Fiction

On Canal Street in New Orleans "Professor Thomas" finds a young boy in need of help...and embarks on an unexpected adventure in South America in the course of lending him that help. Will the forces of evil prevail against young Jose Maria? And who is this young hero who spares nothing to get him safely home?

Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 196 pages

Bob Ryan has a way with animals.  For that matter, he has a way with everyone!  It’s hard to believe that his own father could have cruelly abandoned this boy to shift for himself.  But Bob has no trouble making friends with everyone he meets, and with their help, he is able to make his way in the world quite well.  Is he lucky, or have all his sufferings simply perfected love through adversity?

Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 212 pages

Michael Desmond is “That Office Boy” to Father Carney, president of St. Xavier’s School in Cincinnati.  When the Young Ladies’ Sodality decides to enter a popularity contest with the local paper to win a piano, chaos ensues, and it is up to Michael and his friends to use their wits and creativity to carefully steer the boat off the shoals.  Find out who wins and how!

Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 214 pages

Paul Guibeau has spent the winter at the Mission of Saint Ignace and now is anxious to set out with Father Marquette and Sieur Joliet on their voyage of discovery.  More than anything, though, he wants his friend Red Bear to accompany them—not only to help protect them, but in the hopes that by spending the months ahead with the great Missionary, Red Bear may finally consent to become a Christian.  But Red Bear fears Marquette and instead heads east with his people.  Who, then, is encircling the camp each night with the marks of bear claws?  Mystery and danger abound on this journey into the unknown…

The story of Père Marquette and his participation in the discovery of the Mississippi River was one that was dear to Father Spalding, for he had done much of his own research on the life of this great Jesuit.  He used details from Volume 59 of the Jesuit Relations (which includes the actual journals kept by Marquette during his travels) to construct this story (though of course he added fictional elements as well).  The result is a riveting tale of courage and faith valuable as much for itself as for its historic significance.

Paperback, size 5.5" x 8.5", 164 pages

The year is 1669.  In French colonial Quebec, Paul Guibeau has won fame for his bravery in fighting the Iroquois, and now he hopes to turn this success into a military career.  When he overhears Count Frontenac commissioning Louis Joliet to chart the location of a fabled island in Lake Superior containing a rich supply of copper, Paul is determined to achieve glory by being the first to return with news of this mineral wealth.  He sets off in a race across the wilderness with his friend and ally, a Huron Indian named Red Bear, in search of this island…but he does not count on the incursions of the Miami Indians into the lands now vacated by the fierce Iroquois.  An unexpected struggle for freedom and for life itself now stands between him and his dreamed-of glory...

This book is the first of a pair that follow the discoveries of Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century.  In The Race for Copper Island, we find Joliet and his companions setting off westward into the upper Great Lakes, in search of rich copper deposits that had been reported by missionaries in that region.  At a Jesuit Mission near Sault Sainte Marie, Joliet meets with Father Marquette, whose observations and detailed maps of the shores of Lake Superior prove invaluable to his quest.  At the same time, Father Marquette tells Joliet of his great desire to explore the Great River the natives have told him of—a river they call the Mississippi—the fulfillment of which will follow in the next volume, The Marks of the Bear Claws.

5.5" x 8.5"       paperback         150 pages

Midget is used to being on his own: after an accident took the lives of his mother and two sisters, neither his father nor his aunt has had much time for him. Left to his own devices, he has managed to develop quite a talent for petty theft. But when his father is killed by a rival gang while secretly delivering beer to speakeasies, his thoughts are filled only with getting revenge at all costs. Will Speed and the boys from St. Leo's be able to save him from himself?

The second book in an action-packed series written by a Chicago priest who was chaplain at the County Jail in the 1930s, boys will love the story of Midget and his friends at the Catholic school who are not willing to turn their backs on him.

Belinda
by Hilaire Belloc

Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, 1870-1853, was born in France of a French Catholic father and an English protestant mother. His mother later converted under the influence of Cardinal Manning, a good friend and mentor of Hilaire. His only sister, Marie Lowndes, was a fairly well-known writer like her brother Hilaire. Belloc s father died young, leaving his widow in dire financial straits with two young children to support. They moved to England, and they settled in Slindon, West Sussex, where Belloc lived for most of his life. In 1906, he married Elodi Hogan, from Napa California. Their brief but ecstatically happy marriage ended with her death in 1914, after she had borne him five children. He never remarried, and he wore mourning for the rest of his life. This beautiful and precisely chiseled, almost fairy-taleish narrative, subtitled A Tale of Affection in Youth and Age, must certainly have been a poignant reminder that he himself had, by the inscrutable providence of God, been granted that deep measure of affection in his youth that is so idealistically pictured in Belinda, but denied that affection in old age that is equally well-depicted. This brief novel of human love and affection idealized is a delightful and cheerful reminder that indeed, life can have its moments of beauty, if even only as a foretaste of the delights promised to those blessed with the grace of perseverance unto salvation.

Paperback, 130 pages

The Flying Inn
by G.K. Chesterton

The beloved G.K. Chesterton presents a well-crafted and joyous work of political fantasy about a small group of rebels who rail against the government’s attempt to impose prohibition in England.

Humphrey Pump, a pub owner, accompanied by Captain Patrick Dalroy, a flamboyant giant with a tendency to burst into song, take to the road in a donkey cart with a cask of good rum, a large block of cheese, and the signpost from his pub, The Flying Inn. The two men bring good cheer to an increasingly restless populace as they attempt to evade the law. In a journey that becomes a rollicking madcap adventure, the two travel round England, encountering revolution, romance, and a cast of memorable characters.

Paperback, 305 pages

Manalive
by G. K. Chesterton
Introduction by Dale Ahlquist

This classic novel by the brilliant G. K. Chesterton tells the rollicking tale of Innocent Smith, a man who may be crazy-or possibly the most sane man of all. Arriving at a dreary London boarding house accompanied by a windstorm, Smith is an exuberant, eccentric and sweet-natured man. Smith has a positive effect on the house-he creates his own court, brings a few couples together, and falls in love with a paid companion next door. All seems to be well with the world.

Then the unexpected happens: Smith shoots at one of the tenants, and two doctors arrive to arrest him, claiming that he's a bigamist, an attempted murderer, and a thief. But cynical writer Moon insists that the case be tried there-and they explore Smith's past history, revealing startling truths about what he does. Is he the wickedest man in Britain, or is he "blameless as a buttercup"?

Beautifully written, mixing the ridiculous with the profound, full of hilarious dialogue and lushly detailed writing, Chesterton's main character Innocent Smith somehow manages to restore joy to all the dull and cynical lives around him. In this delightfully strange mystery, Chesterton demonstrates why life is worth living, and that sometimes we need a little madness just to know we are alive.

Paperback, 200 pages

Father Brown and the Ten Commandments
by G. K. Chesterton

This unique collection of Father Brown mysteries links tales by G.K. Chesterton with the Ten Commandments. The connection is often surprising, however, for the criminal is not necessarily the worst sinner in the story, nor is his crime necessarily the worst offense.

When Chesterton created the character of Father Brown, he brought a new dimension to mystery stories—the distinction between crime and sin. As the priest-detective applies his powers of observation to solve a case, he picks up clues about other offenses, such as those against the Sabbath or one's parents. Father Brown's main concern is not the laws of the State but the Commandments of God.

As Dorothy Sayers once wrote, G.K. Chesterton was "the first man of our time to introduce the great name of God into a detective story . . . to enlarge the boundaries of the detective story by making it deal with death and real wickedness and real, that is to say, divine judgment."

This edition includes footnotes not available in other versions, which help to clarify the literary and historical allusions made by Father Brown. It is based on the texts of Chesterton's original editions, for assurance of authenticity, and is set in easily readable type.

Paperback, 255 pages

By Raphael Brown

Diabolical Activity, Priestly Intervention, and Conversions in Colonial America This tale is almost too strange for belief. It features a Russian prince, a Lutheran family, an Irish priest, several Protestant ministers, diabolical activity, traveling salesmen, and Colonial farmers, as well as delicate and intricate family relationships. It has all of the elements of an exciting Catholic novel...AND IT IS ALL TRUE! Don t miss this wonderful story. Adam Livingston was an honest and industrious Lutheran who owned considerable property in York County, Pennsylvania. Due to mysterious causes, however, his property began to diminish in various ways. For example, his barn burned down, and his horses and cattle died. As these losses continued, Livingston and his family decided to move. Therefore, early in the 1790 s, with his second wife and several children, he left Pennsylvania and migrated to the lower end of the lovely Shenandoah Valley, where he settled on a large estate located in the triangle formed by Charles Town, Martinsburg, and Winchester, all of which were then in the state of Virginia. But there too, the same mysterious forces continued to afflict the Livingston household. There too, the cattle and horses died. Now the very house in which Adam and his wife and children lived seemed to have become haunted: at night they were kept awake by weird noises, such as loud knocks and rumblings as of galloping horses and wagons. Even in daylight their furniture would be suddenly banged about and their crockery smashed onto the floor by invisible hands. Chunks of fire rolled out of the beds across the rooms. At times the heads and legs of chickens and geese were seen to drop off suddenly. But by far the most sensational of these devilish afflictions was the strangely persistent clipping and cutting that attacked almost every piece of cloth and leather on the Livingston estate. Sheets, tablecloths, shirts, dresses, suits, and even leather boots and saddles, whether in use or locked up in closets, were skillfully slit and clipped into crescent shaped strips by invisible shears! The noise of the scissors clipping merrily away was distinctly heard on many occasions by different members of the family. Soon the whole countryside was talking about the mysterious Wizard Clip at the Livingston's place, which eventually came to be known as Cliptown a name which is still in use locally. After studying the bible and learning that the ministers of God had the power to cast out evil spirits Mr. Livingston began to ask the assistance of a number of those he knew, all protestant ministers of course. But it was not until he was finally prevailed upon to contact a Catholic priest, the good Father Dennis Cahill, that good things really started to happen for the family.

Paperback, 44 pages

Father Gabriel spends a few days of relaxation at his old Cambridge College, the guest of friend Arthur Kingsley from his student days. Kingsley is now a respected scientist and a Fellow of St Stephen's College, but after an enjoyable evening dining at High Table, Gabriel receives the shattering news that Daphne Silverton, Kingsley's brilliant young protégée, has been found dead in her laboratory after what appears to have been a tragic accident. Daphne was universally loved, but Gabriel's instincts tell him that her death was a little too perfectly staged to have been an accident.

After an emotional reunion with the parents of his late wife, Gabriel seeks the truth about Daphne's demise. His investigations lead him to the Peace Union and its Ban the Bomb campaign, another member of Daphne's laboratory is found dead. Gabriel struggles to lay aside his personal loyalties and confront the possibility that there are dark secrets lurking behind both deaths.

This fourth book in the popular Father Gabriel series examines the moral minefield of the complicity of scientists in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction. It also reveals more about Gabriel's past.

Paperback, 262 pages

WE HAVE TO REACH THE HABITAT VEHICLE-OR DIE.

After breaking into Jason's illegal rex farm to hunt for their kidnapped dad, farm-teens Darryl and Harry, along with young hunter Joshua, have taken extreme measures to escape capture by Jason. But with Darryl now lost in the dark mountains and Josh badly injured, their troubles are far from over. Yet the greatest threat to their survival may be the fears they carry within.

FEAR is the seventh quick-read in award-winning author Corinna Turner's unSPARKed series. If you like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and Mad Max, you'll love this pulse-pounding, futuristic, dino-dystopian series with a western twist.

Continue the adventure today!

A horrific act of treachery. A hairbreadth escape. A decade of desperate hiding. And an encounter with Christ that changes it all!

When young Prince Cloud, grandson of the mighty King Clovis and heir to the Kingdom of Orleans, is suspiciously summoned to his uncle's castle, little does he know his world is about to implode. Hurled into a life of danger, where his royal identity must remain hidden at all costs, Cloud eventually stumbles upon the only Kingdom worth fighting for.

Nearly everyone has heard of St. Cloud, Minnesota, but few know the story of the inspiring saint whose name it bears. The time has come for Saint Cloud of Gaul to blaze forth from hiding!

Unsparked #1
IN A JURASSIC FUTURE, SOME STILL CHOOSE FREEDOM-DESPITE THE DANGERS.

It takes more than a T. rex scratching its back on his Habitat Vehicle to alarm young hunter Joshua-he's used to living close to nature. But a routine visit to the zoo to deliver a new velociraptor turns deadly when he comes face-to-face with an eleven-foot allosaur called Gold. He knew her when she was a tiny chick-is he a friend from the past-or dinner?

Meanwhile, Darryl and her brother, Harry, are taken completely by surprise when their father remarries. Their new step-mom is a glamorous fashion designer who's never been outside the city's electric fences. How will she cope with a life of dinosaur farming? All Darryl can do is try to get her new stepmom safely to the farm. But once you're unSPARKed, things don't always go to plan...

From the Carnegie Medal Nominated author of the I AM MARGARET books, adventure lovers will love this fast-paced, fantastically fun series, which has been compared to Jurassic Park and Mad Max.

PLEASE NOTE: Please Don't Feed the Dinosaurs knits together the original unSPARKed book 1, DRIVE!, with the short story 'A Dino Whisperer at the Zoo, ' along with a small amount of original material.

Paperback, 132pages