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Showing 1 - 16 of 16 items
By Peter Rock. 2009
NOW A MAJOR FILM, LEAVE NO TRACE. Inspired by a true story, a riveting and unsettling novel about a girl…
and her father who live off the grid, in the shadows at the edge of civilization.Thirteen-year-old Caroline and her father live in Forest Park, an enormous nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. They inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, wash in a nearby creek, store perishables at the water’s edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts. Once a week they go to the city to buy groceries and otherwise merge with the civilized world. But one small mistake allows a backcountry jogger to discover them, which derails their entire existence, ultimately provoking a deeper flight. Told through the startlingly sincere voice of its young narrator, My Abandonment is a riveting journey into life at the margins and a mesmerizing tale of survival and hope.By Samuel Miller. 2024
Outer Banks meets Bone Gap in New York Times bestselling author Samuel Miller’s propulsive and genre-bending YA mystery, following a group of teenagers who discover…
a dead body while playing an app-based adventure game that sends players to “random” locations, unlocking a much deeper mystery about their small town. In Calico Springs, Willie’s life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The “miracle boy” died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn’t become clear until he found the Game.The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target—a blinking blue dot on the map. Willie’s second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he’s going to die.Willie’s older brother, Bones, doesn’t believe him, but their friends are intrigued. Sarai, a girl from across the river, sets the next intention: something bloody. The group follows the Game’s coordinates and they discover something even more unsettling than the graves: a dead body. Sarai’s stepfather’s body. The Game is suddenly personal.Willie is dedicated to proving the Game works while Sarai is set on finding out what happened to her stepdad. Bones just wants to enjoy his last summer before real life begins. As the group digs deeper into Manifest Atlas, stranger and wilder things begin to appear, unlocking a much deeper mystery running like an undercurrent through the small town.By Charles Dickens. 2017
A tale of family secrets and the damaging corruption of the British legal system from the author of Great Expectations…
and Oliver Twist. In Bleak House, Charles Dickens not only pries apart the stultifying and ponderous conduct and contracts of British moneyed society, but also takes specific aim at an English judicial system in desperate need of modernization and reform. Featuring the voice of Esther Summerson—Dickens&’s only female narrator—the story unfolds around a generations-old legal case involving numerous inheritances. It is Esther&’s hidden birthright that sparks the drama, bringing to light such memorable characters as the Lady Dedlock, haunted by her shameful past; John Jarndyce, whose seemingly infinite kindness is driven by hidden guilt; and the sly lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn, who secretly relishes the power his position gives him over his clients. Weaving a complex web of plots and subplots, Dickens created one of his most dramatically satisfying and boldly ambitious narratives in Bleak House, as the novel offers a scathing indictment of the mores and moral injustices of his time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.By Charlotte Bronte. 2020
One of the most widely-read and enjoyed of all Victorian novels, and one of the greatest tales of a woman's…
struggle for dignity and love in a hard time.Orphaned Jane Eyre endures an unhappy childhood, hated by her aunt and cousins and then sent to comfortless Lowood School. But life there improves and Jane stays on as a teacher, though she still longs for love and friendship. At Mr Rochester's house, where she goes to work as a governess, she hopes she might have found them - until she learns the terrible secret of the attic.By Charles Dickens. 1995
Rediscover Puffin Classics - bringing the best-loved stories to a new generation.As a small boy at Joe Gargery's forge, Pip…
meets two people who will affect his whole life - an escaped convict he is forced to help, and the eccentric Miss Haversham, whose beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella young Pip adores. But when a secret benefactor pays for him to go to London to become a gentleman, Pip never dreams he will meet the dreadful Magwitch again, nor just how wrong his expectations are.By Alessandro Giardino. 2024
Leyla is a headstrong Brooklyn-born art historian at a prestigious upstate New York college. When she meets feckless young computer…
technician Pablo at a party, she quickly becomes pregnant with his child. There’s only one problem: she can’t stand him. And one more problem: her student Michael wants Pablo for himself. Amid this love triangle, the objects of Leyla and Michael’s study take on a life of their own. Trying to learn more about Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Seven Works of Mercy, they pore over the journal and prison writings of maverick 17th-century utopian philosopher Tommaso Campanella, which, as if by enchantment, transport them back four centuries to Naples. And while the past and present miraculously converge, Leyla, Michael, and Tommaso embark on a voyage of self-discovery in search of a new life. In this fusion of historical, queer, and speculative fiction, Alessandro Giardino combines the intellectual playfulness of Umberto Eco with the psychological finesse of Michael Cunningham.By Brian Conaghan. 2011
Brian Conaghan’s first book.For age 13+. "innovative and insightful... couldn’t wait to devour part two" - Times Educational Supplement"I was…
utterly flabbergasted... one of the most compelling novels I've ever read" - Heffers Review, Cambridge "Brilliant writing, brilliant structure, brilliant book" - Des Dillon, author of Me and Ma Gal"definitely up there with the modern classics" - What? Magazine"A Must-Read for Teens and Adults: The Boy Who Made It Rain is an innovative novel that will keep you glued to the story until you turn the last page and learn the final outcome." - Fran Lewis, New York Reviewer.The storyWhen a school tragedy happens, you probably lay the blame on society, the Internet, TV or violent films. Not many of you think it could be the parents' or the teachers' fault, do you? But then, is it? We all have our say, spout off opinions in different directions according to our view of the world. In this novel, too, they all have their say, but who's right?At only sixteen Clem's world is turned upside down. His Willy-Loman-like father, a travelling salesman and a loser, is transferred from Eastbourne to Glasgow and along with him go Clem and his meek accommodating mother. But Glasgow is rough and Clem's posh English accent is not well-accepted in the sink school he attends. And he's a brilliant scholar. He soon becomes the target for McEvoy's group of thugs for whom slashing faces is the most important ambition in their depraved lives.By Giuseppe Berto. 2024
Christ’s nemesis Judas Iscariot remains a shadowy figure in the four canonical gospels, which give contradictory reasons for why this…
rogue disciple betrays Christ. But how would Judas himself explain his motives? In Glory, Italian modernist Giuseppe Berto’s final novel, Judas finally tells his side of the story. From his perspective, Jesus is the betrayer, a would-be political activist and social reformer who fails to live up to his promises. And by fulfilling his predestined role in the drama of Christ’s death and resurrection, Judas himself is partly responsible for humanity’s salvation, enabling them to be redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice. As the novel probes into the psychological motivations behind his rejection of Jesus’ authority, Judas emerges as a compelling conflicted character, a man who seeks to have agency even when he knows his actions are being scripted by a higher power. Through Judas’s searing tortured monologues, this late masterpiece from one of Italy’s greatest writers investigates deep questions about the nature of faith, rebellion, fate, and free will.By Stephen Chbosky. 2012
&“A timeless story for every young person who needs to understand that they are not alone.&” —Judy Blume &“Once in…
a while, a novel comes along that becomes a generational touchstone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books.&” —R. J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder This #1 New York Times bestselling coming-of-age story with millions of copies in print takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory. The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky follows observant &“wallflower&” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. A #1 New York Times bestseller for more than a year, adapted into a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson (and written and directed by the author), and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), this novel for teen readers (or wallflowers of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.By Willa Cather. 2007
Willa Cather&’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of World War IThe son of a prosperous farmer, Claude Wheeler&’s future is laid out…
for him as clear and monotonous as the Nebraska sky—a few semesters at the local Christian college followed by marriage and a lifetime spent worrying about the price of wheat. Many young men would be happy to find themselves in Claude&’s shoes, but his focus is on the horizon, and on the nagging sense that out there, past the farthest reaches of the Great Plains and beyond the boundaries of convention, his true destiny awaits. When the United States finally enters the war raging in Europe, Claude makes the first, and greatest, decision of his life: He answers the call. Based on the experiences of Willa Cather&’s cousin—G. P. Cather received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star for bravery in World War I—and interviews she conducted with wounded veterans, One of Ours is the indelible portrait of a man—and a nation—on the cusp of profound and irreversible change. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.By Kathleen T. Horning. 2010
An invaluable resource for professionals who wish to write book evaluations—and for all serious fans of children's literature!This revised edition…
of From Cover to Cover offers a fresh, up-to-date look at some of the best examples of children’s literature and also includes practical advice on how to write clearly articulated, reasoned opinions so that others can learn about books they have not yet read.A brief, updated introduction clearly explains how children’s books evolve from manuscripts into bound books and the importance of the many different parts of a book (jacket flaps, title page, copyright, etc.) and changes in the children’s book industry, such as the creation of two new major genre awards. In addition, the author demonstrates how to think about and critically evaluate several different genres of children’s books.Included are sections about books of information (and the author’s responsibility to document sources); traditional literature (myths, legends, tall tales, folktales); poetry, verse, rhymes, and songs; picture books; easy readers and traditional books; and fiction and graphic novels. There is also a concluding chapter on how to write reviews that are both descriptive and analytical, including a segment on children’s literature blogs.Updated material includes:•An introduction that reflects the many changes in the children’s book industry•A section on genres, including a discussion of graphic novels•A section on children’s literature blogs•An introduction of two new major genre awards: the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award•And more than 90% of the books cited have been updated from the first edition to more recent publications!By Ursula K. Le Guin. 2012
Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk…
tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.Thomas Hardy&’s classic tale of a woman brave enough to defy convention: Now a major motion picture starring Carey Mulligan…
Spirited, impulsive, and beautiful, Bathsheba Everdene arrives in Wessex to live with her aunt. She strikes up a friendship with a neighbor, Gabriel Oak, and even saves the young shepherd&’s life. But when he responds by asking for her hand in marriage, she refuses. She cannot sacrifice her independence for a man she does not love. Years later, misfortune has bankrupted Gabriel, while Bathsheba has inherited her uncle&’s estate and is now a wealthy woman. She hires Gabriel as a shepherd but is interested in William Boldwood, a prosperous farmer whose reticence inspires her to playfully send him a valentine. William, like Gabriel before him, quickly falls in love with Bathsheba and proposes. But it is the dashing Sergeant Francis Troy who finally wins her heart. Despite the warnings of her first two suitors, Bathsheba accepts his proposal—a decision that brings long-buried secrets to the fore and leaves everything for which she has fought so hard hanging in the balance. Published a century and a half ago, Far from the Madding Crowd was Thomas Hardy&’s first major success and introduced the themes he would continue to explore for the rest of his life. A love story wrapped in the cloak of tragedy, it is widely considered to be one of the finest novels of the nineteenth century. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.By Alice Pung. 1994
From one of Australia’s most celebrated authors comes a powerful mother-daughter drama that explores the fault lines between love and…
control, pairing the claustrophobic intensity of Room and My Year of Rest and Relaxation with the youthful angst of Freshwater. Sixteen and pregnant, Karuna finds herself trapped in her mother’s Melbourne public housing apartment for one hundred days awaiting the birth of her child—and her mother’s next move in a shocking power struggle over who will raise the baby. To fill the seemingly endless hours of her imprisonment, she writes to her unborn child, determined that her baby will know the truth, no matter what happens.Karuna’s pregnancy is the result of a heady act of independence, lust, and defiance that happened in a moment of freedom from her overprotective mother. In reaction to her daughter’s recklessness, Karuna’s mother locks her inside their apartment to her to make sure she can’t get into any more trouble. While postpartum confinement is a tradition in many cultures, is Karuna’s an act of love—or emotional abuse? As the birth approaches, Karuna and her mother repeatedly trip the fault lines between love and control. And somehow, despite their battles, Karuna recognizes her mother’s love in even the strangest of behaviors.At times tense and unnerving, One Hundred Days illuminates the pain, confusion, and thrill of growing up and the overwhelming desire of adults to protect the children theyBy Meredith Miller. 2018
“A stunning portrayal of platonic love, the forces that push people apart, and the pains of growing out into the…
world. The plot unravels slowly, woven in beautiful prose.” — Kirkus Reviews“Miller’s style is languid and portentous...This is for readers who enjoy poetic, character-driven fiction and don’t mind some gauziness to their grit.” — BooklistPraise for LITTLE WRECKS: “Darkly atmospheric and brutally honest, LITTLE WRECKS depicts girls becoming women in a society that devalues both.” — Mindy McGinnis, author of FEMALE OF THE SPECIESPraise for LITTLE WRECKS: “Darkly thought–provoking reflections on modern gender politics.” — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for LITTLE WRECKS: “Readers who adore lyrical, character driven fiction with a gritty edge will find plenty to love here.” — BooklistBy Kent Meyers. 2004
This story of a horse trainer and a rich man&’s wife is &“a gorgeously written, exacting exploration of duty and…
retribution set in dusty rural South Dakota&” (Publishers Weekly). When fourteen-year-old Carson Fielding bought his first horse from Magnus Yarborough, it became clear the teenager was a better judge of horses than the rich landowner was of humans. Years later, Carson—now a skilled and respected horse trainer—grudgingly agrees to train Magnus&’s horses and teach his wife to ride. But as Carson becomes disaffected with the power-hungry Magnus, he also grows more and more attracted to the rancher&’s wife, and their relationship sets off a violent chain of events that unsettles their quiet town in South Dakota. Thrown into the drama are Earl Walks Alone, a Lakota trying to study his way out of the reservation and into college, and Willi, a German exchange student confronting his family&’s troubled history. Described by Howard Frank Mosher as &“the best western-based fiction I&’ve read since Lonesome Dove and Plainsong,&” this &“compelling&” story of love and hatred by the author of Twisted Tree offers &“fine characterizations, crisp dialogue and fully realized sense of place&” (The Denver Post). &“Kent Meyers&’s new novel is the kind of book that demands and rewards fierce loyalty. . . . I instantly fell under its spell.&” —The Christian Science Monitor