On Midsummer Eve in a Sussex meadow, Dan and Una act out their version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Suddenly, Puck, as old as Time itself, miraculously appears. The youngsters are swept into the past as Puck conjures up villages of long ago, filled with craftsmen, a Roman centurion, and a Norman knight. Rudyard Kipling's magical tale brings English history dramatically to life to captivate both the young and the young at heart.
Ever since she can remember, Hannah Billings has been sticking up for Malcolm Murgatroyd, the most hated kid in school. Not only are they growing up together, but they will probably grow old together as well. And she can't get away from him even if she wanted to. Not only are their parents best friends, but Malcolm is the only person who can make her little brother, Ian, laugh. With Hannah's friends getting suspicious, and Malcolm doing more and more strange things, it's getting harder for her to do what's right: remain his one true friend. This realistically written story of family, friendship and coming-of-age makes Mame Farrell one of the top authors of young adult fiction in America today. Narrator Alyssa Bresnahan wonderfully captures the full range of adolescent experiences: embarrassment, frustration, unexpected crises and joy.
Patricia Hodge stars as Cruella de Vil in this full-cast dramatisation of the much-loved story. Pongo lives happily with his human pets Mr. and Mrs. Dearly in a large house in Regent's Park. When his wife Missis produces a litter of 15 beautiful pups, life seems wonderfully complete. But the mysterious disappearance of the puppies suddenly throws everything into turmoil. Pongo, one of the keenest brains in Dogdom, quickly realises that he and Missis are the only hope for their youngsters' survival. And so the fearless pair set out on a bleak winter's journey into great dangers, helped along the way by the gallant Colonel, a sheepdog of the Old School. Dodie Smith's canine classic brought pleasure to millions as a Disney film. All its original charm and warmth are fully evident here in this full-cast dramatisation which stars Patricia Hodge as Cruella de Vil, along with Joan Sims, Brenda Blethyn, Nicky Henson and Polly James.
When a small pod of killer whales surfaces just offshore of Lumber Landing-a small British Columbia fishing community-it's more that just the fish that don't know what to do. The whales' arrival coincides with a fishing magazine ad offering $100,000 for a killer whale in good condition for an American theme park. Jamie Tidd, a 14-year-old boy, and his father Perry thought it would be nearly impossible to capture a whale. However, it's after they easily trap one on Wilwilli Cove that difficulties arise. Do they release the whale to take part in salmon season-the most financially rewarding season of the year-or do they keep it and hope to cash in?
Newbery Award-winning author Theodore Taylor has written more than 30 books for young people. His book, The Cay, won eleven literary awards, including the Lewis Carrol Shelf Award.
This superbly moving sequel reveals what happens when 18-year-old Patty Bergen leaves her Southern Bible-belt town for Paris. In a tender love affair with a Frenchman, she begins to overcome the abuse that ruined her childhood-and to understand her conflicting feelings of joy and anger.
Meet Biff, a weird, wild-haired high school senior with a couple of problems. He's 18 but looks more like 14, which makes it hard for people-especially girls-to take him seriously. He's too shy to say anything more than "Hi' to Tommie, the girl he's had a crush on for two years. The way things are going, it doesn't look like Biff will ever find a girlfriend or get the chance to kiss a girl. That is, until he meets Heidi. A beautiful, brash cigarette smoker, she's the kind of dangerous girl Biff usually tries to avoid. But the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes Heidi may be the best friend he's ever had. If he trusts her, she might even teach him how to talk to Tommie. Randy Powell delivers an authentic and poignant look at the real-life anxieties of today's teenagers. Smart dialogue, sassy characters, and swiftly-paced prose make this ALA Best Book for Young Adults an exciting choice.
In this long-awaited sequel to the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves, Miyax returns to the village she left long before and finds her lost father. But things have changed during her absence. Her father is no longer the man who had lived in grace with the sea and the land. He has forsaken his Eskimo heritage in favor of marriage with a white-American schoolteacher and is determined to shoot the wolves who threaten his carabou-the same wolves who saved Miyax's life. With the help of a handsome young man from Siberia, Miyax struggles to save her wolves and the way of life she cherishes. A stunning portrait of the Alaskan tundra and the clash of modern and Eskimo cultures, Julie will delight and enlighten readers of all ages.
When Janet's parents divorce, the 15-year-old moved with her mother to the isolated artist colony in Tres Pinos, New Mexico. As the only Anglo girl in her class, Janet feels like an outsider. At night she dreams of an exquisite moonlit stream. On its banks a delicate doe gently sips from the cool waters. Then an Indian warrior appears, an almost poetic vision from a past tie with his bow drawn, ready to strike. Janet's first encounter with a local Indian proves to be anything but dramatic. Dirty and in desperate need of a drink, Billy Honcho doesn't meet a tourist's definition of an Indian brave-yet Janet feels inexplicably drawn to him. As they forge an unusual and dangerous relationship, Janet wonders if the old alcoholic Indian might actually be the warrior haunting her dreams? Nearly four million copies of Paulsen's young adult books are in print in the U.S. alone. Paulsen has been a teacher, trapper, soldier, actor, truck driver, satellite tracker, sailor, and an alcoholic-an unfortunate experience he brings to this splendid story of redemption.
Steeplejack Joe Clark climbed his first factory chimney when he was four years old. Steeplejacking had been in his family for five generations. Not much frightened him. Certainly not stone. So when Joe is offered the lucrative job of repairing the weathercock and stonework on one of Muncaster Cathedral's spires, he can't believe his good fortune. But from the moment he saw the medieval gargoyle-lichen colored and hollowed-eyed-he felt uneasy, as if he were being watched. But he wasn't going to let a few superstitious fears get in the way of his job. Stone was stone, it was all the same. Then terrible things begin to happen, including the deaths of two innocent boys who fell from the cathedral tower. What terrible evil had them in its grip, and why does the gargoyle seem to be drawing Joe to his doom?
For Gom Gobblechuck, life on the mountain is hard and lonely, but every once in a while his rune necklace tingles against his chest, as if to call him away from the mountain to the grand adventure of discovering new worlds.
