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Crispin: The Cross of Lead |
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 Book Review
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Hardcover |
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0641680643 |
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Ereth's Birthday (rpkg) (The Poppy Stories) |
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Book Review
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0380804905 |
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Book Review
"Helping others!" Ereth the porcupine snarls viciously. "Being good! It's all broccoli bunk and tick toffee." On a birthday that he suspects everyone has forgotten, the last thing this grumpy old porcupine wants is to get involved in a sticky fox family predicament. But just as he's about to take a mouthful of his favorite treat, salt, he hears a weak voice calling for help, and his conscience trumps his desire. Soon he's embroiled in his worst nightmare: leaving his comfortable home to act as caretaker of three energetic, chatty, newly motherless fox kits. His longing for his stinky log home next door to his best friend, Poppy the mouse, lessens somewhat as he gets down to the business of keeping the young foxes fed and safe. Meanwhile, another four-legged hunter has his eye on Ereth, and the fox kits' father is... |
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Crispin: The Cross of Lead |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0786816589 |
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Book Review
Genre-jumping author Avi clocks in here with his 50th book, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, an action-packed historical narrative that follows the frantic flight of a 13-year-old peasant boy across 14th-century England. After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. But before our protagonist escapes, Avi makes sure that we're thoroughly briefed on the injustices of feudalism--the countless taxes cottars must pay, the constant violence, the inability of a flawed church to protect its parishioners, etc. Avi then folds in the book's central mystery just as the boy is leaving: "Asta's son," as he's always been ... |
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Treasure Island |
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Robert Louis Stevenson |
Book Review
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Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0689832125 |
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Usually ships within 24 hours. |
Book Review
Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Treasure Islandhas enthralled (and caused slight seasickness) for decades. The names Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are destined to remain pieces of folklore for as long as children want to read Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous book. With it's dastardly plot and motley crew of rogues and villains, it seems unlikely that children will ever say no to this timeless classic.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-The archetypal sea-faring adventure story is given another rousing and dramatic rendition in this quickly paced abridged entry in Hodder's top-flight Classic Collection series. The critical plot and subplot threads have been beautifully retained, and... |
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Poppy and Rye (rpkg) (The Poppy Stories) |
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Book Review
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0380797178 |
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From Publishers Weekly
The spirited mouse star from Poppy must now face life after Ragweed (her fiance who was killed by an owl). Poppy and her curmudgeonly porcupine friend Ereth leave Dimwood Forest in search of Ragweed's parents to tell them the sad news so that Poppy can "get on with her life." When they finally reach their destination, they discover it's hardly the "dullsville" that Ragweed had described. In fact, his family has been forced to leave their comfortable nest and move to higher ground: a clan of development-mad beavers are flooding out the residents in their efforts to turn the pastoral backwater into "Canad's Cute Condos." Along the way, Poppy encounters Ragweed's dreamy, poetic brother Rye, and before long the two mice are head over paws in love. When a showdown between the scheming beavers and the reluctantly... |
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Poppy |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0380727692 |
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From Publishers Weekly
Newbery Honor author Avi (Tom, Babette and Simon, reviewed June 12) turns out another winner with this fanciful tale featuring a cast of woodland creatures. As ruler of Dimwood Forest, Ocax the hoot owl has promised to protect the mice occupying an abandoned farmhouse as long as they ask permission before "moving about." Poppy, a timid dormouse, is a loyal, obedient subject-until she sees Ocax devour her fiance and hears the owl deny her father's request to seek new living quarters. To prove that the intimidating ruler is really a phony, Poppy embarks on a dangerous and eye-opening quest, which ends with her one-on-one battle with Ocax. While the themes about tyranny and heroism are timeless, Avi leavens his treatment with such 20th-century touches as Poppy's jive-talking boyfriend and Poppy's own romantic vision... |
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Nothing but the Truth: A Documentary Novel |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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038071907X |
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From Publishers Weekly
Structured as a series of journal entries, memos, letters and dialogues, this highly original novel emerges as a witty satire of high school politics, revealing how truth can easily become distorted. After Philip Malloy, a clownish, rather unmotivated freshman, is punished for causing a disturbance (humming "The Star Spangled Banner"), facts about the incident become exaggerated until a minor school infraction turns into a national scandal. Philip's parents, several reporters and a neighbor (who happens to be running for the school board) accuse the school of being unpatriotic. Philip gains fame as a martyr for freedom; his homeroom teacher, Miss Narwin, however, faces dismissal from her job. After gleaning the points of view of many characters, readers will side with Miss Narwin and will recognize the hollowness... |
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The Man Who Was Poe |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0380730227 |
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Ships within 3-4 days. |
From AudioFile
Avi's mystery offers a Holmes-ian precursor, Auguste Dupin, and a young boy. Dupin is actually his creator, Edgar Allan Poe, and the tale has enough complexity to match Doyle and Poe's stories. The setting is early nineteenth-century Providence, Rhode Island. George Guidall's style is relaxed and unfolds the story plainly to the listener without distractions. Guidall has a brilliant knack for conveying sinister atmosphere and unknown dangers. This adds immeasurably to the success of his narration, which will keep young mystery fans entranced. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--Children's Book Review Service
"The writing is that of a true master...a suspenseful, thought-provoking novel that combines mystery with historical fiction."
See... |
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Fighting Ground |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0064401855 |
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From Publishers Weekly
The compelling story of a young boy's first encounter with war and how it changes him. Ages 9-up. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-- H.
"Convincingly portrays Jonathan's passage from naive boy to young man."
See all Editorial Reviews
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True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0380728850 |
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From Publishers Weekly
Told in the form of a recollection, these "confessions" cover 13-year-old Charlotte's eventful 1832 transatlantic crossing. She begins her trip a prim schoolgirl returning home to her American family from England. From the start, there is something wrong with the Seahawk : the families that were to serve as Charlotte's chaperones do not arrive, and the unsavory crew warns her not to make the trip. When the crew rebels, Charlotte first sides with the civilized Captain Jaggerty, but before long she realizes that he is a sadist and--the only female aboard--she joins the crew as a seaman. Charlotte is charged with murder and sentenced to be hanged before the trip is over, but ends up in command of the Seahawk by the time it reaches its destination. Charlotte's repressive Puritanical family refuses to believe her... |
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Never Mind! |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0060543167 |
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Usually ships within 24 hours. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-Seventh-grade twins Edward and Meg are the first to proclaim that they are as different as night and day; Edward is a puny free spirit who attends an "alternative" middle school, while Meg is a control freak with low self-esteem. The twins take turns telling the story of how Meg's desire to fit in with the popular girls in her elite school and Edward's inability to resist taking his sister down a peg result in a fabrication of monstrous proportions. Soon everyone at Meg's school thinks she has a tall, gorgeous, rock star brother named Ted, a fiction that Edward (unbeknownst to Meg) encourages by impersonating Ted on the phone. The voices of the twins are eerily realistic and convincing, from Edward's choppy, casual comments on life to Meg's anguished ruminations. The readiness of most characters to... |
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The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (rack) |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0380714752 |
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From Publishers Weekly
In this crackling good yarn--a Newbery Honor book--a 13-year-old girl must extricate herself from a perilous position during an 1832 transatlantic voyage. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. On a long, grueling journey from England to Rhode Island in 1802, a 12 year old changes from a prim and proper girl to a swashbuckling mate of a mutinous crew and is accused of murder by the captain. Awash with shipboard activity, intense feelings, and a keen sense of time and place, the story is a throwback to good old-fashioned adventure yarns on the high seas. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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To Have and To Hold: Magical Wedding Bouquets |
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| Author: |
David Stark |
Book Review
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Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
1579652786 |
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From Booklist
As Stark and Adler say in their introduction, there's nothing quite like the day that they bring their clients (brides-to-be) to shop for flowers. Invariably, the women are at once excited and intimidated by the variety, especially when it comes to what the bride will carry as a bouquet. Stark and Adler break down the bouquet options by season and offer detailed descriptions of hundreds of types. Next to stunning photographs, the descriptions list every flower or greenery in each arrangement and end with a price range for that particular bouquet (rated by number of flowers, one flower meaning the cost is under $100 all the way up to four flowers meaning the cost is closer to $500). Stark and Adler's background as planners and decorators show through in their passionate treatment of this most cherished of items. Mary... |
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The Good Dog |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
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0689838255 |
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From Publishers Weekly
Themes reminiscent of Jack London's The Call of the Wild ring throughout this vividly imagined animal story. From a canine perspective, Avi (Poppy) relates how a malamute named McKinley's life changes after he encounters a wolf. Head dog in Steamboat Springs, McKinley leads a busy life, protecting his family (including his "human pup," Jack) and keeping order among his canine compatriots in the mountain town. While trying to aid a runaway the forlorn greyhound, Duchess, whose owner offers a reward for her return McKinley encounters Lupin, a wolf who hopes to recruit dogs for her dwindling pack. Lupin's indictment of dogs ("tongue-lapping, tail-wagging slaves who take their food from bowls!") both stirs and shames McKinley; he soon finds his loyalties torn as he simultaneously tries to foil Jack's misguided plan... |
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Poppy's Return (The Poppy Stories) |
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| Author: |
Avi, Brian Floca (Illustrator) |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover
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| ISBN: |
0060000120 |
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Usually ships in 24 hours |
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–In this latest installment in the series, Avi gives his animal characters an uncomfortable humanity. Poppy, now the mother of 11, faces middle age with sighs and regrets while her troublesome son Ragweed Jr. suffers the pangs of adolescence. When humans threaten to destroy Poppy's parents' home, she and Ragweed make the journey together, developing respect for one another's courage. This book lacks the delightful charm of the previous books. The deer mouse's midlife crisis and her son's adolescent rantings aren't well suited to their animal natures and won't be understood by the target audience, and the dialogue ranges from trite to grating. Avi devotes over half the book to the family conflict and very few pages to the attempted destruction of the farm, which, when it does come, is too... |
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The Mayor of Central Park |
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Book Review
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Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0060515570 |
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Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Avi reinvents himself with every book, and this lighthearted venture is no exception. The time is 1900; the place is New York City's Central Park; the protagonist is a dapper squirrel named Oscar Westerwit, who is the locus of sociability and the manager of the Central Park Green Sox baseball team. Unfortunately, trouble's a-brewin' with the team. Oscar's star pitcher has gone missing, and an army of rats, led by the nefarious Big Daddy Duds, has invaded the park and cut down the tree where Oscar's mother lives. Twinned to this plot is the story of Duds' sweet, sassy daughter, Maud, who leaves the family home to find a better, more wholesome life as a nurse. Oscar tries to save the park from the rats, Maud and baseball help serve up the thrilling denouement, and the whole thing is written in delicious period... |
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Our Living Bible |
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| Author: |
Yonah Avi |
Book Review
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Hardcover |
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0765460432 |
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The Secret School |
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Book Review
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Paperback
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| ISBN: |
0152046992 |
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Usually ships in 24 hours |
From Publishers Weekly
Weaving together a fast-moving plot, solid characterizations, sharply tuned dialogue and a wealth of detail, Avi (The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle) offers another satisfying historical novel, this time evoking rural Colorado in 1925. When the teacher at the one-room schoolhouse in Elk Valley must depart unexpectedly, the head of the school board decides to end the academic year right then, a month and a half before the summer break. To his surprise, 14-year-old Ida Bidson protests, because without exit exams, she cannot proceed to high school in the fall. "I'm not so sure a girl needs a high school education," Mr. Jordan retorts, undeterred. Then Ida's friend Tom comes up with a plan: "You're such a gravy know-it-all," he tells her. "You could take over the school when Miss Fletcher leaves." And so she... |
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Windcatcher (Avon Camelot Book) |
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Book Review
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Paperback
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| ISBN: |
0380718057 |
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Usually ships in 24 hours |
From Publishers Weekly
The Newbery Honor author offers a potent brew of mystery and adventure in this tale of an 11-year-old boy involved in a search for a centuries-old shipwreck. Ages 8-12. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Tony Souza, 11, uses his paper route earnings to buy a 12-foot sailboat that he takes with him when he spends part of the summer with his grandmother on the Connecticut shore. During his stay, he learns to sail and becomes intrigued by tales of buried treasure in the area. He and his grandmother learn more about the treasure, and he begins to piece together clues to its whereabouts. As he hunts, Tony encounters a couple who are illegally diving for the treasure, and they warn him away from their boat with an attack on... |
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My Love Affair with Modern Art : Behind the Scenes with a Legendary Curator |
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| Author: |
Avis Berman, Katharine Kuh |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover
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| ISBN: |
1559707690 |
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Usually ships in 24 hours |
From Publishers Weekly
[Signature]Reviewed by James LordThis love affair provides for those who care about art and artists a piercing, passionate glimpse of creative activity in America during the first half of the 20th century. Kuh (1904–1994) saw everything, knew everybody, went everywhere and in the miraculous lucidity of her old, old age still had the wit and discernment to tell the story of her vision, knowledge and travels. It is, of course, a very personal tale. The raison d'être of memoirs is not merely to relate experience but also to reveal the personality of the author. Thus, Kuh discloses how and why art became, as it were, the very backbone of her physical and spiritual adventure. It required exceptional courage and intellectual discipline. The revelations are aided and abetted, so to speak, by Kuh's friend,... |
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