t is a great pity that any one should have a grandfather who ended his days in such a sort as this; but it was no fault of Barnaby True's, nor could he have done anything to prevent it, seeing he was not even born into the world at the time that his grandfather turned pirate, and that he was only one year old when Captain Brand so met his death on the Cobra River. Nevertheless, the boys with whom he went to school never tired of calling him "Pirate," and would sometimes sing for his benefit that famous catchpenny ballad beginning thus. Views: 441
The Nightingales are in a serious funk. Bradley Academy's all-girl a cappella group used to be the pride and joy of the sunshine state, but the Nightingales have fallen out of harmony. Best friends and co-captains Lidia Sato and Sydney Marino aren't speaking. A boy has come between them -- none other than Griffin Mancini, the obnoxious lead singer of Bradley's smug all-boy a capella group, the Kingfishers. The Nightingales have no chance at winning the big state final if their captains are at each other's throats. Their only hope is new girl Julianna Ramirez. She's super shy, but she has some serious pipes. The three girls -- and the whole group -- will have to come together if they want to beat the Kingfishers and their rivals from Julianna's old school. Told from alternating points of view, this novel explores the ups and downs of friendship, romance, competition, and finding the perfect song! Views: 441
Eighteen-year-old Yazmin's life is pretty crazy right now. Her new relationship with her fave star isn't quite what she expects it to be and she seems to be finding herself in one bizarre situation after another. But hey - how many girls can say they've appeared in a music video, partied in a spooky mansion and been through a succession of mad adventures all in the space of a few short weeks?Eighteen-year-old Yazmin's life is pretty crazy right now. Her new relationship with her fave star isn't quite what she expects it to be and she seems to be finding herself in one bizarre situation after another. But hey - how many girls can say they've appeared in a music video, partied in a spooky mansion and been through a succession of mad adventures all in the space of a few short weeks?Crazy Mad Life is the second book in the lighthearted Stage Door series. Views: 440
This book is perfectly layout for reading on e-Reader. Views: 439
Margaret Penrose was one of the various pen names used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate to put out popular series of kids books. The Penrose name was used for Dorothy Dale, the Radio Girls, and the Motor Girls series. Views: 439
TO understand this story you will have to believe in the Greater Gods—Love and Youth, for example, and Adventure and Coincidence; also in the trusting heart of woman and the deceitful spirit of man. You will have to reconcile yourself to the fact that though daily you go to London by the nine-seven, returning by the five-fifteen, and have your accustomed meals at eight, one, and half-past six, there are those who take neither trains nor meals regularly. That, while nothing on earth ever happens to you, there really are on earth people to whom things do happen. Nor is the possibility of such happenings wholly a matter of the independent income—the income for which you do not work. It is a matter of the individual soul. I knew a man whose parents had placed him in that paralyzing sort of situation which is symbolized by the regular trains and the regular meals. Views: 439
When the Moomin family members need a change of scenery, they decide to take up residence in a lighthouse. As they discover their new home, the family also discover surprising, and wonderfully funny, new things about themselves. Views: 439
A Classic Tale... A beautiful island lying like a gem on the breast of the great Pacific—a coral reef surrounding, and a calm lagoon within, on the glass-like surface of which rests a most piratical-looking schooner. Such is the scene to which we invite our reader’s attention for a little while. At the time of which we write it was an eminently peaceful scene. So still was the atmosphere, so unruffled the water, that the island and the piratical-looking schooner seemed to float in the centre of a duplex world, where every cloudlet in the blue above had its exact counterpart in the blue below. No sounds were heard save the dull roar of the breaker that fell, at long regular intervals, on the seaward side of the reef, and no motion was visible except the back-fin of a shark as it cut a line occasionally on the sea, or the stately sweep of an albatross, as it passed above the schooner’s masts and cast a look of solemn inquiry upon her deck. But that schooner was not a pirate. She was an honest trader—at least so it was said—though what she traded in we have no more notion than the albatross which gazed at her with such inquisitive sagacity. Her decks were not particularly clean, her sails by no means snow-white. She had, indeed, four goodly-sized carronades, but these were not an extraordinary part of a peaceful trader’s armament in those regions, where man was, and still is, unusually savage. The familiar Union Jack hung at her peak, and some of her men were sedate-looking Englishmen, though others were Lascars and Malays, of the cut-throat type, of whom any wickedness might be expected when occasion served. Views: 438
In Marrakech, Chemchi, a Berber girl, enters into a bargain with a brutal slave master. In return for his help, she must track down the son he needs to save him. He awakens her power to see the unseen: a living carpet of shadows, a portal to an uncanny parallel world. Chemchi finds the son. But she also finds out the truth about her mother. And Cracked Marrakech has a mind of its own...In 2036, true artificial intelligence bots (Taibots) live in society and form relationships with humans; they behave like humans in every aspect. However, Olivia thinks Taibots are just a piece of machinery and have no understanding of what they are talking about. In other words, she doesn’t believe artificial consciousness is possible. But things get complicated after Toby enters her life. Despite the fact he seems like a Taibot, Olivia is certain Toby has human consciousness.On the eve of the sixth mass extinction, resulting from anthropogenic climate change, is artificial consciousness the answer to keeping human consciousness—the apex of 4.5 billion years of evolution—sustained in a universe without humans? Is Olivia able to find out why Toby so resembles her boyfriend who died five years earlier? How would the world deal with the imminent global wipe-out?It’s a fast-paced adventure that entails philosophical discussions about consciousness, love, life, the future of humanity and the universe. Views: 438
If you’ve ever used the phrase “rags to riches,” you owe that to Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899), who popularized the idea through his fictional writings that also served as a theme for the way America viewed itself as a country. Alger’s works about poor boys rising to better living conditions through hard work, determination, courage, honesty, and morals was popular with both adults and younger readers. Alger’s writings happened to correspond with America’s Gilded Age, a time of increasing prosperity in a nation rebuilding from the Civil War. His lifelong theme of rags to riches continued to gain popularity but has gradually lessened since the 1920s. Still, readers today often come across Ragged Dick and stories like it in school. Views: 437
Librarian's note: This is a free downloadable novella. See the book url for more information.
On board the Dolphin somewhere in the Atlantic, this day August 24th 1792, the crew will be presenting a Two Act Play:
THE MIDDLE PASSAGE
starring Miss Catherine Royal and Mr Billy Shepherd.
Prepare to set sail for a new adventure. Views: 437
From the bestselling author of Doppler, a wry and very funny look at the pitfalls of human existence . . . and the charms of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
Aspiring playwright Bror Telemann loves all things British. His wife, Nina, loves everything German. So a family holiday at the foot of the Alps, south of Munich — which Bror believes to be the birthplace of Nazism — is bound to cause tension. Especially when Bror spends the whole time virtually stalking (and constantly fantasizing about) his greatest obsession, British chef Nigella Lawson.
Can Telemann continue to bear the pressure of his empty existence? Or will his long-suffering family be the first to snap? Views: 437
If you’ve ever used the phrase “rags to riches,” you owe that to Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832-1899), who popularized the idea through his fictional writings that also served as a theme for the way America viewed itself as a country. Alger’s works about poor boys rising to better living conditions through hard work, determination, courage, honesty, and morals was popular with both adults and younger readers. Alger’s writings happened to correspond with America’s Gilded Age, a time of increasing prosperity in a nation rebuilding from the Civil War. His lifelong theme of rags to riches continued to gain popularity but has gradually lessened since the 1920s. Still, readers today often come across Ragged Dick and stories like it in school. Views: 437
Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod? PERCY JACKSON provides an insider's view with plenty of 'tude in this illustrated collection.
A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, "Can we do this anonymously? Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again." But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.
So begins Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic—and sarcastic asides—to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who's who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. "If you like lots of lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that."
Dramatic full-color illustrations throughout by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco make this volume—a must for home, library, and classroom shelves—as stunning as it is entertaining. Views: 437
It's the year 1900, the dawn of a new century and a chance for a new beginning for Verna and Carlie, whose mother died two years ago. They are headed to their new home—the grounds of an asylum for the mentally ill. Their father, a doctor, has been hired to treat its patients while the girls are under the strict and watchful eye of their aunt Maude. The towering asylum, the murmuring patients with their tormented pasts, the exquisite locked garden at the center of the grounds—Verna perceives forbidden mystery and enchantment everywhere. Even Aunt Maude's temper will not keep her from striking out on her own exciting adventures.
But is Verna ready to confront all the secrets and emotions that have been locked within—even those of her own heart? Views: 436
