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The Wanderer |
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| Author: |
Sharon Creech |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0064410323 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 3-4 days. |
Book Review
"I am not always such a dreamy girl, listening to the sea calling me. My father calls me Three-sided Sophie: one side is dreamy and romantic; one is logical and down-to-earth; and the third side is hardheaded and impulsive." Thirteen-year-old Sophie, skipping between "dreamland or earthland or muleland," hears the sea calling her. Much to the concern of her adopted parents, she decides to join her uncles and male cousins on a sailing voyage from Connecticut across the Atlantic to England (and her grandfather Bompie) on a 45-foot sailboat. Not only does she want to make the trip, she feels she has to. This perilous cross-Atlantic journey will make young readers feel the wind in their hair and the salt spray on their face. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons) describes the sailing experience with... |
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Smoky Night |
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| Author: |
Eve Bunting |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152018840 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
Book Review
This is a story about cats -- and people -- who couldn't get along until a smoky and fearful night brings them together. The Los Angeles riots made author Eve Bunting wonder about what riots meant to the children who live through them -- and what we can all learn from such upheavals. She has written more than 100 books for children and young adults, including Night Tree and Summer Wheels, and many deal thoughtfully with difficult issues. Smoky Night was the winner of the 1995 Caldecott Medal; an American Library Association Notable Children's Book; a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; and a Parent's Choice Award.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Bunting addresses urban violence in this thought-provoking and visually... |
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Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman |
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| Author: |
Kathleen Krull |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152020985 |
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From Publishers Weekly
"No one expected such a tiny girl to have a first birthday," begins this inspiring biographical sketch of a legendary track stars. Born in 1940 in Tennessee, the chronically sickly though "lively" Rudolph contracted polio just before her fifth birthday. Though not expected to walk again, the fiercely determined girl persevered with her leg exercises; by the time she was 12, she no longer needed her steel brace. Eight years later, Rudolph represented the U.S. in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where, despite a twisted ankle, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals during a single Olympic competition. Krull's (Lives of the Musicians) characteristic, conversational style serves her especially well here. Through her words the nearly superhuman Rudolph seems both personable and recognizable. Rendered... |
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The Little Scarecrow Boy |
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| Author: |
Margaret Wise Brown |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0060778911 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
Hewing to an earthy palette of cornfield yellows, oranges, and greens, with shades of blue for contrast, Caldecott Medalist Diaz (Smoky Night) makes a dramatic departure, in a winsome interpretation of Brown's previously unpublished tale. In typical Brown fashion, a strong and loving family bond is at the core of the story, which tells of a happy scarecrow trio. "Old man scarecrow" is teaching his son the family business, and although the scarecrow boy is eager to ply his trade, his father tells him repeatedly "No, little boy./ You can't go./ You're not fierce enough/ to scare a crow./ Wait till you grow." But one day the lad can't resist giving his new skills a try, and nearly comes to grief. Not until his sixth attempt, making his fiercest face of all, does he finally drive the crows away from the fields. This... |
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Going Home |
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| Author: |
Eve Bunting |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0064435091 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
With its remarkable illustrations and its affectionate portrait of a migrant family, Eve Bunting's latest book is a jewel. Carlos, his parents, and his sisters visit the family village in Mexico. Mama and Papa are very excited, but the kids don't know what all the fuss is about. If they really love Mexico, what could be the point of leaving for America just for "opportunities"? As they watch their parents with the family, and sneak a peek at the two of them dancing in the moonlight to a song only they can hear, Carlos understands. "They love it here because it's home. They have left home for us." With clarity, warmth, and very few words, Bunting has explained those ever-new American dreamers to yet another generation.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
... |
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The Wanderer |
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| Author: |
Sharon Creech |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0060766735 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
Book Review
"I am not always such a dreamy girl, listening to the sea calling me. My father calls me Three-sided Sophie: one side is dreamy and romantic; one is logical and down-to-earth; and the third side is hardheaded and impulsive." Thirteen-year-old Sophie, skipping between "dreamland or earthland or muleland," hears the sea calling her. Much to the concern of her adopted parents, she decides to join her uncles and male cousins on a sailing voyage from Connecticut across the Atlantic to England (and her grandfather Bompie) on a 45-foot sailboat. Not only does she want to make the trip, she feels she has to. This perilous cross-Atlantic journey will make young readers feel the wind in their hair and the salt spray on their face. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons) describes the sailing experience with... |
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The Gospel Cinderella |
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| Author: |
Joyce Carol Thomas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060253878 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-Numerous "Cinderella" variants abound, including John L. Steptoe's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (HarperCollins, 1987), and Robert San Souci's Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella (S & S, 1998), but none so distinctly African American as in this version, which draws on the gospel music tradition. Set in a southern swamp, it has the usual elements of a poor, persecuted young girl and mean stepmother and stepsisters. But instead of a prince looking for his princess, a mother, Queen Rhythm, looks for a Daughter of Rhythm to take her place in the Great Gospel Choir. A convention is held to find that one special voice. The prince here is the choir's piano-playing Prince of Music. Cinderella, of course, turns out to be the long-lost daughter of Queen Rhythm. She is finally located through a... |
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Learning PHP 5 |
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| Author: |
David Sklar |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0596005601 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Description
PHP has gained a following among non-technical web designers who need to add interactive aspects to their sites. Offering a gentle learning curve, PHP is an accessible yet powerful language for creating dynamic web pages. As its popularity has grown, PHP's basic feature set has become increasingly more sophisticated. Now PHP 5 boasts advanced features--such as new object-oriented capabilities and support for XML and Web Services--that will please even the most experienced web professionals while still remaining user-friendly enough for those with a lower tolerance for technical jargon. If you've wanted to try your hand at PHP but haven't known where to start, then Learning PHP 5 is the book you need. If you've wanted to try your hand at PHP but haven't known where to start, then Learning PHP 5 is the... |
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The Gospel Cinderella |
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| Author: |
Joyce Carol Thomas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060253886 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-Numerous "Cinderella" variants abound, including John L. Steptoe's Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (HarperCollins, 1987), and Robert San Souci's Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella (S & S, 1998), but none so distinctly African American as in this version, which draws on the gospel music tradition. Set in a southern swamp, it has the usual elements of a poor, persecuted young girl and mean stepmother and stepsisters. But instead of a prince looking for his princess, a mother, Queen Rhythm, looks for a Daughter of Rhythm to take her place in the Great Gospel Choir. A convention is held to find that one special voice. The prince here is the choir's piano-playing Prince of Music. Cinderella, of course, turns out to be the long-lost daughter of Queen Rhythm. She is finally located through a... |
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The Pot That Juan Built |
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| Author: |
Nancy Andrews-Goebel |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
1584300388 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
Noted Mexican potter Juan Quezada is the subject of an inventive and engrossing biography from newcomer Andrews-Goebel (who coproduced a documentary on Quezada) and Caldecott winner Diaz. On the left side of each spread, a "House That Jack Built"-style rhyme accumulates the often humble factors that shaped an extraordinary artist ("These are the cows all white and brown/ That left manure all over the ground/ That fueled the flames so sizzling hot/ That flickered and flared and fired the pot/ The beautiful pot that Juan built"). This lilting rhyme describes the rudiments of Quezada's process, but for more ambitious readers, the opposite page (unfortunately, in very small type) provides a straightforward elaboration ("Juan's pottery is fired the traditional way, using dried cow manure for fuels.... [M]anure from... |
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December |
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| Author: |
Eve Bunting |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152024220 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4. A story singular in its originality; its artwork; and its contemporary, multilayered theme that is ultimately filled with joy and peace despite its stark setting. On Christmas Eve, a homeless boy and his mother share their small cardboard-box home with an elderly stranger. The next morning, she is gone. And outside, the child thinks?but cannot believe?he sees an angel like the one on his December calendar page. The story ends a year later, when his situation has changed. His mother has a job and they have moved to a small apartment. It is then he observes that his calendar angel wears a rose just like the one the stranger had put on his Christmas tree. The message of charity as a risk worth taking in a dangerous world is a sobering, thoughtful holiday message. So deft in her writing, Bunting... |
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The Little Scarecrow Boy |
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| Author: |
Margaret Wise Brown |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060262842 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
Hewing to an earthy palette of cornfield yellows, oranges, and greens, with shades of blue for contrast, Caldecott Medalist Diaz (Smoky Night) makes a dramatic departure, in a winsome interpretation of Brown's previously unpublished tale. In typical Brown fashion, a strong and loving family bond is at the core of the story, which tells of a happy scarecrow trio. "Old man scarecrow" is teaching his son the family business, and although the scarecrow boy is eager to ply his trade, his father tells him repeatedly "No, little boy./ You can't go./ You're not fierce enough/ to scare a crow./ Wait till you grow." But one day the lad can't resist giving his new skills a try, and nearly comes to grief. Not until his sixth attempt, making his fiercest face of all, does he finally drive the crows away from the fields. This... |
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The Little Scarecrow Boy |
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| Author: |
Margaret Wise Brown |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060262907 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From Publishers Weekly
Hewing to an earthy palette of cornfield yellows, oranges, and greens, with shades of blue for contrast, Caldecott Medalist Diaz (Smoky Night) makes a dramatic departure, in a winsome interpretation of Brown's previously unpublished tale. In typical Brown fashion, a strong and loving family bond is at the core of the story, which tells of a happy scarecrow trio. "Old man scarecrow" is teaching his son the family business, and although the scarecrow boy is eager to ply his trade, his father tells him repeatedly "No, little boy./ You can't go./ You're not fierce enough/ to scare a crow./ Wait till you grow." But one day the lad can't resist giving his new skills a try, and nearly comes to grief. Not until his sixth attempt, making his fiercest face of all, does he finally drive the crows away from the fields. This... |
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Going Home |
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| Author: |
Eve Bunting |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060262966 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
With its remarkable illustrations and its affectionate portrait of a migrant family, Eve Bunting's latest book is a jewel. Carlos, his parents, and his sisters visit the family village in Mexico. Mama and Papa are very excited, but the kids don't know what all the fuss is about. If they really love Mexico, what could be the point of leaving for America just for "opportunities"? As they watch their parents with the family, and sneak a peek at the two of them dancing in the moonlight to a song only they can hear, Carlos understands. "They love it here because it's home. They have left home for us." With clarity, warmth, and very few words, Bunting has explained those ever-new American dreamers to yet another generation.
From Publishers Weekly
Diaz's fiesta-bright... |
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E=Mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation |
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| Author: |
David Bodanis |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0802714633 |
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| Availability: |
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Review
"No one makes complex science more fascinating and accessible than David Bodanis." --Bill Bryson
"A lucid, even thrilling study: the very best kind of science journalism." --Fay Weldon, Washington Post
"For the first time, I really feel that I understand the meaning and implications of that equation…there is a great 'aha!' awaiting the lay reader." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Even people who approach physics and mathematics with trepidation will be fascinated and enlightened by this dazzling book." --Parade
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E = mc¿: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation |
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| Author: |
David Bodanis |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0425181642 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
E=mc2. Just about everyone has at least heard of Albert Einstein's formulation of 1905, which came into the world as something of an afterthought. But far fewer can explain his insightful linkage of energy to mass. David Bodanis offers an easily grasped gloss on the equation. Mass, he writes, "is simply the ultimate type of condensed or concentrated energy," whereas energy "is what billows out as an alternate form of mass under the right circumstances." Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an... |
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The Wanderer |
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| Author: |
Sharon Creech |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0060277300 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
"I am not always such a dreamy girl, listening to the sea calling me. My father calls me Three-sided Sophie: one side is dreamy and romantic; one is logical and down-to-earth; and the third side is hardheaded and impulsive." Thirteen-year-old Sophie, skipping between "dreamland or earthland or muleland," hears the sea calling her. Much to the concern of her adopted parents, she decides to join her uncles and male cousins on a sailing voyage from Connecticut across the Atlantic to England (and her grandfather Bompie) on a 45-foot sailboat. Not only does she want to make the trip, she feels she has to. This perilous cross-Atlantic journey will make young readers feel the wind in their hair and the salt spray on their face. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons) describes the sailing experience with... |
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