FIND OUT Team - PHILIP OSBOURNE

CATALOGUE ALMOND PROJECTS

YOUNG POE I’m the NIGHTMARE BLOGGER

THE

DREAM

DEFENDERS

RD

DIARY OF A

&

R

YOUNG POE I’m the NIGHTMARE BLOGGER

10-12 Years

Young Adult

Genre: Superheroes

Genre: Mystery

Created by Philip Osbourne TWO NEW CHARACTERS

ho paura della Serramonica. Tremo solo a pensare questa

per sconfiggerla bisogna darle la mano, cosa che non farò mai!

strana donna avvolta nel suo lenzuolo bianco, perché

JULIAN MARIE RENAUD

I’M AN

Actor THE MISTERY OF THE SERRAMONICA

Who Almond is....

We tell unusual stories about real people living in a fantasy world. You will read them in our books and watch them on tv and in movies. The door to the Impossible is open... welcome to our world!

ALMOND PROJECTS

Contacts: Info@almondent.com - info@studiodg.eu- info@dalomg.com

YOUNG POE I’m the NIGHTMARe BLOGGER Vincent is a teen Nightmare Blogger. Teenagers all around the globe love him but his extreme connection to Edgar Allan Poe is almost driving him crazy.

He has extrasensory perception and he knows that in order to understand his infernal powers he will have to trace back the mysterious events that marked the final days of the writer from Baltimore.

“He didn’t know he had been adopted, didn’t know his own roots and didn’t realize that foreseeing the future was not as beautiful as he thought, because the doors he would peek in were opening on evil. When he turned 14 he kissed Mary. The moment locked on to hers, he saw the future for the very first time. While he was watching a tv series trailer, he saw the accident that would have gotten Mary hospitalized. He couldn’t ever love love anyone.”

An introduction by horror cinema maestro Brian Yuzna

YOUNG POE On October 3rd 1849 writer Edgar Allan Poe was walking move Baltimore in a state of delirium, “ in big trouble and in need of immediate assistance”, according to the man who found him, Joseph W. Walker. He was taken to Washington College Hospital where he died on Sunday October 7th at 5.00 am.

Poe never came to his senses enough to explain the circumstances that had him in such terrible conditions and the reason why he was wearing someone else’s clothes. How could these events on October 6th 1849 affect young Vincent? Had Poe planned a way to come back to life?

Phili p OSbOURNE • Philip Osbourne was born in Portsmouth, Maine and attended the University of Maine. He began writing for comic books while still in college and his works include “Jenna” (with Jim Fern, Joe Rubinstein and Paul Di Anno of the band Iron Maiden) and the critically acclaimed “Touch” (illustrated by David Mack and Wellinghton Dias). “Hollywood Noir” was a collaboration with Dario Gulli and was illustrated by the celebrated Dick Giordano. Osbourne has written articles for cinema magazines such as Empire, as well as worked with horror icon Brian Yuzna on film projects. Now that he is a father, he is launching his new passion: a line of funny fascinating and always surprising youth books. His work has been published internationally in the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Australia and New Zealand. “Diary of a Nerd” is the last novel for kids and it has been pusblished in Italy, France, Brazil, Russia and Romania.

YOUNG POE

Genre: Mystery- HorrorAge: Young Adult Writer: Philip Osbourne Graphic Designer: Studio DG Pages: 160 Language: English Available: Italian language

YOUNG ADULT

I’m the NIGHTMARE BLOGGER

GHOSTS and

BULLIES

After “Diary of a Nerd”, author Philip Osbourne returns to the ‘kids novel’ with a supernatural horror story that deals with difficult issues in a fun way.

How to go beyond fears, even the most atavistic and shocking ones? What is the boundary between Good and Evil? Alan, the novel’s protagonist, is a 12 year old boy who is confronted by ‘Serramonica’, an unsettling supernatural creature that is awakened from beneathe the school basement by three school bulles.

Serramonica is a scary old woman wrapped in a long white cloth who has extraordinary super powers. There is only one way to stop her: Take her by her hand an pull her back into her own dimension!

KIDS- AGE 10-14 years GHOSTS and BUllIES

Genre: Mystery- HorrorAge: Kids Writer: Philip Osbourne Illustrations: Roberta Procacci Pages: 160 Language: English Available: Italian language

GHOSTS BULLIES and

BULLIES

Ghosts and Bullies follows the rational and mathematical Alan as he faces and analyzes his fears in order to overcome them. As in all of his novels, author Philip Osbourne talks about important concepts like diversity and the eternal struggle between good and evil. After his parents’ divorce, the traumatized Alan turns inward and becomes an introverted science buff.

He loves to manage his Youtube Channel that he uses to explain mysteries from a scientific point of view.

Serramonica puts his scientific explanations to the test.

The book is replete with characters that are wildly eccentric, yet completely plausible. Lucy is the ‘loner’ who creates colorful flying snakes from empty cans and buttons. (“Once I finish my recycled winged reptiles natural park, everyone will come into my inverted world!”)

Mr. Bowie is the insecure school principal who has a phobia of rats. (“If they were half as tall as a human, mankind wouldn’t have a chance against them. Go away- to another planet- yes, even you Mickey Mouse!”)

Stan Kubert is a bragging bully during the day, but when he is alone he dreams of being a pastry chef

who makes underprivileged kids’ Christmases a little brighter.

Once the manhole in the school basement is opened, Alan and the other students are invaded by Serramonica and her ghostly minions. And it is Alan who must offer his hand to her in order to drag her back into her dark world. To do that, he must let go of his rationality and his fears. It is time for Alan to grow!

“I’m not scared of vampires because they can be destroyed with a stake to the heart… and a ray of sunlight will melt them like ice cream. I’m not afraid of ghosts because they are lazy and hate to go out. At worst, they are like Casper, nice and plump, with the aim to make friends instead of terrified enemies. I’m not afraid of werewolves because at night I’m in my house- I don’t walk around outside in the full moon.

Anyway, I always keep some silver items with me, just in case- it is like kryptonite to Superman. But- I am scared to death of Serramonica. Thinking of this ancient crone wrapped in a white cloth makes me tremble with fear- because to beat her I must take her by the hand… and I will never do that- NEVER!”

Availables 2 covers

KIDS- AGE 10-14 years

KIDS- AGE 10-13 years

GHOSTS

and BULLIES

GHOSTS

and BULLIES

THE THE

DREAM DEFENDERS Five kids team up as Dream Defenders to protect our world from the creatures of our dreams and nightmares.

Seven portals allow the scary creatures living in our dreams to cross the border and get into the real world. Before the monsters find the way to cross the access points and invade the Earth they must be stopped and segregated in the world of nightmares.

Stan, Bill, Jack, Steve and Ann have been grounded at school for a number of different reasons. During one forced afternoon stay at school they meet and put their yet undiscovered talents together to save the world form the frightening creatures.

DREAM DEFENDERS A coming-of-age book between “Stand By Me” and “The Goonies” with fantasy and ironic twist.

The protagonists represent five different kinds of personalities: the genius, the rebel, the braggart, the coward and the impulsive. What was supposed to be a punishment for their misbehaviours will them together instead. Once they’ve been taken into the same room and gotten to know each other, they find out the world is in real danger. As no one believes them, they will have to solve it by themselves, using talents and skills they didn’t even know they had.

PHILIP OSBOURNe & MARTIN STEEL

The Dreams Defenders

Genre: Adventure- HorrorAge: 10-13 years Writer: Philip Osbourne & Martin Steel Illustratations: Antonio J. Rojo Pages: 160

KIDS- AGE 10-14 years

THE

KIDS- AGE 10-14 years

Sally SANDERS

WITCH IN the KITCHEN The Magic School

Malibu, California.

Did you know that you could learn how to be a witch by cooking?

An illustrated novel where the protagonist, a 13-yearold girl, will learn how to apply magic to cooking, an ability that will allow her to fight against Evil.

Real recipes, tips on how to create real magic courses at home and a lot of funny stories!

WITHC IN THE KITCHEN

Genre: Teen - Adventure Age: 10-13 years Writer: Sally Sanders Pages: 160

Diary of a nerd Genre: Commedy Writer: Philip Osbourne Pages: 160 Kids- 10-14 years

RD

DIARY OF A

The second book

RD

DIARY OF A

The thousand lights ofHollywood A funny book consisting of two different diaries written by the same kid: One is the diary of a young genius, and the other is a sportsman of love. Nerds are the main characters of this hilarious illustrated book.

Phil is a twelve year old boy living in Manhattan, who is a very talented nerd, an intellectual who likes to spend his days with his friends, the” geek team”. He loves Loren, but he also knows that he could never compete with Ted, the Loren’s boyfriend. One night, while the nerd was asleep the Star Wars character Darth Vader appeared like a vision inviting him to use his strength to challenge the bullies and conquer his beloved.

Phil reads a newsletter promoting a sabre course, it’s a signal from his Star Wars idol! Without his friends knowledge, he starts his training and he soon becomes a champion but he fears judgments and critics. For this reason he invents the figure of the “cousin Mike” thanks to a jacket found during an award ceremony and the idea of his sister Elen. When Phil wears Mike’s clothes he’s a saber champion and a cool, cocky and very social boy. The opposite of his real nature.

Phil wants to conquer the Loren’s heart with the help of Mike. He plans a series of lies in order to make his cousin Mike more of a real person to Loren’s eyes.

The guy is competing in the Finals of Sabre National Championships, his lies are working well with good results.

But it’s not as it seems, something is going wrong… A policeman discovers that Phil and Mike are the same person. The back judge disqualifies him, even though if he is only one point away from winning the match. Loren is really disappointed in seeing a nerd in front of her and asks him to never phone again.

The nerd is very clever and he’s also involved in an important Junior Mathematics Competition with his team. Phil, George, Nicholas and Elen (the coach) take an hard training program and are ready to face the last challenges.

Phil is in the Finals against the terrific Big Mind Kill. He’s bewitched by the girl.

There is something between the two geniuses…

When the judge reads the last question, they give the same answer at the same time and the two teams win an ex aequo cup.

“The Killers Mind” and “The Ping Pong Theory” are the new champions. Phil, George, Nicholas and Elen have a new entry in the clan.

The Nerd’s Team- consisting of Phil, his sister Ellen, and his best friends George and Nicholas- has a new element now: ‘Big Mind Kill’.

Phil Dick is the leader of the nerds’ Mathematics Super Team. They play together and easily win the National Science and Math Championships.

Everyone thinks that Phil is brilliant- even his teachers at school! One day, during a literature test, Phil is distracted and fails to get an ‘A’. He is so embarrassed by his grade that he hacks into the school computer network and changes his grade from ‘C’ to ‘A’. What he doesn’t know is that Professor Gray has witnessed his hacking - and decides to punish him in his own way- by defeating him in the new competition - in Hollywood!

The Nerd Team- now called the “Ping Pong Theory” - and their families travel to Hollywood, California to compete on a TV show for Nerds and Geeks. Little does the Nerd Team know that Professor Gray has assembled a super team, “The Avengers of Numbers” (who are inspired by the famous ironic comic book heroes), to defeat them. One night, Phil is awakened by a strange version of E.T. (the extra-terrestrial)! He can’t understand the ‘alien’, but the next day when he reads that someone has stolen some famous movie props- R2D2, C3PO, the Back to the Future DeLorean car and a model of the Starship Enterprise. Phil realizes that E.T. came to warn him of Professor Gray’s plot and to help him win the competition. The Nerd Team is devastated by the theft of some of their favorite iconic film props.

“The Ping Pong Theory” reach the final round of competition and their opponents are the “Avengers”. But during this game Professor Gray screens a video of Phil hacking into the school network and changing his grade. Phil is humiliated in front of his family and friends, and finally realizes that even though he is exceptional in some talents, he must accept his limitations with humility in others. Just as it seems that all is lost, the E.T. parody arrives to help Phil solve the mystery of the movie prop thefts- it was Professor Gray! When Gray was a kid, he had been mocked as a conceited geek.

Ever since then he rejected his geek-hood and has tormented nerds and tried to destroy their favorite pop culture icons. The “Ping Pong Theory” doesn’t win the competition - but they are the heroes of nerds everywhere for saving the beloved film props. Phil and the Nerds are enthusiastically celebrated by all the competitors of the competition.

RD

DIARY OF A

RD

DIARY OF A

THE FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED IN FRANCE, ITALY, RUSSIA, ROMANIA, ETC

Diary of a Nerd Genre: Comedy Writer: Philip Osbourne Illustrations: Roberta Procacci Pages: 160 Kids -10-14 years

ALIENS LIVE! AND MIKE MANN LEARNS FROM THEM...

TO GET THEIR POWERS!

Set in Columbus, Ohio, this book tells the adventure of Mike Mann, a young wizard’s apprentice of alien powers, and his best friends, Sabry and Elen. Mike learns how to manage the alien power thanks to Roosevelt 52 (an extraterrestrial who will reveal to him the truth about his parents’ disappearance) and his “special” school.

Harry Potter studies in a school of wizardryMike Mann is the apprentice of alien powers.

In Philip Osbourne’s exciting new novel, Aliens are just like Xavier in the ‘X-Men’, but they train ‘special’ kids to harness the Power of the Light!

Mike Mann Genre: Sci-Fi Writer: Philip Osbourne & Mike Steel Pages: 160 Young Adult

CHAPTER ONE The Other Side of the Moon 1 To be able to see what other people can’t, wasn’t something I had chosen.

Just like you, reading my diary, I’ve always believed every lie grown-ups told me about the world.

For a while, I even thought I was losing my mind.

On the contrary, my brain was as responsive as a state-of-the-art computer.

I really wanted this to be just a dream, so that I could wake up and start my life over from where I had left it before that trip to Nevada.

Now I can see things for what they are: we only experience a part of reality.

It’s like the moon. We always see just one side of it, and can only imagine the other.

If you’re able to see what’s invisible to the eyes, it doesn’t mean you’re crazy, it just means that you are someone who knows more things.

Know what I’m talking about?

Do you get what I’m saying?

Let’s start from the beginning: the trip with Dad.

2 I’m Mike Mann and I’m fifteen.

My name is not so special, it’s not like one of those superhero names.

The hero of one of the books I’ve read is called Magnus, which I think stands for “great”.

He’s a sixteen year old boy who dies and is reborn immortal.

Wow! Magnus is some god’s son and is destined to save the world. As for me, my mom is a manager at a tire company and my dad is the editor of our local newspaper.

Rather than saving the Earth, my mission is to survive high school chemistry and bullies.

Yes, you got it: I’m not exactly what you’d call “magnificent”.

3 When we were in New York I went to South Middle School, but then two years ago Dad changed jobs. Now he’s working for a newspaper in Ohio,and I go to Starbuck High School in Columbus.

It’s the capital and I quite like it here, if only because it was named after Christopher

Columbus, the famous navigator. I love exploring and discoveries, and I like the idea of living in a city named after an explorer.

As for school, well, are you wondering if I’m one of those wonks? Let’s put it this way: I’m not the guy who runs to the teacher’s desk to list every single Greek or Roman who walked the face of the earth, nor the one who raises his hand just to say whether or not Shakespeare was an only child.

I’m not even the sporty type. I’m not allowed to run because of a limb anomaly -- my left leg is longer than my right one. This makes me stop short and gives me terrible headaches, making it hard for me to study and concentrate.

I spend most of my time hacking websites and reading every single book ever published about UFOs. This makes me look kind of like a freak and “different” from the other guys at school, and so a lot of people think I am a jerk.

What do my classmates call me? “Alien” That’s the most decent nickname I’ve been given, so you can really imagine what (almost) all of them must think about me.

Whether it’s for the whole UFO thing or for my handicap, I’m just E.T. to them.

If you think this turned me into a nerd, well, you’re wrong. I don’t spend my days watching TV series or playing Assassin’s Creed. I’m more interested in checking out websites than in playing videogames. And I get super excited if I stumble across a government website about UFOs. I must confess, one thing I’d really enjoy doing is crashing them. One thing I don’t do, though, is break the law or get my parents angry, which is even worse. I’m basically a Columbus 2.0 and I love exploring unknown lands.

After nagging my dad for months asking him “Dad, are we ever going to do anything really cool?”, I’ve managed to convince my old man to take me to Area 51. You know, the famous UFO mystery military base in Nevada where a UFO supposedly crashed in the 1050’s.

Mom couldn’t join the team because of her new job as Marketing Manager at the tire company. She’s having an important meeting at the company’s headquarters in Cleveland, the biggest metropolitan area in Ohio.

“Oh honey, I’d love to come along, I really would! If I could spend each second of my life with the two of you I would definitely do it, but you know how many responsibilities I have,” said a guilty Mrs. Peggy Mom. “Relax, Mom. I’m not mad at you and I love you anyway.” I replied, just to ease her down.

Truth is, I was more than happy about this because my mother is extremely apprehensive and anxious so she would probably have me on a leash and start screaming about an alien attack at the sight of a fly.

She’s the sweetest and loveliest mom, but even The Griffins look creepy to her. Actually Stewie is creepy in a way.

“Carry a sweater and a heavy jacket, will you?” She added. “You could get sick. Take

care of yourself. You know how important that is.”

I kept myself from laughing and tried to tell her how things would be in reality. “Mom, it’s going to be 104 degrees in the shade and the weather forecast promised more degrees than grains of sand!” My reference to the desert made her laugh and she gave in.

“Fine. Just go and have fun,” she said lovingly. I smiled back and hugged her. She was so anxious because of my physical problems and I was very well aware of that.

My passion for UFOs began when I started reading books about Area 51, previously called “Nevada Test Site – 51”. It’s part of a sixty square mile military operational area close to Rachel, a town in Southern Nevada that is about a eighty miles northwest of Las Vegas.

They say military pilots call the near air space “The Box”. Even though the base is secret it’s still the object of thousands of UFO theories, in fact Nevada even renamed the nearby Route 375 the Extraterrestrial Route.

According to the United States Government Area 51 just a test area, but public opinion and social media agree on the possibility that many secrets about the aliens’ existence are kept in the base itself. Some expert ufologists believe aliens’ bodies were brought along with their ships to the Area.

The official Air Force names for Area 51 is Homey Airport and Groom Lake, but they also call it ‘Dreamland’. What kind of project requires so much secrecy? What’s hidden in there?

Dad and I flew to Las Vegas from Columbus and rented a car there. We didn’t want to cross Kansas, Colorado and Utah by car, it would’ve been way too long and tiring.

“Do you think this trip will make you understand UFOs better?”,Asked Dad after we got off the plane, and the guy at the rental counter was handing him the keys to an old Lotus sports car.

I really didn’t know what to answer. What was the purpose of the trip?

I had never thought it through.

Probably the trip would be of no use, but I just wanted to see the Area 51 before my very eyes since it is the symbol of the whole UFO mystery.

“Maybe,”I replied.

“I’ll just be glad to see you get out in the real world instead of vegetating in front of your computer screen,”, stressed Dad. I think maybe he was just trying to justify the money, time and stress the trip to Nevada required.

“Do you really believe in aliens?”

It was our first real talk in months. Of course he always asked me about school during dinner, and he always kept up with my leg problems, but it had been a long time since our last chat about something other than everyday life.

It felt good, and I thought that regardless of the trip I was happy to spend some time with Dad.

“I don’t know, Mr. Mann. What I know though, is that it’s much easier to believe in a populated universe rather than in an empty one.”

He smiled, possibly realizing that the idea of life on other planets didn’t sound so stupid after all.

We drove north on US Route 93 towards Lincoln County, leaving the Las Vegas Motor Raceway behind – a super cool Nascar racing circuit. About forty minutes later we found ourselves in the middle of the desert, far away from the city traffic. After 20-25 miles we stopped in Alamo because Dad needed to stretch his legs.

He’s 42, and in good shape, but the hernias he has been suffering for the past few years force him to have frequent breaks while driving. He needs to have a short walk every now and then to ease the pain. His job is a sedentary one which doesn’t help.

We stopped in an old roadside diner where we had some unexpectedly good barbecue and then we roasted marshmallows on an outdoor fire pit.

The small town didn’t have much more to offer, so we continued on US 93 until we reached what’s quite accurately referred to as ‘the middle of nowhere’, an arid landscape dotted with aquifiers.

“If an alien ever came here it would prove that there is no intelligent life on other planets,”, Dad said. It was one of his usual witty jokes -- you don’t get them immediately but then they hit you.

What he meant was this a boring wasteland.

“Well, if the aliens went to Las Vegas, they wouldn’t even be noticed,” I replied.

Dad laughed, probably picturing aliens swarming across Vegas with fists full of poker chips. It was getting dark when reached The Little A’le’Inn and decided to stop for the night. It is a small trailer park that is a famous attraction for tons of sci-fi fans, ufologists and curious people from all over the world. Tourists who want to see Area 51 normally stay there. Alien-teddy bears and all the other UFO-themed merchandize they sold made me feel as if I were in Disneyland, and I started thinking that maybe the whole Area 51 issue was nothing but a joke. I wasn’t looking for souvenirs but for something that could help clear up my questions about that place.

I was really sad because reducing aliens to a mere gadgets felt so unfair. I wanted the trip to go well also because dad had spent his money and time to take me there. And I was hoping not to get into trouble, for once.

I was so, so wrong!

The thing is that weird things simply happen to me on a regular basis.

In the hotel hall I stumbled across a 14-year-old girl that looked like she was from from California. She wore sunglasses even though it was dark. Her parents were taking their luggage to their room while she clumped in a corner to make a phone call.

Her clothes struck me.

She was wearing an updated version of Mc Fly’s jacket in Back To the Future. “Sabry,

we’re heading to our room. Don’t go too far or we’ll have to call the intergalactic police if an alien kidnaps you,” said her dad, with a pretty lame sense of humor. I was curious to hear or see what she was doing, so I got closer tying not to be noticed. She was whispering something absurd on the phone, but I wasn’t able to understand who she was talking to. “Xioto, I’ve convinced them. I’m at the A’Le’Inn, but there’s no trace of the prevaricator. I’m still wearing my glasses so that I can see him,but I’ll have to take them off sooner or later. Someone could get suspicious.”

I didn’t realize that Dad was watching me with his arms crossed.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you minded your own business?” “Be quiet or she will think that I’ve been eavesdropping,” I said anxiously.

“You were eavesdropping.”

“Hmmm, yeah, well. She’s weird.”

“Oh, I see...we’ve been through this before.” He meant I liked her.

“I didn’t mean that!”

Meanwhile Sabry had gone away.

She was really weird!

“Prevaricator”, “Xioto”, “take my sunglasses off”. A lot of suspicious babble.

4 The following day my dad, Steve, and I headed to Area 51.

The sun was blazing bright, so Sabry’s sunglasses turned out to be quite helpful. Yeah, you read right- I ended up with Sabry’s mysterious sunglasses. Bet you are wondering how I got them.

The warning sign at the gate reminded us not to take pictures and that “Use of Deadly Force is Authorized”.

On the hill there was a government vehicle from which security agents could observe everyone approaching the base.

The main entrance to the whole base, including Area 51, was at the end of a dirt road that turned off from Route 375. At the top of the dirt road was a big white mailbox with black writings on it. Everyone who is into UFOs knows what I’m talking about.

The base was still working. It looked like several Russian planes could be kept inside in order to be analyzed and used for top secret experiments. It is a really famous place among ufologists, who are firmly convinced the US government has had real contacts with aliens, but kept public opinion in the dark for a number of reasons. Truth is, some experts think that after Roswell in 1947, the remains of a UFO were actually taken inside the base.

Yeah, Roswell, you got it! Maybe you don’t know it but Roswell is where one of the first aliens ever found. No one knows the truth, it is all very mysterious.

Wanna know if anything weird happened?

Well, of course you do,otherwise I wouldn’t be telling you my story.

Dad was typing on his pad as if he was writing an article about our adventure for his newspaper, so I decided to climb on a hill to get a different perspective of the area.

While I was looking for the right position, I stepped on a notebook.

I thought I stumbled because of my leg, but I was wrong. The notebook was half-buried in the ground between two stones. Thank god, I didn’t break my neck on it.

I picked it up and read the notes: “Wednesday: class with Xioto, Apollo, Wells, Gray and Wolfgang”. I put the diary in my pocket, and after digging a bit with my feet I found Sabry’s sunglasses.

I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then put them in my pocket too, as fast as a cat. I didn’t exactly know why I picked them up but I wanted to know how they ended up there along with the notebook. At this point I had more questions than answers.

Dad called me. We had to go. There was nothing to see after all. “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” That’s what my grandfather used to say.

5 The drive back to the airport was a long one. Dad stopped at a service area on the 93 to read some emails from work. As I headed for the bathroom, and I put the sunglasses on.

Do you think I started seeing through mountains or walls?

Well, not really! Things like these only happen in Marvel superhero movies.

They seemed to be just plain old sunglasses, and not very cool looking either. But when I looked to the sky, instead of dimming the sun, the light actually looked stronger and much more intense, almost blinding me. I hid the glasses again and got on the car.

“You all right?” I asked Dad. He was looking out the window with a steady gaze.

He seemed deeply lost in his thoughts and didn’t reply.

“Hello, Dad? Are you there?” I joked.

But dear old Stevie didn’t react at all.

“Dad, you’re scaring me,” I said, hoping to get some response from him.

“Sorry, Mike. I just saw some shocking news online.” “Did a tornado hit our house in Ohio?” I didn’t know what to think. Storms and hurricanes are quite common where we live.

“Do you remember that girl from yesterday?”

“Sure, she was called Sabry, the girl wearing the sunglasses at night,” I answered.

“Yeah, Sabry. She was kidnapped! Her parents are desperate, she vanished into thin air. They said she was just a few yards from them when they were looking at Area 51”.

I was speechless. That was insane! I couldn’t say anything. How could that possibly

happen?

Who did she talk to the other night? Who could possibly kidnap a girl on holiday with her parents?

Dad and I never spoke a word during the whole endless trip back to Ohio. The only thing that felt good was a warm hug from Mom when we arrived.

6 Once we got home I wasn’t able to sleep and leave everything behind.

I didn’t tell anyone about Sabry’s sunglasses and the note book because I wanted to read through it carefully hoping I could understand more about what had happened.

On page 10 was the word ‘hime’, meaning princess in Japanese and on the following one was ‘vespertillo homo’, which I didn’t know.

I was going through her notes carefully, when I found a strange 9-digit web address. I opened my MacBook to check it out, because usually web addresses are not that long. I was curious about the reason why she had written it down.

I found no home page, but just a pop-up with entries for a username and password. I tried with Sabry and Xioto, but they were predictably refused. I tried with other words I heard from Sabry, like’Prevaricator’, but that didn’t work either. After trying multiple times I thought back to the night I had seen her and tried to remember something weird about her. So I entered “GLASSES”.

Think it was crazy?

NO WAY! It was the best idea I’d ever had in my life! It was the first time my brain was properly working and not just in a stand-by mode.

I was finally accessing the website when a strange chat window popped up. After a few seconds Xioto typed: “Did you run away from the prevaricator?”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was curious, so I replied as if I were Sabry: “Let’s meet and I’ll tell you everything. Where?” I really needed something that could help me to see the bigger picture.

“Sure, let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you at school, I’m having class at 4 with the other guys.” Xioto answered.

I confirmed. Her chat profile pic showed a cute girl and I thought it’d be cool meeting her regardless of the whole mystery. After a few seconds I came back to my senses as I was deeply drowning in one of the usual reveries about girls that barely say hello to me.

The reason why I had to meet Xioto was to free Sabry.

I put my Mac away and started making plans for the following day. I had to find out where the school was and how to reach it without having my parents worried as they easily panic every time I go somewhere further than my neighborhood. They think it’s

“too far away” from home so they insist on taking me there.

Suddenly I realized what kind of fool I was, and laughed at myself.

Sabry was from California so how could she and Xioto possibly go to the same school?

I’d better give up. I leafed through the notebook I was still holding in my hands and found a page with a city address written on it.

Want to know the city? Fine. Sabry was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, but recently moved to Ohio and was living in Columbus. What a coincidence, I thought.

You’re soon going to find out this was really not a coincidence! I wanted to know more about the ‘prevaricator’, Xioto and the kidnapping. The girl’s notebook was filled with notes and addresses. She was living two blocks from me, but I didn’t know anything about the school she attended. What kind of school was it? Lots of questions, no answers. I decided to go back online and do something forbidden. I forced the page and easily opened another chat. Two girls were talking about some ‘Wolfgang’ guy.

7 Ester: “Have you seen Wolfgang?”

Anne: “He’s soo awesome!”

Ester: “You mean weird.”

Anne: “Yeah. Both.”

Ester: “He’s always locked in his room until 1 pm, when the clock tower bell rings.”

Anne: “They say he’s very rich because of all the patents he produced! He’s one of the richest men on earth!”

Ester: “He does nothing but drink water, eat and watch tons of videos on a huge videowall with several tvs showing news, videos and pics, like, 24/7.”

I stopped reading because I didn’t want to be too nosey. There was just one clock tower ringing at 1:00 pm deafening everyone, and it was right in front of the gym where I went for my physiotherapy sessions. But, I was pretty sure there was no school around.

I soon realized I wrong I was.

8 I asked Mom to take me to the sport center at 3:00. I had planned to sneak out of the gym to meet Xioto at 4:00, while she would be waiting for Sabry. “My leg’s aching today,” I insisted, so she would leave me there long enough.

“Sure honey, are you sure you don’t want to go the doctor?”

“Mom, please! I have monthly check-ups, it’s not necessary. He visited me ten days ago

and according to him the pain I feel is totally normal in this growing phase. It’s my little problem, we know that, right?”

When she looked at me I knew she was sad at the thought of my ailment, but then she smiled and I knew I was free to do whatever I thought was best.

I put my jacket on and grabbed Sabry’s sunglasses.

9 I was standing in front of the clock tower.

A large Luna Park carnival filled the square. The entrance was a huge man’s face with his eyes wide open and a big smile with lights for teeth. To the side of the entrance two small versions of the Empire State Building were lit up and shining like Las Vegas casinos.

I was hoping to find Xioto’s school, so I let my eyes gaze around until they settled on a computer shop and a children’s clothing store. I turned to the right where the bus stop was and there was the tower again. I looked back at the Luna Park carnival. No schools in sight.

A 16-year-old girl approached the entrance. I hoped it was Xioto, but I couldn’t really tell from afar. She was walking fast and I couldn’t keep up with her because of my leg.

It was a horror themed carnival. And I mean it was really dark, not because of the attractions. It looked like it came straight out of Tim Burton’s gothic fantasies, know who I’m talking about? He’s the one who directed Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Alice in Wonderland...

The park was old and worn, abandoned, half-buried in plants and with a ghostly vibration.

The reason why such park was located downtown was really beyond me.

I was scared.

Where was I going?

I was thrilled and terrified all at once, this pang in my heart made me feel like a little Pacman trying to escape in the labyrinth.

A fake moon was hanging above, suspended by invisible threads.

It was 4:00 pm and the sun was shining, but inside the park it was so dark it almost looked like night. On the side of the main path a little empty train was chugging slowly with no passengers. I kept my eyes focused because I didn’t want to miss anything, but I couldn’t see anyone around- no workers, no visitors. I thought maybe they weren’t open yet. I kept on walking hoping to catch up with the Japanese girl.

I was really disappointed because my intuitions were probably just the product of this very creative mind of mine.

There were no buildings on the square and absolutely no Wolfgang guy watching

screens or counting money from his patents.

It was almost 4:00 and the only living being was a Japanese girl- and I couldn’t even tell she was the one I was looking for.

She was looking around as if trying to catch something weird or unexpected.

She looked really unusual. She was covered in polka dotted ribbons and her hair was the same color of her purple miniskirt. She was wearing platforms and white loose socks almost covering her shoes. She had a lot of make up on, light blue eye shadow and a light lipstick that was really standing out on her skin tone and fake nails. As you can imagine, she couldn’t go unnoticed.

I felt like my imagination had gone beyond reality. And reality was really nothing special.

Don’t ask me why I decided to put Sabry’s sunglasses on.

That’s when everything changed, all of a sudden.

Grandad always told me: “We call it a watershed. It’s the moment where your life is at a turning point.”

I guess he meant that such powerful events can change your day, year, maybe your whole life.

That was my watershed.

As the lenses covered my eyes I saw something I’d never expect.

The Japanese girl appeared for what she really was: a shining princess wearing a wonderful gown made up of magical feathers that allowed her to fly.

I took the glasses off and there was the 16-year-old girl again. I wore the glasses and got closer to the face entrance and watched the “Welcome to the Luna Park” billboard turning into “Alone In the Light Institute”.

How could that be possible? I put them on again and walked back.

Luna Park changed shape and now vibrated with energy, it was alive with all sorts of strange creatures.

The train was now a hi-tech one, straight from a Star Wars movie and was carrying some Gremlins-like creatures. No tracks were visible because it was now flying like an airplane. On board were a dozen two and a half foot tall passengers squeaking frantically.

They were covered in long hair and they had pointed ears covered in black and white spots. They weren’t paying attention to me at all. Some of them were bald and greenish with big ears, their eyes were bright red and white and they looked taller, around four to five feet tall. They were holding some hunting tools like canes, shields and small axes. As soon as I took my glasses off, the Luna Park went back to its normal deserted and gloomy look.

Was I going crazy?

The glasses allowed me to see things I couldn’t even imagine! I looked at the mirror labyrinth and found myself staring at a fortified castle in glass and steel with several

defensive towers, including an especially big one.

I didn’t know what to think.

I felt dazed and lost.

“If you think this is weird you’re not crazy, you’re just someone who can see what other people can’t.” Said a deep, dark voice behind me.

I turned around with a start, and the moment a bat glided next to me I jumped and yelled, “HEEEEEEELP!!!”

It had to be a nightmare.

I took off those terrible sunglasses and I saw, not a bat, but a man in his 40’s with curly hair and a goatee. He looked very British in his waistcoat and chess pants. He was staring at me, looking really amused.

“Relax, kid. Those glasses allow you to see our real features. You shouldn’t be afraid, though. We’re not monsters. We’re just aliens!” Apollo said to me.

And then I passed out. I woke up some minutes later in a rather odd hi-tech building.

10 I was trying hard to open my eyes and help my exhausted brain come to terms with all the things I had seen.

When I started to recollect and realize the truth I saw an old white-haired man in his 70’s wearing a tie and a jacket, a long lock covering his right eye. I would soon learn that he went by the name of Gray. He said loudly, “I think we’re going to have a new student.”

“A student? What?” I asked.

Gray handed me back the glasses, suggesting I put them on .

I obeyed.

Want to know what I saw? A grey alien! Looking exactly the way I had expected after spending thousands of hours of my life watching the History Channel.

I couldn’t believe it. I was talking to an alien!

“HEEEEELP!!!”

I passed out again.

11 I woke up.

The Japanese girl came to me and introduced herself with a friendly smile. “My name is Xioto, I’m the Institute tutor. I suggest you not to wear the sunglasses for a couple of hours.”

I was shaking in fear.

“Are you really aliens? Really?” I asked her.

“We are the representatives of all the aliens who are on a mission on Earth. You are currently at the Institute whose task it is to train humans to protect all the races of the universe”.

“Protect you? From who? How? How come I can see you?”

“Calm down, you’ll know everything before too long. But there is something I can tell you right now. The reason why you were able to see us is because you have a sensitive heart and an open mind.”

I had a sensitive heart and an open mind!

Wow! I didn’t know it.

What about me being a chicken, too? My underpants were all wet.

12 This is exactly what I meant. We only experience a part of reality.

It’s like the moon. We always see just one side of it, and can only imagine the other.

If you’re able to see what’s invisible to the eyes, it doesn’t mean you’re crazy, it just means that you are someone who knows more things.

I had seen the other side, things no one is either able or willing to see.

And it was awesome! Just awesome!

A boy finds a costume fully equipped with super powers created by the CIA to fight the forces of evil. A few side-effects: No instruction manual and a dangerous criminal who will do anything to lay his hands on it.

Mike Lee has recently moved to New Jersey and he doesn’t really get on with his friends at school because he doesn’t respect the rules.

After his dad ended up on the front pages of the Big Apple newspapers for a burglary that he has never committed, young Mike finds it really hard to talk to his classmates and his impulsive attitude doesn’t help him with the teachers either.

During an afternoon walk on along the Hudson’s River edge he finds a suitcase with a crazy costume inside. The moment he puts it on he gets into trouble with the CIA as well as with a dangerous criminal but he also starts growing mature and will be able to solve his dad’s mystery.

No-Hero- First Volume Genre: Superheroes Writer: Philip Osbourne & Mike Steel Illustratations: Antonio J. Rojo Pages: 160 Age: 10-14 years

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UNBELIEVABLE BUT REAL 100 stories real but incredibile, with great illustrations

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1000 WAY to GET...

There are a thousand ways to cheat, getting out of your routine or maybe to keeping your mother-in-law at a distance for a while...Julian Marie Renaud knows them all very well.

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Genre: Guide Age: 10-13 years Writer: Julian Marie Renaud Pages: 128

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The first volume, I’m an Actor, will explain the main acting methods for theatre and cinema and the possible hidden dangers you might experience on stage.

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