Amazon.com ReviewHome becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." Allen Say's prose is succinct and controlled, to the effect of surprise when monumental events are scaled down to a few words: "The young woman fell in love, married, and sometime later I was born." The book also has large, formal paintings in delicate, faded colors that portray a cherished and well-preserved family album. The book, for audiences ages 4 to 8, won the 1994 Caldecott Medal.From Publishers WeeklySay transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album. A portrait of Say's grandfather opens the book, showing him in traditional Japanese dress, "a young man when he left his home in Japan and went to see the world." Crossing the Pacific on a steamship, he arrives in North America and explores the land by train, by riverboat and on foot. One especially arresting, light-washed painting presents Grandfather in shirtsleeves, vest and tie, holding his suit jacket under his arm as he gazes over a prairie: "The endless farm fields reminded him of the ocean he had crossed." Grandfather discovers that "the more he traveled, the more he longed to see new places," but he nevertheless returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart. He brings her to California, where their daughter is born, but her youth reminds him inexorably of his own, and when she is nearly grown, he takes the family back to Japan. The restlessness endures: the daughter cannot be at home in a Japanese village; he himself cannot forget California. Although war shatters Grandfather's hopes to revisit his second land, years later Say repeats the journey: "I came to love the land my grandfather had loved, and I stayed on and on until I had a daughter of my own." The internal struggle of his grandfather also continues within Say, who writes that he, too, misses the places of his childhood and periodically returns to them. The tranquility of the art and the powerfully controlled prose underscore the profundity of Say's themes, investing the final line with an abiding, aching pathos: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." Ages 4-8. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 9
A shape-shifter and an errant soul share an unbreakable bond and a curse, and must join together to fulfill an ancient magical prophecy in Nancy Springer's final installment of the Book of Isle When Prince Dair was a small child and still in wolf form, he saw his future in the loom of Ylim, the weaving seeress as old as the world. It was prophesied that he, the changeling son of King Trevyn of Isle, would travel far from his home and his loved ones, carrying his magic to the mainland. For the first time, Dair saw the golden swan, and the face of the stranger to whom he was eternally linked, the wanderer called Frain. But this mysterious youth who can feel everything Dair feels—his emotions, his anxieties, his pain—bears an obligation to a lost love and a curse of dark enchantment. Still, the bond that unites Dair and Frain is stronger than iron, and in their mystical union rests the fate of a troubled land. Reviewers have compared the... Views: 9
A summer camp dream romance turns into a nightmare in this frighteningly fun addition to Spotlights popular horror series.All the girls in Bunk 9 at Camp Minnehaha wake up one morning having had the same terrible nightmare about a sinister boy in an abandoned cabin in the woods. All the girls, that is, except goody-goody Samantha Harmon. The boy in Sams dream was handsome, enchanting, and just so real. Even though Sam knows its against the rules to venture into the woods without a counselor, she sets off in search of her dream boyand finds him! Dennis Shaw is just like the boy from Sams dream, and he seems really into her. The only problem is that Sams twin sister Ali is jealous of Sams new boyfriend, and shell stop at nothing to make him her own. But when Dennis gets a little intense and says he wants to be together forever with his dream girl, neither Sam nor Ali realizes just how long forever might be.The tale of this nightmare summer romance is ranked... Views: 9
It's 1956 and fifteen-year-old Betty Broadbent has never left the Cornish fishing village of St Steele or ventured far beyond the walls of the boarding house run by her erratic mother. But when the London press pack descends to report on a series of gruesome murders of young women, Betty's world changes. In particular she is transfixed by mysterious and aloof reporter, Mr Gallagher. As the death toll rises, an unlikely friendship blossoms between Betty and Gallagher. But as their bond deepens, they find themselves entangled with the murders and each is forced to make a devastating choice, one that will shape their own lives - and the life of an innocent man - forever. Praise for The Unforgotten: 'Gripping from the first page, this is a remarkabke debut. I highly recommend it.' Katie Fforde, author of Going Dutch 'A quirky, vivid, original writer who catches the strangeness of time passing.' Maggie Gee, author of The White Family 'An eerie and sorrowful tale, beautifully-told: a... Views: 9
The definitive collection of Tolkien’s classic “fairie” tales, in the vein of The Hobbit, illustrated by Oscar winner Alan LeeNever before published in a single volume, Tolkien’s four novellas (Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, Smith of Wootton Major, and Roverandom) and one book of poems (The Adventures of Tom Bombadil) are gathered together for the first time, in a fully illustrated volume. This new, definitive collection of works -- which had appeared separately, in various formats, between 1949 and 1998 -- comes with a brand-new foreword and endmatter, and with a series of detailed pencil illustrations by Alan Lee, in the style of his other award-winning Tolkien work, most recently in The Children of Húrin.The book is the perfect opportunity for fans of Middle-earth to enjoy some of Tolkien’s often overlooked yet most creative storytelling. With dragons and sand sorcerers, sea monsters and hobbits, knights and dwarves, this collection contains all the classic elements for Tolkien buffs of all ages.ReviewRoverandom: 'An old-fashioned story, yet it still speaks freshly today! would leap to life when read aloud to a child' Independent Farmer Giles of Ham: 'A fabulous tale of the days when giants and dragons walked the kingdom' Sunday Times Leaf by Niggle: 'A haunting and successful demonstration of the qualities of faerie' New York Times The Adventures of Tom Bombadil: 'Something close to genius' The Listener Smith of Wootton Major: 'Whoever reads it at eight will no doubt still be going back to it at eighty' New Statesman About the AuthorAlan Lee was born in England in 1947. Inspired by Tolkien's work to pursue his chosen path as an artist of the mythic and fantastic, he has illustrated a wide range of books including Faeries, The Mabinogion, Castles, Merlin Dreams, the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. He is a winner of the Carnegie Medal for his illustrated edition of The Illiad.J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) is the creator of Middle-earth and author of such classic and extraordinary works of fiction as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide. Views: 9
"Move over, Percy Jackson, there's a new girl in town." —Booklist review for Freya Her fight for freedom is over, but the fight for power is just beginning.After Freya escapes from the power-controlling Finemdi Corporation, her quest to defeat her new enemy takes her to Hollywood. The ancient Norse goddess of love, beauty, war, and death disguises herself once again as Sara Vanadi, now an up-and-coming star on a scandalous television series. Freya knows that today's modern gods live on the screen, and Los Angeles offers her both fame and believers. And she desperately needs strength from her believers.With sinister forces at her heels, an ancient enemy returned, and an unknown threat lurking in the shadows, Freya must walk a dangerous line between mortal and goddess. Because if she loses her humanity, who will save the world?Blending fantasy and science fiction in a contemporary Hollywood setting, Slay: A... Views: 9
It's 1963,in a small town in Nebraska. Rich, rancher-playboy, Shay Westover is circling through King's Drive Thru with his friends, and gets a surprise. Kathrine Mitchell, a young pregnant girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Shay's smitten at the sight of her: Kathrine takes Shay's breath away, and he finds his days as a single playboy are numbered. Has Callie grounded him for life? Views: 9
An all-powerful, enchanted mailshirt from the stars. Six links are missing. An orphan, a streetwise urchin and a swordsman must find the links before the greatest evil known descends upon Q'zar. Views: 9
An ancient evil has come to Hastings Mills, and only one man can stop it.Wherever The Stranger goes, evil follows. Wild dogs roam the fields. Townspeople turn on each other in murderous fury. Innocent women throw themselves off bridges. Swimmers disappear, victims of a deadly beast that haunts their waters. And the worst is still yet to come. The Stranger plans to open a gateway to the nether realms and release the Elder Gods to bring forth Chaos on Earth.Only one man knows the truth, a country mage whose family has fought The Stranger before. But can he defeat his ageless enemy before Hastings Mills is nothing but a smoking ruin and the townspeople become unwilling blood sacrifices to the Old Ones? With only the help of a young woman and her teenage son, he will have to use all of his arcane knowledge to thwart his adversary and prevent the final apocalypse.In Hastings Mills, The Burning Time has arrived. Views: 9
