon are not who they pretended to be. Instead they are smugglers, steering their own course, and prepared to kill anyone who tries to stop them. Leaving a trail of bloodshed and violence, these ruthless pirates have no intention of leaving any witnesses to their crimes. If John is to survive, it will be by his own steady wit and a stroke of good luck. This sequel to The Wreckers stands on its own as a historical tale of piracy and adventure on the high seas. The action is nonstop, and Ron Keith’s narration enlivens a sparkling array of memorable characters.

Iain Lawrence’s New York Times bestsellers are often singled out for recognition from numerous publications and organizations, including the ALA, School Library Journal, and Booklist. In The Winter Pony, Lawrence pens the mesmerizing tale of a young white Siberian pony who escapes a group of cruel masters only to enter the company of Englishman Robert Falcon Scott. Joining Scott’s men and their race to the South Pole, the pony is soon given a name, James Pigg, as he and the rest embark on a thrilling race to reach the bottom of the world-a race in which not everyone will survive.

There was once a village off the coast of Cornwall, England where people were so poor that they prayed for shipwrecks. They made their living by salvaging food and clothing from the wreckage. Some of them were evil and lit fires during a storm to lure ships onto the rocks. Then these “wreckers” made sure that no one survived the wrecks, so there would be no witnesses to their crimes. One stormy night in 1799, 14-year-old John Spencer was unfortunate enough to be on his father’s ship when the wreckers did their worst. As John hid on the shore, he saw his shipmates murdered by these ruthless scavengers. Trapped in a strange land with no idea of whom to trust, he faced the most terrifying challenge of his life. The spell-binding excitement of a swashbuckling adventure, and the wrenching moral conflict of a Dickens novel delightfully converge in this critically-acclaimed debut novel. Ron Keith’s exceptional narration ensures readers nonstop entertainment in the classic tradition. The Wreckers was chosen by Booklist as a Young Editors’ Choice and by the New York Public Library as a title for reading and sharing.