"Welcome to Life, an exciting new six-level adult series that turns learning English into an exploration of the world we live in. Drawing on National Geographic content, Life transforms the learning experience into a fabulous journey with irresistible images, articles and videos that engage students like no series before. Bring Life into your classroom!"--Inside back cover.

Now, in this collection of interconnected short stories, Jennifer Haigh returns to the vividly imagined world of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town rocked by decades of painful transition. From its heyday during two World Wars through its slow decline, Bakerton is a town that refuses to give up gracefully, binding--sometimes cruelly - succeeding generations to the place that made them.

Persephone Alcmedi's beloved foster daughter, Beverley, has been playing with a magical artifact that's far more dangerous than she realizes. Now Persephone must summon help from a mystical being so potent that even vampires fear him ... and the cost of his aid may be more than she's willing to pay. Seph, Johnny, and Menessos face threats from all side -- and a few from within.