Everyone in Timber Falls knows that his family is trash, and sometimes Harry White thinks he'll always be trash. But he can't help getting angry. After all, what had he and his sister, Helen, ever done to anybody? When he discovers the local carpet factory is polluting the river, he comes up with a bold exposé that, if he is successful, will make people sit up and show him respect. He wants to do it alone even though he knows he's asking for trouble. As trash, Harry's got nothing to lose. Or does he?
Gripping, disturbing, and exhilarating, When the Stars Begin to Fall reveals the hidden forces that conspire against well-meaning innocents. Harry's desire to change himself and society is so powerful, his voice so direct and real, that listeners won't forget his struggle for dignity. In this striking departure from the historical novels he is so well known for, James Lincoln Collier has written a powerful-even shocking-novel that challenges and defies the rhetoric of contemporary America.
"The compassion found in Collier's award-winning historical fiction carries this story through the betrayals and terrible truths of Harry's life. Readers will be angered by Harry's treatment at the hands of others, as well as enlightened by his intelligence, which comes shining through."-Publishers Weekly
This title is the third in the series of delightful stories about Anna Hibiscus, a little girl who lives in Africa. Anna Hibiscus is looking forward to visiting her grandmother in Canada, where she will see snow for the first time! But before she goes, she must find suitable clothes to keep her warm in the cold winter weather, and say goodbye to the family she loves. "Anna Hibiscus", the first book in the series, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2008.
Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa. Anna Hibiscus has never been away from her home in Africa, surrounded by her parents and baby brothers, as well as all of her aunts and uncles and cousins. But now she is going to Canada to visit her grandmother for Christmas. She has never met Granny Canada and she can't wait to see snow! Canada is very cold and it takes Anna a little while to get used to wearing lots of clothes and eating different types of food. She also has to get used to Granny's dog, Qimmac. And though she misses her brothers and cousins, Anna soon makes lots of friends and has a wonderful time playing with them in the snow and celebrating Christmas with Granny Canada.
Jimmy lives in a small Caribbean town where there's not a whole lot to do. Fortunately though, there is a boxing gym, and one day the owner, Don Apolinar, suggests that Jimmy start training. He also gives Jimmy a cardboard box full of books and newspaper clippings all about Muhammad Ali. Jimmy reads and re-reads as he never has before. He is swept with admiration for Ali who said, "I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was." He starts to feel good, realizing that he doesn't need to have a lot of fancy stuff, that he's a pretty good boxer himself, and that he can look forward to the future. But by the time Don Apolinar has to leave for the big city, Jimmy realizes that he can have a great life running the gym, creating a library, dancing and boxing . . . right where he is. "Eye-opening inspiration in this unassuming import from Colombia." --Kirkus, starred review
Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It," finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm--a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces--tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is "also" afraid of the dark. His friend is alone and in need, though, so Otis takes a deep breath, counts to ten, and sets off on a different game of hide-and-seek.
In book one of the Lux series, Katy Swartz teams up with her attractive alien neighbor for an action-packed adventure.
When seventeen-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she'd pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up . . . until he opened his mouth. Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It's hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something . . . unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he's an alien. Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon's touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she's getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is, if she doesn't kill him first.
Ruth lives in Vienna and is wildly in love with Heini Radik, a brilliant young pianist. When Hitler's forces invade Ruth's family flees to London, but she cannot get a passport. Quin, a young professor and friend of the family, visits Ruth and offers a marriage of convenience. On their return to London, Quin begins to fall desperately in love with her. But then Heini turns up...
Paulie Horvath is never going to be a good student like his brother, John, never going to follow his hardworking father into the plumbing trade, never going to ease his mother's mind by passing tests or cleaning up his room. But once he hears jazz by accident from the basement of a speakeasy, he knows exactly what he will do: learn that music and make it his life. Jazz is all around in gangland Chicago, but not so easy for a twelve-year-old to find, especially when his father disapproves of it. Paulie has to lie, beg, and steal just to get time for lessons, time to practice, time to slip across town to see stars like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Lies last only so long until they are found out, and a confrontation is coming. Will he choose home and family or sleazy dives with that wonderful music? To decide, Paulie has to face an even tougher question. What id jazz, after all? Author James Lincoln Collier has played and studied jazz throughout his life. Here is a novel that shows us a great moment in the history of jazz, and points at issues that still trouble us today.
A special edition for children age 11 and above.
'We are all given second chances every day of our lives, but we don't usually take them. Then I met Bob.'
James Bowen was a homeless musician, busking on the streets of London to survive. But the moment he met an injured stray cat with ginger fur and big green eyes, his life began to change. Together James and Bob the cat faced the world - and won.
A purrfectly true 'tail' of love and friendship to make you smile!
(P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton
A delightful collection of seven short stories narrated by cats, by the brilliant Edith Nesbit, each of which sheds a new light on our relationship with our furry friends. Too Clever By Half, The White Persian, A Powerful Friend, A Silly Question, The Selfish Pussy, Meddlesome Pussy, Nine Lives
Award-winning children's author Joan Holub has penned over 70 books for young audiences in her decades-spanning career. In Zero the Hero, Holub offers a humorous and lighthearted look at one of math's most overlooked, yet essential, figures-the number zero. All the other numbers scoff at Zero's value, but as soon as one of them gets into trouble, guess who lands on the scene to save the day! "A hero and some villains and good winning over evil ... all wrapped in humor and tied with a comic bow-what could be better?"-Kirkus Reviews
Clarence Mulford's classic Western introduces the legendary Hopalong Cassidy and other colorful cohorts from the Bar-20 ranch. While the Hopalong Cassidy of film and TV (portrayed by the silver-haired, avuncular William Boyd) was clean-cut and polished, Mulford's original Cassidy is rough-and-tumble and foul-mouthed, thriving on brawls and gun-fights. Bar-20 depicts Cassidy as he was originally conceived, fierce and free-wheeling, and matches the cowboy hero up against Slim Travennes, the violent head of a vigilante gang. Filled with hard characters and gritty gun-play, Bar-20 is a Hopalong Cassidy story from the golden days of the Western that is not to be missed.
