From Publishers WeeklyHahn (Stepping on the Cracks) mines her mother's reminiscences of growing up in Baltimore before WWI to create this nostalgic chapter book. Though set in a bygone era of gas street lamps and horse-drawn delivery carts, these episodes in the year Anna turns nine have timeless themes. Anna's efforts to eavesdrop are thwarted, for example, when her mother and aunt speak in their native German to tell secrets, so she attempts to learn the language on her own. (Hahn includes a glossary of German words and phrases.) On a dare from her best friend, Charlie, Anna speeds down a cobblestone street on her roller skates and ends up with stitches. One of the most humorous chapters also delivers the greatest lesson: Anna throws herself a "surprise" birthday party after her mother strictly forbids having friends to the house; her aunt saves the party, but as punishment Anna has to go to her room without dinner. Children will recognize the personalities and rivalries of the neighborhood (e.g., snobby Rosa with the perfect coat and her sidekick Beatrice as foils for tomboyish Anna) and will seeing the similarities between Anna's time and their own. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 7-10. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalGrade 2-4-Life in Baltimore in the years just before World War I might seem slow and dull to today's youngsters, but eight-year-old Anna experiences the same yearnings, disappointments, joys, and adventures that all children do. During the seasons described here, she struggles with long division; she outgrows her winter coat and longs for a red one just like the one belonging to her snobby friend Rosa; she asks Santa for an Erector set, though it is not considered a suitable present for a young lady; and she eavesdrops on her mother and aunts' conversations, only to be thwarted when the adults speak in German (a glossary of German terms is included). Hahn masterfully captures Anna's humiliation at wearing a coat that is too small, her thrill and fear during her fling as a daredevil roller skater, and the comforting sense of family that surrounds these everyday activities. De Groat depicts the period details-dress, transportation, etc.-and the characters' personalities all come to life through her soft, though vibrant pencil illustrations. Reading this book is like taking a quiet, peaceful carriage ride over the cobbled streets of an earlier time.Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 50
In the future, computers rule the world. The Net Force was formed to protect America from any and all criminal activity on-line. But there is a group of teenage whiz kids who sometines know more about computers than their adult superiors. They are the Net Force Explorers. They go where no one else can go. And they fight crime like no one else in the world… The virtual Dominion of Sarxos is the most popular wargame on the Net. Thousands flock nightly to log on and lead their fantasy armies into battle. But something sinister is going on. Some players' computers are destroyed by burglars. Another player is attacked and beaten. One thing is certain — someone in the Dominion of Sarxos is taking the game very seriously. Net Force Explorers Megan O'Malley and Leif Anderson are asked to investigate. They play the game. They know the world. But nothing can prepare them for the danger when the real game begins… Views: 50
In a secret military hospital, five mentally shattered officers hold the key to dangerous secrets. A specialist in post-traumatic stress syndrome, Dr. Sara West becomes a pawn in an undercover mission. Told that she will uncover answers to the mystery of her brother-in-law's disappearance, Sara attempts to find out what happened to these soldiers, aware that she's entering a world where knowing too much can be fatal.Why do these men fear the color white? Why do they repeat the phrase "I wept"? As Sara is drawn to one remarkable patient she calls Joe, the shocking truth is exposed as his memory begins to return. And not even this man whom she is starting to love, can stop her -- or save her -- from committing an act that will either save millions of live...or condemn her to the darkest hell imaginable.From Publishers WeeklyA lengthy stint as an Air Force wife has provided Hinze (Shades of Gray; Duplicity) with plenty of fuel for her edgy military-themed romances. Her latest romantic thriller centers around a civilian psychologist, Dr. Sara West, who has been coerced into military duty. Acting undercover as an Air Force major, Sara enters a maximum security facility in Mississippi to direct a short-term research project on five patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. All the patients are men, and all have been reduced to a catatonic state, each one repeatedly uttering the phrase "I wept." It's Sara's job to find out what has happened to them. She's drawn to one patient she calls Joe, a man who worked as a Shadow Watcher (a spy who spies on spies). As Sara helps Joe heal, she finds herself falling in love; through him she learns that "I wept" is an acronym for a place more horrible than the human mind can endure. Gripping and adrenaline-charged, Hinze's plot will appeal to fans who like their suspense razor sharp. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 50
Newspaper writer, family man, and reluctant hero Zack Walker has stumbled onto some dicey stories before, but nothing like what he’s about to uncover when a mutilated corpse is found at his father’s lakeside fishing camp. As always, Zack fears the worst. And this time, his paranoid worldview is dead-on. While the locals attribute the death to a bear attack, Zack suspects something far more ominous — a predator whose weapons include arson, assault, and enough wacko beliefs to fuel a dozen hate groups. Then another body is discovered and a large supply of fertilizer goes missing, evoking memories of the Oklahoma City bombing. But it’s when he learns that his neighbor is a classic Lone Wolf — FBI parlance for a solo fanatic hell-bent on using high body counts to make political statements — that Zack realizes the idyllic town of his childhood is under siege. The fuse is lit to a catastrophe of unimaginable terror. And with time running out, Zack must face off with a madman. Views: 50
Advance Praise for The Rose Variations: "The Rose Variations is an elegant symphony of a novel, shaped by a lovely complexity, informed by humor and grace. Congratulations to Marisha Chamberlain for her fine debut."—Roxana Robinson, author of Cost "In this richly absorbing novel Chamberlain creates a heroine so vivid, so complex, so passionate that she walks right off the page and into the reader's mind and heart. I loved following Rose through her various vicissitudes, romantic and musical, and through her many relationships with friends, colleagues, students and lovers. The Rose Variations is one of those rare novels that captures the complexity of a life lived over time, and does so in beautiful, eloquent prose. A brilliant debut."—Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street "Rose MacGregor is my kind of heroine—funny and serious, dreamy but brutally practical when it's called for; someone blissfully... Views: 50
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE A PRINCESS --ORJUST LIVE LIKE ONECompiled byMIA THERMOPOLISakaPrincessAmeliaMignonetteGrimaldiThermopolisRenaldoof Genovia Views: 50
A brand-new series from #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries author Rachel Renee Russell! Introducing Max Crumbly!Max Crumbly is about to face the scariest place he's ever been: South Ridge Middle School. There's a lot that's great about his new school, but there's also one big problem—Doug, the school bully whose hobby is stuffing Max in his locker. If only Max could be like the hero in his favorite comics. Unfortunately, Max's uncanny, almost superhuman ability to smell pizza from a block away won't exactly save any lives or foil bad guys. But that doesn't mean Max won't do his best to be the hero his school needs! Views: 50
When Buffalo Bill Cody died in 1917, he was the best-known person on earth. But the world wasn't done with him. In this richly wrought novel, Richard Wheeler depicts the struggle to commandeer his remains for commercial purposes.The owner of the Denver Post, Harry Tammen, wanted to bury him outside of Denver, as a tourist attraction. Cody wanted to be buried in his namesake town, Cody, Wyoming. His estranged wife Louisa had other ideas, and so did his sisters. So did Cody's friends. The result was a gaudy free-for-all, in which Tammen prevailed, and the old scout was finally buried on Lookout Mountain, outside of Denver.The author gives us a telling look at the sycophants and connivers who surrounded the showman. He paints a tender portrait of the old man, who was besieged by a lot of people with a lot of schemes. Cody had many friends, including Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, who remembered the old man fondly, and these people, too, have their say in this penetrating and... Views: 50
Deep within the blackly foreboding, bear-ridden woods, lies the last remnant of a dying people; a strong and enigmatic creature, solemn but lonely... College student Jennifer, her loyal friend Robert, the unscrupulous mayor's son Liam, and several others venture out into the forest, but quickly become lost. When the group splinters to search for help, however, things start to escalate... Views: 50
GUARDIAN. There existed nothing like it in the known World. It climbed boldly into the sky, a symbol of the power and imagination of those who had created it... Varian Hamer stood face to face with a robot. It was not only fantastic - it was impossible. In the known World there were no such things as robots. They had been destroyed, along with everything else, thousands of years before. Views: 50
