123 the Children`s Book

Michael Jackson: This Is It

2009-11-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

SEE THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME AT THEATERS – LOOK FOR IT SOON ON DVD AND BLU-RAY. Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show.

Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson's creative partner and the director of the stage show.

It's hard not to watch This Is It without feeling a mixture of sorrow and elation. When he passed away in the summer of 2009, Michael Jackson was in the midst of rehearsals for his final tour, an ambitious 50-date engagement. In editing 120 hours of rehearsal footage together, Jackson producer Kenny Ortega proves that it would've been an event for the ages. Michael performs material that spans his career, from a Motown medley to multi-platinum hits from Off the Wall, Thriller, andBad. Though he hadn't toured in 10 years, it becomes instantly apparent, despite rumors to the contrary, that Jackson was still in full possession of that unmistakable voice--high-pitched whoops and all--and that he still had the gravity-defying moves of a man half his age. Jackson and Ortega also collaborated on some real showstoppers, such as a graveyard-set "Thriller"; an imposing "They Don't Care About Us," in which several dancers appear to morph into thousands; and a film noir sequence in which the singer slides in and out of Gilda and other black-and-white classics, singing "Smooth Criminal" all the while. Not everything works, like the Jackson 5 numbers, in which he flubs a few lyrics, claiming that his earpiece isn't working properly, but as he readily acknowledges, "That's what rehearsal is for." It's a tragedy that he didn't get the chance to share this dazzling show with the world, but Ortega allows fans to feel as if it actually happened--at least onscreen. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Apple iPod nano 8 GB Blue

2009-10-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

A Musical Genius
Say you're listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. The Genius Playlist feature finds the songs in your music library that go great together and makes a Genius Playlist for you. It's like having your own highly intelligent, personal DJ.

Find Your Music Faster

It's even easier to find the song you want to hear. Now you can view your album art in Cover Flow. Or just press and hold the Center button to browse by album or artist. When you find the right song, press the Center button to add it to your on-the-go playlist.

Rock and Roll Over
Tilt or turn iPod nano on its side, and you'll listen, watch, and play in new ways. You can flip through your album art with Cover Flow. Or, vertically speaking, see more albums and artists on the screen at one time.

Shake Your Groove Thing
Sometimes, we could all use a little unpredictability. And now you can shake to change your music. Just give iPod nano a shake, and it shuffles to a different song in your music library. You'll always be surprised by what you'll hear.

Let the Games Begin
Now you can get in on games made especially for iPod nano and the accelerometer. They respond to the way you move, so they're immersive, addictive, and a blast. The iPod nano comes with Maze, which lets you work your way through vast mazes by tilting and moving. You can find even more games on the iTunes Store.

Even Your Photos Rock
Pull hundreds of photos from your pocket and share them wherever you go. Hold iPod nano upright and see your photos in portrait view. Turn the player on its side to see them in landscape. Your photos look beautiful in their proper aspect ratio on the vibrant, 320-by-240-resolution display.

The World's Biggest Small Screen
Watching movies, TV shows, and videos is big fun on iPod nano. And the high-resolution picture looks crisp and vivid on the 2-inch widescreen display. So you can always have a little video with you.

Reduced Environmental Impact
The iPod nano embodies Apple's continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

Arsenic-free glass
Brominated flame retardant-free
Mercury-free
PVC-free
Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure

What's in the Box
iPod nano, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, quick start guide

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

2009-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Product Description

It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.

Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”

Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?

About the Author

Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and designer, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. In 2009, Jeff was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and their two sons.

The Lost Symbol

2009-09-08T00:37:00.000-07:00

Dan Brown’s new novel, the eagerly awaited follow-up to his #1 international phenomenon, The Da Vinci Code, which was the bestselling hardcover adult novel of all time, will be published on September 15, 2009.

The Lost Symbol will once again feature Dan Brown’s unforgettable protagonist, Robert Langdon.

“The Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller. Dan Brown’s prodigious talent for storytelling, infused with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display in this new book. This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait,” said Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor in Chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Brown’s longtime editor, Jason Kaufman, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday said, “Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. This book’s narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period, and from the first page, Dan’s readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises.”

"This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey," said Brown. "Weaving five years of research into the story's twelve-hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves a lot faster than mine."

Reference : Amazon.com

Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black (4th Generation) NEWEST MODEL

2009-09-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

With eight amazing colors, a new curved design, and great new features, iPod nano rocks like never before. The Genius Playlist feature finds the songs in your music library that go great together and makes a playlist for you. With its built-in accelerometer, iPod nano is made to move. Give it a shake, and it shuffles to a different song in your library. Turn it on its side to flip through your album art in Cover Flow. And tilt, move, and play accelerometer-inspired games (games available separately). Watching movies, TV shows, and video is even more fun on the sharp 2-inch screen. And your photos (up to 7,000 of them) look great in portrait or landscape view. Available in 8 GB and 16 GB models, the 8 GB iPod nano puts up to 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video in your pocket.

A Musical Genius
Say you're listening to a song you really like and want to hear other tracks that go great with it. The Genius Playlist feature finds the songs in your music library that go great together and makes a Genius Playlist for you. It's like having your own highly intelligent, personal DJ.

Find Your Music Faster
It's even easier to find the song you want to hear. Now you can view your album art in Cover Flow. Or just press and hold the Center button to browse by album or artist. When you find the right song, press the Center button to add it to your on-the-go playlist.

Rock and Roll Over
Tilt or turn iPod nano on its side, and you'll listen, watch, and play in new ways. You can flip through your album art with Cover Flow. Or, vertically speaking, see more albums and artists on the screen at one time.

Shake Your Groove Thing
Sometimes, we could all use a little unpredictability. And now you can shake to change your music. Just give iPod nano a shake, and it shuffles to a different song in your music library. You'll always be surprised by what you'll hear.

Let the Games Begin
Now you can get in on games made especially for iPod nano and the accelerometer. They respond to the way you move, so they're immersive, addictive, and a blast. The iPod nano comes with Maze, which lets you work your way through vast mazes by tilting and moving. You can find even more games on the iTunes Store.

Even Your Photos Rock
Pull hundreds of photos from your pocket and share them wherever you go. Hold iPod nano upright and see your photos in portrait view. Turn the player on its side to see them in landscape. Your photos look beautiful in their proper aspect ratio on the vibrant, 320-by-240-resolution display.

Reference : Amazon.com

The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World (Kindle Edition)

2009-07-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Product Reviews From Publishers Weekly
Stearns, the CEO of World Vision, says Christians have a huge hole in their lives, an emptiness that comes from ignoring the plight of the poor. He details his own quest to fill this hole by leaving Lenox Inc., where he was CEO, to run a not-for-profit that helps feed, clothe, and educate children worldwide. Unlike many evangelical Christians, Stearns believes poverty is explained by something more than choices, and lifting cultures from the systemic causes of poverty requires a multi-pronged approach. This accessible book will make it into the hands of evangelical Christians who may not pick up one of the many ABA books on issues of hunger, access to clean water, malaria and AIDS. Readers of Rick Warren, Jim Wallis and N.T. Wright will find Stearns synthesizing thoughts from them as well as from economists and missionaries.This is a passionate and motivating magnum opus from the leader of one of the most recognized aid organizations in the world. The book is a surprisingly no-holds-barred prophetic voice in the wilderness crying out to rich Americans, "Repent and help your world neighbors."
"Preach the Gospel always. Use words if necessary." - St. Francis of Assisi

It's 1998 and Richard Stearns' heart is breaking as he sits in a mud hut and listens to the story of an orphaned child in Rakai, Uganda. His journey to this place took more than a long flight from the United States to Africa. It took answering God's call on his life, a call that hurtled him out of his presidential corner office at Lenox-America's finest tableware company-to this humble corner of Uganda.

This is a story of how a corporate CEO faced his own struggle to obey God whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith. Using his own journey as an example, Stearns explores the hole that exists in our understanding of the Gospel.

Two thousand years ago, twelve people changed the world. Stearns believes it can happen again.

"Read this compelling story and urgent call for change-Richard Stearns is a contemporary Amos crying 'let justice roll down like waters….' Justice is a serious gospel-prophetic mandate. Far too many American Christians for too long a time have left the cause to 'others.' Read it as an altar call."

--Eugene H. Peterson, translator of The Message, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC

"Rich Stearns calls us to exhilarating obedience to God's life-altering, world-changing command to reflect his love to our neighbors at home and globally. The Hole in Our Gospel is imbued with the hope of what is possible when God's people are transformed to live radically in light of his great love."

--Gary Haugen, President & CEO, International Justice Mission

"Richard Stearns is quite simply one of the finest leaders I have ever known.... When he became president of World Vision I had a front row seat to witness the way God used his mind and heart to inspire thousands.... His new book, The Hole In Our Gospel will call you to a higher level of discipleship.... Now is the time...Richard Stearns has the strategy...your move!"

--Bill Hybels, Founding and Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL

"Rich Stearns has given us a book that makes absolutely clear what God hopes for and expects from each of us.... He reminded me of my personal responsibilities and the priority I must give them and also where life's true rewards and fulfillment are to be found."

--Jim Morris, former executive director, United Nations World Food Program

"World Vision plays a strategic role on our globe. As the largest relief organization in the history of the world, they initiate care and respond to crisis. Rich Stearns navigates this mercy mission with great skill. His book urges us to think again about the opportunity to love our neighbor and comfort the afflicted. His message is timely and needed. May God bless him, the mission of World Vision and all who embrace it."
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The Castaways: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

2009-07-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Product Description
In the close-knit group of four successful Nantucket couples who call themselves the Castaways, Greg and Tess MacAvoy had what everybody wanted. Or so it seems to Delilah Drake, the voluptuous bon vivant Castaway married to staid farmer Jeffrey. But when Greg and Tess sail to Martha's Vineyard to celebrate their anniversary and mysteriously drown, their deaths stir up more secrets than there are tourists on the island's golden beaches. Hilderbrand (Barefoot) goes deep into each of the surviving Castaways' hearts, revealing old affairs and new entanglements. Was Greg involved with someone else? Was Tess going to leave Greg for Addison Wheeler, the rich Castaway married to the pill-popping Phoebe? Hilderbrand will reveal all, as well as plenty of other tidbits that aren't as interesting—including how long Delilah was in labor with her first son, the titles of songs that come on the radio at important moments and the lengths Addison went to get a stoned Phoebe to sleep with him. Readers of women's fiction who don't mind digressions should be satisfied with this tale of knotty relationships set against the lovely Nantucket backdrop. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.
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Shanghai Girls: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

2009-07-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Product Description
For readers of the phenomenal bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love--a stunning new novel from Lisa See about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.
May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.
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Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device

2009-07-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

Kindle DX is as thin as most magazines. Just over a third of an inch in profile, you'll find Kindle DX fits perfectly in your hands. Kindle DX's large display is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Kindle DX's display is two and a half times the size of the Kindle display. Whether you're reading the latest bestseller or a financial report, text and images are amazingly sharp on the 9.7" screen. By simply turning the device, you can immediately see full-width landscape views of maps, graphs, tables and Web pages. Unload the loose documents from your briefcase or backpack, and put them all on Kindle DX. From neighborhood newsletters to financial statements to case studies and product manuals--you can take them all with you on Kindle DX. Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go. With Amazon's Whispernet service, you can send your documents directly to your Kindle DX and read them anytime, anywhere. Some features such as annotations and read-to-me are not currently supported for PDF.

You can magnify PDFs by viewing them in landscape mode. Kindle DX has an easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words. Kindle DX is completely wireless and ready to use right out of the box--no setup, no cables, no computer required. With Kindle DX's long battery life, you can read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly. Kindle DX supports wall charging via the included Kindle DX power adapter, and charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable. Kindle DX fully charges in approximately 4 hours.

Technical Details :

Display: 9.7" diagonal E Ink® electronic paper display, 1200 x 824 pixel resolution at 150 ppi, 16-level gray scale.

Size (in inches): 10.4" x 7.2" x 0.38".

Weight: 18.9 ounces.

System requirements: None, because it doesn't require a computer.

Storage: 4GB internal (approximately 3.3GB available for user content).

Battery Life: Read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to two weeks. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content. In low coverage areas or in 1xRTT only coverage, wireless usage will consume battery power more quickly.

Charge Time: Fully charges in approximately 4 hours and supports charging from your computer via the included USB 2.0 cable.

Connectivity: EVDO modem with fallback to 1xRTT; utilizes Amazon Whispernet to provide U.S wireless coverage via Sprint's 3G high-speed data network (check wireless coverage). See Wireless Terms and Conditions.

USB Port: USB 2.0 (micro-USB connector) for connection to the Kindle DX power adapter or optionally to connect to a PC or Macintosh computer.

Audio: 3.5mm stereo audio jack, built-in stereo speakers.

Content Formats Supported: Kindle (AZW), PDF, TXT, Audible (formats 4, Audible Enhanced (AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

Included Accessories: Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, battery. Leather book cover sold separately.

Michael Jackson: For The Record

2009-06-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Michael Jackson first entered a recording studio in November 1967, just three months after his ninth birthday. Two years later he and his older brothers scored their first hit, 'I Want You Back' - and, despite set-backs that would have ended the career of a lesser man, Michael's legion of fans remain as loyal today as they have ever been. This is the story of the man and his music...
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Michael Jackson Conspiracy

2009-06-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Product Description
He was the pop icon the media loved to hate. Tremendously wealthy, inarguably eccentric, and one of the most famous people in the world, Michael Jackson was the unenviable target of constant public humiliation. The media poked fun at his skin, his features, his sexuality, and his lifestyle.Here, seasoned crime reporter Aphrodite Jones condemns the media for perpetuating hateful rumors and innuendoes, recounting just the sordid details, and reporting only the most despicable accusations and grisly charges made against Michael Jackson during his criminal trial. They had built a highly profitable industry around the superstar's "freaky life" and banked on his conviction. And, it turns out, they got it all wrong.In their efforts to make money and win ratings, the media missed the truth. It wasn't until after the "not guilty" verdict that Jones had the insight and courage to admit her own unintentional role in the frenzy surrounding the shocking testimony, high drama, and countless celebrities in Michael Jackson's high-profile criminal trial. Here, she makes amends with what is not only a truthful, well-documented chronicle of the entire trial but a powerful indictment against the media for conspiring to distort, dehumanize, and destroy Michael Jackson. Jones argues convincingly that the case against Jackson amounted to nothing more than a media-made, tax-paid scandal, and she makes an impassioned call to action for the public-at-large to think critically, question the integrity, and demand the truth in "the news". --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Michael Jackson Official Calendar 2009: Thriller 25th Anniversary Special Edition

2009-06-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Product Description
February 12th, 2008 saw the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller album in a special 25th anniversary edition featuring all classic Thriller hits digitally remastered, a bonus DVD with Jackson's electrifying appearances and dance moves from the Thriller era PLUS brand-new tracks and remixes of Thriller's biggest hits with guest stars such as Akon, Fergie, Kanye West, and will.i.am.

Michael Jackson 2009 Wall Calendar is the final official product celebrating Thriller's 25th birthday. This strictly limited and special edition calendar, will remind you of the greatness of Michael Jackson and Thriller throughout the entire year 2009. The calendar's motto is "Thriller ... Then and Now." It celebrates 25 years of the biggest selling album of all time and features high quality and glossy photographs from the iconic times of Thriller as well as special artworks by today's most renowed digital artists paying tribute to Michael Jackson ... then and now.
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Thriller 25th Anniversary: The Book, Celebrating the Biggest Selling Album of All Time

2009-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Product Description
The party ain't over yet! Michael Jackson celebrates the 25th anniversary of Thriller, the world's largest selling album of all time, and the biggest milestone in pop music ever. THRILLER - the music, the videos, the looks and the dance moves that changed music forever.

February 12th, 2008 saw the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller album in a special 25th anniversary edition featuring all classic Thriller hits digitally remastered, a bonus DVD with Jackson's electrifying appearances and dance moves from the Thriller era PLUS brand-new tracks and remixes of Thriller's biggest hits with guest stars such as Akon, Fergie, Kanye West, and will.i.am.

Now, the party continues: THRILLER 25th Anniversary - The Book celebrates the iconic King of Pop and the world's biggest selling album of all time. More than 180 exclusive, high quality, digitally remastered and glossy photographs make this book a visual journey back to the iconic times of Thriller: Behind the scenes in the studio recording THRILLER, making the revolutionary short films, being on a victorious tour, Grammy's most glorious night, and much more.
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Michael Jackson: The Man behind the Mask

2009-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Product Description‘Michael Jackson: The Man behind the Mask’ is the INSIDE STORY of the truth behind the rumors, ugliness and mystery surrounding Michael Jackson.
Is Jackson just a confused person who got too much fame too soon or is he a cold and calculating villain who will stop at nothing to have his bizarre appetites satisfied? Now you can read about it for the first time from the man who knows everything!

The author, Bob Jones, is not a journalist conducting interviews but somebody who has known and been with Jackson for 34 years as his chief of Public Relations; by his side since Michael was 11 years old. Bob Jones is the one person with this unique inside view of Michael Jackson’s world. To a certain degree, Bob Jones CREATED Michael Jackson. He created his image. For example, Bob Jones created Michael Jackson’s famous nickname "The King of Pop".
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Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness

2009-06-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Product Description
So much has how been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. Recent revelations are only the latest instalments of a saga that began decades ago. This book is the fruit of over 30 years of research and hundreds of exclusive interviews with a remarkable level of access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family - including Michael himself. Cutting through tabloid rumours, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind the Michael Jackson we see and hear today, from his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent to his ever-changing personal appearance and bizarre publicity stunts. This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's life: his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's best-sellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.
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Michael Jackson: Facts from the Dancefloor

2009-06-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Product Description
This guide to the music of Michael Jackson and the Jackson family examines every song released by The Jackson 5, both as a group and as individuals. There is a section on the solo careers of Michael and Janet and the book is CD shaped to sit alongside a CD collection. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The Hobbit

2009-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Product Description

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a "little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves." He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, "looking for someone to share in an adventure," Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat or an umbrella, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure.

The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring. Though The Hobbit is lighter in tone than the trilogy that follows, it has, like Bilbo Baggins himself, unexpected iron at its core. Don't be fooled by its fairy-tale demeanor; this is very much a story for adults, though older children will enjoy it, too. By the time Bilbo returns to his comfortable hobbit-hole, he is a different person altogether, well primed for the bigger adventures to come--and so is the reader. --Alix Wilber --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

194 of 224 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inferiour to L.R.? I think not! No, just different!, April 7, 2000
By Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Hobbit: or There and Back Again (Paperback)
The biggest problem with this novel is perception. Tolkien wrote this story for children; to be more specific, this was written for HIS children. There were several stories like this, but it was this, The Hobbit, that was his master achievement in children's literature.
The Lord of the Rings ( a single epic, NOT a trilogy) was written to cash in on The Hobbit's success. Tolkien wanted to get on with the more serious work of his mythology, and ultimately that is what happened with The Lord of the Rings. It became attached to his mythology, and became as important to him as The Silmarillion.

So delineation is required if you want to read this. Do not go in with the thought that The Hobbit is a "precursor" or any such nonsense to The Lord of the Rings. Think of it like you would think of any other children's classics: children's classics. If you take it on The L. R.'s terms, this is a failure, primary because it is not written to be like that. But, on the flipside, The L. R. is as much a failure in children's fiction. It is not children's fiction, it is epic fantasy, and one should not equate it with children's fiction. That is EXACTLY what people try to do with The Hobbit. They try to put it in the same type of genre or playing field as The L. R. They are both masterpieces, and I love them both dearly. But one is for children, the other with adults.

Of course, Tolkien is part of the problem. How many books do you know that is a children's book and has an adult sequel? Not very many. The Hobbit, scarcely 300 pages, was written and published in the children's market. He then talked to his publishers, and they wanted a sequel. So he began "the new Hobbit", as C. S. (Jack) Lewis so aptly put it. He was preoccupied with his mythology, and the sequel was drawn into it. So we have two works, spanning two different genres, and as far as surface connections go its little more than prequel/sequel. Instead of looking at The Hobbit as a prequel, a precursor to his ADULT masterpiece, an inferiour version, think of as his CHILDREN'S masterpiece. The Hobbit is top of the class in children's fiction, one of the few contenders against such other great children's works as Narnia and Wrinkle in Time. The Lord of the Rings, likewise, is THE crowning masterpiece of the fantasy genre, of which its influence is incalculable to that fantasy market. Both are as important as the other, just in different fields.

I haven't talked about The Silmarillion much. I have already reviewed it, so I won't go real in-depth here. But the same thing happened with it. People, expecting another Lord of the Rings, were inevitably disappointed with the Biblical style of the published version. If Tolkien wrote that book out in narrative form as he did Lord of the Rings, it would be ten times longer than Lord of the Rings. The biggest problem with Tolkien is people have to many preconceptions that are incorrect.

So, basically, in conclusion, think of it like this:

1. The Hobbit - Children's masterpiece. He scores big with this one.

2. The Lord of the Rings - a single fantasy, not a trilogy. (Tolkien was always quick to point that out). The Crowning achievement of modern fantasy.

3. The Silmarillion - the Bible of Middle-earth. Much more for students of his work than the causal reader.

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Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival

2009-06-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Dad Said

Ollestad, we can do it all. . . .

Why do you make me do this?

Because it's beautiful when it all comes together.

I don't think it's ever beautiful.

One day.

Never.

We'll see, my father said. Vamanos.

From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. While his friends were riding bikes, playing ball, and going to birthday parties, young Norman was whisked away in pursuit of wild and demanding adventures. Yet it were these exhilarating tests of skill that prepared "Boy Wonder," as his father called him, to become a fearless champion--and ultimately saved his life.

Flying to a ski championship ceremony in February 1979, the chartered Cessna carrying Norman, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains and was suspended at 8,200 feet, engulfed in a blizzard. "Dad and I were a team, and he was Superman," Ollestad writes. But now Norman's father was dead, and the devastated eleven-year-old had to descend the treacherous, icy mountain alone.

Set amid the spontaneous, uninhibited surf culture of Malibu and Mexico in the late 1970s, this riveting memoir, written in crisp Hemingwayesque prose, recalls Ollestad's childhood and the magnetic man whose determination and love infuriated and inspired him--and also taught him to overcome the indomitable. As it illuminates the complicated bond between an extraordinary father and his son, Ollestad's powerful and unforgettable true story offers remarkable insight for us all.

It was time for my eight-year old son, Noah, to read before bed. "Eh," he groaned. "Reading is so boring. It sucks." He’d been reciting this same mantra for months. I was resting beside him in his bed and I saw his whole life crumble--a slew of poor report cards and father-son arguments, ending in long term unemployment. "What about Dr. Seuss?" I reasoned. He glared at me with his brown eyes. "It's okay," he mumbled. I opened the book he was reading for his class and handed it to him. He stared at it, mute. "Noah," I said from my lowest register. He proceeded to read at a snail's pace and I pointed out that it would take him twice as long as usual to get through the required five pages. So he ran the words together, not even stopping at periods. I grabbed the book and told him we'd be reading all weekend to make up for his lack of cooperation. For months I coerced him like that, urging him past his lazy monotone, trying to get him to connect with the story. It was a long few months.

When I was Noah's age I also disliked reading. I just wanted to hear the story without having to work for it. I had wished my dad could work the same kind of magic he did with surfing: he'd push me into the waves so that I could simply enjoy the ride, eliminating the most arduous, frustrating part of surfing--paddling for the wave.

My father was always asking my mother, who was a grade-school teacher, why I wasn't a better reader. She advocated patience, and encouraged me by tirelessly pointing out things in each story that I might relate to. My father was killed when I was eleven, so he never got to witness my eventual love of reading.

In order to help Noah find that love, I searched for a seminal moment in my past that had transformed me. There was no single thing. But during my reminiscences I flashed on Dad reading aloud my grandparents' monthly letters from Mexico. They had retired to Puerto Vallarta and their letters were filled with stories. Stories about an inland village where Grandpa went twice a week to buy ice for their fridge, to keep their food cold. Stories about helping a Mexican family after a hurricane hit Puerto Vallarta. Stories of secret waterfalls and secluded isthmuses that Grandpa and Grandma had discovered around Vallarta. And that’s when it hit me--it was very simple: the essence of my love for reading really emanates from my love for stories.

"How about I tell you a story tonight," I whispered with great zeal to Noah. His eyes lit up and he smiled. "What kind of story?"

"Any kind," I said.

"A story about a magic skateboard would be cool," he suggested. As I spun the impromptu tale, he rolled onto his side and stared at me, totally focused. The following night I made a bargain with him: "First read five pages, then I'll work up a story about whatever you want." Before I got myself nestled beside him, he was halfway through the first page. Progressively, Noah's topics became more elaborate, and soon he was giving me outlines for stories. Somewhere along the line his reading voice changed--he was gobbling up the sentences, his voice alive with inflection. He'd broken through. Noah was hooked on stories, like I got hooked on riding waves. Once he'd experienced the pleasure of going on that narrative ride, reading became second nature, like paddling for a wave. It all starts with a good story.

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Let the Great World Spin: A Novel

2009-06-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

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Amazon Best of the Month, June 2009: Colum McCann has worked some exquisite magic with Let the Great World Spin, conjuring a novel of electromagnetic force that defies gravity. It's August of 1974, a summer "hot and serious and full of death and betrayal," and Watergate and the Vietnam War make the world feel precarious. A stunned hush pauses the cacophonous universe of New York City as a man on a cable walks (repeatedly) between World Trade Center towers. This extraordinary, real-life feat by French funambulist Philippe Petit becomes the touchstone for stories that briefly submerge you in ten varied and intense lives--a street priest, heroin-addicted hookers, mothers mourning sons lost in war, young artists, a Park Avenue judge. All their lives are ordinary and unforgettable, overlapping at the edges, occasionally converging. And when they coalesce in the final pages, the moment hums with such grace that its memory might tighten your throat weeks later. You might find yourself paused, considering the universe of lives one city contains in any slice of time, each of us a singular world, sometimes passing close enough to touch or collide, to birth a new generation or kill it, sending out ripples, leaving residue, an imprint, marking each other, our city, the very air--compassionately or callously, unable to see all the damage we do or heal. And most of us stumbling, just trying not to trip, or step in something awful.

But then someone does something extraordinary, like dancing on a cable strung 110 stories in the air, or imagining a magnificent novel that lifts us up for a sky-scraping, dizzy glimpse of something greater: the sordid grandeur of this whirling world, "bigger than its buildings, bigger than its inhabitants." --Mari Malcolm

Amazon Exclusive: Frank McCourt on Let the Great World Spin

Frank McCourt was born in 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and returned to America in 1949. For thirty years he taught in New York City high schools. His first book, Angela's Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the L.A. Times Book Award. In 2006, he won the prestigious Ellis Island Family Heritage Award for Exemplary Service in the Field of the Arts and the United Federation of Teachers John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education. He is also the author of Tis and Teacher Man, both memoirs. Read his exclusive Amazon guest review of Let the Great World Spin:
Now I worry about Colum McCann. What is he going to do after this blockbuster groundbreaking heartbreaking symphony of a novel? No novelist writing of New York has climbed higher, dived deeper.

Trust me, this is the sort of book that you will take off your shelf over and over again as the years go along. It’s a story of the early 1970s, but it’s also the story of our present times. And it is, in many ways, a story of a moment of lasting redemption even in the face of all the evidence.

There are dozens of intimate tales and threads at the core of Let the Great World Spin. On one level there’s the tightrope walker making his way across the World Trade Center towers. But as the novel goes along the “walker” becomes less and less of a focal point and we begin to care more about the people down below, on the pavement, in the ordinary throes of their existence. There’s an Irish monk living in the Bronx projects. There’s a Park Avenue mother in mourning for her dead son, who was blown up in the cafés of Saigon. There are the original computer hackers who "visit" New York in an early echo of the Internet. There’s an artist who has learn to return to the simplicity of love. And then—in possibly the book’s wildest and most ambitious section—there’s a Bronx hooker who has brought up her children in “the house that horse built”—“horse” of course being the heroin that was ubiquitous in the '70s.

All the voices feel realized and authentic and the writing floats along. This was my city back then—and now. McCann has written about New York before, but never quite as piercingly or as provocatively as this. This is fiction that gets the heart thumping.

The stories are interweaved so that it is one story, on one day, in one city, and yet it is also a history of the present time. In Let the Great World Spin, you can’t ignore the overtones for today: suffice it to say that the novel is held together by an act of redemption and beauty. I didn’t want to stop turning the pages.

I’m really not sure what McCann will do after this, but this is a great New York book, not just for New Yorkers but for anyone who walks any sort of tightrope at all. And yes, it doesn’t surprise me that it takes an Irishman to capture the heart of the city... —Frank McCourt

From Booklist
*Starred Review* After the rigors of Zoli (2007), his historical tale of Romani life, best-selling literary novelist McCann allows himself more artistic freedom in his shimmering, shattering fifth novel. It begins on August 7, 1974, when New Yorkers are stopped in their tracks by the sight of a man walking between the towers of the World Trade Center. Yes, it’s Philippe Petit, the subject of the Academy Award–winning documentary Man on Wire and one of McCann’s many intense and valiant characters. The cast also includes two Irish brothers: Corrigan, a radical monk, and Ciaran, who follows him to the blasted Bronx, where he encounters resilient prostitute Tillie and her spirited daughter Jazzlyn. Gloria lives in the same housing project, and she befriends Claire of Park Avenue as they mourn the deaths of their sons in Vietnam. McCann’s hallucinatory descriptions of a great city tattooed and besmirched with graffiti, blood, and drugs in the midst of a financial freefall are eerie in their edgy beauty, chilling reminders of how quickly civilization unravels. Here, too, are portals onto war, the justice system, and the dawning of the cyber age. In McCann’s wise and elegiac novel of origins and consequences, each of his finely drawn, unexpectedly connected characters balances above an abyss, evincing great courage with every step. --Donna Seaman

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The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun

2009-05-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

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The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and ‘30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.
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The Donut Chef

2009-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

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IN THIS DELICIOUS tale, a baker hangs out his shingle on a small street, and soon, the line for his doughnuts stretches down the block. But it’s not long before the competition arrives and a battle of the bakers ensues. In the competitive frenzy, both bakers’ doughnuts become “quite bizarre, like Cherry-Frosted Lemon Bar, and Peanut-Brickle Buttermilk, or Gooey Coca- Mocha Silk!” Some are not even very tasty: “Donuts made with huckleberry (don’t be scared, they’re kind of hairy).” One day, Debbie Sue, just barely two, enters the bakery, and searches in vain for her favorite doughnut, where “the choice of donuts left her dazed. Said Debbie Sue, “But I want . . . glazed.” A fun lesson in keeping it simple in which our hero chef decides to go back to the basics, and wins over the whole town.

Review
Review, Cookie Magazine, September 2008:
"The pro-simplicity parable is told via a funny, funky art style."

Review, The Wall Street Journal, September 20-21, 2008:
"Some books are meant to be tasted. . . and The Donut Chef appears to be one of them. Mr Staake's work is . . . visually delicious."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, October 27, 2008:
"Everywhere readers look, there are delectable surprises."

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Katie Loves the Kittens

2009-05-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

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Starred Review. This sweet book tells the story of a dog—that's Katie—who is utterly infatuated with her owner's new kittens. Aroooooo! howls Katie eagerly whenever she sees the tiny felines, but her vocalizing, leaping and avid tail-wagging only scare the living daylights out of them. Katie learns, after some setbacks (readers will totally sympathize), that desperately wanting to make friends is not necessarily a good starting point; sometimes, it's better to let the other side take the lead. Himmelman's (Chickens to the Rescue) empathetic, economical text builds dramatic tension and the audience's identification with Katie without an excess of anthropomorphizing. The pencil and ink drawings evince the same combination of craft and tenderness. Katie is the very picture of openheartedness, confusion and contrition, and readers will root for her from the very first page. Ages 3–8. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The acclaimed author and illustrator of Chickens to the Rescue has created a sweet, funny, and entirely irresistible new character—a little dog just bursting with good intentions.
Katie is so excited when Sara Ann brings home three little kittens that she can’t stop herself from howling “AROOOOO!” and trying to run after them. She loves them so much!
But Katie’s enthusiasm frightens the kitties, and she’s sad when they run away from her. Don’t they know that she just wants to play?

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The Last Olympian

2009-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

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All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

I’m sitting in my hotel room looking out at the San Francisco skyline on a sunny Sunday morning. Later today, I fly to New York to begin the East Coast leg of the Last Olympian tour.

Yesterday, we had two events in the Bay Area, and both were great. Books, Inc. hosted the first at a high school auditorium in San Bruno. It was a beautiful Saturday morning so we figured the crowd would be fairly small. Wrong! Over six hundred people showed up, according to the booksellers. Thanks to Walter (aka the Giant Storyteller) for introducing me. I’d heard legends of Walter for years, as he’s an institution in the world of children’s literature, and it was great to finally meet him in person. The only challenge of the day was the orchestra pit in front of the stage, which reminded me of the Pit of Tartarus, but we all avoided falling in as the kids came up on stage to get books signed. I met quite a few families from my old school, Presidio Hill. The staff from Books, Inc. was extremely well organized and we got through the signing line in record time. Thanks to everyone for being so patient.

In the afternoon, we headed down to Menlo Park for a second event at Kepler’s Books. I was a little worried that having two events so close geographically would make the stores compete for attendance, but I was proved wrong again. Kepler’s was absolutely wall-to-wall with kids. I was told we had somewhere between 600-700 in attendance, and the store quickly sold out of Last Olympian even though they had hundreds in stock. We signed bookplates for those who didn’t get a copy, so hopefully everyone will get their signed edition. Some of the moments that stood out for me at Kepler’s: Astara and her brother came up to the table and said they had a bone to pick with me. They were about the age of Camp Half-Blood counselors. They had their orange Half-Blood T-shirts on, ripped from what they told me were harpy claws, and their clothes were stained with soot from various explosions. “Who’s brilliant idea was a lava wall?” they wanted to know. LOL. I apologized that being demigods had made their lives so difficult, but I have a feeling those two are up to the challenge. I also got to see a former student from Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio (hi, Mirage!) who was in town with her mom. It’s so cool, and yet so surreal, to see people out of context like that. She was very sweet and told me how excited she was about the success of the books. Finally, thanks to Jenny, a young fan who made me an origami Pegasus. My youngest son Patrick is an origami fan, so he will love seeing that. Thanks to all the other fans who handed me beautiful artwork and thoughtful letters.

All in all, it was a great day. Thanks to my media escort Dave who helped out a lot. Dave told me he is gearing up for a Walk Against Cancer. Next week he is going to walk 43 miles from San Jose to San Francisco to raise money and awareness for cancer research. That made me feel like my travels were easy! You can check out his charity event site here.

Time to head to the airport. Thank you, Bay Area, for so much enthusiastic support. Now it’s off to New York where I’ll be staying at one of my favorite hotels, Le Parker Meridien. The burger joint in the lobby is one of Thalia’s favorite eateries, so maybe I’ll run into the Hunters of Artemis there. I’ll let you know. For my signings in the New York area, check the website calendar.

This is syndicated from Myth & Mystery, and written by noreply@blogger.com (Rick Riordan).

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Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully: A Freckleface Strawberry Story

2009-05-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

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Freckleface Strawberry loves the Early Bird program at school because it means extra time on the playground–except when it rains. Rain means indoor playtime...and facing the school bully Windy Pants Patrick in a bruising game of dodgeball. Ignoring him seems the safest thing, but what's our freckled heroine to do when she's forced to confront the bully alone? Beat him at his own game, of course. A funny, inspiring story about an all-too-common problem that kids, parents, and teachers will easily relate to.

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The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History

2009-04-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

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Two years ago, on a chilly February morning, I found myself standing on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. I was wearing a bathing suit, shivering in the cold and feeling like a complete idiot.

It was all Ellen’s fault. A few weeks earlier, before leaving for Spain to research The Day We Lost the H-Bomb, I had had lunch with Ellen Ruppel Shell, a former writing teacher. As we chatted about my upcoming trip, I told her the story of Angier Biddle Duke, the American Ambassador to Spain in 1966. After the United States accidentally dropped four hydrogen bombs near a Spanish village, Duke orchestrated a PR stunt, swimming in the chilly Med to prove that the water wasn’t radioactive.

I mentioned that I was planning to visit the beach where Angie swam. Ellen looked at me and said, “Well, of course you have to swim there, too.” I had to admit she was right. It’s always easier to write about something you’ve experienced firsthand.

Now, here I was on the beach. I had been anxious about the swim, searching for any excuse to get out of it. My translator had mentioned something about a jellyfish invasion of the Mediterranean, which gave me hope. But I had scoped out the beach the previous day and there wasn’t a jellyfish in sight. No people in sight, either. In my few days on the coast I had seen no one in the water and hardly anyone on the beach, just a few pasty Brits and backpackers sprawled on the sand. It was, after all, February.

The next morning I got up at dawn. My plan was to sneak down to the beach without anyone seeing me. The Spanish were used to gringos acting strangely, but a dip in the Med in the middle of winter was surely a bit too far.

The beach was deserted, but I noted with alarm that a tour bus was parked beside the road overlooking the ocean. Unlike Angie Duke, my goal was to attract as little attention as possible. I took off my shirt and shorts, and stood on the beach on my bathing suit, cursing Ellen for putting this idea in my head. Where were those jellyfish when I needed them? I wondered if the tour bus was filling with old folks who now had something interesting to look at.

I took my first step in. The water was clear and cold, the bottom soft and pebbled. I took a few more steps, my feet sinking into the sand. There was a steep drop and I was suddenly up to my waist. A quick count of one, two, three and I ducked underwater. I came back up, shook my hair and tasted the salty water on my face. My job was done.

My 30-second dip in the Med, after all my anxiety, was anticlimactic. Angie’s swim was completely the opposite. --Barbara Moran

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Reviewed by Seth Shulman In a historic speech in Prague two weeks ago, President Obama proposed concrete steps to move toward "a world without nuclear weapons," including a test ban, an end to the production of fissile materials and a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Russians. This effort to build a safer world is most welcome: The six-decade-long history of nuclear weapons and nuclear power includes a frightening number of fiascoes still shrouded in secrecy. As two new books illustrate, there is much to mine in this atomic tale: stories as big and dramatic as mushroom clouds, events that lend themselves easily to superlatives. When mistakes are made with nuclear reactors and warheads, the consequences are often scary indeed. In her first book, journalist Barbara Moran exhibits dogged research and an eye for detail in reconstructing one such incident. "The Day We Lost the H-Bomb" revisits the 1966 explosion of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs over the Spanish village of Palomares, a story the book's subtitle trumpets as "the worst nuclear weapons disaster" ever. Moran, whose background is in television documentary production, takes a cinematic approach, describing everything from the Catalan shrimp fishermen who rescued the U.S. fliers parachuting from the massive plane to the contents of President Lyndon Johnson's breakfast (melon, chipped beef and hot tea) when he got news of the accident at 7:05 a.m. Moran spent years collecting this wealth of detail, interviewing the Air Force officers who survived the crash and exhuming every declassified document she could find on the topic. She even accompanied Air Force officials on a midair refueling (the proximate cause of the accident) so that she could explain that difficult maneuver. Her efforts yield an often riveting tale. Although the conventional explosives in some of the warheads blew up on impact, scattering debris and radiation, the nuclear charges (thankfully) did not detonate. The Air Force quickly recovered three of the four hydrogen bombs on land. But the fourth sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean, setting off a frantic scramble to find it before the Soviets did. To her credit, Moran captures some of the flavor of the Cold War, including the Air Force's determination to keep part of its nuclear arsenal perpetually airborne for fear of a surprise attack. She recounts with some humor how, in the midst of the recovery effort, Johnson went to the White House screening room to watch "Thunderball," the latest James Bond film, in which the evil "Spectre" organization crashes a NATO plane loaded with two nuclear bombs into the ocean, retrieves the bombs underwater and holds them for ransom. What she doesn't do, unfortunately, is sufficiently explain why her minute-by-minute account of the real-life incident matters now, especially given that two top-notch journalists, Flora Lewis and Tad Szulc, wrote books about it within a year after it took place. Moran's use of now-declassified information undoubtedly fills some gaps in the previous reporting, but her book would have been stronger if she had broadened her focus and more explicitly spelled out her tale's lessons for today. Todd Tucker's eye-opening "Atomic America" suffers from the opposite problem: Its focus is too broad. Tucker, a former nuclear engineer with the U.S. Navy's submarine force, initially sets out to tell the astonishing, little-known story of the 1961 explosion of an Army nuclear reactor in rural Idaho. The accident killed all three of the Army operators on site, and Tucker ranks it as (superlatives, again) the deadliest nuclear reactor incident in U.S. history -- a plausible claim, given that the closest contenders are probably the death of a scientist from radiation during the Manhattan Project in 1945 and the 1979 meltdown of Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island reactor, which caused no immediate fatalities. (The Soviet Union's 1986 Chernobyl disaster, of course, was much deadlier.) Tucker is a good explainer, and his background in the field lends authority to his technical descriptions. In the book's central saga, he exposes the Army's cavalier attitude toward nuclear safety in the 1950s as nothing short of criminal. But his sprawling account also chronicles the development of Adm. Hyman Rickover's nuclear Navy and the Air Force's flirtation in the late 1950s with atomic-powered flight, a shocking escapade in which the Air Force designed and built an airplane that ran on power from a 20-ton reactor suspended from its fuselage. Over the life of that project alone, the Air Force spewed 4.6 million curies of radiation -- twice what was released at Three Mile Island -- into the sky over Idaho. Tucker's wide-ranging stories hold loosely together, but the overall effect is dizzying and, as with Moran's book, the message we are supposed to take away is muddled. Tucker is clearly enamored of nuclear power, and in his view, the Navy has handled it responsibly, particularly in comparison with the Army and the Air Force. He may be right about that. But his many examples of the government's often slipshod approach to nuclear safety are likely to leave readers all the more heartened by President Obama's latest nuclear initiatives.
Copyright 2009, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
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The Girl Who Played with Fire

2009-04-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

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The Girl Who Played with Fire is that rare thing - a sequel that is even better than the book that went before - it is to be read in great hungry chunks - Observer. It is rare to find a thriller in which the female characters are allowed so much space to be. Lisbeth Salander really is a wonderful creation - Scotsman. Astonishing novels - Larsson came up with an entirely new kind of heroine for the crime story - as with Larsson's first novel, this is wonderful stuff - Daily Express. A year ago, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo won ecstatic praise from British critics and readers. Now its successor, The Girl who Played with Fire has outsold the likes of Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson - once more, another figure seizes the book by the scruff of its neck and binds the reader in fetters of fascination - Independent. As with the first book, this complex novel is not just a thrilling read, but tackles head-on the kind of issues that Larsson himself railed against in society, such as endemic establishment corruption and the exploitation of women - Daily Mail. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The first reviews from the UK:

“This second novel is even more gripping and astonishing than the first . . . Conscious of the way crime and other networks transcend national boundaries, it’s a very modern novel. What makes it outstanding is the author’s ability to handle dozens of characters and parallel narratives without ever losing tension. Larsson was a fantastic storyteller. This novel will leave readers on the edge of their seats.”
–Sunday Times

“The best thriller I’ve read in ages . . . If you want a book to take on your lifetime trip on the Trans-Siberian railway, The Girl Who Played With Fire is the one.”
–Evening Herald (Ireland)

“Umberto Eco transposed Sherlock Holmes to a different time and genre and imported learning from history, theology, philology and other disciplines. Larsson’s [books are] likewise an enjoyable and instructive compendium of pop-culture references and academic knowledge . . . Salander is recognisably a Lara Croft for grown-ups–a female Terminator . . . [She is] the huge pleasure of these books, a fascinating creation with a complete and complex psychology.”
–Guardian

“The essential first step to appreciating Stieg Larsson is to rid yourself of any fixed image you have of Swedish crime fiction. If Mankell is Swedish gloomy, Larsson is Swedish noir. Very . . . Lisbeth is a heroine like no other in crime fiction . . . Her mental and physical strengths are beyond those of ordinary humans. Yet Larsson’s writing manages to make her intriguing, admirable and even sympathetic. . . The Girl who Played with Fire becomes an absorbing, exciting and bloody multi-layered chase . . . A riveting read.”
–Times

Praise for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo:

"A remarkable first novel . . . Wildly suspenseful . . . The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has been a huge bestseller in Europe and will be one here if readers are looking for an intelligent, ingeniously plotted, utterly engrossing thriller that is variously a serial-killer saga, a search for a missing person and an informed glimpse into the worlds of journalism and business . . . It's a book that lingers in the mind . . . Lisbeth is a punk Watson to Mikael's dapper Holmes, and she's the coolest crime-fighting sidekick to come along in many years." —Patrick Anderson, Washington Post

"A super-smart amalgam of the corporate corruption tale, legal thriller and dysfunctional-family psychological suspense story. It's witty, and unflinching in its commonsense feminist social commentary . . . A veteran mystery reader could spot the clues to this novel's runaway popularity as easily as Poe's detective, Auguste Dupin, spotted that purloined letter . . . Larsson's multi-pieced plot snaps together as neatly as an Ikea bookcase, but even more satisfying is the anti-social character of Salander . . . I'm betting that this offbeat bad girl will win a lot of readers' affections." —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air (NPR)

"Imagine the movies of Ingmar Bergman crossed with Thomas Harris's novel The Silence of the Lambs. Larsson's mesmerizing tale succeeds because, like P.D. James, he has written a why-dunit rather than a whodunit." —Deirdre Donahue, USA Today

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a striking novel. Just when I was thinking there wasn't anything new on the horizon, along comes Stieg Larsson with this wonderfully unique story. I was completely absorbed." —Michael Connelly

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Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist

2009-04-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

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There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time-and the inspiration-to open up new doors leading to unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all.

The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD? Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one..

Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's.

With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.
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The BBC Natural History Collection featuring Planet Earth

2009-04-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

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Planet Earth Synopsis: With an unprecedented production budget of $25 million, and from the makers of Blue Planet: Seas of Life, comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, shot entirely in high definition, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth's most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before, to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else.
Blue Planet: Seas of Life Special Edition Synopsis: Before creating the monumental Planet Earth, producer Alastair Fothergill and his team from the BBC put together one of the most breathtaking explorations of the world's oceans ever assembled, The Blue Planet: Seas of Life. The winner of two Emmy(R) Awards, The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is the definitive exploration of the marine world, chronicling the mysteries the deep in ways never before imagined. It has now been re-released in this all-new special edition, with an added 5th disc of bonus programming not included in the original DVD release.
The Life of Mammalsc Synopsis: In ten parts, the award-winning David Attenborough (2002 Emmy winner for The Blue Planet: Seas of Life; The Life of Birds) introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on Earth, from the smallest - the two-inch pygmy shrew, to the largest - the blue whale; from the slowest - the sloth, to the swiftest - the cheetah; from the least attractive - the naked mole rat, to the most irresistible - a human baby. The Life of Mammals is the story of 4,000 species that have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on earth. With bodies kept warm by thick coats of fur and their developing young protected and nourished within their bodies, they have managed to colonize every part of the globe, dry or wet, hot or cold. Their adaptations for finding food have also had a profound effect on the way they move, socialize, mate and breed.
The Life of Birds Synopsis: The definitive series on the most colorful, popular and perfectly adapted creatures on earth, The Life of Birds traverses the globe, covering 42 countries and examining over 300 different species. Calling upon the immense skills of many of the world's top wildlife cameramen and women, and pushing filming technology to the limits, new behavior is brought to the screen in staggering detail. Infra-red cameras find oilbirds deep in pitch black caves. Ultra slow motion film unravels the complexities of bird flight and ultraviolet cameras reveal the world from a bird's point of view.
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The Forgotten Garden: A Novel

2009-04-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Like Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved classic The Secret Garden, Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting--from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress's fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm's) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children. As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her characters weren't clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society. While most ache for a spotless mind's eternal sunshine, the Authoress meets the past as "a cruel mistress with whom we must all learn to dance," and her stories gift children with this vital muscle memory. --Mari Malcolm

From the internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, an unforgettable new novel that transports the reader from the back alleys of poverty of pre-World War I London to the shores of colonial Australia where so many made a fresh start, and back to the windswept coast of Cornwall, England, past and present

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and with very little to go on, "Nell" sets out on a journey to England to try to trace her story, to fi nd her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. At Cliff Cottage, on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book's title and is able to unlock the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.

This is a novel of outer and inner journeys and an homage to the power of storytelling. The Forgotten Garden is fi lled with unforgettable characters who weave their way through its spellbinding plot to astounding effect.

Morton's novels are #1 bestsellers in England and Australia and are published in more than twenty languages. Her fi rst novel, The House at Riverton, was a New York Times bestseller.

About the Author
Kate Morton, a native Australian, holds degrees in dramatic art and English literature and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland. She lives with her family in Brisbane, Australia, and is writing her second novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

London, 1913

It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told. The lady had said to wait, it wasn't safe yet, they had to be as quiet as larder mice. It was a game, just like hide-and-seek.

From behind the wooden barrels the little girl listened. Made a picture in her mind the way Papa had taught her. Men, near and far, sailors she supposed, shouted to one another. Rough, loud voices, full of the sea and its salt. In the distance: bloated ships' horns, tin whistles, splashing oars and, far above, grey gulls cawing, wings flattened to absorb the ripening sunlight.

The lady would be back, she'd said so, but the little girl hoped it would be soon. She'd been waiting a long time, so long that the sun had drifted across the sky and was now warming her knees through her new dress. She listened for the lady's skirts, swishing against the wooden deck. Her heels clipping, hurrying, always hurrying, in a way the little girl's own mamma never did. The little girl wondered, in the vague, unconcerned manner of much-loved children, where Mamma was. When she would be coming. And she wondered about the lady. She knew who she was, she'd heard Grandmamma talking about her. The lady was called the Authoress and she lived in the little cottage on the far side of the estate, beyond the maze. The little girl wasn't supposed to know. She had been forbidden to play in the bramble maze. Mamma and Grandmamma had told her it was dangerous to go near the cliff. But sometimes, when no one was looking, she liked to do forbidden things.

Dust motes, hundreds of them, danced in the sliver of sunlight that had appeared between two barrels. The little girl smiled and the lady, the cliff, the maze, Mamma left her thoughts. She held out a finger, tried to catch a speck upon it. Laughed at the way the motes came so close before skirting away.

The noises beyond her hiding spot were changing now. The little girl could hear the hubbub of movement, voices laced with excitement. She leaned into the veil of light and pressed her face against the cool wood of the barrels. With one eye she looked upon the decks.

Legs and shoes and petticoat hems. The tails of colored paper streamers flicking this way and that. Wily gulls hunting the decks for crumbs.

A lurch and the huge boat groaned, long and low from deep within its belly. Vibrations passed through the deck boards and into the little girl's fingertips. A moment of suspension and she found herself holding her breath, palms flat beside her, then the boat heaved and pushed itself away from the dock. The horn bellowed and there was a wave of cheering, cries of "Bon voyage!" They were on their way. To America, a place called New York, where Papa had been born. She'd heard them whispering about it for some time, Mamma telling Papa they should go as soon as possible, that they could afford to wait no longer.

The little girl laughed again; the boat was gliding through the water like a giant whale, like Moby Dick in the story her father often read to her. Mamma didn't like it when he read such stories. She said they were too frightening and would put ideas in her head that couldn't be got out. Papa always gave Mamma a kiss on the forehead when she said that sort of thing, told her she was right and that he'd be more careful in the future. But he still told the little girl stories of the great whale. And others -- the ones that were the little girl's favorite, from the fairy-tale book, about eyeless crones, and orphaned maidens, and long journeys across the sea. He just made sure that Mamma didn't know, that it remained their secret.

The little girl understood they had to have secrets from Mamma. Mamma wasn't well, had been sickly since before the little girl was born. Grandmamma was always bidding her be good, warning her that if Mamma were to get upset something terrible might happen and it would be all her fault. The little girl loved her mother and didn't want to make her sad, didn't want something terrible to happen, so she kept things secret. Like the fairy stories, and playing near the maze, and the times Papa had taken her to visit the Authoress in the cottage on the far side of the estate.

"Aha!" A voice by her ear. "Found you!" The barrel was heaved aside and the little girl squinted up into the sun. Blinked until the owner of the voice moved to block the light. It was a big boy, eight or nine, she guessed. "You're not Sally," he said.

The little girl shook her head.

"Who are you?"

She wasn't meant to tell anybody her name. It was a game they were playing, she and the lady.

"Well?"

"It's a secret."

His nose wrinkled, freckles drew together. "What for?"

She shrugged. She wasn't supposed to speak of the lady, Papa was always telling her so.

"Where's Sally, then?" The boy was growing impatient. He looked left and right. "She ran this way, I'm sure of it."

A whoop of laughter from further down the deck and the scramble of fleeing footsteps. The boy's face lit up. "Quick!" he said as he started to run. "She's getting away."

The little girl leaned her head around the barrel and watched him weaving in and out of the crowd in keen pursuit of a flurry of white petticoats.

Her toes itched to join them.

But the lady had said to wait.

The boy was getting further away. Ducking around a portly man with a waxed moustache, causing him to scowl so that his features scurried towards the center of his face like a family of startled crabs.

The little girl laughed.

Maybe it was all part of the same game. The lady reminded her more of a child than of the other grown-ups she knew. Perhaps she was playing, too.

The little girl slid from behind the barrel and stood slowly. Her left foot had gone to sleep and now had pins and needles. She waited a moment for feeling to return, watched as the boy turned the corner and disappeared.

Then, without another thought, she set off after him. Feet pounding, heart singing in her chest.

Copyright © 2008 by Kate Morton

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

2009-04-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

Product Description
It's the beginning of a lazy summer in 1950 at the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey. Up at the great house of Buckshaw, aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce passes the time tinkering in the laboratory she's inherited from her deceased mother and an eccentric great uncle. When Flavia discovers a murdered stranger in the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window early one morning, she decides to leave aside her flasks and Bunsen burners to solve the crime herself, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. But who can blame her? What else does an eleven-year-old science prodigy have to do when left to her own devices? With her widowed father and two older sisters far too preoccupied with their own pursuits and passions—stamp collecting, adventure novels, and boys respectively—Flavia takes off on her trusty bicycle Gladys to catch a murderer. In Alan Bradley's critically acclaimed debut mystery, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, adult readers will be totally charmed by this fearless, funny, and unflappable kid sleuth. But don't be fooled: this carefully plotted detective novel (the first in a new series) features plenty of unexpected twists and turns and loads of tasty period detail. As the pages fly by, you'll be rooting for this curious combination of Harriet the Spy and Sherlock Holmes. Go ahead, take a bite. --Lauren Nemroff

A Q&A with Alan Bradley :

Question: With the publication of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, you’ve become a 70-year-old-first time novelist. Have you always had a passion for writing, or is it more of a recent development?
Alan Bradley: Well, the Roman author Seneca once said something like this: “Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms--you’ll be able to use them better when you’re older.” So to put it briefly, I’m taking his advice.

I actually spent most of my life working on the technical side of television production, but would like to think that I’ve always been a writer. I started writing a novel at age five, and have written articles for various publications all my life. It wasn’t until my early retirement, though, that I started writing books. I published my memoir, The Shoebox Bible, in 2004, and then started working on a mystery about a reporter in England. It was during the writing of this story that I stumbled across Flavia de Luce, the main character in Sweetness.

Q: Flavia certainly is an interesting character. How did you come up with such a forceful, precocious and entertaining personality?

AB: Flavia walked onto the page of another book I was writing, and simply hijacked the story. I was actually well into this other book--about three or four chapters--and as I introduced a main character, a detective, there was a point where he was required to go to a country house and interview this colonel.

I got him up to the driveway and there was this girl sitting on a camp stool doing something with a notebook and a pencil and he stopped and asked her what she was doing and she said “writing down license number plates“ and he said “well there can't be many in such a place“ and she said, “well I have yours, don’t I? “ I came to a stop. I had no idea who this girl was and where she came from.

She just materialized. I can't take any credit for Flavia at all. I’ve never had a character who came that much to life. I’ve had characters that tend to tell you what to do, but Flavia grabbed the controls on page one. She sprung full-blown with all of her attributes--her passion for poison, her father and his history--all in one package. It surprised me.

Q: There aren’t many adult books that feature child narrators. Why did you want Flavia to be the voice of this novel?

AB: People probably wonder, “What’s a 70-year-old-man doing writing about an 11-year-old-girl in 1950s England? “ And it’s a fair question. To me, Flavia embodies that kind of hotly burning flame of our young years: that time of our lives when we’re just starting out, when anything--absolutely anything!--is within our capabilities.

I think the reason that she manifested herself as a young girl is that I realized that it would really be a lot of fun to have somebody who was virtually invisible in a village. And of course, we don’t listen to what children say--they’re always asking questions, and nobody pays the slightest attention or thinks for a minute that they’re going to do anything with the information that they let slip. I wanted Flavia to take great advantage of that. I was also intrigued by the possibilities of dealing with an unreliable narrator; one whose motives were not always on the up-and-up.

She is an amalgam of burning enthusiasm, curiosity, energy, youthful idealism, and frightening fearlessness. She’s also a very real menace to anyone who thwarts her, but fortunately, they don’t generally realize it.

Q: Like Flavia, you were also 11 years old in 1950. Is there anything autobiographical about her character?

AB: Somebody pointed out the fact that both Flavia and I lacked a parent. But I wasn’t aware of this connection during the writing of the book. It simply didn’t cross my mind. It is true that I grew up in a home with only one parent, and I was allowed to run pretty well free, to do the kinds of things I wanted. And I did have extremely intense interests then--things that you get focused on. When you’re that age, you sometimes have a great enthusiasm that is very deep and very narrow, and that is something that has always intrigued me--that world of the 11-year-old that is so quickly lost.

Q: Your story evokes such a vivid setting. Had you spent much time in the British countryside before writing this book?

AB: My first trip to England didn’t come until I went to London to receive the 2007 Debut Dagger Award, so I had never even stepped foot in the country at the time of writing Sweetness. But I have always loved England. My mother was born there. And I‘ve always felt I grew up in a very English household. I had always wanted to go and had dreamed for many years of doing so.

When I finally made it there, the England that I was seeing with my eyes was quite unlike the England I had imagined, and yet it was the same. I realized that the differences were precisely those differences between real life, and the simulation of real life, that we create in our detective novels. So this was an opportunity to create on the page this England that had been in my head my whole life.

Q: You have five more books lined up in this series, all coming from Delacorte Press. Will Flavia age as the series goes on?

AB: A bit, not very much. I think she’s going to remain in the same age bracket. I don’t really like the idea of Flavia as an older teenager. At her current age, she is such a concoction of contradictions. It's one of the things that I very much love about her. She's eleven but she has the wisdom of an adult. She knows everything about chemistry but nothing about family relationships. I don’t think she’d be the same person if she were a few years older. She certainly wouldn’t have access to the drawing rooms of the village.

Q: Do you have a sense of what the next books in the series will be about?

AB: The second book, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, is finished, and I’m working on the third book. I have a general idea of what’s happening in each one of the books, because I wanted to focus on some bygone aspect of British life that was still there in the '50s but has now vanished. So we have postage stamps in the first one... The second book is about the travelling puppet shows on the village green. And one of them is about filmmaking--it sort of harks back to the days of the classic Ealing comedies with Alec Guinness and so forth.

Q: Not every author garners such immediate success with a first novel. After only completing 15 pages of Sweetness, you won the Dagger award and within 8 days had secured book deals in 3 countries. You’ve since secured 19 countries. Enthusiasm continues to grow from every angle. How does it feel?
AB: It's like being in the glow of a fire. You hope you won't get burned. I’m not sure how much I’ve realized it yet. I guess I can say I‘m “almost overwhelmed”--I’m not quite overwhelmed, but I’m getting there. Every day has something new happening, and communications pouring in from people all over. The book has been receiving wonderful reviews and touching people. But Flavia has been touching something in people that generates a response from the heart, and the most often mentioned word in the reviews is love--how much people love Flavia and have taken her in as if she’s a long-lost member of their family, which is certainly very, very gratifying.

Review
"While Flavia De Luce is winning your heart, she may also be poisoning your tea. She's the most wickedly funny sleuth in years, brilliant, unpredictable, unflappable—and only eleven. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie offers the freshest new voice in mystery yet."—Charles Todd, author of The Ian Rutledge series

"A wickedly clever story, a dead true and original voice, and an English country house in the summer: Alexander McCall Smith meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Please, please, Mr. Bradley, tell me we'll be seeing Flavia again soon?"—Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell series

“Alan Bradley’s marvelous book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, is a fantastic read, a winner. Flavia walks right off the page and follows me through my day. I can hardly wait for the next book. Bravo!” –Louise Penny, author of Still Life

“The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie offers the reader the precious gift of a richly imagined and luscious new world–but uniquely so, for this is the world of Flavia Sabina de Luce: an eleven-year-old, utterly winning, and altogether delightfully nasty piece of work. An outright pleasure from beginning to end.”—Gordon Dahlquist¸ author of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

"Alan Bradley brews a bubbly beaker of fun in his devilishly clever, wickedly amusing debut mystery, launching an eleven-year-old heroine with a passion for chemistry–and revenge! What a delightful, original book!"—Carolyn Hart, author of the Death on Demand series

“Utterly charming! Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce proves to be one of the most precocious, resourceful, and well, just plain dangerous, heroines around. Evildoers–and big sisters–beware!”—Lisa Gardner, author of Say Goodbye

"Flavia is an engagingly smart new sleuth with a flair for bringing out the child–and the detective–in all of us."—Christopher Fowler, author of the Peculiar Crimes Unit series

“Sure in its story, pace and voice, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie deliciously mixes all the ingredients of great storytelling. The kind of novel you can pass on to any reader knowing their pleasure it assured.”—Andrew Pyper, author of the The Killing Circle

“Brilliant, irresistible and incorrigible, Flavia has a long future ahead of her…Bradley’s mystery debut is a standout. “—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Fun for the reader…. Fans of Louise Fitzhugh's iconic Harriet the Spy will welcome 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce, the heroine of … Bradley's rollicking debut.”—Publishers Weekly

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How I Learned Geography

2009-03-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Recasting a childhood memory as a fictional tale, Caldecott Medalist Shulevitz revisits the journeying theme from his recent The Travels of Benjamin Tudela (2005), while harking back to the fanciful simplicity of Snow (1998) and So Sleepy Story (2006). Driven from home by a “war that devastated the land,“ a family flees to a remote city in the steppes. One day, the father returns from the market not with bread for supper but with a wall-filling map of the world. “‘No supper tonight,’ Mother said bitterly. ‘We’ll have the map instead.’” Although hungry, the boy finds sustenance of a different sort in the multicolored map, which provides a literal spot of brightness in the otherwise spare, earth-toned illustrations, as well as a catalyst for soaring, pretend visits to exotic lands. Shulevitz’s rhythmic, first-person narrative reads like a fable for young children. Its autobiographical dimension, however, will open up the audience to older grade-schoolers, who will be fascinated by the endnote describing Shulevitz’s life as a refugee in Turkestan after the Warsaw blitz, including his childhood sketch of the real map. Whether enjoyed as a reflection of readers’ own imaginative travels or used as a creative entrée to classroom geography units, this simple, poignant offering will transport children as surely as the map it celebrates. Grades K-3. --Jennifer Mattson
Review
“Fascinating.” — The Wall Street Journal "It is a masterpiece." — New York Times Book Review "Shulevitz's simply worded text can be read to preschoolers, but it packs an emotional punch that will resonate with older children and even adults. The watercolor and ink illustrations add further depth as Shulevitz switches from a monochrome palette to a chorus of colors spotlighting how the map stirred his imagination." —Washington Post Book World “Caldecott Medal winner Uri Shulevitz's newest picture book, How I Learned Geography, is really a love story for the world. It belongs to the newly popular genre of memoir as picture book. Shulevitz handles his autobiographical material with grace and humor. . . . Shulevitz always puts character at the forefront of his work. The expressions and gestures of his characters are believable, human-scale, and tender, full of dreaming." —The Boston Globe
“Lyrical watercolors depict . . . the power of imagination.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
"The essence of his tale lies in the power of imagination." —The Sacramento Bee “The story and its triumphant afterword demonstrate that Uri masters much more than geography; he realizes the importance of nurturing the soul.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly
“This poignant story can spark discussion about the power of the imagination to provide comfort in times of dire need.” —Starred, School Library Journal.
“Whether enjoyed as a reflection of readers’ own imaginative travels, or used as a creative entree to classroom geography units, this simple, poignant offering will transport children as surely as the map it celebrates.” —Starred, Booklist “Signature watercolor illustrations contrast the stark misery of refugee life with the boundless joys of the imagination.” —Kirkus Reviews “This is a wonderful tale and a timely message of hope.” —Ellen Scott, The Bookworm, Omaha, NE “A tribute to the power of wide imaginative horizons, this gains impact from its basis in Shulevitz's own experiences, which give it reality beyond mere wishful thinking.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “This is a natural pair with Peter Sis's The Wall for its depiction of a gifted young artist finding inspiration and expressing himself despite profoundly daunting circumstances.” —The Horn Book “This simple, poignant offering will transport children as surely as the map it celebrates.” —Book Links

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Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes

2009-03-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Did you actually think shoes, jackets, and hats didn't have personalitites? Think again! The outfits in this book are brought to vivid life by Alice Schertle's wry poetry and Petra Mathers's exuberant cast of young animal characters. From Joshua's cozy jammies to Emily's frilly undies, the duds on display in this perfectly stitched poetry collection are as unique as the critters who wear them.
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Last Night

2009-03-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Small in design and wordless in execution, this story of a young Asian girl, unhappy with her dinner, will strike a chord with many children. Impressively combining her painting and printmaking skills, Yum first offers an image of the girl obviously miserable about what’s on her plate. Mother’s angry shadow is enough to make readers understand why the girl must go to her room, where a stuffed bear offers comfort. But as the girl sleeps, something magical happens: the bear becomes real and offers his paw for a journey into the night. A mysterious and intriguing two-page spread shows the girl’s house, ordinary and everyday, sitting next to a deep forest in blues and blacks lit by a golden moon. The compact book becomes momentarily vertical as the animals of the woods are introduced and playtime ensues, but those looking very, very carefully will see the girl subtly change mood. Perhaps being in a forest with boisterous foxes and lions is not so much fun after all, and when the bear falls asleep, the girl stares pensively at the ground. Then it is morning, and the bear is once again inanimate—and Mother welcomes the girl home. With so much depth and emotion, the art makes words superfluous. Their absence gives kids room to think. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper
Review
“This wordless story is a very clever re-visitation of the landscape of Where the Wild Things Are.” —The Chicago Tribune

“Yum has made this book distinct with her art, which manages to be charming and eerie at the same time.” —The Oklahoman

“With so much depth and emotion, the art makes words superfluous. Their absence gives kids room to think.”—Starred, Booklist

“This is a great book for children not quite able to read, but eager to pick up a book.” —Sacramento Book Review

“In stunning linoleum block prints, debut artist Yum imagines a little girl who dreams of a night in the forest with her teddy bear . . . Some picture books are written for children; this one gives a sense of what it’s like to be one.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly

“Many adults will view this book as a useful tool to encourage children to explore and cope effectively with feelings of anger as they compose their own explanations for the series of events so vividly represented in this eloquent book.” —School Library Journal

“Linocut illustrations, done in a muted palette and printed with a grainy texture, have a raw quality; each image captures a narrative beat.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The technique used, employing several blocks of different color combinations for each illustration, requires much planning and time-consuming execution, yet the result looks spontaneous and intimate.” —The Horn Book
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The Little Stranger

2009-03-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Product Description
“One of the best storytellers alive today.”
— Independent on Sunday

“[An] outstandingly gifted novelist.”
— Sunday Times

“A deeply thrilling novelist.”
— The Globe and Mail

“A brilliant writer.”
— A. N. Wilson

“It is a rare pleasure to discover a writer as startlingly assured and original as Waters.”
— The Times

“Waters is an author to cherish.”
— The Guardian --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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A Life in the Wild: George Schaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts

2009-03-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Product Description
For more than fifty years, explorer-naturalist George Schaller has been on a mission: to save the world’s great wild beasts and their environments. In this compelling biography, illustrated with Schaller’s own striking photographs, Pamela S. Turner examines the amazing life and groundbreaking work of the man International Wildlife calls “the world’s foremost field biologist.” Schaller’s landmark research revolutionalized field biology, demonstrating that it is possible to study dangerous animals in their own habitats: mountain gorillas in Central Africa, predatory tigers in India, mysterious snow leopards in the Himalayas, and many others. His insights about species and environment led him to successfully advocate for the protection of over 190,000 square miles of wilderness around the world – an area the size of Spain.
Packed with grand adventure, intriguing science, dramatic photographs, and Schaller’s own breathtaking descriptions of the natural world and the animals who live in it, this full-color biography brilliantly captures the spirit and passion of George Schaller’s unusual – and inspiring – life in the wild.

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The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son

2009-03-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Product Description
This is a fascinating book. It is the tale of a family's journey to Mongolia with their five-year-old son who has autism. The family travels to the northern remote areas and lives with the nomads and herders away from the cities. I loved the descriptions of the nomad way of life, and that they were so accepting of a child with autism. Rowan loved baby animals and the people did not mind when he grabbed a baby goat and climbed into one of their beds with it. During the trip, Rowan developed improved language and behavior. He also had a magical connection with horses. There are many wonderful passages about Rowan’s exploits with a Mongolian horse named Blackie.
Rupert Isaacson was surprised at how accommodating the Mongolian people were. They tolerated Rowan's pushing, yelping, and joyful rushing about. At the end of the book the family get a rude awakening when a German tourist who was a psychologist disapproved of bringing a child with autism to a national park to view wild horses. I was interviewed by Rupert Isaacson before he wrote his book and we discussed perhaps the shamans and the healers in some traditional cultures had autistic traits. Their rituals with rhythmic chanting and repetitive movements have similarities to autistic "stims." When I was little, I went into a calm trance-like state when I rocked and dribbled sand through my hands.
Children with autism need to be exposed to lots of interesting things and new experiences in order to develop. One of the reasons the trip to Mongolia was so beneficial was that Rowan could explore lots of fascinating things such as horses, streams, plants, and animals in an environment that was QUIET. The Mongolian pastureland was a quiet environment free of the things that overload the sensory system of a child with autism. There were no florescent lights or constant noise and echoes. Some individuals with autism see the flicker of florescent lights which is like being in a disco with strobe lights. When I was a child, loud sounds hurt my ears.
Parents and teachers can duplicate the benefits of this trip without having to travel. Horseback riding is a great activity. Many parents have told me that their child spoke his/her first words on a horse. Activities that combine both rhythm and balancing such as horseback riding, sitting on a ball, or swinging help stabilize a disordered sensory system. There are lots of places you can take a child to explore nature such as parks, brooks or a field with tall grass. Children with autism need to be shown interesting things and encouraged to do new things. Everywhere Rowan went he was asked questions and encouraged to talk about the things he was looking at. You need to find QUIET, interesting places away from crowds of people, florescent lights, traffic, and noise, where you can engage the child and keep him tuned in. This is a great book and everyone who is interested in autism, animals or different cultures should read it. --Temple Grandin
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Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator

2009-03-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

Product Description
The venerable Garmin 60CS just got a whole lot better. The 7.5-ounce GPSMap 60CSx now features an insanely accurate, high-sensitivity GPS receiver by SiRF that tracks your position even in tree cover and canyons. Plus, you get a bright, sunlight-readable color TFT display and an included a 64 MB microSD card for storage of optional map detail. Add all that to the 60CSx's integrated barometric altimeter and electronic compass, and you've got a unit that is ready to take you anywhere on land or sea.
You can use the 60CSx's memory card slot with preprogrammed microSD cards from Garmin (sold separately) that provide topographic maps, city streets, and nautical charts. In fact, the unit is compatible with most Garmin MapSource products including BlueChart, City Navigator, U.S. Topo 24K, and U.S. Topo and Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hot Spots. The unit comes preloaded with an Americas autoroute basemap that provides automatic routing capabilities including highways, exits, and tide data. There's also a preloaded marine point database. You can even get turn-by-turn directions when you're driving, and an integrated trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more.
The 60CSx's 2.6-inch, 256-color TFT color display is designed to present mapping and trip information clearly and accurately in any lighting conditions. Plus, the case is lightweight, rugged, and water resistant to IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (can be submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes). When using two AA alkaline batteries, you'll get up to 20 hours of battery life from the unit. The unit's barometric altimeter system features automatic pressure trend recording while providing current elevation, ascent/descent rate, minimum/maximum elevation, total ascent and descent, and average and maximum ascent and descent rate. Meanwhile, the electronic compass allows you to get accurate headings while standing still.
Another key feature of the 60CSx is the 10,000 point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions. There's also a large-numbers option for easy viewing, as well as a dual-position display mode.
The 60CSx's trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more. Meanwhile, a fast processor allows the 60CSx to provide quick auto-routing, turn-by-turn directions, and audio alerts when you use the optional MapSource software, which can be stored on the unit's included 64 MB microSD card. Downloading information is quick with the USB or serial port interfaces. Using the dedicated serial port, the 60Cx can share navigation instructions with repeaters, plotters, and autopilots. The four-position rocker pad and dedicated high-use buttons make navigating through the unit's features easy, even when your fingers are cold or wet.
Finally, the GPSMap 60CSx is packed with some extra fun features. An integrated outdoor calendar provides ideal hunting and fishing times, plus moon rise/set/location information. There is a dedicated geocaching mode for those of you into the hot GPS community treasure hunt game. Finally, there are indoor/outdoor GPS games to help you and your friends enjoy the outdoors.
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Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator

2009-03-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Garmin's nüvi 265WT improves upon its 200-series predecessors by adding free real-time traffic updates from Navteq (for the life of the device) as well as Bluetooth connectivity to your cell phone. Other significant improvements in the 2x5 series include a predictive technology that provides faster satellite lock, a redesigned screen with more information, terrain maps, and an exciting new photo navigation feature. The 265WT provides complete maps for North America and the handy Text-to-Speech feature, so you get turn-by-turn spoken directions with the real names of streets (e.g. "turn left in 50 feet at Nebraska Way", rather than merely "turn left in 50 feet").
The nüvi 2x5 models all sport the slim design that Garmin introduced with the 200-series last year, so they all fit comfortably in your pocket or purse, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that makes them convenient for navigation by car or foot. All of the models include useful travel tools like a JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter, calculator and more. The 265WT also offers a wide 4.3-inch (diagonal) screen that displays 70% more of the road around you.
Steer clear of traffic with an integrated GTM 20 FM traffic receiver designed to receive alerts about traffic tie-ups and road construction that might lie ahead on your route. No subscriptions or additional hardware needed. Just open the box, turn it on, and get instant access to traffic information--the traffic updates are free for the life of the device.
All you have to do is simply touch the screen to view traffic details and you'll be ready to detour around any problem area. And if you end up missing a turn, or you're forced into a detour that is not relayed through the traffic receiver, the nüvi's sophisticated automatic routing will get you back on track in no time.
In most areas, the traffic broadcasts are continuous--there's no waiting for scheduled traffic news updates or random alerts. Because traffic broadcasts are received via a "silent" FM data channel, you can still listen to music or news programming on your car radio without interference from incoming FM traffic data transmissions.

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The Lightning Thief

2009-03-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Grade 5-9–At the outset of this fast-paced tale by Rick Riordan (Hyperion/Miramax, 2005), it would seem that Percy Jackson is just another New York kid diagnosed with ADHD, who has good intentions, a nasty stepfather, and a long line of schools that have rejected him. The revelation of his status as half-blood offspring of one of the Greek gods is nicely packaged, and it's easy to believe that Mount Olympus, in modern times, has migrated to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building (the center of Western civilization) while the door to Hades can be found at DOA Recording Studio, somewhere in LA. With his new friends, a disguised satyr, and the half-blood daughter of Athena, Percy sets out across the country to rectify a feud between Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon. Along the way they must cope with the Furies, Medusa, motorcycle thug Aires, and various other immortals. Although some of Jesse Bernstein's accents fail (the monster from Georgia, for instance, has no Southern trace in her voice), he does a fine job of keeping the main characters' tones and accents distinguishable. He convincingly portrays Percy, voicing just the right amount of prepubescent confusion, ironic wit, and the ebbing and waning of concern for himself and those around him. Mythology fans will love this take and kids who haven't been inculcated with the Classical canon will learn aspects of it here while having no trouble following a rollicking good–and modern–adventure.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
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The Battle of the Labyrinth

2009-03-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Product Description
As an incoming freshman, Percy isn't expecting his high school orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends will set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.
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The Sea of Monsters

2009-03-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Grade 5-9–In this sequel (Miramax Books, 2006) to Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (Hyperion, 2005; Listening Library, 2005) 13-year-old Percy is just finishing up his school year and is looking forward to another great summer at Camp Half-Blood with all the other demigods. But even before school ends, things start happening, and soon Percy is at camp along with Tyson, a homeless kid adopted by Percy's school. At camp, Percy not only discovers that Tyson is a Cyclops and a son of Poseidon, which makes him Percy's half-brother, but also that the camp is in trouble. There's a quest to rescue Percy's friend, Grover the satyr, and to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The plot zips along with plenty of action; lots of mythological monsters, titans, and gods; and a leavening of humor. Jesse Bernstein does a good job of giving Percy a youthful voice in this first-person narrative, while at the same time creating appropriate voices for the other characters. Listeners who have not read or listened to the first book in the projected trilogy will want to do so before the next installment is published.–Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, CA
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Book 5: The Last Olympian

2009-03-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator

2009-03-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Animal Babies in Polar Lands

2009-03-03T02:50:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Polar bears, harp seals, and caribou are just a few of the delightful youngsters found in Animal Babies in Polar Lands. The unusual yet engaging animals are a great introduction to an unfamiliar region.
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The House in the Night

2009-02-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

Product Description
A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home in this bedtime book for young children. Naming nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to preschoolers—a key, a bed, the moon—this timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.

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The Brave Apprentice: A Further Tales Adventure

2009-02-12T22:27:00.000-08:00

Product Description
"Seven at one blow!" That's what they say about the Brave Little Tailor -- he killed seven foes with one blow. But no one can prove it's even true. Besides, that took place a long time ago, and the Brave Little Tailor is now an old man. So what happens when an army of angry trolls invades his kingdom?
Meet Patch Ridlin. He's a tailor's simple apprentice in the remote village of Crossfield. He's a hard worker who's never wanted for much, except maybe a little adventure. But when he rescues his friend Osbert from an aging and decrepit troll, Patch finds himself something of a town hero. Word of his bravery quickly spreads throughout the countryside, and Patch is summoned to the king's castle. King Milo needs his help to wage war on a gang of trolls threatening to destroy the kingdom.
Soon Patch finds himself engaged in an all-out battle against the trolls. With only the help of a fool named Simon and a maddening riddle, can Patch figure out the troll's fatal flaw? Or is the kingdom destined to perish? Do you want to see more popular books? click here
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Let's Find Pokemon!

2009-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Product Description
This book has great pictures, the pages are fun to look at!! It is not so difficult it's impossible, but they are challenging enough that it can be enjoyed by many ages. Great pass time for the kids!
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Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

2009-02-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

Product Description
This is the first game in the Pokémon Ranger series to feature Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.Your journey to become a Top Ranger takes you to the new region of Almia. This game has a larger world, more Missions, more adventure and more to do than the previous Pokémon Ranger game.Now you can partner with a variety of different Pokémon of each type to complete Missions—giving you many options on how to approach different challenges.Pokémon Ranger is a unique action-adventure series that features a fun, different way to capture Pokémon with the Nintendo DS stylus, which controls an item called the Capture Styler in the game.
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Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution

2009-02-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Any book that can give voice to the voiceless should be celebrated. No one feels this more strongly than Wally Lamb, editor of Couldn't Keep It to Myself, a collection of stories by 11 women imprisoned in the York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. Teacher and novelist Lamb was invited to head a writing workshop at York Correctional Institution in 1999. His somewhat reluctant acceptance soon turned into steadfast advocacy once the women in his charge began to tell their stories. Lamb maintains that there are things we need to know about prison and prisoners: "There are misconceptions to be abandoned, biases to be dropped." However, as heartfelt as his appeal is, nothing speaks more convincingly in this book than the stories themselves.
Those collected here are disturbing and horrific. They reveal, often in graphic detail, the worst kind of abuse: incest, drug addiction, spousal violence, parental neglect, or incompetence. They're also testimony to what social workers and health care professionals have confirmed for years--that those who populate our prisons are often victims first themselves. Thus, the telling of these stories serves as a form of therapy. They are also sad accounts of the brutalities many suffer, yet few discuss: "One day I figured out a dying little girl lived inside of me, so I threw her a lifeline in the form of paper and pen." Considering the degradation the contributors have experienced both in and outside prison, the courage, candor, and honesty with which they speak truly make these stories, as difficult as they are to read, "victories against voicelessness--miracles in print." --Silvana Tropea --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The Hour I First Believed

2009-02-03T16:53:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Wally Lamb's two previous novels, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, struck a chord with readers. They responded to the intensely introspective nature of the books, and to their lively narrative styles and biting humor. One critic called Wally Lamb a "modern-day Dostoyevsky," whose characters struggle not only with their respective pasts, but with a "mocking, sadistic God" in whom they don't believe but to whom they turn, nevertheless, in times of trouble (New York Times).
In his new novel, The Hour I First Believed, Lamb travels well beyond his earlier work and embodies in his fiction myth, psychology, family history stretching back many generations, and the questions of faith that lie at the heart of everyday life. The result is an extraordinary tour de force, at once a meditation on the human condition and an unflinching yet compassionate evocation of character.
When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.
While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers a cache of old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family's house. The colorful and intriguing story they recount spans five generations of Quirk family ancestors, from the Civil War era to Caelum's own troubled childhood. Piece by piece, Caelum reconstructs the lives of the women and men whose legacy he bears. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface.
As Caelum grapples with unexpected and confounding revelations from the past, he also struggles to fashion a future out of the ashes of tragedy. His personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary—and American.
The Hour I First Believed is a profound and heart-rending work of fiction. Wally Lamb proves himself a virtuoso storyteller, assembling a variety of voices and an ensemble of characters rich enough to evoke all of humanity.
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Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil

2009-02-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Adult/High School–In 2002, just months after the Taliban had been driven out of Afghanistan, Rodriguez, a hairdresser from Holland, MI, joined a small nongovernmental aid organization on a mission to the war-torn nation. That visit changed her life. In Kabul, she chronicles her efforts to help establish the country's first modern beauty school and training salon; along with music and kite-flying, hairdressing had been banned under the previous regime. This memoir offers a glimpse into a world Westerners seldom see–life behind the veil. Rodriguez was entranced with the delightful personalities that emerged when her students removed their burqas behind closed doors, but her book is also a tale of empowerment–both for her and the women. In a city with no mail service, she went door-to-door to recruit students from clandestine beauty shops, and there were constant efforts to shut her down. She had to convince Afghan men to work side by side with her to unpack cartons of supplies donated from the U.S. The students, however, are the heroines of this memoir. Women denied education and seldom allowed to leave their homes found they were able to support themselves and their families. Rodriguez's experiences will delight readers as she recounts such tales as two friends acting as parents and negotiating a dowry for her marriage to an Afghan man or her students puzzling over a donation of a carton of thongs. Most of all, they will share her admiration for Afghan women's survival and triumph in chaotic times.–Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Slumdog Millionaire: A Novel

2009-02-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Product Description
When Ram Mohammad Thomas, an orphaned, uneducated waiter from Mumbai, wins a billion rupees on a quiz show, he finds himself thrown in jail. (Unable to pay out the prize, the program's producers bribed local authorities to declare Ram a cheater.) Enter attractive lawyer Smita Shah, to get Ram out of prison and listen to him explain, via flashbacks, how he knew the answers to all the show's questions. Indian diplomat Swarup's fanciful debut is based on a sound premise: you learn a lot about the world by living in it (Ram has survived abandonment, child abuse, murder). And just as the quiz show format is meant to distill his life story (each question prompts a separate flashback), Ram's life seems intended to distill the predicament of India's underclass in general. Rushdie's Midnight's Children may have been a model: Ram's brash yet innocent voice recalls that of Saleem Sinai, Rushdie's narrator, and the sheer number of Ram's near-death adventures represents the life of the underprivileged in India, just as Saleem wore a map of India, quite literally, on his face. But Swarup's prose is sometimes flat and the story's picaresque form turns predictable. Ram is a likable fellow, but this q&a with him, though clever, grows wearying.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

2009-02-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Product Description
While critics agree that Three Cups of Tea should be read for its inspirational value rather than for its literary merit, the book's central theme, derived from a Baltistan proverb, rings loud and clear. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger," a villager tells Greg Mortenson. "The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family." An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides, Three Cups, which won the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction, reveals the enormous obstacles inherent in becoming such "family." Despite the important message, critics quibbled over the awkward prose and some melodrama. After all, a story as dramatic and satisfying as this should tell itself.
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Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time

2009-02-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Product Description
This young readers edition of the worldwide bestseller Three Cups of Tea has been specially adapted for younger readers and updated by Greg Mortenson to bring his remarkable story of humanitarianism up to date for the present. Includes new photos and illustrations, as well as a special interview by Greg’s twelve-year-old daughter, Amira, who has traveled with her father as an advocate for the Pennies for Peace program for children.
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Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats

2009-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Product Description
In Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz and the Children's Museum, Boston, illus. by Meilo So, each of a quartet of holidays includes a brief background and introduces a bevy of crafts, recipes and legends. "The Story of the Kitchen God" kicks off the section on the Chinese New Year (and the reason behind serving the traditional tanggua, or candied melons); a recipe for Five-Treasure Moon Cakes stuffed with apricot preserves, pitted dates, sweet coconut and raisins helps youngsters celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Step-by-step illustrations aid in food preparation or crafts such as New Year Prints or Good Luck Characters in this elegantly designed volume.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Sam and the Lucky Money

2009-01-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

Product Description
It's Chinese New Year in Chinatown, and young Sam has four dollars of New Year money burning a hole in his pocket. As he and his mother are milling through the crowded streets--alive with firecrackers, lion dances, and shoppers--Sam accidentally steps on the foot of a homeless man who is buried in a pile of red paper. Flustered, Sam hurries back to his mother, and is soon distracted by the char siu bao and other sweets he might buy with his gift money. When he sees fish-tail cookies that remind him of toes, he remembers the old man again, and Sam starts to think of his "lucky money" in a new light. Karen Chinn's winning story is perfectly complemented by the vibrant watercolors of Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, creators of the award-winning Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree and A House by the River. Voted "Pick of the Lists" by American Bookseller, Sam and the Lucky Money succeeds at telling a simple story, while allowing young readers to explore the sights and sounds of an American urban Chinatown during the Chinese New Year. (Ages 4 to 8)

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The Dancing Dragon

2009-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

Product Description
The Chinese New Year is about to begin. There's lots to do--tie strings of firecrackers outside, hang up red scrolls, bake special cakes, and sing New Year's songs. And when family and friends are gathered together, it's time for the parade to begin. This book folds out to reveal all the color and excitement of a traditional Chinese New Year celebration, complete with dancing dragon! Full color.
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Chinese New Year For Kid

2009-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Product Description
"Chinese New Year for Kids" is a full color paperback book with beautiful, authentic Chinese illustrations. This is a hands-on workbook for parents and teachers, written for children from ages 3 to 12 years old, for use in the classroom or at home. Children will enjoy the party ideas, dragon parades, lion dances, art projects, and zodiac games. The art projects are designed to be easy, as well as inexpensive to reproduce for large groups. All the activities in this book have been thoroughly tested in the classroom, with very successful results, and have elicited lots of enthusiasm from children and teachers alike. Music, physical movement, art, and food all add to the ambiance of taking an imaginary trip to China during the Chinese New Year.
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Celebrating Chinese New Year: An Activity Book

2009-01-27T16:45:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Celebrating Chinese New Year is a fun-filled craft, activity and resource book for the Chinese New Year. In addition to basic facts and history of the Chinese New Year, you can make a dragon parade, a paper lantern, and red lucky envelopes following simple directions and examples in this activity book. You will also have fun learning about your Chinese Zodiac signs. This classroom tested copy-ready activity book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers with children ages 5 to 10. A must for celebrating Chinese New Year!
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Clues in the Woods

2009-01-22T01:02:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Three young sleuths decide to investigate the disappearance of table scraps and become involved in more adventures.
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The Haunted House

2009-01-22T00:56:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Three children are uneasy when they learn their parents have bought a reputedly haunted house.
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Key to the Treasure

2009-01-22T00:50:00.000-08:00

Product DescriptionEach summer Lisa, Bill, and Jed visit their grandparents, and they hear the story of the sketches hung above the mantel. The sketches are clues to a hidden treasure, and no one has been able to figure them out for a century. There is a missing first clue, but when the children stumble upon the second clue, they're on their way. Could it be that on this visit they will solve the secret that has eluded so many for more than a hundred years?.
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The Mystery of the Pirate Ghost

2009-01-22T00:45:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Illus. in full color. Is there a ghost loose in Boogle Bay? Young Otto the alligator and his Uncle Tooth find out in a funny, high-spirited whodunit for beginning readers.
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Duck on a Bike

2009-01-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

Product Description
When Duck gets the zany idea to ride a bike one day, each animal on the farm has a reaction. "M-o-o-o," says Cow. But what she's really thinking is, "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!" Pig and Pig say "Oink," thinking all the while, "Duck is such a show-off!" But it's not until a crew of kids shows up and leaves their bikes lying about that the true feelings of all the animals come to light, and for one brief, glorious moment, the farm is a mad, mad world of two-wheeling road hogs (and chickens and horses and goats). David Shannon, the creator of Caldecott Honor Book, No, David!, fills the pages of this barnyard romp with sun-soaked color, charming animals, and unusual perspectives. We see Cat, for example, looming belly-first in the foreground, with Duck merrily pedaling away in the distance. The story itself is nothing to write home about--No, David! is far snappier and more original--but younger kids may well enjoy the repetitive crescendo and the goofy finale. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter
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Harry Potter Years 1-5

2009-01-21T23:53:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith
Directors: Chris Columbus, Mike Newell
Writers: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
Producers: Chris Columbus, Chris Carreras, David Barron, David Heyman
Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2009-01-20T01:26:00.000-08:00

Product Description
As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief... or will it?
The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to be fallible, and matters that seemed black-and-white suddenly come out in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused (especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-01-20T01:23:00.000-08:00

Product Description
The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated, arguably over-hyped Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has arrived, and the question on the minds of kids, adults, fans, and skeptics alike is, "Is it worth the hype?" The answer, luckily, is simple: yep. A magnificent spectacle more than worth the price of admission, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will blow you away. However, given that so much has gone into protecting the secrets of the book (including armored trucks and injunctions), don't expect any spoilers in this review. It's much more fun not knowing what's coming--and in the case of Rowling's delicious sixth book, you don't want to know. Just sit tight, despite the earth-shattering revelations that will have your head in your hands as you hope the words will rearrange themselves into a different story. But take one warning to heart: do not open Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until you have first found a secluded spot, safe from curious eyes, where you can tuck in for a good long read. Because once you start, you won't stop until you reach the very last page.
A darker book than any in the series thus far with a level of sophistication belying its genre, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moves the series into murkier waters and marks the arrival of Rowling onto the adult literary scene. While she has long been praised for her cleverness and wit, the strength of Book 6 lies in her subtle development of key characters, as well as her carefully nuanced depiction of a community at war. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, no one and nothing is safe, including preconceived notions of good and evil and of right and wrong. With each book in her increasingly remarkable series, fans have nervously watched J.K. Rowling raise the stakes; gone are the simple delights of butterbeer and enchanted candy, and days when the worst ailment could be cured by a bite of chocolate. A series that began as a colorful lark full of magic and discovery has become a dark and deadly war zone. But this should not come as a shock to loyal readers. Rowling readied fans with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by killing off popular characters and engaging the young students in battle. Still, there is an unexpected bleakness from the start of Book 6 that casts a mean shadow over Quidditch games, silly flirtations, and mountains of homework. Ready or not, the tremendous ending of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will leave stunned fans wondering what great and terrible events await in Book 7 if this sinister darkness is meant to light the way. --Daphne Durham
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City of Ashes

2009-01-20T01:21:00.000-08:00

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"A gorgeous fantasty that's so good, it's dangerous."
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City of Bones

2009-01-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

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This Buffy-esque YA novel does not translate well to the audio medium, and part of the problem lies in the story's pacing. Teenager Clary discovers she can see supernatural beings that no one else can, gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters (teens who kill demons and monsters) and learns that her mother is somehow mysteriously connected to all the strange happenings around her. As a result, a good chunk of the novel consists of long explanatory passages, as various characters fill Clary in on supernatural creatures, the history and rules of the Shadowhunters and her mother's entanglements—all of which come across as tedious lectures. In addition, narrator Graynor makes almost no attempt to differentiate the various teen characters' voices. Only the minor character Dorothea, played as a faux witch with a gravelly New York accent, is memorable. Graynor also frequently ignores the author's explicit textual directives, such as [Simon] came back, sounding worried or The tone of arrogant superiority was back in [Jace's] voice, for her performance, making this a program with an intriguing premise and cast but disappointing execution.
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City of Glass

2009-01-20T01:06:00.000-08:00

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Cassandra Clare is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. She was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of books. Cassandra lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend, their two cats, and these days, even more books.
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The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle

2009-01-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

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When the supernatural world spins out of control, when the police can’t handle what goes bump in the night, when monsters come screaming out of nightmares and into the mean streets, there’s just one man to call: Harry Dresden, the only professional wizard in the Chicago phone book. A police consultant and private investigator, Dresden has to walk the dangerous line between the world of night and the light of day.
Now Harry Dresden is investigating a brutal mauling at the Lincoln Park Zoo that has left a security guard dead and many questions unanswered. As an investigator of the supernatural, he senses that there’s more to this case than a simple animal attack, and as Dresden searches for clues to figure out who is really behind the crime, he finds himself next on the victim list, and being hunted by creatures that won’t leave much more than a stain if they catch him.
Written exclusively for comics by Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle is a brand-new story that’s sure to enchant readers with a blend of gripping mystery and fantastic adventure.
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Batman: Arkham Asylum

2009-01-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

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In this groundbreaking, painted graphic novel, the inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gothams detention center for the criminally insane on April Fools Day, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages.Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to live and endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and many other sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison.During his run through this absurd gauntlet, the Dark Knights own sanity is placed in jeopardy.This special anniversary edition trade paperback also reproduces the original script with annotations by Morrison and editor Karen Berger.
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Batman: The Killing Joke

2009-01-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

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One of the most famous Batman stories of all time is offered for the first time in hardcover in this special twentieth-anniversary edition.
This is the unforgettable that forever changed Batman's world, adding a new element of darkness with its unflinching portrayal of The Joker's twisted psyche.
Writer Alan Moore, acclaimed author of WATCHMEN and V FOR VENDETTA, offers his take on the disturbing relationship between The Dark Knight and his greatest foe. The Clown Prince of Crime has never been more ruthless than in this brutal tale.
This special new edition also includes a story written and exquisitely illustrated by Brian Bolland.See more detail

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

2009-01-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

Product Description
The highly anticipated third book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series takes the art of being wimpy to a whole new level.
Let’s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg’s father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father’s efforts to change him. But when Greg’s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.
Greg and his family and friends, who make the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books a must-read for middle school readers, are back and at their best in this hilarious new installment of the series, which is sure to please current fans while attracting new ones.
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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-01-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

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In December 2007, J.K. Rowling unveiled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a very special book of five fairy tales illustrated by the bard herself, embellished with silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. Amazon was fortunate to come into possession of one of the original copies, and it was our privilege to share images and reviews of this incredible artifact. Now J.K. Rowling is giving millions of Harry Potter fans worldwide cause for celebration with a new edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, available December 4, 2008.

Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling's legions of readers--as well as Aesop's wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm--each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling's new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle's collection "take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe," and "that magic causes as much trouble as it cures."

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard's-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered "among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives," the venerable wizard's ruminations on the Tales allow today's readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that "Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles" during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.
Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led "a certain Beatrix Bloxam" to cleanse the Tales of "much of the darker themes that she found distasteful," forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through "Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump" that "many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead."
Both a wise and delightful addition to the Harry Potter canon, this new translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is all that fans could hope for and more--and an essential volume for the libraries of Muggles, wizards, and witches, both young and old.
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Inkheart

2009-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

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Meggie’s father, Mo, has an wonderful and sometimes terrible ability. When he reads aloud from books, he brings the characters to life--literally. Mo discovered his power when Maggie was just a baby. He read so lyrically from the the book Inkheart, that several of the book’s wicked characters ended up blinking and cursing on his cottage floor. Then Mo discovered something even worse--when he read Capricorn and his henchmen out of Inkheart, he accidentally read Meggie’s mother in.
Meggie, now a young lady, knows nothing of her father's bizarre and powerful talent, only that Mo still refuses to read to her. Capricorn, a being so evil he would "feed a bird to a cat on purpose, just to watch it being torn apart," has searched for Meggie's father for years, wanting to twist Mo's powerful talent to his own dark means. Finally, Capricorn realizes that the best way to lure Mo to his remote mountain hideaway is to use his beloved, oblivious daughter Meggie as bait!
Cornelia Funke’s imaginative ode to books and book lovers is sure to be enjoyed by fans of her breakout debut, The Thief Lord, and young readers who enjoyed the similarly themed The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley. (Ages 10 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2009-01-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

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Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.
The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.
A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. The journey is hard, filled with events both tragic and triumphant, the battlefield littered with the bodies of the dearest and despised, but the final chapter is as brilliant and blinding as a phoenix's flame, and fans and skeptics alike will emerge from the confines of the story with full but heavy hearts, giddy and grateful for the experience. --Daphne Durham
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Dora's Chilly Day

2009-01-16T16:55:00.000-08:00

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Brr! It's a chilly day! Dora and Boots are going to get some chocolate for Abuela's chilly day surprise. On their adventure they see what their friends like to do on a chilly day. And when they come back it's time for Abuela's surprise!
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Say "Ahhh!": Dora Goes to the Doctor

2009-01-16T16:53:00.000-08:00

Product Description
Dora and her Mami are going to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor listens to her heartbeat, weighs and measures her and looks in her eyes, ears and throat. At the end, Dora gets a special treat from the doctor. This first experience 8 x 8 story is sure to be a hit with Dora fans who may feel a little nervous about going to the doctor.
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Barney's Night Before Christmas

2009-01-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

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Barney's Christmas Countdown

2009-01-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

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Babies will love counting from 1 to 12 with Barney this Christmas in this adorable, chunky mini board book format with shiny foil on the cover!
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Dora Saves the Snow Princess

2009-01-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Product DescriptionJoin Dora and Boots as they jump into a fairy tale to save the Snow Princess! They have to save the Snowy Forest from melting away too. But they can't do it without you!
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Walt Disney Records : Children's Favorite Songs, Vol. 1 : 25 Classic Tunes

2009-01-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

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Toddler Favorites

2009-01-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

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Uncle Scrooge Vs. Flintheart Glomgold : The Second Richest Duck

2009-01-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

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Disney Presents Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories Volume 2

2009-01-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

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Tied in with the release of Disney's classic DuckTales TV series on DVD, Gemstone is issuing these special graphic novels collecting the vintage Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge stories that DuckTales adapted to animation. This second volume includes "Giant Robot Robbers," "The Golden Fleecing," "The Horseradish Story," "The Status Seeker," "Tralla-La" and more!
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Disney Presents Carl Barks' Greatest Ducktales Stories Volume 1

2009-01-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

Product DescriptionThis special graphic novel collects the vintage Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge stories that DuckTales adapted to animation. This first volume includes "The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan, Land Beneath the Ground," "The Lemming with the Locket" and more!
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Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge & Donald Duck: The Sunken City

2009-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

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Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: Hawaiian Hideaway

2009-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

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Uncle Scrooge buys an island near Hawaii where he and his money can live but even before he can pack up his belonging trouble strikes.
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Hot! Hot! Hot! Dance Songs

2009-01-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

Product Description
If your kids seem more like couch potatoes than jumping beans, then this lively dance album is sure to get them on their feet. The entire Sesame Street cast participates in this high-spirited album that includes "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco" with lead vocals by Cookie Monster, "The Lambaba!" featuring the Count counting lambies, and the finger-snapping "Happy Tappin' with Elmo." Hot! Hot! Hot! is great fun and invites interactive movement but still retains strong educational values that parents and children can enjoy together. --Deborah Moore
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Kids Favorite Songs

2009-01-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

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When your child spontaneously starts singing these songs, and wants you to sing along with him (WITHOUT the CD playing!), you know he loves it. And he's not even 2 years old. Whenever we get him strapped into his car seat in the car, he immediatly starts asking for "Music! Music! Street! Street!", for sesame street music. We've got this CD, the new All-Time Favorites one, and Hot Hot Dance songs, and he loves them all. If your kids like watching Sesame Street, they'll love singing along with the characters to these songs.
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Sing the Alphabet

2009-01-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

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When you hear this creative collection of alliterative alphabet anthems, you'll be amazed at the various verses and clever choruses. Whether it's the classic "'C' Is for Cookie" or "MMM Monster Meal," young kids will get a kick out of the frivolous fun while learning language set to song. Along with the lyrical letter tunes, there's a "What's My Letter?" skit with Prairie Dawn and Guy Smiley and a fantastic fable, "The Tale of Tom Tattertall Tuttletut," featuring Herbert Birdsfoot and the Anything People. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more alluring alphabet album anywhere. --Deborah Moore
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Platinum All Time Favorites

2009-01-14T18:22:00.000-08:00

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This CD is timeless. If you have young children, or just want to relive your own childhood days, I highly recommend it.
But beware, your kids may not want to listen to anything other than this disc. Whenever I attempt to put a new CD into the CD player, my two year old child picks this CD off the rack and asks me to play it - "This CD, Daddy? - How 'bout this one?" I usually accommodate him. This CD brings back wonderful childhood memories for me, and is much more tolerable than Barney and Friends.
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The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More!

2009-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

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Those who spent (or are spending) their formative years watching Kermit and Miss Piggy dance their special interspecies dance will revel in this spectacular, positively historic new Muppets CD, released just in time for the 25th anniversary of Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. A 20-page insert booklet, complete with color photos, details the fascinating history of Muppet music. Remember when Sesame Street's rendition of Jeff Moss's "Rubber Duckie" hit the kiddie pop charts? This 27-song CD harvests favorite and lesser-known recordings from feature films and from the original The Muppet Show, stringing songs ranging from Piero Umiliani's "Mahna Mahna" to Tony Burrello's "There's a New Sound" (the sound that's made by worms) together with skits and grand pronouncements and goofy sound effects like an old-time vaudeville show. A stunning variety of musical styles are showcased in this witty, wonderful collection that reminds us that a world without Fozzie Bear and Gonzo and Kermit and Miss Piggy would be less fuzzy indeed. --Karin Snelson
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Best of Schoolhouse Rock

2009-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

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A sampling of the short, witty educational songs that TV viewers in the '70s and '80s absorbed along with their Saturday morning cartoons, written and sung by some of the best jazz artists around. Bob Dorough, Tom Yohe, Dave Frishberg--you can't beat the talent that went into "Conjunction Junction," "Walkin' On Wall Street," "I'm Just a Bill," and scads more. A 1999 Parents' Choice® Recommendation. (Lynne Heffley, Parents' Choice®)
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Free to Be You and Me

2009-01-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

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I Am a Little Moslem

2009-01-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

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Written for the Muslim child, most especially living in an English-speaking or Western country, featuring 6 year old Twins Tarek and Jana. Join them on a journey of discovering what it means to be a little Moslem. A beautifully illustrated book, good for parents to help explain religion. It raises issues such as why Christmas is not celebrated by Muslims, and what is celebrated, while teaching the basic pillars of Islam.
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Gingerbread Baby

2009-01-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

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"I am the Gingerbread Baby,
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can!"
That sassy cookie! When Matti opens the oven door just a little too soon, out pops a gingerbread baby instead of the gingerbread boy he was expecting. Eluding all efforts to catch him, the flat, becandied baby is chased around the village and into the countryside. He mercilessly taunts Matti's parents, a cat, the milk and cheese man, goats, villagers, a fox, and more. In a less traumatic twist on the classic Gingerbread Boy story, this Gingerbread Baby even outfoxes the fox. Sure he's bratty, but he doesn't deserve the gruesome end the Gingerbread Boy usually comes to. Matti makes sure this naughty but appealing little one ends up right where he belongs.
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Gingerbread Friends

2009-01-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

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That popular little character is back looking for friends, in an adventure he’ll never forget.
Confident and cocky, the Gingerbread Baby happens upon a bakery, where he dances and prances in front of a sugar cookie girl, trying to make friends. But she just stares and doesn’t say a word, like all the other sweet treats he tries to meet.
Discouraged, the Gingerbread Baby runs home, chased by a long line of hungry creatures, where Mattie has a fantastic surprise for him—gingerbread friends that fill a giant fold-out page.
Irresistible images inside the confectionery and outside in the snowy Swiss countryside will delight Jan Brett fans.
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This Is the Day!

2009-01-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

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Each day of the week our world holds a new surprise if we pay attention to what God has given us.
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