Akron Public Library

The Awakening Land trilogy traces the transformation of a middle-American landscape from wilderness to farmland to the site of modern industrial civilization, all in the lifetime of one character. The trilogy earned author Conrad Richter immense acclaim, ranking him with the greatest of American mid-century novelists. It includes The Trees (1940), The Fields (1946), and The Town (1950) and follows the varied fortunes of Sayward Luckett and her family...

The final novel in the "Awakening Land" trilogy, in which Sayward Wheeler completes her mission, living to a ripe, old age, and seeing her family and friends make the transition from the ways of the wilderness to the ways of civilization.

Seven years after leaving the colony of Havenhill, Connecticut, Josiah Rush is asked to return, but his hopes of finding forgiveness and acceptance are dashed when he becomes convinced that the colony is infected by a deadly disease.

Ever since his parents drowned while crossing the Atlantic after a revival, Daniel Cooper has felt as if the world is out to get him. For the past year he's had to live with his Uncle Asa and Aunt Camilla -- and all their rules. One night, deciding he's had enough, Daniel sneaks out his bedroom window and flees to the alley behind his employer's casket shop. What he sees there shocks him to the core. Pursued by two men, Daniel embarks on an agonizing...

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Work, school, even dating can be done from home, and people do not venture out. Maddie plays soccer, and likes physicality and camaraderie of team sports, but for the most part, she's okay with the solitary digital life - until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren't meant to be alone, he tells her....

Living with other "mechs" since her wealthy parents transplanted her brain into a mechanical body to prevent her from dying in a horrible accident, Lia becomes a pawn in a religious leader's movement to outlaw "mech" technology and eradicate machines such as Lia.

"One year ago, Lia Kahn died. A few days later, she woke up. She had a new body: mechanical, unfeeling, inhuman. She had a new family: mechs like her, who didn't judge her for what she could no longer be. She had a new life, one that would last forever. At least is was supposed to. But now everything Lia thought she knew has turned out to be a lie; everyone she thought she loved has been stolen away. And someone is trying to get rid of the mechs,...

"In Artemis Invaded, Jane Lindskold returns to the world of Artemis, a pleasure planet that was lost for millennia, a place that holds secrets that could give mankind back unimaginable powers. Stranded archaeologist Griffin is determined to make his way back to his home world with news of the Artemis discovery. He and his gene-modified native companion, the huntress Adara, and her psyche-linked puma Sand Shadow, set out to find another repository...

Princess Leia returns for an all-new adventure in this thrilling upper middle grade novel. Set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, the story follows the warrior princess as she leads a ragtag group of rebels on a dangerous mission against the evil Galactic Empire. Hidden in the story are also hints and clues about the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making this a must-read for fans old and...

Scavenger Rey lives a lonely existence on the planet Jakku until a visit by droid BB-8 changes her life forever.