Deacon, Alexis

The Great Chief Matarka has died, and in accordance with her last will and testament, a contest will be held to announce her successor. From all over her realm, figures of great influence--leaders of the military, the church, and industry--have come to participate in the tests that are to be conducted to name the heir to Matarka's chiefdom. And so begins a sprawling, high-stakes adventure. Some of the participants are willing and eager to succeed, while others want no part of it but their very lives are on the line; this creates some engrossing internal conflict even as relationships and alliances are tested.

Ergo, a baby chick waking up inside her egg, ponders her place in the world and what is beyond the walls surrounding her.

"The second test has begun. Contenders for the new chief find themselves divided against their will and flung into a dangerous game. While the struggle for power continues, Io and Nemas battle with their own identities... but when allies are turned against one another, who can be trusted?"--Back cover.

"Henry Finch ... strives for greatness, gets it all a bit wrong, then makes it right again in a very surprising way -- truly becoming great"--Provided by publisher.

Explains that rat law is that the cheese belongs to you unless a bigger rat wants it.

The chief matriarch is dying. Drawing her last breath, she declares a contest: let fate decide the one worthy to rule. Fifty souls are summoned in the night; fifty souls bound to the same fate. But this is no ordinary trial...and so begins the first task.

All the animals at the zoo think Slow Loris is very slow, until one night when they see something a little unusual.

A girl's bedside toys go to great lengths to keep her safe at night while she is asleep.

A small creature from space finds no welcome on Earth, until she meets a group of children on a playground.

Seven hamster brothers, having outgrown their hole, begin an adventure-filled quest that takes them across seas and deserts, up a mountain, and through a labyrinth as they seek a new home.