node_id int64 0 76.9k | label int64 0 39 | text stringlengths 13 124k | neighbors listlengths 0 3.32k | mask stringclasses 4 values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
6,000 | 2 | "Enthralling . . . filled with memorable moments."--Publishers Weekly, starred review"A baseball tale of legendary dimension . . . another stellar read."--Booklist, starred review"This tale is peppered with both optimism and dilemmas; it has plenty of play-by-play action, lots of humor, and a triumphant ending."--School Library Journal"Readers will relate to the themes of overcoming reticence, the drive to meet an impossible challenge, and the thrill of growing into a team."--Children's LiteratureJohn Ritter has written many novels and numerous short stories for Young Adult readers. His first novel, Choosing Up Sides, published in 1998, won the 1999 International Reading Association Children’s Book Award for Older Readers and was designated an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Kirkus Reviews praised Choosing Up Sides, which attacked the once-prevalent views of religious fundamentalists toward left-handed children, as, “No ordinary baseball book, this is a rare first novel.”  In 2004 Ritter received the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People for his third novel, The Boy Who Saved Baseball.; Title: The Boy Who Saved Baseball | [
2184,
3351,
3363,
6191,
6412,
6418,
6430,
6604,
6900,
6915,
8619,
9618,
10245,
10821,
10825,
10826,
10828,
10886,
13864,
13872,
14111,
14339,
14666,
15085,
16685,
16773,
16819,
18145,
18188,
19658,
23993,
28814,
29620,
31007,
37503,
38512,
4034... | Train |
6,001 | 2 | [An] animated invitation to the pleasures of reading, as well as a tribute to unconventional teachers everywhere. -- Kirkus ReviewsI was born on 34th Street in Manhattan. My parents were from Queens. They married when my dad returned from World War II; he then joined the ranks of the NYPD. A sister and two brothers rounded out my family. When our Stuyvesant Town apartment grew too small, we moved to the relative wilds of Staten Island.I spent my childhood roaming the woods, playing sports, crossing the street without looking both ways, and drawing. Drawing was the thing I did best. I wasn’t the smartest one in my class or the best athlete in any sport, but when they passed out the paper and crayons, it was my time to shine. My teachers would never hold up my math test as an example, but everything I drew would be shown to the class and given a place of honor on the bulletin board. I started to think I might become an artist.After high school, I went to Pratt Institute to study art. I cleaned the floors in a nursing home and drove a cab nights and weekends. Soon after graduating, I sold my first illustration to True Confessions magazine. I was on my way—at the beginning of a thirty-year career of illustrating everything you could imagine. I now have twenty-three books in print, and several more in the pipeline.Along the way, I married Peggy and we had three children: Katie, Alice and Kevin. Two are in college and one is about to start (please buy my books!). We live in Putnam County, New York.Sixteen years ago I decided I wanted to be a writer as well as an artist. Sixteen published books later, I’m still at it.I was born on 34th Street in Manhattan. My parents were from Queens. They married when my dad returned from World War II; he then joined the ranks of the NYPD. A sister and two brothers rounded out my family. When our Stuyvesant Town apartment grew too small, we moved to the relative wilds of Staten Island.I spent my childhood roaming the woods, playing sports, crossing the street without looking both ways, and drawing. Drawing was the thing I did best. I wasn’t the smartest one in my class or the best athlete in any sport, but when they passed out the paper and crayons, it was my time to shine. My teachers would never hold up my math test as an example, but everything I drew would be shown to the class and given a place of honor on the bulletin board. I started to think I might become an artist.After high school, I went to Pratt Institute to study art. I cleaned the floors in a nursing home and drove a cab nights and weekends. Soon after graduating, I sold my first illustration to True Confessions magazine. I was on my way—at the beginning of a thirty-year career of illustrating everything you could imagine. I now have twenty-three books in print, and several more in the pipeline.Along the way, I married Peggy and we had three children: Katie, Alice and Kevin. Two are in college and one is about to start (please buy my books!). We live in Putnam County, New York.Sixteen years ago I decided I wanted to be a writer as well as an artist. Sixteen published books later, I’m still at it.; Title: Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook | [
1364,
1730,
2302,
2563,
4020,
4671,
5413,
5888,
5997,
6045,
6086,
6273,
6594,
6989,
7254,
10099,
10106,
10344,
11629,
12265,
12426,
12939,
13180,
13491,
13694,
14121,
15414,
16061,
16147,
16975,
20343,
20769,
20800,
22347,
22412,
22948,
25008,
... | Test |
6,002 | 2 | "[T]he main story is realistic in both tone and subject. A good start to a series that will be popular with both young equestrians and history buffs."Booklist [for Hoofbeats: Katie and the Mustang, Book One]; Title: Lara and the Silent Place (Hoofbeats, Book 4) | [
5929,
5938,
5962,
6026,
6032,
6249
] | Train |
6,003 | 2 | Wells has an unerring ability to hit just the right note to tickle small-fry funny bones (and grown-ups too). (Kirkus Reviews)Young readers will be able to relate to the make-believe games. (School Library Journal)Rosemary Wells is the author of 120 books for children, including more than 40 about the beloved bunnies Max and Ruby. She travels all over the country as a tireless advocate for literacy. Wells was born in New Jersey to a playwright father and ballet dancer mother who encouraged her artistic bent. She worked as an art director and designer before illustrating her first book. She is the mother of two grown daughters, Victoria and Marguerite, and grandmother to four girls.; Title: Ruby's Beauty Shop (Max and Ruby) | [
3188,
5458,
5547,
5557,
5575,
5595,
5864,
5906,
6286,
6767,
6786,
6950,
8258,
13099,
13763,
16987,
18603,
18699,
18737,
18745,
18783,
18845,
18908,
18959,
18973,
19001,
19097,
19302,
19637,
20301,
20306,
20848,
25592,
25688,
25691,
25694,
25718... | Train |
6,004 | 13 | The story's carefully developed characters and relationships, driven by tuned-in dialogue, make it realistic and compelling. (School Library Journal, starred review)Molly Montgomery's compelling voice will pull in readers. . . . (Publishers Weekly)Sarra Manning is a teen queen extraordinaire. She spent five years working on the now sadly defunct UK teen mag, J17, first as a writer and then as Entertainment Editor. She then joined the launch team of teen fashion bible Ellegirl UK, which she later went on to edit and has consulted on a wide range of other youth titles including Bliss, The Face and More.Sarra was most recently editor of BBC’s What To Wear magazine. She’s now advises a number of UK magazine publishers as well as being a contributing editor to Elle UK. Sarra has also contributed to The Guardian, ES Magazine, Seventeen, Details and Heat and wrote the Shop Bitch column for Time Out London. Pretty Things is her second title for Penguin and she’s currently working on her next book, Let’s Get Lost. Sarra lives in North London with her devoted dog, Dino, the mongrel she saved from an untimely death.; Title: Guitar Girl | [
6342
] | Train |
6,005 | 18 | "With this masterful adaptation, Philbrick's work fills a void.  A compelling saga of desperation and survival." -School Library JournalNathaniel Philbrick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and earned a BA in English from Brown University and an MA in America Literature from Duke University, where he was a James B. Duke Fellow. He was Brown University’s first Intercollegiate All-American sailor in 1978, the same year he won the Sunfish North Americans in Barrington, RI. After working as an editor at Sailing World magazine, he wrote and edited several books about sailing, including The Passionate Sailor, Second Wind, and Yaahting: A Parody.     In 1986, Philbrick moved to Nantucket with his wife Melissa and their two children. In 1994, he published his first book about the island’s history, Away Off Shore, followed by a study of the Nantucket’s native legacy, Abram’s Eyes. He was the founding director of Nantucket’s Egan Maritime Institute and is still a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association.  In 2000, Philbrick published the New York Times bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction. The book is the basis of the forthcoming Warner Bros. motion picture “Heart of the Sea,” directed by Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Benjamin Walker, Ben Wishaw, and Tom Holland, which is scheduled for release in March, 2015. The book also inspired a 2001 Dateline special on NBC as well as the 2010 two-hour PBS American Experience film “Into the Deep” by Ric Burns.   His next book was Sea of Glory, published in 2003, which won the Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize and the Albion-Monroe Award from the National Maritime Historical Society. The New York Times Bestseller Mayflower was a finalist for both the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in History and the Los Angeles Times Book Award, won the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction, and was named one the ten Best Books of 2006 by the New York Times Book Review. Mayflower is currently in development as a limited series on FX.   In 2010, he published the New York Times bestseller The Last Stand, which was named a New York Times Notable book, a 2010 Montana Book Award Honor Book, and a 2011 ALA Notable Book. Philbrick was an on-camera consultant to the two-hour PBS American Experience film “Custer’s Last Stand” by Stephen Ives. The book is currently being adapted for a ten-hour, multi-part television series. The audio book for Philbrick’s Why Read Moby-Dick? (2011) made the ALA's Listen List in 2012 and was a finalist for the New England Society Book Award.   Philbrick’s latest New York Times bestseller, Bunker Hill:  A City, a Siege, a Revolution, was published in 2013 and was awarded both the 2013 New England Book Award for Non-Fiction and the 2014 New England Society Book Award. Bunker Hill won the 2014 book award from the Society of Colonial Wars, and has been optioned by Warner Bros. for feature film adaptation with Ben Affleck attached to direct.   Philbrick has also received the Byrne Waterman Award from the Kendall Whaling Museum, the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for distinguished service from the USS Constitution Museum, the Nathaniel Bowditch Award from the American Merchant Marine Museum, the William Bradford Award from the Pilgrim Society, and the Boston History Award from the Bostonian Society. He was named the 2011 Cushing Orator by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and has an honorary doctorate from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he delivered the commencement address in 2009.   Philbrick’s writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New York Times Book Review, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. He has appeared on the Today Show, the Morning Show, Dateline, PBS’s American Experience, C-SPAN, and NPR. He and his wife still live on Nantucket.; Title: Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex | [
6120,
10191,
11254,
11935,
13510,
15785,
45492,
47488
] | Test |
6,006 | 2 | "An excellent springboard to provocative discussion or debate about the moral and ethical questions that this issue raises."School Library Journal"Provocative and disturbing."Kirkus ReviewsAmy Goldman Koss (amygoldmankoss.net)is the author of critically acclaimed novels The Girls,The Trouble with Zinny Weston,andHow I Saved Hanukkah. Ms. Koss both wrote and illustrated Curious Creatures in Peculiar Places, a selection of the 1989 John Burroughs List of Outstanding Nature Books for Children, and Where Fish Go in Winter, a Book-of-the-Month Club Selection. She lives in Glendale, California, with her husband, two children, and many pets.; Title: The Cheat | [
5882,
6923,
17943
] | Train |
6,007 | 2 | Ruth Horowitz has written many books for young children, including Crab Moon.Joan Holub has written and/or illustrated many books for young readers, including The Garden that We Grew and The Pizza that We Made.; Title: Breakout at the Bug Lab (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3) | [
541,
673,
1393,
1396,
4633,
4667,
4698,
4700,
4703,
4707,
4721,
4722,
4729,
4751,
4807,
5251,
5253,
5255,
5258,
5263,
5266,
5284,
5287,
5293,
5299,
5310,
5314,
5322,
5326,
5570,
5614,
5647,
5707,
5869,
5903,
5927,
5968,
6016,
6049,
6242,
... | Validation |
6,008 | 0 | You say there's nothing for boys to read? Never fear, the Time Warp Trio has arrived!(Booklist)Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including the New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (illustrated by Lane Smith), and Math Curse (illustrated by Lane Smith).  In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called “Guys Read” that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the country’s first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for children’s literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.; Title: Me Oh Maya #13 (Time Warp Trio) | [
5926,
5933,
5941,
5960,
5961,
5996,
6087,
6141,
6159,
6337
] | Train |
6,009 | 2 | A compelling introduction to Buddhism and a credible portrait of how true friendship brings out the best in people. (Publishers Weekly, starred review)A compelling tale of friendship and of finding oneÆs own inner strength. (VOYA)Kathe Koja is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for adults, as well as a growing list of books for teenagers, among them Buddha Boy, Blue Mirror, and the multiple award-winning straydog. She lives near Detroit, Michigan.; Title: Buddha Boy | [
4169,
4444,
5923,
6485,
7470,
9561,
12837,
17894,
21815,
26267,
55515,
64748
] | Train |
6,010 | 2 | A rhyming, read-aloud refrain and zany artwork . . . -- Publishers Weekly; Title: Teacher Appreciation Day (Picture Puffin Books) | [
6155,
16647,
21073,
21077,
46231,
73935
] | Validation |
6,011 | 2 | A welcome addition, whether as a read-aloud or for children to enjoy independently. -- School Library JournalPaul Meisel has illustrated many books for children, including Why Are the Ice Caps Melting?, Energy Makes Things Happen, and What Happens to Our Trash? in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. He lives in Newtown, Connecticut.; Title: Almost Late to School: And More School Poems (Picture Puffin Books (Paperback)) | [
5481,
6671,
36008
] | Train |
6,012 | 2 | "Wonderful fun! Aspiring novelists will love it." (Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries series) "It's chick lit at its most fun: delightful, wild, and funny, with just enough jolts of reality to touch your heart." (Francine Pascal, author of the Fearless and Sweet Valley High series)Julia DeVillers lives in Columbus, Ohio.; Title: How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller | [
48019,
48030
] | Test |
6,013 | 2 | Van Leeuwen captures childhood emotions perfectly and includes just the right amount of humor. . . . This book will delight the piglets many fans. (School Library Journal)This author-artist team demonstrates a solid understanding of childhood feelings and family dynamics. (The Horn Book )Jean Van Leeuwen is the author of more than fifty children's books, including picture books, Easy-to-Read books, and middle-grade fiction. Ms. Van Leeuwen now lives in another small town north of New York City with her husband, Bruce Gavril. She has two grown children, David and Elizabeth, and a young grandchild, who will surely inspire more stories.; Title: Amanda Pig and the Awful, Scary Monster (Oliver and Amanda) | [
5257,
5258,
5272,
5298,
5309,
5334,
5342,
5345,
5641,
5899,
6016,
6156,
6176,
6345,
6390,
18387,
36313,
52418
] | Test |
6,014 | 11 | "This zany, patriotic paean offers kids lighthearted but meaningful incentive to reflect further on the relevance of those 'big words' and 'big ideas.'"—Publisher's Weekly"Wow! All those dry, difficult words from the Preamble to the Constitution are made easy to understand through wild, wacky, full-color art done by a well-known political cartoonist."—School Library Journal "As well as being an engaging way of removing barriers to understanding raised by the Constitution's stylized language, this makes a first-class discussion starter for many of the ideas and issues it addresses"—Kirkus Reviews David Catrow (catrow.com) is the illustrator of many picture books including Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon and its sequel Have Fun, Molly Lou Melon, written by Patty Lovell; I Wanna Iguana and its two companion books I Wanna New Room and I Wanna Go Home, written by Karen Kaufman Orloff; Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel; The Middle Child Blues by Kristyn Crow; and We the Kids: the Preamble to the Constitution. David has twice been honored with The New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Award. He lives in Ohio with his wife, Deborah.; Title: We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States | [
3857,
4623,
6048,
6305,
6850,
7111,
7966,
9328,
10055,
10106,
16147,
16347,
16454,
16740,
17700,
18483,
18537,
19331,
20246,
20599,
24331,
24710,
26777,
28025,
28200,
28980,
31504,
31561,
31862,
32304,
34150,
34164,
34167,
37647,
45641,
46243,
... | Validation |
6,015 | 14 | "A winner for group sharing." -- School Library Journal Caralyn and Mark Buehner are the husband-and-wife team behind the New York Times bestsellers Snowmen at Night and Snowmen at Christmas. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah.; Title: A Job for Wittilda (Picture Puffin Books) | [
3416,
4621,
5562,
6348,
6735,
6740,
10364,
10641,
13548,
14695,
16975,
17105,
21706,
24467,
25320,
27026,
31686,
36317,
36403,
36555,
37807,
39131,
45422,
56433,
56460,
65142
] | Train |
6,016 | 2 | K-Gr. 2. Ben loves jelly beans and he loves going to Jo-Jo's Jelly Bean Shop, where every weekend the store's owner has a contest: he reads a riddle about a jelly bean flavor, and the kid with the right answer wins a jar of jelly beans. Ben always knows the answers, but he never wins because he is shy, and he lets the bigger, louder kids (including his older sister) take over. Readers of this Puffin Easy-to-Read title will work out the answers with Ben, and they'll sympathize with his nervousness and applaud when he finally finds the confidence to shout out the right answer. The tasty, rhyming riddles make words part of the fun, and the clear, playful line-and-watercolor illustrations show the small kid's failure, the building tension, and, at last, the boy's triumphant win. Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedMarcie Aboff is the author of more than 75 fiction and nonfiction books for children. She is a council member of the Rutgers University Council on Children’s literature, member of the Authors Guild, and member of SCBWI. She has three children, and when she isn’t writing or visiting schools, she spends her time playing tennis, traveling, reading, and eating as much chocolate as she can.; Title: The Giant Jellybean Jar (Penguin Young Readers, Level 3) | [
541,
1392,
1393,
1396,
2760,
3154,
3466,
4698,
4703,
4707,
4722,
4822,
5251,
5253,
5255,
5266,
5287,
5293,
5299,
5310,
5322,
5570,
5614,
5647,
5707,
5869,
6007,
8608,
12680,
12826,
12846,
13016,
13055,
13108,
13263,
13591,
13759,
13866,
138... | Validation |
6,017 | 1 | * "A rousing traveling circus adventure . . . a page turn[er]." --Publishers Weekly, starred review"Corder writes a Harry Potter read-alike. . . This will be devoured by Rowling fans. It will also be a hit with lovers of Eoin Colfer and Philip Pullman." --VOYA"An adventurous romp. . . .Intriguing." --Kirkus Reviews"Inventive storytelling." --School Library Journal"For anyone who's ever wanted to run away and join the circus, as well as save the world and be a friend to cats, here's the book. --The Chicago Tribune"Reads brilliantly. . . .Lionboydeserves a roar of approval." --Observer"A fast-moving fantasy adventure." --Financial TimesZizou Corder is Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young, whose names are too long to fit on the cover of a book. Louisa is an adult and has written five adult books and far too many newspaper and magazine articles; Isabel is a kid and has written mostly schoolwork. The original Zizou is Isabel's Lizard. This is its first novel. They all live in London. Only one goes to school.Louisa Young was a freelance journalist for many years, writing for national newspapers, motorcycle magazines and women's magazines. She studied history at Trinity College Cambridge, and has of course worked as a street performer, a motorcycle messenger, a cocktail waitress, a singer, and so on. Her first book, A GREAT TASK OF HAPPINESS: THE LIFE OF KATHLEEN SCOTT, was a biography of her grandmother, the sculptress widow of Scott of the Antarctic. She is also the author of a romantic adventure trilogy for adults and THE BOOK OF THE HEART, a cultural history of our most symbolic organ. LION BOY, cowritten with her daughter Isabel, is her first children's novel. She lives in London with her daughter, their lizard Zizou, several spiders and a dead tortoise.; Title: Lionboy (Lionboy, Book 1) | [
5204,
6148,
12837,
19406,
27364,
28790,
55120,
69531
] | Validation |
6,018 | 2 | Morgan delivers an unusual, engrossing novel, using vivid language. -- BooklistClay Morgan grew up a free-range child in Idaho, where summers had one rule: Be home by dark. After college, he became a Forest Service smokejumper, parachuting to fight wildfires in the western US and Alaska. He married his college sweetheart, astronaut Barbara Radding. Their sons, Adam and Ryan, helped Morgan write his middle-grade novel, The Boy Who Spoke Dog. He has also published several adult novels, including Aura and Santiago and the Drinking Party. Morgan has been awarded the NASA Public Service Medal, Idaho Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, and was an Idaho Writer in Residence. He teaches creative writing at Boise State University.; Title: The Boy Who Spoke Dog | [
6000,
6357,
18086,
20180,
23424,
28790,
45731,
49691,
52718
] | Train |
6,019 | 0 | Exudes a sense of joy and wonder . . . .Warmth and love shine through not only in the text, but in the illustrations as well . . . (School Library Journal, starred review)Noda's images are luminous . . . her pictures marry dreamlike perspectives . . . with deep jewel colors. (Booklist)Takayo Noda is a collage artist, printmaker, writer, and illustrator. She was born in Tokyo, Japan, and studied at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. She started showing her work publicly in 1981 and has received numerous awards.; Title: Dear World | [
12406,
46919,
47868,
65190
] | Train |
6,020 | 2 | Froggy's good-natured antics keep the adults around him on their toes as well as healthily amused. (Booklist)Jonathan Londonis the creator of twenty-five books about lovable and enduringly popular Froggy. He is also a poet and a novelist. Jonathan and his wife live in Graton, California. Frank Remkiewiczhas illustrated numerous books for children, including the popularFroggybooks by Jonathan London (Viking and Puffin). He lives in Sarasota, Florida.; Title: Froggy Goes to the Doctor | [
1283,
1404,
2195,
3234,
4020,
5440,
5454,
5469,
5498,
5535,
5552,
5585,
5616,
5908,
6030,
6033,
6116,
6151,
6243,
6344,
6433,
6541,
6557,
6563,
6597,
6625,
6741,
6931,
6936,
6976,
8280,
9245,
10106,
12934,
15155,
15161,
15987,
16893,
18401,... | Test |
6,021 | 2 | Praise for 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents:"The humor and depth of the characters are reminiscent of Louis Sachar's There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom."--School Library Journal"The title will hook readers, and the ending will satisfy them."--Kirkus ReviewsAuthor Lee Wardlaw has written many children's books, including Seventh Grade Weirdo.; Title: 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents | [
1693,
4101,
4522,
4592,
4730,
5646,
6114,
6121,
6180,
6469,
6506,
6708,
12129,
12305,
15003,
16344,
16676,
18084,
18125,
18502,
18982,
19141,
21871,
22883,
22908,
23002,
23183,
23373,
26484,
26487,
26880,
27756,
39271,
39378,
45576,
48591,
5142... | Train |
6,022 | 0 | Anthony Horowitz(anthonyhorowitz.com) is a world-renowned screenwriter for film and television, having received multiple awards. And he is, of course, the author of the #1New York Timesbestselling Alex Rider novels, which have become bestsellers the world over, spawned a major motion picture, and a line of graphic novels. A master of the spy thriller, Anthony is theonlywriter authorized by both the Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming Estates to write original Sherlock Holmes and James Bond novels, respectively.Anthony lives with his wife in London, England; they are parents to two grown boys. Follow Anthony onTwitter @AnthonyHorowitz.; Title: Public Enemy Number Two (Diamond Brother Mysteries) | [
5972,
6035,
6074,
6076
] | Train |
6,023 | 2 | one of the most chilling yet sympathetic looks at high school power dynamics in a long time. -- BCCBGraham Gardner is the author of Inventing Elliot, which has been translated into over 10 languages, including German, French, Greek, Polish, Spanish and Korean. The book has been shortlisted for many prizes, including the Angus Book Award and the Branford Boase Award, and won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize).; Title: Inventing Elliot | [
12837
] | Train |
6,024 | 2 | Lauren Myracle is theauthor of many popular books for teens and tweens,including New York Times bestsellers ttyl and ttfn(Abrams). She lives with her family in Fort Collins,Colorado.; Title: Eleven (The Winnie Years) | [
3819,
3840,
4101,
4259,
4260,
4393,
6051,
6260,
6510,
6610,
6660,
11230,
11395,
12837,
13510,
14101,
15014,
21835,
22706,
32564,
33727,
44448,
45642,
53164,
55513,
55516,
65436,
66904,
68219,
70772
] | Train |
6,025 | 2 | "This sentimental tale will appeal to those who like their allegories neat and straight up."School Library JournalJan Karon, born Janice Meredith Wilson in the foothills of North Carolina, was named after the title of a popular novel, Janice Meredith.Jan wrote her first novel at the age of ten. "The manuscript was written on Blue Horse notebook paper, and was, for good reason, kept hidden from my sister. When she found it, she discovered the one curse word I had, with pounding heart, included in someone's speech. For Pete's sake, hadn't Rhett Butler used that very same word and gotten away with it? After my grandmother's exceedingly focused reproof, I've written books without cussin' ever since."Several years ago, Karon left a successful career in advertising to move to the mountain village of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and write books. "I stepped out on faith to follow my lifelong dream of being an author," she says. "I made real sacrifices and took big risks. But living, it seems to me, is largely about risk."Enthusiastic booksellers across the country have introduced readers of all ages to Karon's heartwarming books. At Home in Mitford, Karon's first book in the Mitford series, was nominated for an ABBY by the American Booksellers Association in 1996 and again in 1997. Bookstore owner, Shirley Sprinkle, says, "The Mitford Books have been our all-time fiction bestsellers since we went in business twenty-five years ago. We've sold 10,000 of Jan's books and don't see any end to the Mitford phenomenon."; Title: The Trellis and the Seed: A Book of Encouragement for All Ages | [
5366,
5584,
12489,
25738,
25755,
25756,
26711,
61270
] | Train |
6,026 | 0 | Kathleen Duey has written over eighty books for children and young adults. Here well-known middle-grade series include American Diaries, Survival, and Hoofbeats. Her young adult novel Skin Hunger was a National Book Award Honor finalist. She lives in Fallbrook, California.; Title: Hoofbeats: Katie and the Mustang #3 | [
4497,
4500,
4504,
4550,
5885,
5929,
5938,
5962,
6002,
6032,
6249
] | Test |
6,027 | 0 | "Wise's rhymed verse has a catchy rhythmical beat that propels it as persistently as the predatory fish's hunger.  Readers...will relish this mightily."-Kirkus ReviewsWilliam Wise lives in New York City.; Title: Ten Sly Piranhas | [
340,
482,
492,
513,
1362,
1369,
1385,
1494,
1495,
1499,
2658,
4569,
4749,
4849,
4851,
4852,
4855,
4858,
4868,
4869,
4870,
4871,
4872,
4875,
4877,
4884,
4891,
4892,
4895,
4896,
4913,
5446,
5530,
7587,
7698,
13143,
13272,
15203,
15430,
1755... | Train |
6,028 | 2 | A funny peek at the pleasures and (growing) pains of childhood. (Publishers Weekly)Tedd Arnold lives in Elmira, New York, with his wife, Carol, two sons, Walter and William, two cats, Cody and Frankie, and one dog, Hershey.; Title: Giant Children | [
865,
1369,
2901,
3463,
4250,
4605,
5474,
5512,
5527,
5568,
5624,
6137,
6751,
9563,
10106,
11397,
14550,
15228,
15364,
15393,
16062,
16347,
16542,
17544,
20180,
21059,
21974,
22624,
23956,
24132,
24710,
25033,
26016,
26542,
27246,
34788,
36342,
... | Train |
6,029 | 2 | What if James Bond had started spying as a teenager? Nonstop action keeps the intrigue boiling. -- Kirkus Reviews on Stormbreaker; Title: Eagle Strike (Alex Rider) | [
6698,
13615,
15038,
22459,
33923,
58164
] | Train |
6,030 | 11 | A splendid choice for storytimes and welcomed by beginning readers. -- School Library Journal[A]n appealing story . . . -- Publishers WeeklyJoy Cowley is a language and reading specialist who has written over 500 books for early readers. She lives in New Zealand.; Title: Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm | [
520,
694,
3061,
3328,
3347,
4020,
4575,
4805,
4828,
4840,
5521,
5560,
5893,
5936,
7038,
7358,
7455,
8417,
8487,
9821,
10032,
10767,
11921,
15211,
16146,
16243,
16843,
17105,
24279,
26263,
30502,
30545,
32756,
34618,
36826,
39038,
39363,
40912... | Train |
6,031 | 13 | Following the same successful format as their earlier titles, Slate and Wolff give another stellar performance. (School Library Journal)Ashley Wolff is the author/illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including "Block City" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Baby Beluga" by Raffi, the modern-classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated "Baby Bear Sees Blue" and "Baby Bear Counts One". She lives in San Francisco and Vermont with her husband and their border collie, Tula. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.; Title: Miss Bindergarten Plans a Circus With Kindergarten | [
5510,
5897,
5952,
6130,
6257,
6724,
18004,
25371
] | Test |
6,032 | 2 | Kathleen Duey has written over eighty books for children and young adults. Here well-known middle-grade series include American Diaries, Survival, and Hoofbeats. Her young adult novel Skin Hunger was a National Book Award Honor finalist. She lives in Fallbrook, California.; Title: Lara and the Moon-Colored Filly (Hoofbeats, Book 2) | [
5929,
5938,
5962,
6002,
6026,
6249
] | Validation |
6,033 | 2 | Jonathan Londonis the creator of twenty-five books about lovable and enduringly popular Froggy. He is also a poet and a novelist. Jonathan and his wife live in Graton, California. Frank Remkiewiczhas illustrated numerous books for children, including the popularFroggybooks by Jonathan London (Viking and Puffin). He lives in Sarasota, Florida.; Title: Froggy's Baby Sister | [
2443,
5440,
5454,
5469,
5498,
5535,
5552,
5585,
5616,
5807,
5908,
6020,
6030,
6116,
6151,
6243,
6344,
6433,
6541,
6557,
6563,
6597,
6625,
6741,
6936,
6962,
8270,
10443,
10920,
11736,
15114,
16893,
18493,
19399,
19435,
20733,
21035,
22022,
2... | Test |
6,034 | 0 | It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why. (Booklist, starred review)Peck reaches new depth with this Civil War-era novel. . . (Publishers Weekly, starred review)A rich tale full of magic, mystery, and surprise. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)Historical fiction fans should enter this at the top of the must-read list. (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review)The harsh realities of war are brutally related in a complex, always surprising plot that resonates on multiple levels. (he Horn Book, starred review)This unusual Civil War novel really boosts Peck's credentials as America's best living author for young adults. (The Washington Post)Unforgettable characters and handsome prose make this book one you won't want to miss. (Children's Literature)RICHARD PECK (1934-2018) was born in Decatur, Illinois and lived in New York City for nearly 50 years. The acclaimed author of 35 novels for children and young adults, he won the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, a Newbery Honor for A Long Way from Chicago, the Scott O’Dell Award for The River Between Us, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Are You in the House Alone?, a Boston Globe-Horn BookAward Honor for The Best Man, and the Christopher Medal for The Teacher’s Funeral. He was the first children’s author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal, and was twice a National Book Award Finalist.  ; Title: The River Between Us | [
1621,
4444,
5347,
5708,
5863,
6103,
6265,
6301,
6306,
6427,
6451,
6537,
6577,
6615,
6850,
6937,
7486,
7601,
12676,
13510,
13821,
15449,
15570,
16062,
17050,
17379,
21741,
26972,
27836,
32363,
32918,
34851,
36258,
38916,
41760,
48051,
48649,
5... | Train |
6,035 | 10 | Grade 5-8–Tim Diamond, a clueless London private detective, and his intelligent 14-year-old brother, Nick, are down on their luck again. Surprisingly, they receive a job just before Christmas to protect a gorgeous Greek celebrity singer named Minerva from recent death threats. Turns out, she is a coldhearted beauty who only cares about two things–money and Minerva. When shots are fired and a body is found strangled, all kinds of trouble ensues between Minerva, her aging husband, her manager, the Diamond Brothers, and the police. There are a few suggestive references to Minerva's appearance and her silver-plated breasts but nothing more racy or graphic. The witty banter between the characters keeps this short novel moving at breakneck speed. Tim's literal misinterpretations of everything are absurdly funny, and Nick's skill at solving the crime before anyone else, including the police, is entertaining. Horowitz is a master of tongue-in-cheek wit and groan-worthy puns that both sophisticated young mystery readers and older fans will enjoy.–Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Canny young private detective Nick Diamond and his hilariously clueless older brother, Tim, stumble their way through another slapstick caperthis time protecting a gorgeous but self-absorbed international pop star from an anonymous killer. In London to make appearances at various Christmastime events and to promote her new single, the dazzling Minerva (blond hair, green eyes, lips that looked like they could suck in a horse) has received a pair of cryptic death threats. The Diamond brothers spring into action, which generally means winding up flat on their faces or in the clutches of brutish police officers Snape and Boyle. There is a murder, but its offstage, and ultimately, theypull off a climactic rescue amid the holiday chaos at Harrods and nab a bad Santa. The riffs on renowned crime novels and films lie thinner on the ground here than in previous episodes, but this, too, will be perfect for Chet Gecko graduates. Grades 4-7. --John Peters; Title: The Greek Who Stole Christmas (Diamond Brothers, Book 7) | [
5972,
6022,
6074,
6076
] | Train |
6,036 | 2 | Action-packed from the seemingly innocent beginning to the satisfying end. (School Library Journal)David A. Adler (www.davidaadler.com and www.camjansen.com) is the author of more than 175 childrens books. Before becoming a childrens book author, he taught math and science, and completed masters degrees in marketing and economics. He lives in Woodmere, New York.; Title: Cam Jansen: the Mystery of Flight 54 #12 | [
498,
2793,
5313,
5865,
5899,
5902,
5921,
5924,
5970,
6085,
6156,
6229,
6263,
6469,
6514,
6547,
6690,
6722,
6727,
6821,
6845,
10139,
12805,
12974,
13266,
13507,
14252,
17432,
18696,
18847,
18982,
19051,
19125,
26353,
26383,
26484,
26487,
26513... | Train |
6,037 | 2 | Nancy Springer has published forty novels for adults, young adults and children. In a career beginning shortly after she graduated from Gettysburg College in 1970, Springer wrote for ten years in the imaginary realms of mythological fantasy, then ventured on contemporary fantasy, magical realism, and women's fiction before turning her attention to children's literature. Her novels and stories for middle-grade and young adults range from contemporary realism, mystery/crime, and fantasy to her critically acclaimed novels based on the Arthurian mythos, I AM MORDRED: A TALE OF CAMELOT and I AM MORGAN LE FAY. Springer's children's books have won her two Edgar Allan Poe awards, a Carolyn W. Field award, various Children's Choice honors and numerous ALA Best Book listings. Her most recent series include the Tales of Rowan Hood, featuring Robin Hood’s daughter, and the Enola Holmes mysteries, starring the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes.Ms. Springer lives in East Berlin, Pennsylvania.; Title: Wild Boy: A Tale of Rowan Hood (Rowan Hood (Paperback)) | [
5956,
6205,
6323,
6400,
6404,
16215,
16238
] | Validation |
6,038 | 11 | A good introduction to the subject, especially if a trip to the firehouse is imminent. -- School Library JournalSure to inspire children who dream of one day wearing the uniform. -- Kirkus Reviews; Title: Firefighter Frank | [
4083,
8239,
20817,
21042,
26257
] | Train |
6,039 | 2 | Funny and alive. (The New York Times Book Review)Funny and alive. (The New York Times Book Review)Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in New York, Paula Danziger knew since second grade that she wanted to be a writer. Beginning her career as a teacher, Danziger taught at the junior high, high school, college levels. She received her Masters Degree in reading and during that time she wrote her first bestselling novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. She returned to teaching, but the success of her book encouraged her to become a full-time writer. It was non-stop for Danziger since then. Among her titles are: the enormously popular Amber Brown books as well as Remember Me To Harold Square, The Divorce Express, and Can You Sue Your Parents For Malpractice?Danziger received numerous honors, including: Parent's Choice Awards, International Reading Association - Children's Book Council Awards, a IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award and many nominations for state reading and library association awards.Known as a flamboyantly funny and deeply honest writer and speaker, Paula Danziger knew how to relate to young readers at their level. She was vital, funny, and compassionate. She knew how kids felt, what made them laugh, what they wore, collected, read, and played with. From collecting novelty toys that would make any teacher cringe, to wearing jangly earrings, funky glasses and shoes covered with beads and sequins, Paula Danziger had a direct line into kids' hearts and funnybones. She will be missed always.In Paula's memory, The Amber Brown Fund has been established to bring authors and illustrators to schools and libraries which otherwise could not afford them. Donations may be sent to The Amber Brown Fund/ SCBWI Museum of Children’s Books, 8271 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048.; Title: The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (Puffin Modern Classics) | [
4259,
4260,
4408,
5218,
5341,
5967,
6121,
6186,
6527,
6661,
7423,
8657,
9639,
12837,
14203,
22901,
29019,
54806,
55053,
68219
] | Train |
6,040 | 7 | Gripping and hard-hitting . . . -- The Horn Book, starred reviewIntense, absorbing and luminously written. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review; Title: The Sunbird | [
25773
] | Train |
6,041 | 2 | A successful and satisfying union of narration and illustration. (School Library Journal)Fresco-style artwork-the colors washed and clean-accompanies this testament to friendship, fidelity, and generosity; fittingly, the story radiates warmth. (Kirkus Reviews)Tomie dePaola(www.tomie.com) is the acclaimed author and/or illustrator of more than 250 books for children. His books range from autobiographical stories to retellings of folktales and legends to original tales, such as the Strega Nona books. The American Library Association said: His works reflect an innate understanding of childhood, a distinctive visual style, and a remarkable ability to adapt his voice to perfectly suit the story. Tomie has received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, a Caldecott Honor forStrega Nona,and a Newbery Honor for his autobiographical chapter book,26 Fairmount Avenue.He was awarded the Smithson Medal, the Regina Medal, was designated a living treasure by the state of New Hampshire, and received the 2012 Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Society of Illustrators. He lives in New London, New Hampshire.; Title: Days of the Blackbird | [
5373,
6331,
15927,
26031
] | Test |
6,042 | 0 | This story will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. (School Library Journal)Patti Sherlock is an author, journalist, and teacher. A native of Golden, Colorado, she worked as a newspaper reporter prior to moving to Idaho, where she taught creative writing at Eastern Idaho Technical College for many years. She has authored six books, including Letters From Wolfie, A Dog for All Seasons, and Taking Back Our Lives.; Title: Letters From Wolfie | [
7805
] | Test |
6,043 | 13 | "The artwork swirls about in bright blues, pinks, and purples while the page layout and Belinda's odd but beautifully positioned and danced jetes, reverences, and arabesques deserve bravas and applause. . .A fine picture-book performance." --School Library Journal"For every young dancer who finds that her body is not perfect (that is, almost every young dancer), the story puts physical defects into perspective and offers something to laugh about at the same time." --BooklistAmy Young trained as a fine artist at Yale and went on to receive an MFA in painting from Indiana University, as well as a law degree from Harvard. She worked as a lawyer for several years before turning in her law books and picking up a paintbrush. She now writes and illustrates full time. Visit Amy at www.amyyoungart.com.; Title: Belinda, the Ballerina | [
25702,
25739,
25770
] | Train |
6,044 | 2 | Spot is one of the essential experiences of childhood. -- Parents Magazine; Title: Spot Visits His Grandparents (color) | [
1415,
16359,
16360,
18593
] | Train |
6,045 | 1 | *"Both feline hero and story are full of beans (more Mexican-jumping than pinto) but ay caramba, mucho fun."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Buoyant and colorful cartoon illustrations match the exuberant text perfectly."—School Library Journal"The illustrations are as humorous as the story and kids will enjoy them."—Children's LiteratureJudith Byron Schachner (www.judithbyronschachner.com) has been illustrating and writing children's books since 1992 and has given numerous presentations in schools and libraries. Her workshops are designed to be warm and personal with a special regard for the less than stellar student. In 1995, Judith wrote and illustrated her first picture book, Willy and May, and has turned out a number of projects since then.; Title: Skippyjon Jones | [
3267,
3479,
3678,
4037,
5373,
5624,
6071,
6098,
6735,
8191,
8200,
8258,
9006,
14695,
14995,
15593,
15987,
16912,
17669,
18726,
18740,
18788,
18798,
18832,
19106,
20180,
20785,
20825,
21052,
21075,
21082,
21084,
21085,
23229,
25966,
26031,
28790... | Train |
6,046 | 2 | Bebe Moore Campbell was a bestselling author and a journalist. Her nonfiction work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Ms., Essence, Black Enterprise, Ebony, Working Mother, USA Weekend, and Adweek, among other publications. She was a regular contributor to National Public Radio.Bebe Moore Campbell was the author of such national, critically acclaimed bestsellers as Brothers and Sisters, Singing in the Comeback Choir, Your Blues Ain't Like Mine, and What You Owe Me as well as the award-winning children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry and the recently published Stompin’ at the Savoy.Campbell was born and grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She taught elementary and middle school for five years. She is survived by her husband, Ellis Gordon, Jr., her daughter, the actress Maia Campbell, and a son, Ellis Gordon III.; Title: Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry | [
10545,
10935,
11622,
15568,
28790,
32443,
33962,
34076,
37856,
41727,
43127,
45000,
58751,
65860,
72531,
74665,
75586
] | Test |
6,047 | 2 | Charisse K. Richardson, an avid sports fan since she was a child, uses sports to capture the reading interests of children. She is a member of the NBA Read to Achieve All-Star Reading Team. Charisse, a former Corporate Communications Manager, graduated from Howard University and received her MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to writing, she conducts motivational workshops designed to encourage youth to strive for success in the game of life. She lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.Marcus took a closer look at the basketball court. His gaze locked on the orange circle in the center. It looked like a giant basketball squished flat and tattooed on the wood. He imagined Jason standing there at tip-off with his hands reaching into the air, as if he were grasping for heaven. Then Marcus looked at the basketball goals. Each one looked so tiny. He imagined Jason swirling around like a ballerina and smashing the ball through the little rim all in the blink of an eye.Rusty walked past the railing onto the court.“Can we go out there?” Marcus asked.“Of course,” Rusty said, nodding.“This is the best field trip ever,” Marcus whispered to Juan. He hurried to the sidelines with the rest of his class. But he stopped just short of the court. With one more step, he would be standing on Jason Carter’s turf. That was special territory.Marcus took a deep breath and carefully placed his right foot down. Screech! The bottom of his Fly Carters let out a loud noise. The sound startled him. He quickly brought his left foot down before he lost his balance. Screech! The floor cried out again. Then the noise became louder and louder as pairs of his classmates’ sneakers skidded onto the court.The noise reminded Marcus of the squeaky-clean sound of glass cleaner being wiped off windows.Finally the noise stopped, and everyone grew quiet. Marcus tiptoed to the center of the court. He could see his reflection in the floor.It must have taken hours to polish these floors, he thought to himself. He wanted to dash to the free-throw line. But Marcus was scared to mess up the floor’s sparkle. After all, his mother didn’t let him slide around on their shiny dining room floor at home.Bright lights suddenly beamed down on the court. Marcus knew that was his moment to shine. He quickly lifted his hands high in the air. His hands were grasping the ball he was saving for Jason Carter. Then Marcus imagined the crowd screaming his name. He raised up on the balls of his feet and stretched his body toward the basket. Just as Marcus was about to shoot the ball, he heard thundering footsteps.“Who is that on my playground, ground, ground...?” a hollow voice cried out and echoed into the bleachers.The deep voice startled the kids. Marcus wobbled on his tiptoes as he stood in perfect position to release his shot.; Title: The Real Slam Dunk | [
541,
2360,
3351,
4363,
5340,
5671,
5873,
6000,
6121,
6214,
6263,
6388,
6401,
6402,
6412,
6414,
6515,
6743,
6826,
6858,
6915,
7607,
8354,
8358,
8359,
8462,
10288,
10313,
10363,
10572,
11583,
11685,
12675,
13055,
13263,
13872,
13962,
15099,
1... | Test |
6,048 | 18 | "Sets forth an adventure, commemorates an anniversary, offers an interesting bit of history, celebrates the underdog, and honors the firefighting profession.""Exciting, uplifting, and child-sensitive....Revisits the tragedy without the terror and conveys pride without preachiness; consider purchasing an extra copy.""A hundred years from now, when people want to know what we told our children about September 11th in New York City, Kalman's book should be among the first answers."In her own words: "born. bucolic childhood. culture-stuffed adolescence. played piano. stopped. danced. stopped. wrote. discarded writing. drew. reinstated writing. married Tibor Kalman and collaborated at iconoclastic yet successful design studio. wrote and painted children's books. worried. took up Ping-Pong. relaxed. wrote and painted for many magazines. cofounded the Rubber Band Society. amused. children: two. dog: one."; Title: Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Picture Puffin Books) | [
2257,
2589,
4250,
4706,
5862,
6014,
6068,
6760,
6945,
7111,
7302,
9581,
10106,
10369,
11661,
12287,
13180,
14018,
16191,
16248,
16344,
16347,
17700,
19362,
21463,
22754,
22984,
24247,
24710,
25152,
26777,
27246,
27752,
28065,
30807,
31862,
3230... | Train |
6,049 | 2 | "First and second-grade teachers (and their students) will be especially interested in this laugh-out-loud story of Amber's first days in second grade. Ross continues his significant contribution to the series with his expressive illustrations.... Danziger [has] a pitch-perfect view of a child's emotions."Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in New York, Paula Danziger knew since second grade that she wanted to be a writer. Beginning her career as a teacher, Danziger taught at the junior high, high school, college levels. She received her Masters Degree in reading and during that time she wrote her first bestselling novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. She returned to teaching, but the success of her book encouraged her to become a full-time writer. It was non-stop for Danziger since then. Among her titles are: the enormously popular Amber Brown books as well as Remember Me To Harold Square, The Divorce Express, and Can You Sue Your Parents For Malpractice?Danziger received numerous honors, including: Parent's Choice Awards, International Reading Association - Children's Book Council Awards, a IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award and many nominations for state reading and library association awards.Known as a flamboyantly funny and deeply honest writer and speaker, Paula Danziger knew how to relate to young readers at their level. She was vital, funny, and compassionate. She knew how kids felt, what made them laugh, what they wore, collected, read, and played with. From collecting novelty toys that would make any teacher cringe, to wearing jangly earrings, funky glasses and shoes covered with beads and sequins, Paula Danziger had a direct line into kids' hearts and funnybones. She will be missed always.In Paula's memory, The Amber Brown Fund has been established to bring authors and illustrators to schools and libraries which otherwise could not afford them. Donations may be sent to The Amber Brown Fund/ SCBWI Museum of Children’s Books, 8271 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048.Tony Ross lives in London, England.; Title: Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown (A Is for Amber) | [
541,
1315,
1393,
1396,
1400,
2500,
2760,
2901,
3154,
3466,
4663,
4707,
4722,
5479,
5671,
5899,
6007,
6016,
6121,
6125,
6156,
6197,
6232,
6239,
6293,
6364,
6388,
6414,
6519,
6534,
6671,
6714,
6722,
6858,
8210,
12714,
12850,
13055,
13108,
1... | Validation |
6,050 | 2 | Grade 6-9Sixteen-year-old Elena, who is a quiet and shy dreamer, feels as if she doesn't fit in with her overachieving siblings. To get a different perspective on life as well as a chance to stretch her wings, she signs up to study in Spain for a semester. Once there, she makes new friends, including Miguel, a good-looking local teenager. She longs to start a relationship with him, but even though he pays special attention to her, she is too insecure to believe that he would actually be interested in her. Meanwhile, her experiences in drama class show her that she has a real talent for playwriting as well as acting. Ultimately, Elena's stay abroad teaches her to come out of her shell and take on new situations. She builds lasting friendships, gains independence and self-confidence, and even falls in love. Incorporating descriptions of San Sebastian and life in this scenic seaside town, the narrative creates a strong sense of place. Elena's emotional growth is clearly and believably depicted and the plot keeps the story moving quickly. An enjoyable read.Kim Carlson, Monticello High School, IA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 6-9. Books in the Students across the Seven Seas series start with the heroine's written application for the study abroad program. The information is supplemented by parenthetical bits of truth. Elena Holloway's application introduces her as a high-school junior and states her desire to explore her Spanish heritage and her hope that her experience will enrich her playwriting. "Truth: I plan to spend every spare moment lounging on the beach and taking in the Spanish night life." That's what she starts out doing, but her passion for playwriting gets her back to work, and then, in a effective twist, onstage. Ilene CooperCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: SASS Spain or Shine | [
6065,
6095,
6107,
6158,
6161,
6172,
6187,
6272,
6312,
6314
] | Train |
6,051 | 0 | "Choldenko's pacing is exquisite. . . . [A] great read."—Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewGennifer Choldenko is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor Award-winning author of ten children's books, including Notes From a Liar and Her Dog, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, No Passengers Beyond this Point, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and Al Capone Does My Homework. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.; Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz) | [
1337,
1739,
6120,
6457,
6485,
6576,
6584,
6631,
6647,
6651,
6680,
6829,
6919,
6937,
7423,
8569,
8657,
10089,
10204,
12013,
12205,
12837,
13510,
13690,
14891,
16394,
16676,
17050,
17212,
17368,
17636,
17740,
19404,
21391,
22839,
23676,
44690,
... | Validation |
6,052 | 1 | "The new illustrations are bigger, bolder, brighter, and brimming with lively details ... children will find the new edition irresistible."Steven Kellogg is a beloved author and illustrator who has published more than 100 picture books, including the classics The Mysterious Tadpole, Can I Keep Him?, The Island of the Skog, and Is Your Mama a Llama?,andPinkerton, Behave!, which was on Horn Book's and Booklists Best of the Year lists and led to four sequels. Kellogg is a winner of the Regina Medal for his lifetime contribution to childrens literature. His books have received numerous accolades, such as being named Reading Rainbow featured selections and winning the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the IRA-CBC Childrens Choice Award, and the Parents Choice Award.; Title: The Mysterious Tadpole | [
1955,
4621,
4625,
4655,
5366,
5387,
5408,
5414,
5416,
5424,
5425,
5445,
5502,
5554,
5631,
5857,
5864,
5888,
6719,
9561,
10055,
10090,
10139,
10641,
11350,
14526,
15987,
17525,
18092,
22097,
22200,
23683,
26031,
26660,
26677,
26688,
26891,
313... | Train |
6,053 | 0 | This 1895 tale of young soldier Henry Fleming's initial experiences in combat during the Civil War still startles. Artist Vansant captures Fleming's uncertainty and fear quite well, sometimes through effectively understated facial expressions. Yet this adaptation oversimplifies Crane's portrayal of Fleming, ignoring or de-emphasizing the character's other failings: his egotism, his talent for self-justification and the "wild battle madness" underlying much of his later heroism. In Crane's book, Fleming is haunted by his desertion of the dying "tattered man"; in Vansant's version, Fleming forgets him. Though Crane's book is a landmark in realism, the author's symbolic writing turned Fleming's battlefield into a mythic realm. Vansant's conventionally realistic artwork, on the other hand, is more prosaic than Crane's brilliantly descriptive captions. This adaptation faithfully introduces the plot, characters and primary themes of Red Badge to readers unfamiliar with the original book without penetrating the full depths of Crane's masterwork. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Stephen Crane (1871–1900) was active as a reporter around the world in addition to being an acclaimed novelist.; Title: Puffin Graphics: Red Badge of Courage | [
4444,
5194,
46410
] | Test |
6,054 | 2 | "Combine a quintet of homesick Scottish ghosts, a Texas millionaire and his sickly daughter, the impoverished last scion of the Clan MacBuff, and trio of fascistically inclined malefactors, and you get a terrifically tongue-in-cheek outing!"Kirkus ReviewsEva Ibbotson, born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner (19252010), was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her children's books. Some of her novels for adults have been successfully reissued for the young adult market in recent years. For the historical novelJourney to the River Sea(Macmillan, 2001), she won the Smarties Prize in category 911 years, garnered unusual commendation as runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and made the Carnegie Medal, Whitbread Award, and Blue Peter Book Award shortlists. She was a finalist for the 2010 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize at the time of her death. Her last book,The Abominables, was one of eight books on the longlist for the same award in 2012.Kevin Hawkes is the author and illustrator of The Wicked Big Toddlah and The Wicked Big Toddlah Goes to New York, and is the illustrator of many well-loved books for young readers including Imagine That:! How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat, Library Lion, My Little Sister Ate One Hare,My Little Sister Hugged an Ape, And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends, The Road to Oz,Velma Gratch, and The Way Cool Butterfly. He lives in Gorham, Maine.; Title: The Haunting of Granite Falls | [
5705,
5867,
5993,
6206,
6417,
6624,
6718,
6735,
6749
] | Train |
6,055 | 0 | "A perfect read-aloud. . . . This zany twist on a familiar favorite zips along with bouncy rhymes, tantalizing wordplay, and humorous cotton-candy-colored artwork." --School Library Journal"This irreverent spoof . . . plays with words, rhyme, and fairy-tale conventions with obvious delight. Listeners will certainly call out for more." --The Horn BookBorn in Surrey, England, Lydia Monks currently resides in London with her two cats.; Title: Falling for Rapunzel | [
2977,
3061,
3205,
3782,
4383,
5395,
5407,
5413,
5446,
5509,
5624,
5878,
5907,
6086,
6137,
6348,
6493,
6735,
6751,
7554,
8634,
10139,
10456,
11657,
11737,
15800,
16411,
24866,
25129,
25323,
27523,
27970,
29596,
31891,
34820,
35944,
37796,
3808... | Test |
6,056 | 2 | Charisse K. Richardson, an avid sports fan since she was a child, uses sports to capture the reading interests of children. She is a member of the NBA Read to Achieve All-Star Reading Team. Charisse, a former Corporate Communications Manager, graduated from Howard University and received her MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to writing, she conducts motivational workshops designed to encourage youth to strive for success in the game of life. She lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.; Title: The Real Lucky Charm | [
6047,
6459,
22276
] | Train |
6,057 | 2 | Suzy Kline, the author of nineteen previous Horrible Harry books and four books about Song Lee, lives in Willington Connecticut with her husband, Rufus. Suzy and Rufus have been married for thirty-eight years. They met in the state where they both grew up: California. Suzy grew up in Berkeley and Rufus in Sacramento. Suzy graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in European history. She met Rufus at the Davis campus while attending that campus for a year. They got married and lived in different places, including Canada, before settling into Connecticut, the state they now call home.Suzy taught in 5th and 6th grades at Shannon Elementary School in Richmond, California for 3 years, and 2nd and 3rd grades at Southwest Elementary School in Torrington, Connecticut for 24 years before retiring this past June. She now enjoys writing full-time and visiting schools and libraries. The couple share their home with two cats, Teeter and Hoag. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Emily, and four grandchildren: Jake, Kenna, Gabby and Saylor. A fifth grandchild is due in September, 2006. Suzy's mother just turned 96. She dedicated her most recent book, Horrible Harry Takes the Cake to her.Suzy and Rufus enjoy attending UConn football and basketball games, and Suzy uses the UConn library as a reference for her writing facts. ; Title: Horrible Harry and the Locked Closet | [
541,
675,
2285,
2432,
3512,
3582,
4722,
5270,
5283,
5316,
5327,
5329,
5334,
5340,
5634,
5638,
5646,
5651,
5654,
5671,
5675,
5682,
5683,
5692,
5865,
5899,
5902,
5976,
6104,
6153,
6156,
6276,
6349,
6488,
6564,
6573,
6588,
6618,
6693,
6727,
... | Train |
6,058 | 2 | "A likable hamster narrates this novel for newly independent readers.Birney succeeds in developing the animals character without the narrative becoming too cute or contrived. Humphrey's views underscore the importance of knowing the full story before making judgments, and his presence makes a positive difference in the lives of the people he meets. All in all, a winning book that will appeal to children who like tales about animals, school life, and friendship."School Library Journal"The story deftly avoids triteness while still feeling breezy and acknowledging deeply felt troubles, such as Mrs. Brisbane's husbands depression. The pet-care tips punctuating each chapter would benefit any youngster thinking about getting a hamster, but for everyone else, this read is simply good-good-good."Kirkus ReviewsBetty G. Birney has won many awards for writing for television, including an Emmy, three Humanitas Prizes, and a Writers Guild of America Award, and she won the Christopher Award forFriendship According to Humphrey. In addition to the Humphrey series, she is the author ofThe Seven Wonders of Sassafrass SpringsandThe Princess and the Peabody's. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where her parents grew up as neighbors on Humphrey Street. Her website, bettybirney.com, is full of fun Humphrey activities and information.; Title: The World According to Humphrey | [
1280,
3512,
3796,
4437,
5334,
5366,
5967,
6146,
6289,
6338,
6527,
6529,
6620,
6665,
6708,
6791,
6801,
6810,
6855,
6868,
6871,
6874,
6892,
6902,
6917,
6932,
6951,
7607,
9639,
13164,
14204,
14258,
18993,
19159,
22370,
22602,
23002,
29297,
454... | Train |
6,059 | 2 | "Just enough clues for sharp readers to keep up with Cam."David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children’s books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.; Title: Young Cam Jansen and the New Girl Mystery | [
675,
1393,
1944,
2760,
4739,
4793,
5266,
5294,
5313,
5672,
5728,
5865,
5899,
5902,
5937,
5947,
6016,
6140,
6156,
6242,
6268,
6293,
6366,
6410,
6458,
6471,
6487,
6566,
6583,
6722,
18198,
18488,
19051,
26353,
26383,
27749,
49853,
51595,
61786... | Train |
6,060 | 13 | . . . give a wonderful childseyeview of a world that was clearly more entrancing than Disneyland. -- The New York TimesThe colorful, detailed illustrations will have children coming back to this book again and again. -- Boston Sunday HeraldJames Warhola wrote and illustrated Uncle Andys: A faabbbulous visit withAndy Warhol, a Book Sense 76 selection. He lives in Tivoli, New York.James Warhola wrote and illustrated Uncle Andys: A faabbbulous visit withAndy Warhol, a Book Sense 76 selection. He lives in Tivoli, New York.; Title: Uncle Andy's: A Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol (Picture Puffin Books) | [
2819,
3253,
3913,
6989,
8645,
9575,
10570,
10882,
10902,
13894,
16229,
16523,
18449,
18451,
18460,
18475,
18489,
18524,
18532,
18596,
18751,
19225,
19229,
20523,
20638,
20789,
24204,
25300,
25780,
29451,
31384,
31889,
32304,
32390,
34131,
34133,
... | Train |
6,061 | 2 | Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children including Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Skeleton Man, and The Heart of a Chief. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.; Title: Turtle's Race with Beaver | [
2772,
5330,
5352,
5385,
5386,
5583,
6671,
6719,
7183,
7232,
7284,
10271,
15543,
15594,
18914,
19438,
21175,
25015,
25096,
26196,
27009,
27218,
27234,
27241,
27770,
27826,
35056,
36203,
36230,
36258,
36324,
36370,
37723,
38090,
39054,
39064,
395... | Validation |
6,062 | 2 | A first-rate read-aloud. (Publishers Weekly)Julia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland.; Title: The Spiffiest Giant in Town | [
3336,
5384,
6071,
6098,
6322,
6735,
8140,
8141,
9969,
12043,
16299,
17902,
19437,
21630,
22377,
22390,
22538,
22679,
26386,
26521,
28790,
29293,
30424,
31765,
32430,
32707,
43598,
45942,
48586,
52485,
52529,
53668,
54575,
56698,
59750,
62709,
6... | Validation |
6,063 | 2 | Packed with nimble dialog, distinct personality, and powerful emotions. -- Kirkus ReviewsJune Rae Wood is a bestselling author of books for young readers. Her best-known novel, The Man Who Loved Clowns (1992), about a man with Down syndrome, was partly based on her much-loved younger brother, Richard, and has done much to further understanding of people with Down syndrome. The book was awarded the 1995 Mark Twain Award in Missouri and the 1995 William Allen White Award in Kansas. Ms. Wood is the 1999 recipient of the Edgar Wolfe Literary Award presented by the Friends of the Library in Kansas City, Kansas.; Title: The Man Who Loved Clowns | [
6680,
6829,
12837,
59750,
75162
] | Train |
6,064 | 2 | Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including the New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (illustrated by Lane Smith), and Math Curse (illustrated by Lane Smith).  In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called “Guys Read” that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the country’s first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for children’s literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.; Title: Baloney (Henry P.) | [
2871,
4204,
4250,
4605,
4625,
5350,
5407,
5413,
5878,
5979,
6086,
6378,
6723,
8624,
9581,
10055,
10099,
10106,
10506,
10641,
11661,
12426,
13180,
15364,
15393,
15396,
15492,
15600,
15915,
16202,
16342,
17149,
17431,
17544,
19611,
21455,
21463,
... | Validation |
6,065 | 2 | Grade 6 UpAfter Abby's controlling parents learn that their normally honest, obedient daughter has lied to them about a boy, they punish her by sending her to study in London over the summer. There the organized, studious, and "terminally boring" 16-year-old learns to be a little more daring and to trust her own judgment. Readers will get the vicarious thrill of being in London with Abbyseeing the sights, making friends, and dealing with a surprise visit from James, the cause of her stay in England. Having gained the affection of two boys, Abby decides finally to favor neither one and to take time to learn more about herself and what she wants from life. Slight in conflict, this book will appeal to teens, and perhaps especially those whose lives are similarly sheltered and somewhat economically privileged.Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 6-9. Like Peggy Guthart Strauss' Getting the Boot (2005), Ostow's novel is part of the S.A.S.S. (Students across the Seven Seas) series. The series name sounds a little staid, but, actually, it's a fresh idea. The S.A.S.S. program brings American students to foreign shores. In this book, Abby, a 16-year-old from an overprotective family, has a chance to let loose in London. The big question is whether she will take back her boyfriend, James, who cheated on her, when he shows up in London, or stick with Ian, the Brit from Manchester--even though their relationship will be super-long distance, once she goes home. This is as much as a travel book as a romance, and, for the most part, Ostow does a good job of fitting all the sights, sounds, and smells into the story. Considering the price, this is decent chick lit on the cheap. Ilene CooperCopyright American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Westminster Abby (S.A.S.S.) | [
6050,
6095,
6107,
6158,
6161,
6172,
6187,
6272,
6312,
6314
] | Validation |
6,066 | 0 | Intriguing. . . . A fast-paced tale of Elizabethan England that fans of the earlier novels will love. (School Library Journal)Gary L. Blackwood sold his first story when he was nineteen, and has been writing and publishing stories, articles, plays, novels, and nonfiction books regularly ever since. His stage plays have won awards and been produced in university and regional theatre. Nonfiction subjects he's covered include biography, history, and paranormal phenomena. His juvenile novels, which include WILD TIMOTHY, THE DYING SUN, and THE SHAKESPEARE STEALER, are set in a wide range of times and places, from Elizabethan England to a parallel universe. Several have received special recognition and been translated into other languages. He and his wife and kids live outside Carthage, MO.; Title: Shakespeare's Spy (Shakespeare Stealer, Book 3) | [
18607,
21637,
27509,
50198
] | Train |
6,067 | 11 | Joan Baueris the author of thirteen books for young readers.Joan's first novel,Squashed, won the Delacorte Prize for a First Young Adult Novel. Five novels for young adult readers have followed:Thwonk,Sticks,Rules of the Road(LA TimesBook Prize and Golden Kite),BackwaterandHope was Here(Newbery Honor Medal).The Christopher Award was given to bothHope was HereandClose to Famous,whichalsoreceived the Schneider Family Book Award. Joan is the recipient of numerous state awards voted by readers. School Library Journalsays, When it comes to creating strong, independent, and funnycharacters, Bauer is in a class by herself. Joan Bauer lives in Brooklyn, New York.Visit her at www.joanbauer.com..; Title: Squashed | [
3668,
4129,
6448,
6548,
6706,
6835,
6891,
13587,
20783,
21442,
22265,
48560,
55053,
68408,
75206
] | Train |
6,068 | 2 | A warm story of bridging the generation gap through heritage and togetherness. (Kirkus Reviews)"I was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1944. Soon after my birth I lived in Williamston, Michigan and then moved onto my grandparents farm in Union City, Michigan."I lived on the farm with my mom and Grandparents until 1949. That is when my Babushka (my grandmother) died and we prepared to move away from Michigan. I must say that living on that little farm with them was the most magical time of my life...and that my Babushka and other grandparents were some of the most inspirational people in my life."My parents were divorced when I was 3, and both my father and mother moved back into the homes of their parents. I spent the school year with my mother, and the summers with my dad. In both households I was the apple of my grandparents' eyes! I would say that these relationships with my grandparents have most definitely influenced my life and my work. You probably have noticed that in almost every book that I write there is a very young person who is interacting with an elderly person. Personally, I feel that this is the most valuable experience of my life....having the wonder of knowing both children and elderly people."The respect that I learned as a very young person certainly carried over into my life in later years. I have always like hearing stories from these folks. My genuine curiosity for the wonder of living a very long life prepared me to accept the declining years of my own parents."To get back to the farm in Union City...this place was so magical to me that I have never forgotten it! This was the place where I heard such wonderful stories told...this was the place that a real meteor fell into our font yard...that very meteorite is now our family headstone in the graveyard here in Union City."Did I tell you that I now live in Union City? This is after living in Oakland, California for almost 37 years. But, you see, every year I'd come back to Michigan to see my Dad and family."Anyway..."In 1949 we left the farm to move, first to Coral Gables, Florida. I lived there with my Mom and my brother, Richard, for almost 3 years. Then we moved to Oakland, California. I remained there for most of my young life on into my adulthood. We lived on Ocean View Drive in the Rockridge District. What I loved the most about this neighborhood is that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas and religions as there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike."It is on Ocean View that I met my best friend, Stewart Grinnell Washington. We are best friends to this day! He has a younger brother, Winston and three sisters; Jackie, Terry and Robin. When I was a student in elementary school I wasn't a very good student. I had a terrible time with reading and math. As a matter of fact, I did not learn how to read until I was almost 14 years old. Can you imagine what it was like to see all my friends do so well in school and I wasn't! I thought I was dumb. I didn't like school because there was this boy that always teased me and made me feel even dumber. When I was fourteen, it was learned that I have a learning disability. It is called dyslexia. I felt trapped in a body that wouldn't do what everybody else could do. That was when one of my hero's, my teacher, found what was wrong with me and got me the help I needed to succeed in school. Of course, now that I am an adult, I realize that being learning disabled does not mean DUMB AT ALL! As a matter of fact, I have learned that being learning disabled only means that I cannot learn the way most of you do. As a matter of fact, most learning disabled children are actually GENIUSES! Once I learned how to read and caught up with the rest of my fellow students, I did very well."I went on to University, majored in Fine Art, then went on to do a graduate degree and even ended up with a Ph.D. in Art History. For a time I restored ancient pieces of art for museums. I eventually became the mother of two children, Steven and Traci, and devoted much of my days to their education and upbringing."I did not start writing children's books until I was 41 years old. Mind you the "art" has always been there for me most of my life. Apparently one of the symptoms of my disability in academics is the ability of draw very, very well. So drawing, painting and sculpture has always been a part of my life even before I started illustrating my books. The books were quite a surprise, really. Mind you, I came from a family of incredible storytellers. My mother's people were from the Ukraine and Russia...my father's people were from Ireland. My extended family,(Stewart's family) were from the bayous of Louisiana...also great story tellers. When you are raised on HEARING stories.....NOT SEEING THEM, you become very good at telling stories yourself. So at the age of 41 I started putting stories that I told down on paper and did drawings to help illustrate them...I guess the rest is history."I have enjoyed a wonderful career of writing books for children . Who could have guessed that little girl that was having such a tough time in school would end up an illustrator and author. Children and adults alike ask me where I get my ideas...I get them from the same place that you do....MY IMAGINATION... I would guess the reason my imagination is so fertile is because I came from storytelling and, WE DID NOT OWN A T.V.!!!!!!!!! You see, when one is a writer, actor, dancer, musician; a creator of any kind, he or she does these things because they listen to that "voice" inside of them. All of us have that "voice". It is where all inspired thoughts come from....but when you have electronic screens in front, of you, speaking that voice for you... it DROWNS OUT THE VOICE! When I talk to children and aspiring writers, I always ask them to listen to the voice, turn off the T.V. and"LISTEN...LISTEN...LISTEN."Now that I have moved back to Union City I am intending to open my house and community and invite people to come there to take part in writing seminars, story telling festivals, literature conferences and various events that celebrate children's literature."Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved."I was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1944. Soon after my birth I lived in Williamston, Michigan and then moved onto my grandparents farm in Union City, Michigan."I lived on the farm with my mom and Grandparents until 1949. That is when my Babushka (my grandmother) died and we prepared to move away from Michigan. I must say that living on that little farm with them was the most magical time of my life...and that my Babushka and other grandparents were some of the most inspirational people in my life."My parents were divorced when I was 3, and both my father and mother moved back into the homes of their parents. I spent the school year with my mother, and the summers with my dad. In both households I was the apple of my grandparents' eyes! I would say that these relationships with my grandparents have most definitely influenced my life and my work. You probably have noticed that in almost every book that I write there is a very young person who is interacting with an elderly person. Personally, I feel that this is the most valuable experience of my life....having the wonder of knowing both children and elderly people."The respect that I learned as a very young person certainly carried over into my life in later years. I have always like hearing stories from these folks. My genuine curiosity for the wonder of living a very long life prepared me to accept the declining years of my own parents."To get back to the farm in Union City...this place was so magical to me that I have never forgotten it! This was the place where I heard such wonderful stories told...this was the place that a real meteor fell into our font yard...that very meteorite is now our family headstone in the graveyard here in Union City."Did I tell you that I now live in Union City? This is after living in Oakland, California for almost 37 years. But, you see, every year I'd come back to Michigan to see my Dad and family."Anyway..."In 1949 we left the farm to move, first to Coral Gables, Florida. I lived there with my Mom and my brother, Richard, for almost 3 years. Then we moved to Oakland, California. I remained there for most of my young life on into my adulthood. We lived on Ocean View Drive in the Rockridge District. What I loved the most about this neighborhood is that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas and religions as there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike."It is on Ocean View that I met my best friend, Stewart Grinnell Washington. We are best friends to this day! He has a younger brother, Winston and three sisters; Jackie, Terry and Robin. When I was a student in elementary school I wasn't a very good student. I had a terrible time with reading and math. As a matter of fact, I did not learn how to read until I was almost 14 years old. Can you imagine what it was like to see all my friends do so well in school and I wasn't! I thought I was dumb. I didn't like school because there was this boy that always teased me and made me feel even dumber. When I was fourteen, it was learned that I have a learning disability. It is called dyslexia. I felt trapped in a body that wouldn't do what everybody else could do. That was when one of my hero's, my teacher, found what was wrong with me and got me the help I needed to succeed in school. Of course, now that I am an adult, I realize that being learning disabled does not mean DUMB AT ALL! As a matter of fact, I have learned that being learning disabled only means that I cannot learn the way most of you do. As a matter of fact, most learning disabled children are actually GENIUSES! Once I learned how to read and caught up with the rest of my fellow students, I did very well."I went on to University, majored in Fine Art, then went on to do a graduate degree and even ended up with a Ph.D. in Art History. For a time I restored ancient pieces of art for museums. I eventually became the mother of two children, Steven and Traci, and devoted much of my days to their education and upbringing."I did not start writing children's books until I was 41 years old. Mind you the "art" has always been there for me most of my life. Apparently one of the symptoms of my disability in academics is the ability of draw very, very well. So drawing, painting and sculpture has always been a part of my life even before I started illustrating my books. The books were quite a surprise, really. Mind you, I came from a family of incredible storytellers. My mother's people were from the Ukraine and Russia...my father's people were from Ireland. My extended family,(Stewart's family) were from the bayous of Louisiana...also great story tellers. When you are raised on HEARING stories.....NOT SEEING THEM, you become very good at telling stories yourself. So at the age of 41 I started putting stories that I told down on paper and did drawings to help illustrate them...I guess the rest is history."I have enjoyed a wonderful career of writing books for children . Who could have guessed that little girl that was having such a tough time in school would end up an illustrator and author. Children and adults alike ask me where I get my ideas...I get them from the same place that you do....MY IMAGINATION... I would guess the reason my imagination is so fertile is because I came from storytelling and, WE DID NOT OWN A T.V.!!!!!!!!! You see, when one is a writer, actor, dancer, musician; a creator of any kind, he or she does these things because they listen to that "voice" inside of them. All of us have that "voice". It is where all inspired thoughts come from....but when you have electronic screens in front, of you, speaking that voice for you... it DROWNS OUT THE VOICE! When I talk to children and aspiring writers, I always ask them to listen to the voice, turn off the T.V. and"LISTEN...LISTEN...LISTEN."Now that I have moved back to Union City I am intending to open my house and community and invite people to come there to take part in writing seminars, story telling festivals, literature conferences and various events that celebrate children's literature."Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.; Title: When Lightning Comes in a Jar | [
4671,
5350,
5479,
5862,
6048,
6101,
6126,
6308,
6327,
6329,
6362,
6378,
6805,
9581,
10106,
10369,
15414,
15415,
15600,
15613,
15741,
15749,
15790,
15809,
16062,
16183,
16202,
16278,
16299,
16317,
16322,
16330,
16344,
16396,
16468,
16529,
16542,... | Validation |
6,069 | 0 | Grade 7 Up-Imagine that Archeoptrix, the prehistoric link between birds and dinosaurs, had evolved into the dominant life-form on a planet. In Carol Emshwiller's Quill, representatives of that planet have secretly crashed on Earth and begun interbreeding with humans. In Kelly Link's The Wizards of Perfil, an orphan boy and his caustic cousin, both dirt poor and gifted with unusual psychic powers, are bought by a strange man to serve the awesome and forbidding wizards of Perfil, only to learn after difficult trials and life-changing tragedies that they are the wizards. In Kara Dalkey's near-future Hives, cell phones can beam and receive messages without external sound. The phones are highly addictive and used by high school girls to connect ultra-exclusive cliques. A former-addict-turned-girl-detective gets involved when the rejects of one such hive begin committing suicide one after another. These are just 3 of the 16 stories in this collection. The selections range in length from 9 pages (Francesca Lia Block's chilling Blood Roses, in which two sisters confront a serial killer) to 50 pages. Fantasy stories outnumber sci-fi two to one, and the great majority of the tales feature female protagonists. Even those with male protagonists deal with themes of friendship, family, love, and loss more than action and adventure. Compelling stories for thoughtful readers.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Gr. 7-10. Editor November follows Firebirds (2003) with an equally captivating collection of 16 original stories offering a rich variety of selections. "Huntress," by Tamora Pierce, which grew from news stories about teens "wilding" in New York City's Central Park, proves a strong jumping-off place. In Charles de Lint's "Little (Grrl) Lost," a human teenage girl and a Little teenage girl meet when the Little girl runs away from her home behind the bedroom baseboard. Patricia A. McKillip, Carol Emshwiller, and Emma Bull are also among the contributors. This volume contains more sf than its predecessor; November includes tales about genetic engineering and human-alien interactions, as well stories such as "Hives," by Kara Dalkey, a chilling, high-tech piece that takes teen girls beyond cell phones to "constant, voice-in-head-close contact"; and Tanith Lee's "The House on the Planet," a richly depicted, three-part tale about establishing a human colony on a distant planet. Fans will be happy to learn that a third anthology is in the works. Sally EstesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved; Title: Firebirds Rising: An Original Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy | [
6100
] | Train |
6,070 | 1 | Readers will delight in this rollicking and fast-paced addition to the series... -- vOYA; Title: No Time Like Showtime (Hermux Tantamoq Adventure) | [] | Train |
6,071 | 1 | "Young readers will love the humor in this preposterous story. . . . Serve this one for a rollicking good time." - "School Library Journal"Julia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland.; Title: The Gruffalo | [
865,
2194,
3230,
5373,
5385,
6062,
6086,
6098,
6322,
6735,
8191,
8258,
8268,
8279,
9561,
12284,
13099,
13611,
14695,
17544,
17669,
20180,
22377,
22538,
23956,
25971,
26031,
26512,
28496,
38301,
38603,
45942,
48586,
49304,
54575,
59750,
65142,
... | Train |
6,072 | 7 | Robin LaFevers first book in this series, Forging of the Blade, was nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Ms. LaFevers lives in Southern California with her husband and two sons, who inspired her to write the Lowthars Blade trilogy. She is also the author the The Falconmaster, about which Booklist said: "The author successfully blends rich descriptions of the medieval world and flights of fantasy into an exciting adventure."; Title: The True Blade of Power (Lowthar's Blade) | [
6092
] | Train |
6,073 | 15 | ...the elements of this work. . . meld together into a lovely whole that both entertains. . . and educates. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)A useful introduction to the haiku form...a series of meditative images. (Publishers Weekly)A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Susan Kathleen Hartung is the acclaimed illustrator of the award-winning Dear Juno.One Dark Night is Susans much anticipated second book with Viking. I was hooked immediately by this wonderfully told story, she said. When I was a kid I used to lie in bed at night and count between the flash and boom to see how close a thunderstorm was. I still do sometimes. When asked about her inspiration for the illustrations, Susan responded, Whenever there was a late night storm, I would get up and wander about the house without turning on any lights. I would watch the way the lightening played around the room, or I would just stare out the window and watch it flash in the clouds and make the rain drops shimmer.In the fall of 1999, after having lived in Brooklyn, New York, for fourteen years, Susan made the move back to her home state of Michigan, where by chance, she moved to the town of Brooklyn. When not in her studio, Susan can be found renovating her 140-year-old farmhouse, or spending time with family and friends in her nearby hometown of Ann Arbor. Susan lives with her two dogs, Bongo and Audie, and her cat, Gomez.; Title: One Leaf Rides the Wind | [
819,
865,
1679,
3463,
4646,
5350,
5596,
7237,
7455,
7554,
7718,
10589,
10882,
11661,
13387,
13393,
13900,
15164,
15228,
15915,
16061,
16344,
16391,
16412,
21372,
21455,
21546,
22062,
22348,
22964,
23030,
24223,
27009,
27060,
27410,
27775,
32410... | Train |
6,074 | 2 | Anthony Horowitz (anthonyhorowitz.com) is a world-renowned screenwriter for film and television, having received multiple awards. And he is, of course, the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Alex Rider novels, which have become bestsellers the world over, spawned a major motion picture, and a line of graphic novels. A master of the spy thriller, Anthony is the only writer authorized by both the Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming Estates to write original Sherlock Holmes and James Bond novels, respectively. Anthony lives with his wife in London, England; they are parents to two grown boys. Follow Anthony on Twitter @AnthonyHorowitz.SO MUCH FOR A VACATION . . .We had just reached the window when we heard the scream.It was like no sound I had ever heard, thin and high and horribly final. The station was huge and noisy but the scream cut through the crowd like a scalpel. Everybody stopped and turned to see where it had come from. Even Tim heard it. “Oh dear,” he said. “It sounds like someone has stepped on a cat.”Already a police car had arrived and several uniformed guards were hurrying toward the trains. I strained to hear what the crowd was saying. They were speaking French, of course. That didn’t make it any easier.“What’s happened?”“It’s terrible. Somebody has fallen under a train.”“It was a steward. He was on the train from London. He fell off a platform.”“Is he hurt?”“He’s dead. Crushed by a train.”I heard all of it. I understood some of it. I didn’t like any of it. A steward? Off the London train? Somehow I didn’t need to ask his name.“Tim,” I asked, “what’s the French for murder?”Tim shrugged. “Why do you want to know?”“I don’t know.” I stepped onto the escalator and allowed it to carry me down. “I’ve just got a feeling it’s something we’re going to need.”Three Diamond Brothers MysteriesBOOKS BY ANTHONY HOROWITZThe Devil and His BoyTHE ALEX RIDER ADVENTURESStormbreakerPoint BlankSkeleton KeyEagle StrikeScorpiaArk AngelTHE DIAMOND BROTHERS MYSTERIESPublic Enemy Number TwoThe Falcon’s MalteserThree of DiamondsSouth By SoutheastThree Diamond Brothers MysteriesTHE BLURREDMANTHE PEN PALI knew the American was going to mean trouble, the moment he walked through the door. He only made it on the third attempt. It was eleven o’clock in the morning but clearly he’d been drinking since breakfast—and breakfast had probably come out of a bottle, too. The smell of whiskey was so strong it made my eyes water. Drunk at eleven o’clock! I didn’t like to think what it was doing to him, but if I’d been his liver I’d have been applying for a transplant.He managed to find a seat and slumped into it. The funny thing was, he was quite smartly dressed: a suit and a tie that looked expensive. I got the feeling straightaway that this was someone with money. He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and as far as I could tell we were talking real gold. He was about forty years old, with hair that was just turning gray and eyes that were just turning yellow. That must have been the whiskey. He took out a cigarette and lit it. Blue smoke filled the room. This man would not have been a good advertisement for the National Health Service.“My name is Carter,” he said at last. He spoke with an American accent. “Joe Carter. I just got in from Chicago. And I’ve got a problem.”“I can see that,” I muttered.He glanced at me with one eye. The other eye looked somewhere over my shoulder. “Who are you?” he demanded.“I’m Nick Diamond.”“I don’t need a smart-aleck kid. I’m looking for a private detective.”“That’s him over there,” I said, indicating the desk and my big brother, Tim.“You want a coffee, Mr. Carver?” Tim asked.“It’s not Carver. It’s Carter. With a t,” the American growled.“I’m out of tea. How about a hot chocolate?”“I don’t want a hot anything!” Carter sucked on the cigarette. “I want help. I want to hire you. What do you charge?”Tim stared. Although it was hard to believe, the American was offering him money. This was something that didn’t happen often. Tim hadn’t really made any money since he’d worked as a policeman, and even then the police dogs had earned more than him. At least they’d bitten the right man. As a private detective, Tim had been a total calamity. I’d helped him solve one or two cases, but most of the time I was stuck at school. Right now it was the week of vacation—six weeks before Christmas, and once again it didn’t look like our stockings were going to be full. Unless you’re talking holes. Tim had just seven cents left in his bank account. We’d written a begging letter to our mom and dad in Australia but were still saving up for the stamp.I coughed and Tim jerked upright in his chair, trying to look businesslike. “You need a private detective?” he said. “Fine. That’s me. But it’ll cost you fifty a day, plus expenses.”“You take traveler’s checks?”“That depends on the traveler.”“I don’t have cash.”“Traveler’s checks are fine,” I said.Joe Carter pulled out a bundle of blue traveler’s checks, then fumbled for a pen. For a moment I was worried that he’d be too drunk to sign them. But somehow he managed to scribble his name five times on the dotted lines, and slid the checks across. “All right,” he said. “That’s five hundred dollars.”“Five hundred dollars!” Tom squeaked. The last time he’d had that much money in his hand he’d been playing Monopoly. “Five hundred dollars . . .?”Carter nodded. “Right. So now let me tell you where I’m coming from.”“I thought you were coming from Chicago,” Tim said.“I mean, let me tell you my problem. I got into England last Tuesday, a little less than a week ago. I’m staying in a hotel in the West End. The Ritz.”“You’d be crackers to stay anywhere else,” Tim said.“Yeah.” Carter stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. Except we didn’t have an ashtray. The smell of burning wood rose from the surface of Tim’s desk. “I’m a writer, Mr. Diamond. You may have read some of my books.”That was unlikely—unless he wrote children’s books. Tim had recently started Lemony Snickett for the fourth time.“I’m pretty well known in the States,” Carter continued. “The Big Bullet. Death in the Afternoon. Rivers of Blood. Those are some of my titles.”“Romances?” Tim asked.“No. They’re crime novels. I’m successful. I make a ton of money out of my writing—but, you know, I believe in sharing it around. I’m not married. I don’t have kids. So I give it to charity. All sorts of charities. Mostly back home in the States, of course, but also in other parts of the world.”I wondered if he’d like to make a donation to the bankrupt brothers of dumb detectives, a little charity of my own. But I didn’t say anything.“Now, a couple of years back I heard of a charity operating here in England,” he went on. “It was called Dream Time and I kind of liked the sound of it. Dream Time was there to help kids get more out of life. It bought computers and books and special equipment for schools. It also bought schools. It helped train kids who wanted to get into sports. Or who wanted to paint. Or who had never traveled.” Carter glanced at me. “How old are you, son?” he asked.“Thirteen,” I said.“I bet you make wishes sometimes.”“Yes. But unfortunately Tim is still here.”“Dream Time would help you. They make wishes come true.” Carter reached into his pocket and took out a hip flask. He unscrewed it and threw it back. It seemed to do him good. “A little Scotch,” he explained.“I thought you were American,” Tim said.“I gave Dream Time two million dollars of my money because I believed in them!” Carter exclaimed. “Most of all, I believed in the man behind Dream Time. He was a saint. He was a lovely guy. His name was Lenny Smile.”I noticed that Carter was talking about Smile in the past tense. I was beginning to see the way this conversation might be going.“What can I tell you about Lenny?” Carter went on. “Like me, he never married. He didn’t have a big house or a fancy car or anything like that. In fact he lived in a small apartment in a part of London called Battersea. Dream Time had been his idea and he worked for it seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Lenny loved leap years because then he could work three hundred and sixty-six days a year. That was the sort of man he was. When I heard about him, I knew I had to support his work. So I gave him a quarter of a million dollars. And then another quarter. And so on . . .”“So what’s the problem, Mr. Starter?” Tim asked. “You want your money back?”“Hell, no! Let me explain. I loved this guy Lenny. I felt like I’d known him all my life. But recently, I decided we ought to meet.”“You’d never met him?”“No. We were pen pals. We exchanged letters. Lots of letters—and e-mails. He used to write to me and I’d write back. That’s how I got to know him. But I was busy with my work. And he was busy with his. We never met. We never even spoke. And then, recently, I suddenly realized I needed a break. I’d been working so hard, I decided to come over to England and have a vacation.“I wrote to Lenny and told him I’d like to meet him. He was really pleased to hear from me. He said he wanted to show me all the work he’d been doing. All the children who’d benefited from the money I’d sent. I was really looking forward to the trip. He was going to meet me at Heathrow Airport.”“How would you know what he looked like if you’d never met?” I asked.Carter blushed. “Well, I did sometimes wonder about that. So once I’d arranged to come I asked him to send me a photograph of himself.”He reached into his jacket and took out a photograph. He handed it to me.The picture showed a man standing in front of a café in what could have been London or Paris. It was hard to be sure. I could see the words CAFÉ DEBUSSY written on the windows. But the man himself was harder to make out. Whoever had taken the photograph should have asked Dream Time for a new camera. It was completely out of focus. I could just make out a man in a black suit with a full-length coat. He was wearing gloves and a hat. But his face was a blur. He might have had dark hair. I think he was smiling. There was a cat sitting on the pavement between his legs, and the cat was easier to make out than he was.“It’s not a very good picture,” I said.“I know.” Carter took it back. “Lenny was a very shy person. He didn’t even sign his letters. That’s how shy he was. He told me that he didn’t like going out very much. You see, there’s something else you need to know about him. He was sick. He had this illness . . . some kind of allergy.”“Was Algy his doctor?” Tim asked.“No, no. An allergy. It meant he reacted to things. Peanuts, for example. They made him swell up. And he hated publicity. There have been a couple of stories about him in the newspapers, but he wouldn’t give interviews and there were never any photographs. The Queen wanted to knight him, apparently, but sadly he was also allergic to queens. All that mattered to him was his work . . . Dream Time . . . helping kids. Anyway, meeting him was going to be the biggest moment of my life . . . I was as excited as a schoolboy.”As excited as a schoolboy? Obviously Carter had never visited my school.“Only when I got to Heathrow, Lenny wasn’t there. He wasn’t in London either. I never got to meet him. And you know why?”I knew why. But I waited for Lenny to tell us.“Lenny was buried the day before I arrived,” Carter said.“Buried?” Tim exclaimed. “Why?”“Because it was his funeral, Mr. Diamond!” Carter lit another cigarette. “He was dead. And that’s why I’m here. I want you to find out what happened.”“What did happen?” I asked.“Well, like I told you, I arrived here at Heathrow last Tuesday. All I could think about was meeting Lenny Smile, shaking that man’s hand and telling him just how much he meant to me. When he didn’t show up, I didn’t even check into my hotel. I went straight to the offices of Dream Time. And that was when they told me . . .”“Who told you?” I asked.“A man called Hoover. Rodney Hoover . . .”“That name sucks,” Tim said.Carter ignored him. “He worked for Lenny, helping him run Dream Time. There’s another assistant there, too, called Fiona Lee. She’s very posh. Upper-class, you know? They have an office just the other side of Battersea Bridge. It’s right over the café you saw in that photo. Anyway, it seems that just a few days after I e-mailed Lenny to tell him I was coming, he got killed in a horrible accident, crossing the road.”“He fell down a manhole?” Tim asked.“No, Mr. Diamond. He got run over. Hoover and Lee actually saw it happen. If they hadn’t been there, the police wouldn’t even have known it was Lenny.”“Why is that?”“Because he was run over by a steamroller.” Carter shuddered. Tim shivered. Even the desk light flickered. I had to admit, it was a pretty horrible way to go. “He was flattened,” the American went on. “They told me that the ambulance people had to fold him before they could get him onto a stretcher. He was buried last week. At Brompton Cemetery, near Fulham.”Brompton. That was where the master criminal known as the Falcon had been buried, too. Tim and I had gone to the cemetery at the end of our first ever case.* We were lucky we weren’t still there.“This guy Rodney Hoover tells me he’s winding down Dream Time,” Carter went on. “He says it wouldn’t be the same without Lenny, and he doesn’t have the heart to go on without him. I had a long talk with him in his office and I have to tell you . . . I didn’t like it.”“You don’t think it’s a nice office?” Tim asked.“I think something strange is going on.”Tim blinked. “What exactly do you think is strange?”Carter almost choked on his cigarette. “Damnit!” he yelled. “You don’t think there’s anything unusual in a guy getting run over by a steamroller? It happens in the middle of the night and just a few days before he’s due to have a meeting with someone who’s given him two million dollars! And the next thing you hear, the charity he’d set up is suddenly shutting down! You don’t think that’s all a little strange?”“It’s certainly strange that it happened in the middle of the night,” Tim agreed. “Why wasn’t he in bed?”“I don’t know why he wasn’t in bed—but I’ll tell you this: I think he was murdered. A man doesn’t walk in front of a steamroller. But maybe he’s pushed. Maybe this has got something to do with money . . . my money. Maybe somebody didn’t want us to meet! I know that if I was writing this as a novel, that’s the way it would turn out. Anyway, there are plenty of private detectives in London. If you’re not interested, I can find someone who is. So are you going to look into this for me or not?”Tim glanced at the traveler’s checks. He scooped them up. “Don’t worry, Mr. Carpark,” he said. “I’ll find the truth. The only question is—where do I find you?”“I’m still at the Ritz,” Carter said. “Ask for Room eight.”“I’ll ask for you,” Tim said. “But if you’re out, I suppose the roommate will have to do.*  *  *We changed the traveler’s checks into cash and blew some of it on the first decent meal we’d had in a week. Tim was in a good mood. He even let me have a dessert.“I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed as the waitress served us two ice cream sundaes. The service in the restaurant was so slow that they were more like Mondays by the time they arrived. “Five hundred dollars! That’s more money than I’ve earned in a month.”“It’s more money than you’ve earned in a year,” I reminded him.“And all because some crazy American thinks his pen pal was murdered.”“How do you know he wasn’t?”“Intuition.” Tim tapped the side of his nose. “I can’t explain it to you, kid. I’ve just got a feeling.”“You’ve also got ice cream on your nose,” I said.After lunch we took the bus over to Fulham. I don’t know why Tim decided to start in Brompton Cemetery. Maybe he wanted to visit it for old times’ sake. It had been more than a year since we’d last been there, but the place hadn’t changed. And why should it have? I doubted any of the residents had complained. None of them would have had the energy to redecorate. The gravestones were as weird as ever, some of them like Victorian telephone boxes, others like miniature castles with doors fastened by rusting chains and padlocks. You’d have needed a skeleton key to open them. The place was divided into separate areas: some old, some more modern. There must have been thousands of people there, but of course none of them offered to show us the way to Smile’s grave. We had to find it on our own.It took us about an hour. It was on the edge of the cemetery, overshadowed by the football stadium next door. We might never have found it except that the grave had been recently dug. That was one clue. And there were fresh flowers. That was another. Smile had been given a lot of flowers. In fact, if he hadn’t been dead he could have opened a florist’s. I read the gravestone:LENNY SMILEAPRIL 31st 1955—NOVEMBER 11th 2001A WONDERFUL MAN, CALLED TO REST.We stood in silence for a moment. It seemed too bad that someone who had done so much for children all over the world hadn’t even made it to fifty. I glanced at the biggest bunch of flowers on the grave. There was a card attached. It was signed in green ink, With love, from Rodney Hoover and Fiona Lee.There was a movement on the other side of the cemetery. I had thought we were alone when we arrived, but now I realized that there was a man, watching us. He was a long way away, standing behind one of the taller gravestones, but even at that distance I thought there was something familiar about him, and I found myself shivering without quite knowing why. He was wearing a full-length coat with gloves and a hat. I couldn’t make out his face. From this distance, it was just a blur. And that was when I realized. I knew exactly where I’d seen him before. I started forward, running toward him. At that moment he turned around and hurried off, moving away from me.“Nick!” Tim called out.I ignored him and ran through the cemetery. There was a gravestone in the way and I jumped over it. Maybe that wasn’t a respectful thing to do but I wasn’t feeling exactly religious. I reached the main path and sprinted forward. I didn’t know if Tim was following me or not. I didn’t care.The northern gates of the cemetery opened onto Old Brompton Road. I burst out and stood there, catching my breath. It came as a shock, coming from the land of the dead into that of the living, with buses and cabs roaring past. An old woman, wrapped in three cardigans, was selling flowers right next to the gate. Business couldn’t have been good. Half the flowers were as dead as the people they were meant for. I went over to her.“Excuse me . . .” I said. “Did someone just come out through this gate?”The old woman shook her head. “No, dear. I didn’t see anyone.”“Are you sure? A man in a long coat. He was wearing a hat . . .”“People don’t come out of the cemetery,” the old woman said. “When they get there, they stay there.”A moment later, Tim proved her wrong by appearing at the gate. “What is it, Nick?” he asked.I looked up and down the pavement. There was nobody in sight. Had I imagined it? No. I was certain. The man I had seen in Joe Carter’s photograph had been in the cemetery less than a minute ago. Once I’d spotted him, he had run away.But that was impossible, wasn’t it?If it was Lenny Smile that I had just seen, then who was buried in the grave?DEAD MAN’S FOOTSTEPSWe began our search for Lenny Smile the next day—at the Battersea offices of the charity he had created.I knew the building, of course, from the photograph Carter had shown us. Dream Time’s headquarters were above the Café Debussy, which was in the middle of a row of half-derelict shops a few minutes’ walk from the River Thames. It was hard to believe that a charity worth millions of dollars could operate from such a small, shabby place. But maybe that was the point. Maybe they didn’t want to spend the money they raised on plush offices in the West End. It’s the same reason why Oxfam shops always look so run-down. That way they can afford another ox.But the inside of Dream Time was something else. The walls had been knocked through to create an open-spaced area with carpets that reached up to your ankles and leather furniture you couldn’t believe had started life as a cow. The light fixtures looked Italian. Low lighting at high prices. There were framed pictures on the walls of smiling children from around the world: Asia, Africa, Europe, and so on. The receptionist was smiling, too. We already knew that the place was being shut down, and I could see that she didn’t have a lot to do. She’d just finished polishing her nails when we walked in. While we were waiting she started polishing her teeth.At last a door opened and Fiona Lee walked in. At least, I guessed it was her. We’d called that morning and made an appointment. She was tall and slim, with her dark hair tied back in such a vicious bun that you’d expect it to explode at any moment. She had the looks of a model, but I’m talking the kind they give away free at McDonald’s. All plastic. Her makeup was perfect. Her clothes were perfect. Everything about her was perfect, down to the last detail. Either she spent hours getting ready every morning, or she slept hanging in the closet so that she didn’t rumple her skin.“Good morning,” she said. Joe Carter had been right about her. She had such a posh accent that when she spoke you heard every letter. “My name is Fiona Lee.”We introduced ourselves.She looked from Tim to me and back again. She didn’t seem impressed. “Do come in,” she said. She spun around on her heel. With heels like hers I was surprised she didn’t drill a hole in the floor.We followed her down a corridor lined with more smiling kids. At the end was a door that led to an office on a corner, with views of Battersea Park one way and the Thames the other. Rodney Hoover was sitting behind a desk cluttered with papers and half-dead potted plants, talking on the telephone. An ugly desk for a very ugly man. Both of them looked like they were made of wood. He was getting fat and might have been a little less fat if he’d taken up running. He had drooping shoulders and jet-black hair that oozed oil. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit that was too small for him and glasses that were too big. As he finished his call, I noticed that he had horrible teeth. In fact the last time I’d seen teeth like that, they’d been in a dog. Mrs. Lee signaled and we sat down. Hoover hung up. He had been speaking with a strong accent that could have been Russian or German. He had bad breath. No wonder the potted plants on his desk were wilting.“Good morning,” he said.“This is Tim Diamond, Mr. Hoover,” Mrs. Lee said. She pronounced his name Teem Day-mond. “He telephoned this morning.”“Oh yes. Yes!” Hoover turned to Tim. “I am being sorry that I cannot help you, Mr. Diamond.” His English was terrible, although his breath was worse. “Right now, you see, Mrs. Lee and I are closing down Dream Time, so if you have come about your little brother . . .”“I don’t need charity,” I said.“We helped a boy like you just a month ago,” Fiona Lee said. She blinked, and her eyelashes seemed to wave goodbye. “He had always wanted to climb mountains, but he was afraid of heights.”“So did you buy him a small mountain?” Tim asked.“No. We got him help from a psychiatrist. Then we paid for him to fly to Mount Everest. That little boy went all the way to the top! And although he unfortunately fell off, he was happy. That is the point of our work, Mr. Diamond. We use the money that we raise to make children happy.”“And take the case of Billy!” Hoover added. He pointed at yet another photograph on the wall. If Dream Time had helped many more kids, they’d have run out of wall. “Billy was a boy who wanted to be a dancer. He was being bullied at school. So we hired some bullies to bully the bullies for Billy and now, you see, Billy is in the ballet!”“Bully for Billy,” I muttered.“So how can we be of helping to you, Mr. Diamond?” Hoover asked.“I have some questions,” Tim said, “about a friend of yours called Lenny Smile.”Both Rodney Hoover and Fiona Lee froze. Hoover licked his teeth, which couldn’t have been a lot of fun. Fiona had gone pale. Even her makeup seemed to have lost some of its color. “Why are you asking questions about Lenny?” she asked.“Because that way people give me answers,” Tim replied. “It’s what I do. I’m a private detective.”There was an ugly silence. I had to say that it suited Rodney Hoover.“Lenny is dead,” he said. “You know very well that he’s lying there in Brompton Cemetery. Yes? What could you possibly want to know about him?”“I know he’s dead,” Tim said. “But I’d be interested to know exactly how he died. I understand you were there.”; Title: Three of Diamonds (Diamond Brother Mysteries) | [
5972,
6022,
6035,
6076
] | Validation |
6,075 | 13 | Friends of Corduroy will want to meet Manuelo too. -- BooklistDon Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California dance band. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings.Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident: he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.He was introduced to the world of children’s literature when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!"Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear named Corduroy.Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low.; Title: Manuelo, the Playing Mantis | [
1428,
3689,
4250,
4587,
5351,
5359,
5365,
5375,
5378,
5379,
5918,
6185,
6222,
6395,
12261,
13848,
14332,
18449,
19439,
20207,
20643,
21372,
21662,
21690,
23825,
23893,
23981,
24074,
24132,
25596,
26116,
30554,
32740,
33266,
36307,
36739,
38130,... | Validation |
6,076 | 2 | Anthony Horowitz(anthonyhorowitz.com) is a world-renowned screenwriter for film and television, having received multiple awards. And he is, of course, the author of the #1New York Timesbestselling Alex Rider novels, which have become bestsellers the world over, spawned a major motion picture, and a line of graphic novels. A master of the spy thriller, Anthony is theonlywriter authorized by both the Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming Estates to write original Sherlock Holmes and James Bond novels, respectively.Anthony lives with his wife in London, England; they are parents to two grown boys. Follow Anthony onTwitter @AnthonyHorowitz.; Title: South By Southeast (Diamond Brother Mysteries) | [
5972,
6022,
6035,
6074,
74934
] | Validation |
6,077 | 16 | Jim Aylesworth enjoys infusing his children's stories with great rhythms, cadences, and rhymes. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Aylesworth attended college at Miami University in Ohio before beginning a career as a stockbroker. However, Aylesworth preferred teaching and enrolled in a graduate elementary education program at Concordia College in Illinois. From there, he discovered a love of writing children’s books. His well-loved books include The Gingerbread Man; Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo; and My Grandfather’s Coat. Henry Cole has written and illustrated a dozen books and has illustrated dozens more! Some of his titles include Eddie the Bully, Tubby the Tuba (by Paul Tripp) and Little Bo in London (by Julie Andrews Edwards).Henry Cole lives in Alexandria, Virginia.; Title: Naughty Little Monkeys | [
5385,
6086,
6213,
9561,
11767,
16237,
20733,
22163,
23324,
23881,
23956,
27500,
27777,
38523,
54225,
64021,
74413
] | Test |
6,078 | 2 | Beverley Naidoois a South African author exiled from her home country in 1965,as a studentcampaigning against apartheid. Her first children's novel, Journey To Jo'burg, was banned in South Africa when it was published in 1985 and only became available there after Nelson Mandela's release from jail in 1991. Journey To Jo'burgwas published in many other countries around the world and was widely praised for its eloquent, moving, and accessible story. Her later novel, The Other Side of Truth, won the Carnegie Medal in 2000. She has written many other award-winning books for children.Naidoo lives in the UK.; Title: Making It Home: Real-Life Stories from Children Forced to Flee | [
36095,
51073,
52930,
55053,
62365,
62841,
70721,
73082
] | Train |
6,079 | 11 | Tonya Bolden is the author of more than thirty books.  She lives in New York City.; Title: Portraits of African-American Heroes | [
7283,
8073,
24868,
36492,
42590,
42595
] | Test |
6,080 | 18 | Julius Lester is a celebrated author whose accolades include a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award. He is also a National Book Award finalist, a National Book Critics Circle nominee, and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For 32 years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts.Tom Feelings has received numerous awards for his art in books. In 1972, he was the first African-American artist to win a Caldecott Honor, for Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book, and in 1975 he won a second Caldecott Honor for Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book, both written by Muriel Feelings. Mr. Feelings taught art at the University of South Carolina. It was during that time he published perhaps his best-known work, The Middle Passage, which won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. Mr. Feelings was working on finishing his last picture book, I Saw Your Face, a collaboration with the poet Kwame Dawes, not long before his death in 2003.; Title: To Be a Slave (Puffin Modern Classics) | [
4383,
5558,
6111,
6301,
15290,
21391,
22839,
36233,
36362,
45374,
46436,
56385,
74563
] | Train |
6,081 | 0 | Combines vivid period details and graceful imagery with a thrilling pace. -- BooklistCaroline Lawrencegrew up in Bakersfield, California, and claims that some of her ancestors were pioneers, teamsters and newspapermen. Caroline moved to England to studyclassics at Cambridge. After a decade of immersing herself in Roman history to write the Roman Mysteries series, Caroline is now mining the rich vein of American history during the tumultuous 1860s. She currently lives in London by the river with her history-loving husband.She is the author of the P.K. Pinkerton series.; Title: Roman Mysteries 3: Pirates of Pompeii | [
71247,
71251,
71253
] | Train |
6,082 | 0 | RICHARD PECK (1934-2018) was born in Decatur, Illinois and lived in New York City for nearly 50 years. The acclaimed author of 35 novels for children and young adults, he won the Newbery Medal forA Year Down Yonder, a Newbery Honor forA Long Way from Chicago, the Scott ODell Award forThe River Between Us, the Edgar Allen Poe Award forAre You in the House Alone?, aBoston Globe-Horn BookAward Honor forThe Best Man, and the Christopher Medal forThe Teachers Funeral. He was the first childrens author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal, and was twice a National Book Award Finalist.A story isnt what is. Its what if? Fiction isnt real life with the names changed. Its an alternate reality to reflect the readers own world.But what is a short story not? Its not a condensation of a novel, or an unfinished one. Its not Cliffs Notes to anything. It has its own shape and profile. Its not the New York skyline; its a single church spire. Its end is much nearer its beginning, and so it can be overlooked.The short story is much misunderstood. There are even aspiring writers who think theyll start out writing short stories and work their way up to the big time: novels. It doesnt work like that. A short story isnt easier than a novel. It has so little space to make its mark that it requires the kind of self-mutilating editing most new writers arent capable of. It has less time to plead its case.I hadnt meant to be a short story writer.BOOKS BY RICHARD PECKNOVELS FOR YOUNG ADULTSDont Look and It Wont HurtDreamland LakeThrough a Brief DarknessRepresenting Super DollThe Ghost Belonged to MeAre You in the House Alone?Ghosts I Have BeenFather FigureSecrets of the Shopping MallClose Enough to TouchThe Dreadful Future of Blossom CulpRemembering the Good TimesBlossom Culp and the Sleep of DeathPrincess AshleyThose Summer Girls I Never MetVoices After MidnightUnfinished Portrait of JessicaBel-Air Bambi and the Mall RatsThe Last Safe Place on EarthLost in CyberspaceThe Great Interactive Dream MachineStrays Like UsA Long Way from ChicagoA Year Down YonderFair WeatherInvitations to the WorldThe River Between UsPast Perfect, Present TenseThe Teachers Funeral: A Comedy in Three PartsHere Lies the LibrarianNOVELS FOR ADULTSAmanda/MirandaLondon HolidayNew York TimeThis Family of WomenPICTURE BOOKMonster Night at Grandmas HouseNONFICTIONAnonymously YoursInvitations to the WorldNew and Collected Stories byRichard PeckI acknowledge with thanks the editors who generously have included my work in their anthologies:Lois DuncanLisa Rowe FraustinoDonald R. GalloMichael GreenJohanna HurwitzHarry MazerM. Jerry Weiss andHelen WeissI am grateful to Roger Sutton, who encouraged this collection.CONTENTSIntroductionA short story, like fiction of any length, is always about change. Even in a handful of pages, the characters cant be the same people in the last paragraph whom we met in the first. If theres no change, theres no story, unless you write fiction for The New Yorker magazine.A word writers use is epiphany. In ancient Greece the word described the miraculous appearance of a god or goddess. The Christian church uses the word with a capital E to define Twelfth Night, the moment when the Magi, the Three Kings, made the long-heralded discovery of the Christ child.In fiction writing, the epiphany is a sudden breakthrough of understanding, of self-awareness. Its that moment of change that changes every moment after. Its the lightbulb switched suddenly on over somebodys head. Novels tell of epiphanies acted upon. A short story tends to turn upon a single epiphany, sometimes in the last line. The change to come is to play out in the readers mind.In real life we have epiphanies all the time. But we wait for them to go away. Change is too hard, and threatening. Thats why we have fiction. Stories are better than real life, or we wouldnt have them. Stories for the young present the metaphor of change upon the page to prepare the readers for the changes coming in their lives. Non-readers will never be ready.Again, like all fiction, a short story is never an answer, always a question. Writers with answers write nonfiction: advice columns and government pamphlets and textbooks. Fiction writers have only questions, and the eternal question all fiction asks the reader is:WHAT IF I WERE THE CHARACTER IN THIS STORY? WHAT WOULD I DO?This is the great gift readers receive: They can be anybody and go anywhere. They can try on all these lives to see which ones fit.Stories raise every kind of question. Stories for the young regularly invite their readers to ask themselves:WHEN WILL I START TAKING CHARGE OF MY LIFE?A comic story can ask serious questions. So can a tale of the supernatural, which is only another device for questioning actual people and wondering how they work. A story set in past times can ask a modern reader timeless questions about all those issues history and progress never solve. Even an animal character can be a way of asking what moves and motivates humans. Fiction writers creep up on as many sides of their readers as they can. They use as many techniques as they can think of.And so a short story is like all fiction: Its a question about change.All stories begin with those same two words:WHAT IF?A story isnt what is. Its what if? Fiction isnt real life with the names changed. Its an alternate reality to reflect the readers own world.But what is a short story not? Its not a condensation of a novel, or an unfinished one. Its not Cliffs Notes to anything. It has its own shape and profile. Its not the New York skyline; its a single church spire. Its end is much nearer its beginning, and so it can be overlooked.One tends to overpraise a long book because one has got through it, said E. M. Forstera novelist. His tongue was in his cheek, but he makes a point. A full-length novel with its community of characters, its multiple epiphanies, its changing scenes, is taken more seriouslyin class, in reviews, in the book club.The short story is much misunderstood. There are even aspiring writers who think theyll start out writing short stories and work their way up to the big time: novels. It doesnt work like that. A short story isnt easier than a novel. It has so little space to make its mark that it requires the kind of self-mutilating editing most new writers arent capable of. It has less time to plead its case.Only poetry is less forgiving. But poetry can teach you how to throw out all the words that arent pulling their weight. In a short story theres no place to hide, whether youre the writer or the reader.I hadnt meant to be a short-story writer. Id hoped to be Mark Twain. The first of his books to lift me out of my world and into a bigger one was Life on the Mississippi.It seemed to be autobiography, and true. I little knew how much fictional technique, and fiction, that book embodied. I fell for nonfiction, the romance of the real.But later when I was a teacher, an English teacher naturally, my students preferred fiction to reality. They were in junior high, and so they preferred ANYTHING to reality. But our curriculum was heavy-laden with full-length novels, even when I drew up the reading list myself. I harbored the wan hope of stretching their attention spans.Junior-high teaching made a writer out of me. The first question a writer has to answer before putting pen to paper is:WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE WILLING TO READ WHAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO WRITE?I found those people in my roll book. They were the people I knew the best, and liked the best. From our first morning together I knew things about them their parents dared never know. Better yet, as their English teacher I saw in their compositions what they would never say aloud within the hearing of their powerful peers. The voices in their pages still ring in mine.When I quit teaching to write, I had novels in mind. First one, to see if I could do it, and now thirty-two novels through these thirty-two years later. But as the years went by, the short story found its own way into my career.Most of the short stories in this collection were written as assignments. Editors like Donald R. Gallo and Michael Green, writing colleagues like Lois Duncan and Harry Mazer, ask us to write short stories for collections theyre putting together. Sometimes they give us a theme, sometimes not. Sometimes they give us the length, sometimes not. They always give us deadlines. Real life turns out to be strangely like school: You have assignmentsand deadlines. Yet deadlines are our friends. The deadline helps us find the time to write the story.But how much easier to talk about writing than to write. How much easier to generalize about a whole generation of readers than to reach just one of them upon the shared page...The FirstThe first short story stands alone because its the first one I ever wrote. And because it may be the most widely read of anything Ive ever written, of any length. From this story, I learned that short stories can go places novels cantinto textbook anthologies and other peoples collections and endless magazine reprints in any number of languages.This one goes first because it proves that a writer cant have a master plan for his career. A writer has to be ready to turn on a dime.One day more than twenty-five years ago, I was bent over the typewriter in the midst of a novel when the phone rang. It was the editor of a magazine for teenagers. She said shed been reading my novels and wanted me to write a short story for her magazine. It had to be set in junior high/middle school. She already had too many stories about high school.When I could get a word in, I told her I didnt do short stories.We pay three hundred dollars, she said.Ill try, I said.It has to be very short, she said, about a thousand words, and it needs to end with a bang. Thats the good news. The bad news is that well need it by Thursday.She hung up, and I had thirty-six hours to write my first short story. All I knew about it was that it had to be set in junior high, so I assumed the girl would be bigger than the boy. The story unfolded from there.I knew too that I wouldnt be working on my novel for thirty-six hours, that I wouldnt be leaving the house, that Id be bringing my meals to the desk.What I didnt know was that years later in another century, Id be putting together a collection of my short stories because of that one and how it opened a new door.I called it Priscilla and the Wimps.Priscilla and the WimpsListen, there was a time when you couldnt even go to the restroom around this school without a pass. And Im not talking about those little pink tickets made out by some teacher. Im talking about a pass that would cost anywhere up to a buck, sold by Monk Klutter.Not that Mighty Monk ever touched money, not in public. The gang he ran, which ran the school for him, was his collection agency. They were Klutters Kobras, a name spelled out in nailheads on six well-known black plastic windbreakers.Monks threads were more...subtle. A pile-lined suede battle jacket with lizard-skin flaps over tailored Levis and a pair of ostrich-skin boots, brass-toed and suitable for kicking people around. One of his Kobras did nothing all day but walk a half step behind Monk, carrying a fitted bag with Monks gym shoes, a coil of restroom passes, a cash box, and a switchblade that Monk gave himself manicures with at lunch over at the Kobras table.Speaking of lunch, there were cases of advanced malnutrition among the newer kids. The ones who were a little slow in handing over a cut of their lunch money and were therefore barred from the cafeteria. Monk ran a tight ship.I admit it. Im five foot five, but when the Kobras slithered by, with or without Monk, I shrank. And I admit this too: I paid up on a regular basis. And I might add: so would you.This school was old Monks Garden of Eden. Unfortunately for him, there was a serpent in it. The reason Monk didnt recognize trouble when it was staring him in the face is that the serpent in the Kobras Eden was a girl.Practically every guy in school could show you his scars. Fang marks from Kobras, you might say: lumps, lacerations, blue bruises. But girls usually got off with a warning.Except there was this one girl named Priscilla Roseberry. Picture a girl named Priscilla Roseberry, and youll be light years off. Priscilla was, hands down, the largest student in the school. Im not talking fat. Im talking big. Even beautiful, in a bionic way. Priscilla wasnt inclined toward organized crime. Otherwise, she could have put together a gang that would turn Klutters Kobras into a bunch of garter snakes.Priscilla was basically a loner except she had one friend, a little guy named Melvin Detweiler. You talk about The Odd Couple. Melvins one of the smallest guys above midget status ever seen. They even had lockers next to each other in the same bank as mine. I dont know what they had going. Im not saying this was a romance. After all, people deserve their privacy.Priscilla was sort of above everything, if youll pardon a pun. And very calm, as only the very big can be. If there was anybody who didnt notice Klutters Kobras, it was Priscilla.Until one winter day after school when we were all grabbing our coats out of our lockers. And hurrying, since Klutters Kobras made sweeps of the halls for after-school shakedowns.Anyway, up to Melvins locker swaggers one of the Kobras. Never mind his name. Gang members dont need names. They have group identity. He reaches down and grabs little Melvin by the neck and slams his head against his locker door. The sound of skull against steel rippled all the way down the locker now, speeding the crowds on their way.Okay, lets see your pass, snarls the Kobra.A pass for what this time? Melvin asks, probably still dazed.Lets call it a pass for very short people, says the Kobra. A dwarf tax. He wheezes a little Kobra chuckle, and already hes reaching for Melvins wallet with the hand that isnt circling Melvins windpipe. All this time, of course, Melvin and the Kobra are standing in Priscillas big shadow.Shes taking her time shoving her books into her locker and pulling on an extra-large coat. Then, quicker than the eye, she brings the side of her enormous hand down in a chop that breaks the Kobras hold on Melvins throat. You could hear a pin drop in that hallway. Nobodyd ever laid a finger on a Kobra, let alone a hand the size of Priscillas.Then Priscilla, who hardly ever says anything to anybody except to Melvin, says to the Kobra, Whos your leader, wimp?This practically blows the Kobra away. First hes chopped by a girl. Now shes acting like she doesnt know Monk Klutter, the Head Honcho of the World. Hes so amazed, he tells her. Monk Klutter.Never heard of him, Priscilla mentions. Send him to see me. The Kobra just backs away from her like the whole situation is too big for him, which it is.Pretty soon Monk himself slides up. He jerks his head once, and his Kobras slither off down the hall. Hes going to handle this interesting case personally. Who is it around here doesnt know Monk Klutter?Hes standing inches from Priscilla, but since hed have to look up at her, he doesnt. Never heard of him, says Priscilla.Monks not happy with this answer, but now hes spotted Melvin, whos growing smaller in spite of himself. Monk breaks his own rule by reaching for Melvin with his own hands. Kid, he says, youre going to have to educate your girlfriend.His hands never quite make it to Melvin. In a move of pure poetry Priscilla has Monk in a hammerlock. His necks popping like gunfire, and his heads bowed under the immense weight of her forearm. His suede jackets peeling back, showing pile.Priscillas behind him in another easy motion. With a single mighty thrust forward, she frog-marches Monk into her own locker. Its incredible. His ostrich-skin boots click once in the air. And suddenly hes gone, neatly wedged into the locker, a perfect fit. Priscilla bangs the door shut, twirls the lock, and strolls out of school. Melvin goes with her, of course, trotting along below her shoulder. The last stragglers leave quietly.Well, this is where fate, an even bigger force than Priscilla steps in. It snows all that night, a blizzard. The whole town ices up. School closes for a week.The PastI call 1900 the year of my birth, but Mama claims to have no idea of the day.The Special Powers of Blossom CulpThese next four stories appear together because theyre set in the past, and the past is my favorite place. All fiction is historical fiction the minute the ink is dry, particularly if you write for the young.Very little history is learned in school or college now, but that only spurs on the fiction writer. Whole generations of us fell for history, not in class but in the pages of Gone with the Wind and The Young Lions, just as an even earlier generation was swept up and carried back in time by Ben Hur. The first book I ever loved throbbed with the turning wheel of a long-vanished riverboat plying the nineteenth century.Shotgun Cheathams Last Night Above Ground is set in 1929. The Electric Summer goes to the great worlds fair of 1904. Blossom Culp displays her Special Powers during the 1910 school year. By Far the Worst Pupil at Long Point School is set in that timeless territory, the recollections of old folks.Three of these stories have something else in common. They all relate somehow to my novels. My first story, Priscilla and the Wimps, had taught me how a short story can inspire a novel. I found I liked Priscilla and Melvin and wanted to see more of them. I wanted to learn how the friendship between the largest girl in school and the smallest boy would work out. They therefore reappear as Teresa and Barnie in a novel called Secrets of the Shopping Mall that had a long and happy life of its own, in several languages.; Title: Past Perfect, Present Tense | [
2870,
2871,
2879,
4121,
5863,
6034,
6103,
6265,
6306,
6451,
6837,
6937,
7423,
36399,
42027,
67528
] | Train |
6,083 | 2 | Children . . . will relish Georges adventure. -- Publishers Weekly; Title: The Dragon Machine | [
6759,
32533
] | Test |
6,084 | 1 | This graphic novel adapts the classic children's story of a horse whose gentle nature triumphs over abuse and misfortune. Anna Sewell's original remains beloved to preteen girls in particular, not just for the adventures Black Beauty goes through, but also for Sewell's lyrical descriptions of a past era. Husband-and-wife team Brigman and Richardson do a wonderful job illustrating that period, with b&w drawings that pop off the page and give readers an excellent sense of place as well as time. Unfortunately hamstrung by having to shorten a story that spans many years, they have had to cut all of Sewell's descriptions and most of her transitions, leaving short, choppy chapters that represent information rather than tell a story. Sewell originally wrote the story to expose mistreatment of animals in her society, and the cuts leave the adaptation sounding a bit preachy and repetitive. The spirit of the author's brave horse still comes through, as Black Beauty describes his different masters and the other horses he meets in his life. This should be a hit with horse lovers still too young for the original. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Grade 4-6This adaptation of the 19th-century classic is faithful to the original story, in which Black Beauty recounts his experiences with both kind and cruel owners. The novel's episodic structure translates easily to graphic format, but the frequent moral lessons and antiquated language may make some readers squirm. The artwork is detailed and realistic but lacks a distinctive style; the layout is similarly functional. Black Beauty's success even in libraries with a popular graphic-novel collection is not assured, since it is likely to become lost among the trendier manga titles. Purchase where the original novel circulates, or where the same can be said for graphic-novel adaptations of the classics.Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: Black Beauty: The Graphic Novel | [
3867,
4057,
4071,
4259,
4260,
10121,
12084,
12403,
13175,
13471,
14621,
14725,
16301,
19634,
20821,
22461,
22484,
23998,
25659,
45637,
45738,
52213,
52220,
52239,
52240,
52243,
52251,
58204,
63269,
65030,
65096,
68171,
68206,
68219,
72692
] | Test |
6,085 | 13 | David A. Adler (www.davidaadler.com and www.camjansen.com) is the author of more than 175 children’s books. Before becoming a children’s book author, he taught math and science, and completed master’s degrees in marketing and economics. He lives in Woodmere, New York.; Title: Cam Jansen & the School Play Mystery (Cam Jansen Puffin Chapters) | [
2239,
2441,
2793,
2868,
5313,
5642,
5865,
5899,
5902,
5921,
5924,
5970,
6036,
6156,
6263,
6469,
6514,
6547,
6690,
6727,
6821,
6845,
13164,
14194,
18498,
18696,
18734,
18978,
22370,
22419,
26383,
26484
] | Test |
6,086 | 1 | Keiko Kasza was born on a small Japanese island in the Inland Sea of Japan. She grew up in a typical Japanese extended family with her parents, two brothers, and grandparents. Uncles, aunts, and cousins also lived nearby. "All the steps I took growing up were very normal," Ms. Kasza says. "The only unusual thing I did was go to college in the United States." She graduated with a degree in graphic design from California State University at Northridge. Ms. Kasza married an American, and the United States has been her home ever since.After publishing five children's books in Japan and working as a graphic designer for fourteen years, Ms. Kasza decided in 1988 to devote her time to picture books. She says, "Having two small boys and two professions was too much to handle."Ms. Kasza admires many great picture-book creators, such as Leo Lionni and Maurice Sendak, but says that the work of Arnold Lobel has influenced her the most. The subtle humor and warmth he created in his books continues to inspire me," she says. "I often go back to his work when I get discouraged or lose confidence."Ms. Kasza compares the process of making a book to acting on stage under the lights:"I become the character that I'm working on at that moment. I pretend that I'm a bird looking for a mother, or a pig trying to impress his girlfriend. When I'm acting, I'm a child myself."Ms. Kasza's ambition is not to create a hundred books, but to "create one really good book that will be kept on the family bookshelves for generations, although a hundred really good books would be even better, of course!"Keiko Kasza lives in Indiana with her husband and two sons.copyright 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.Keiko Kasza was born on a small Japanese island in the Inland Sea of Japan. She grew up in a typical Japanese extended family with her parents, two brothers, and grandparents. Uncles, aunts, and cousins also lived nearby. "All the steps I took growing up were very normal," Ms. Kasza says. "The only unusual thing I did was go to college in the United States." She graduated with a degree in graphic design from California State University at Northridge. Ms. Kasza married an American, and the United States has been her home ever since.After publishing five children's books in Japan and working as a graphic designer for fourteen years, Ms. Kasza decided in 1988 to devote her time to picture books. She says, "Having two small boys and two professions was too much to handle."Ms. Kasza admires many great picture-book creators, such as Leo Lionni and Maurice Sendak, but says that the work of Arnold Lobel has influenced her the most. The subtle humor and warmth he created in his books continues to inspire me," she says. "I often go back to his work when I get discouraged or lose confidence."Ms. Kasza compares the process of making a book to acting on stage under the lights:"I become the character that I'm working on at that moment. I pretend that I'm a bird looking for a mother, or a pig trying to impress his girlfriend. When I'm acting, I'm a child myself."Ms. Kasza's ambition is not to create a hundred books, but to "create one really good book that will be kept on the family bookshelves for generations, although a hundred really good books would be even better, of course!"Keiko Kasza lives in Indiana with her husband and two sons.copyright 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.; Title: My Lucky Day | [
726,
2302,
4605,
4621,
4665,
5413,
5440,
5515,
5611,
6064,
6068,
6071,
6150,
6241,
6346,
6351,
6771,
7150,
9563,
10139,
13723,
14016,
15364,
15372,
15393,
15808,
15915,
16147,
16202,
16454,
16489,
16548,
17544,
21042,
25899,
27246,
27263,
272... | Train |
6,087 | 0 | "[The Time Warp Trio's] tongue-in-cheek humor, laced with understatement and wordplay, makes for laugh-out-loud reading."Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he received an M.F.A. in fiction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. He is the author of many books for children including theNew York TimesBest Illustrated BookThe Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales(illustrated by Lane Smith), the Caldecott Honor bookThe True Story of the Three Little Pigs(illustrated by Lane Smith), andMath Curse(illustrated by Lane Smith). In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called Guys Read that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. In 2008, Jon was named the countrys first National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Childrens Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he acted as a spokesperson for childrens literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading. You can visit Jon online at www.jsworldwide.com.; Title: See You Later, Gladiator #9 (Time Warp Trio) | [
5926,
5933,
5941,
5960,
5961,
5996,
6008,
6114,
6141,
6159,
6337,
13138,
13694,
14591,
16608,
18983,
22425,
26482,
45642,
48508,
48567,
50000,
58086,
63492
] | Train |
6,088 | 2 | Angelina has simply charmed her way into becoming a modern childrens classic. -- Publishers WeeklyThe writing is crisp and clear, the illustrations detailed with a lovely sense of movement and emotion. -- GuardianKatharine Holabird’s first Angelina Ballerina book was published in 1983. After graduating from the Francis Parker School in Chicago, Katharine attended Bennington College in Vermont. She received a B.A. in Literature from Bennington in 1969, and then worked as a literary editor at the college for a year. The following year she went to Italy, where she became a freelance journalist. In 1974, Katharine married and moved with her husband, Michael Haggiag, to London, England where she lives today with her family.; Title: Angelina and Henry (Angelina Ballerina) | [
563,
885,
1737,
5462,
5505,
5594,
5617,
6089,
6307,
10533,
12641,
18616,
18621,
18626,
18774,
19184,
19618,
25632,
25734,
25751,
25757,
25758,
26973,
32143,
32347,
38330,
46665
] | Train |
6,089 | 13 | "The wonderfully appealing pictures of the diminutive and entrancing mice are set against the colorful excitement of the fairgrounds."--Horn Book. Katharine Holabird’s first Angelina Ballerina book was published in 1983. After graduating from the Francis Parker School in Chicago, Katharine attended Bennington College in Vermont. She received a B.A. in Literature from Bennington in 1969, and then worked as a literary editor at the college for a year. The following year she went to Italy, where she became a freelance journalist. In 1974, Katharine married and moved with her husband, Michael Haggiag, to London, England where she lives today with her family.; Title: Angelina at the Fair (Angelina Ballerina) | [
6088,
6307,
18616,
18626,
18774,
19618,
25632,
25734,
25751,
25757,
25758
] | Validation |
6,090 | 16 | Irresistible . . . playful. An excellent read-aloud. -- Booklist; Title: Ten Little Mummies (Picture Puffin Books) | [
6735,
13096,
13367,
16975,
17105,
18401,
21706,
22077,
28877,
35868,
37807,
54480
] | Train |
6,091 | 2 | Brenda Woods (www.brendawoods.net) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, raised in southern California, and attended California State University, Northridge. She is the award-winning author of several books for young readers: Coretta Scott King Honor winner The Red Rose Box, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, VOYA Top Shelf Fiction selection Emako Blue, My Name is Sally Little Song, and A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her numerous awards and honors include the Judy Lopez Memorial Award, FOCAL award, Pen Center USA’s Literary Award finalist, IRA Children’s Choice Young Adult Fiction Award, and ALA Quick Pick. She lives in the Los Angeles area.; Title: Emako Blue | [
6210,
6747
] | Train |
6,092 | 7 | "LaFevers sets up an effective fantasy realm, populated with likeable characters…. A good choice for readers not ready for Lloyd Alexander’s ‘Prydian books, which features a similarly young and appealing hero." —School Library JournalR. L. LaFevers is the author of the Theodosia series (illustrated by Yoko Tanaka) and Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series (illustrated by Kelly Murphy). LaFevers grew up in Los Angeles and now resides on a small ranch in Southern California with her husband and two sons. Her novel Flight of the Phoenix was selected by the Junior Library Guild in 2009. YALSA named Dark Triumph as one of the Best Fiction for Young Adults for 2014.; Title: Forging of the Blade (Lowthar's Blade, Book 1) | [
6072,
21001
] | Train |
6,093 | 1 | A timeless tale of an unexpected hero. . . (Publishers Weekly)[A] timeless tale of an unexpected hero. . . (Publishers Weekly)Carter Crocker lives in Ojai, California.; Title: The Tale of the Swamp Rat | [
10268,
12470,
14240,
16189,
49487,
62878
] | Train |
6,094 | 2 | Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life. "In all of my school years, . . . not one single teacher ever said to me, 'Perhaps you should consider becoming a writer,'" Byars recalls. "Anyway, I didn't want to be a writer. Writing seemed boring. You sat in a room all day by yourself and typed. If I was going to be a writer at all, I was going to be a foreign correspondent like Claudette Colbert in Arise My Love. I would wear smashing hats, wisecrack with the guys, and have a byline known round the world. My father wanted me to be a mathematician." So Byars set out to become mathematician, but when she couldn't grasp calculus in college, she turned to English. Even then, writing was not on her immediate horizon.First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter."Making up stories and characters is so interesting that I'm never bored. Each book has been a different writing experience. It takes me about a year to write a book, but I spend another year thinking about it, polishing it, and making improvements. I always put something of myself intomy books -- something that happened to me. Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of Wingscopyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.; Title: Death's Door (Herculeah Jones Mystery) | [
6117,
6203,
6231
] | Train |
6,095 | 2 | Grade 6-10–Siena's deceased father was an East German refugee. When the free-spirited 17-year-old American has a chance to study in Munich, she embraces the opportunity to try to do what he wanted to do himself: locate and thank the man responsible for his freedom. The task proves harder than she thought when his very common name, a demanding course load, a relationship with a Eurohottie resident adviser, and a considerable language barrier threaten to impede her progress. Yet, with two new friends to keep her in check, Siena's faith in good karma finally pays off, and she meets her objective. Emotion-filled trips to Dachau and the Berlin Wall help her understand that some things are worth taking a chance for (e.g., liberty, morality, and justice). Siena makes lasting friendships, enjoys a little romance, and finds a missing part of herself. With likable characters and a plot that is as straightforward as it is swift, this installment will please fans of the series.–Erin Senig-Schirota, Bronxville Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.; Title: The Sound of Munich (S.A.S.S.) | [
6050,
6065,
6107,
6158,
6161,
6172,
6187,
6272,
6312,
6314
] | Train |
6,096 | 2 | "The situations here will strike a chord with young children and their parents, and dePaola's sunny, gently humorous acrylic paintings are as winning as ever." -Publishers WeeklyTomie dePaola was born in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1934, to a family of Irish and Italian background. His determination to create books for children led to a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and an MFA from the California College of Arts & Crafts in Oakland, California. His particular way with color, line, detail, and design have earned him many of the most prestigious awards in his field, among them a Caldecott Honor Award for Strega Nona, the Smithsonian Medal, the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for his "singular attainment in children's literature," the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for his "continued distinguished contribution," and the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion. He was also the 1990 United States nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration, and received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for lifetime contribution to children's literature in 2011.DePaola has published almost 200 children's books in 15 different countries over the past 30 years. Among his most well-known titles are the Strega Nona series, 26 Fairmount Avenue, and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.DePaola lives in an interesting house in New Hampshire with his four dogs. His studio is in a large renovated 200-year-old barn.; Title: Trouble in the Barkers' Class (The Barker Twins) | [
7990,
18470,
62709
] | Train |
6,097 | 18 | Judith St. George has published dozens of successful nonfiction books for children, including the Caldecott Medal-winningSo You Want to Be President?and the historical Turning Point series, includingYoure On Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt;Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln; andTake the Lead, George Washington. You can visit her online at www.judithstgeorge.com.; Title: So You Want to Be an Inventor? | [
1993,
4513,
4833,
5643,
10055,
10134,
11222,
11291,
12198,
12408,
13083,
14339,
16258,
16347,
16542,
18455,
19163,
19556,
21059,
22412,
23373,
26492,
26512,
33430,
44848,
46839,
48183,
48586,
48682,
49875,
53061,
58200,
59750,
61271,
62283,
62454... | Train |
6,098 | 2 | "Along with providing a resonant environmental message, the story lightly demonstrates that friendships come in all shapes and sizes.”—Publishers Weekly, starred reviewJulia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland.; Title: The Snail and the Whale | [
3230,
5385,
6062,
6071,
6228,
6322,
6735,
8258,
8279,
11904,
12284,
13611,
14339,
14695,
14995,
15136,
15811,
17669,
17902,
22122,
22377,
22390,
22538,
23235,
23822,
23956,
26496,
26512,
28496,
28798,
28814,
29620,
33211,
38587,
38603,
44862,
4... | Test |
6,099 | 0 | The result is a first-class treat for readers eyes and ears. -- School Library Journal; Title: Pascual and the Kitchen Angels | [
4935,
5959,
5991,
6236,
6331,
6796,
11356,
15946,
16323,
16435,
16470,
16567,
27611,
27937,
28565,
36070,
39052,
39085
] | Train |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.