Troubadour Tales

This collection of literature attempts to compile many classics that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.This collection of literature attempts to compile many classics that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.
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The Humiliations of Pipi McGee

The first eight years of Penelope McGee's education have been a curriculum in humiliation. Now she is on a quest for redemption, and a little bit of revenge. From her kindergarten self-portrait as a bacon with boobs, to fourth grade when she peed her pants in the library thanks to a stuck zipper to seventh grade where...well, she doesn't talk about seventh grade. Ever.After hearing the guidance counselor lecturing them on how high school will be a clean slate for everyone, Pipi—fearing that her eight humiliations will follow her into the halls of Northbrook High School—decides to use her last year in middle school to right the wrongs of her early education and save other innocents from the same picked-on, laughed-at fate. Pipi McGee is seeking redemption, but she'll take revenge, too.
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Frank Before Vicksburg

"Frank on a Gun-Boat" from Harry Castlemon. Prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels (1842-1915).
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Luke Walton

CHAPTER I A CHICAGO NEWSBOY "News and Mail, one cent each!" Half a dozen Chicago newsboys, varying in age from ten to sixteen years, with piles of papers in their hands, joined in the chorus. They were standing in front and at the sides of the Sherman House, on the corner of Clark and Randolph Streets, one of the noted buildings in the Lake City. On the opposite side of Randolph Street stands a gloomy stone structure, the Court House and City Hall. In the shadow of these buildings, at the corner, Luke Walton, one of the largest newsboys, had posted himself. There was something about his bearing and appearance which distinguished him in a noticeable way from his companions. To begin with, he looked out of place. He was well grown, with a frank, handsome face, and was better dressed than the average newsboy. That was one reason, perhaps, why he preferred to be by himself, rather than to engage in the scramble for customers which was the habit of the boys around him. It was half-past five. The numerous cars that passed were full of business men, clerks, and boys, returning to their homes after a busy day. Luke had but two papers left, but these two for some unaccountable reason remained on his hands an unusual length of time. But at length a comfortable-looking gentleman of middle age, coming from the direction of La Salle Street, paused and said, "You may give me a News, my boy." "Here you are, sir," he said, briskly. The gentleman took the paper, and thrusting his hand into his pocket, began to feel for a penny, but apparently without success. "I declare," he said, smiling, "I believe I am penniless. I have nothing but a five-dollar bill." "Never mind, sir! Take the paper and pay me to morrow." "But I may not see you." "I am generally here about this time." "And if I shouldn\'t see you, you will lose the penny." "I will risk it, sir," said Luke, smiling. "You appear to have confidence in me." "Yes, sir." "Then it is only fair that I should have confidence in you." Luke looked puzzled, for he didn\'t quite understand what was in the gentleman\'s mind. "I will take both of your papers. Here is a five-dollar bill. You may bring me the change to-morrow, at my office, No. 155 La Salle Street. My name is Benjamin Afton." "But, sir," objected Luke, "there is no occasion for this. It is much better that I should trust you for two cents than that you should trust me with five dollars." "Probably the two cents are as important to you as five dollars to me. At any rate, it is a matter of confidence, and I am quite willing to trust you." "Thank you, sir, but——" "I shall have to leave you, or I shall be home late to dinner." Before Luke had a chance to protest further, he found himself alone, his stock of papers exhausted, and a five-dollar bill in his hand. While he stood on the corner in some perplexity, a newsboy crossed Randolph Street, and accosted him. "My eyes, if you ain\'t in luck, Luke Walton," he said. "Where did you get that bill? Is it a one?" "No, it\'s a five." "Where\'d you get it?" "A gentleman just bought two papers of me." "And gave you five dollars!... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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The Curse of Deadman's Forest

Since Ian Wigby and his sister, Theodosia, found the silver treasure box and the prophecy within it, their world has changed. There's no denying what they discovered in Morocco: a powerful evil is budding, and to defeat it, and save the world from darkness, six uniquely gifted children must be gathered. According to prophecy, a trip through the magical portal near the castle will bring them to the third Oracle--a child with extraordinary powers to heal. But the very same prophecy foretells Ian's death should he venture through the portal again. Everyone agrees: to risk Ian's life is too great a gamble. But when a terrible curse enters the keep, it becomes clear that there is no other choice. If Ian and Theo stay in Dover, all will surely be lost, but to follow the prophecy, they will risk their lives and everything they have ever held dear.
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Girls Just Wanna Have Pugs

The best part of Kat's day is getting to walk her neighbor's irresistible pug, Meatball. So when her parents insist she start an extracurricular this year, she makes her own, by turning her hobby into a business: a dog-walking business, that is.She and her best friends, Taz and Lucy — as well as the cute new boy, Declan — try to get Four Paws Dog Walking into shape. But wrangling puppies and pleasing customers turns out to be harder than they thought! Can Kat keep taking care of the dogs she loves without hurting her friendships?
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Under the Waves: Diving in Deep Waters

Robert Michael Ballantyne (24 April 1825 – 8 February 1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than 100 books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colours at the Royal Scottish Academy Ballantyne was born in Edinburgh on 24 April 1825, the ninth of ten children and the youngest son, to Alexander Thomson Ballantyne (1776–1847) and his wife Anne (1786–1855). Alexander was a newspaper editor and printer in the family firm of "Ballantyne & Co" based at Paul\'s Works on the Canongate,[2] and Robert\'s uncle James Ballantyne (1772–1833) was the printer for Scottish author Sir Walter Scott.[3] In 1832-33 the family is known to have been living at 20 Fettes Row, in the northern New Town of Edinburgh.[2] A UK-wide banking crisis in 1825 resulted in the collapse of the Ballantyne printing business the following year with debts of £130,000, which led to a decline in the family\'s fortunes. Ballantyne went to Canada aged 16, and spent five years working for the Hudson\'s Bay Company. He traded with the local Native Americans for furs, which required him to travel by canoe and sleigh to the areas occupied by the modern-day provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, experiences that formed the basis of his novel Snowflakes and Sunbeams (1856).[3] His longing for family and home during that period impressed him to start writing letters to his mother. Ballantyne recalled in his autobiographical Personal Reminiscences in Book Making (1893) that "To this long-letter writing I attribute whatever small amount of facility in composition I may have acquired
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The Lost Tales

Deleted and forgotten stories, songs, and tales from the Legacy of Princess Anlei Trilogy: The Great Succession Crisis, The Ghosts of the Past, and Princess Anyu Returns. Presented uncut and unedited in their original forms, these stories not only entertain, but offer a unique window into the world building process.The plot is lively, full of adventure...—IndieReaderHe’s trapped in a new world. She wants answers. One mystery could unravel the universe…John Fuller doesn’t have much going for him. An unhappy wife and an unfulfilling job weigh on him every single day. When he wakes up in a parallel universe where nobody knows him, he becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to disrupt the course of humanity.Sue’s father changed everything with a machine that unlocked the multiverse. Sue’s sense of wonder turns to dread when her father is killed. She’ll do anything to find out why.As Sue and John come together to find answers, they’ll discover a future neither of them believed was possible…The Parallel Conspiracy is an action-packed standalone sci-fi novel. If you like mysterious twists and turns, characters that make you cheer, and a touch of romance and humor, then you’ll love Richard Paul Lori’s unique thrill-ride.Buy The Parallel Conspiracy to travel the multiverse today!Author Interview:Q: What makes The Parallel Conspiracy different from other science fiction novels?A: I think it’s different in that it’s a very character driven story. Most science fiction novels are plot driven. While the Parallel Conspiracy’s plot is very intense and a seat-of-your-pants adventure, it’s really the characters that grip you the most as they work their way through the mystery they have to solve. Although there is lots of friction and a romantic triangle develops between the main characters, they ultimately grow as individuals and as a group from the experience. It's also a unique blend of mystery, adventure and romance all rolled into a high tech science fiction novel. I think this combination also sets it apart from other scifi thrillers you'll readQ: Speaking of characters, you have some very strong female lead characters in the book. Did you find that aspect a challenge to write. A: While I suppose it’s easier for a man to write male characters and the opposite goes for women authors, I didn’t really focus on gender differences that much. I did of course have some. You have too. What I concentrated on more though was the unique emotional state of each character; how they would grow through the intense, life and death experiences they continue to be pushed into throughout the novel. Q: You used humor throughout the book. Can you explain its role in the novel?A: The novel is by no means a comedy, but I did slip funny things in from time to time. My main male character is a computer programmer who is stepped on continuously by his wife, boss and co-workers. To get somewhat of a feeling of this ridicule, earlier scenes with him are written in a more humorous manner. As the story progresses and the character changes, my treatment of him does too. He is no longer to be laughed at but respected instead. There is of course a risk that the reader will think it’s not an intense action thriller when they start reading the novel, but it was a deliberate tactic that I used. Hopefully it works
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Tom Fairfield's Schooldays; or, The Chums of Elmwood Hall

Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive collection. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. Whilst the books in this collection have not been hand curated, an aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature. As a result of this book being first published many decades ago, it may have occasional imperfections. These imperfections may include poor picture quality, blurred or missing text. While some of these imperfections may have appeared in the original work, others may have resulted from the scanning process that has been applied. However, our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. While some publishers have applied optical character recognition (OCR), this approach has its own drawbacks, which include formatting errors, misspelt words, or the presence of inappropriate characters. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with an experience that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic book, and that the occasional imperfection that it might contain will not detract from the experience.
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The Queen's Cup

G.A. Henty was a 19th century British novelist known for historical action and adventure books, many of which were best sellers in his day. Even today, classics like The Dragon & The Raven (1886), For The Temple (1888), Under Drake\'s Flag (1883) and In Freedom\'s Cause (1885) are still widely read.
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Erling the Bold

                                                                               A CLASH OF AXES, A SLASH OF SWORDSIt was a memorable duel. For hours, King Haldor of Horlingdal and King Ulf of Romsdal battled. But the axe of Haldor the Fierce split Ulf's shield, and slammed into his head, putting him into his bed for a full week. Thus did King Haldor win the contest prize of this Viking contest. Herfrida the Soft Eyed became his bride. Herfrida bore King Haldor a son named Erling. Ulf sired a daughter named Hilda. The Viking kings became friends and their progeny grew. Erling became a handsome young man and Hilda a beautiful young woman. But Erling the Bold's Viking destiny was not peace. For Erling the Bold and Hilda the Sunbeam met a hermit with a strange new faith. His name was Christian. He changed their fate forever.
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Snuff

According to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever to have been published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder. He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, and occasionally snookered and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a finding, there must be a chase and there must be a punishment. They say that in the end all sins are forgiven. But not quite all...
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Family Affairs

The filming for sure-to-be-blockbuster movie Pretty Young Assassins has wrapped, and teen movie star Kaitlin Burke returns to life on the set of primetime drama Family Affair. After ten seasons of filming the hit favorite TV show, Kaitlin would have thought that she could see any curveballs coming, but with a plotting new actress on set, all bets are off. The new diva, Alexis, makes even Kaitlin's long-time nemesis Skye seem like a puppy in comparison. Can Kaitlin keep her sane boyfriend, her insane job, and her composure in the face of this new star power?
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The Bobbsey Twins in Washington

CHAPTER I UNDER THE HAY "This is \'most as much fun as we had on Blueberry Island, or when we went to Florida on the deep, blue sea, isn\'t it, Bert?" asked Nan Bobbsey, as she sat on the porch and fanned herself with her hat. She and her brother had been running around the house, playing a new game, and Nan was warm. "Yes, it\'s fun all right," agreed Bert. "But I liked the deep, blue sea better—or even Blueberry Island," and off came his hat to cool his flushed face, for, though it was late in September, the day was warm. "But we couldn\'t stay on the island, always," went on Nan. "We have to go to school, daddy says!" "Don\'t speak about it!" begged Bert. "I don\'t want to go to school for a long, long time, and not then!" "Have we got to go to school?" asked a little light-haired and blue-eyed girl, as she ran up the steps, to sink in a heap at the feet of her sister, Nan Bobbsey. "When do we go?" she went on. "Oh, not right away, \'little fat fairy!\'" laughed Nan, giving Flossie the name her father sometimes called her. "School won\'t open for two weeks more." "Hurray!" cried Bert. "The longer it stays closed the better I like it.But come on, Nan! Let\'s have some more fun. This isn\'t like BlueberryIsland, sitting still on a porch!" "You haven\'t sat still more than three minutes, Bert Bobbsey!" cried his sister. "I can hardly get my breath, you made me run so fast!" Just then a little boy, who had the same sort of blue eyes and golden hair that made Flossie such a pretty little girl, came tumbling up the steps with a clatter and a bang, falling down at Bert\'s feet. The older boy caught his small brother just in time, or there might have been a bumped nose. "Hi there, Freddie, what\'s the matter?" asked Bert, with a laugh. "Is our dog Snap chasing you, or have you been playing a trick on our cat Snoop?" "I—I—I\'m a—a fireman!" panted Freddie. for he, too, was out of breath from running. "I\'m a fireman, and I—I\'ve got to get the engine. There\'s a big, big fire!" and his eyes opened wide and round. "A big fire—really?" asked Nan quickly. "Course not! He\'s only making believe!" replied Bert. "Well, I thought maybe he might have seen some boys start a bonfire somewhere," explained Nan. "They sometimes do." "I know they do," admitted Bert. "And I hope they don\'t start one near daddy\'s lumberyard." "There was a fire down in the lumber once!" exclaimed Freddie. He was too young to have seen it, but he had heard his father and mother talk about the time Mr. Bobbsey\'s lumberyard was nearly burned out. Freddie Bobbsey was very fond of a toy fire engine he had been given for Christmas, and his father often called Freddie a "little fireman," just as Flossie was named a "fairy." "Well, if it\'s only a make-believe fire we can sit here and cool off," went on Nan. "What were you doing, Flossie?" she asked her little sister. "Oh, I was having a race with our cat Snoop; but I guess I beat, \'causeSnoop didn\'t get here to the porch before I did." "Yes, you won the race all right," laughed Bert....
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The Spartan Twins

Lucy Fitch Perkins (1865-1937) was an American children\'s book author and illustrator, famous for writing the "Twins" series of books. Her books include The Dutch Twins (1911), The Japanese Twins (1912), The Irish Twins (1913), The Eskimo Twins (1914), The Mexican Twins (1915), The Cave Twins (1916), The Belgian Twins (1917), The French Twins (1918), The Spartan Twins (1918), Cornelia (1919), The Scotch Twins (1919), The Italian Twins (1920), The Puritan Twins (1921), The Swiss Twins (1922), The Filipino Twins (1923), The Colonial Twins of Virginia (1924), The American Twins of 1812 (1925), The American Twins of the Revolution (1926), Mr Chick: His Travels and Adventures (1926), The Pioneer Twins (1927), The Farm Twins (1928), Kit and Kat (1929), The Indian Twins (1930), The Pickaninny Twins (1931), The Norwegian Twins (1933), The Spanish Twins (1934), and The Chinese Twins (1935). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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