Realistic fiction: books tagged “realistic fiction” (7/40) @ BookFinder.com

Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit

by Paula Danziger

ISBN 0590947168 (0-590-94716-8)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

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Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit: ISBN 0590947168 (0-590-94716-8)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

Anatasia Krupnik

by Lois Lowry

ISBN 0553155342 (0-553-15534-2)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

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Anatasia Krupnik: ISBN 0553155342 (0-553-15534-2)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

ISBN 9780613358972 (0-613-35897-X, 061335897X)

via

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

by Louise Rennison

ISBN 061335897X (0-613-35897-X)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

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Book summary:

She has a precocious 3-year-old sister who tends to leave wet nappies at the foot of her bed, an insane cat who is prone to leg-shredding "Call of the Wild" episodes, and embarrassing parents who make her want to escape to Stonehenge and dance with the Druids. No wonder 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson laments, "Honestly, what is the point?" A Bridget Jones for the younger set, Georgia records the momentous events of her life--and they are all momentous--in her diary, which serves as a truly hilarious account of what it means to be a modern girl on the cusp of womanhood. No matter that her particular story takes place in England, the account of her experiences rings true across the ocean (and besides, "Georgia's Glossary" swiftly eradicates any language barriers).

The author, Louise Rennison, is a British comedy writer and it shows. Whether Georgia is dealing with wearing a bra ("OK, it's a bit on the loose side and does ride up round my neck if I run for the bus"), pondering kissing and how to know which way to turn your head ("You don't want to be bobbing around like pigeons for hours"), or managing the results of an overzealous eyebrow-plucking episode ("Obviously, now I have to stay in forever"), she always cracks us up. Georgia struggles with the myriad issues facing teen girls--boys, of course being at the forefront--but she does it with such humor and honesty it almost seems like a good time. This refreshingly funny book is ripe for a sequel, which readers will await in droves. (Ages 11 and older). --Brangien Davis [via]

More editions of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging:

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: ISBN 061335897X (0-613-35897-X)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

ISBN 9780606021234 (0-606-02123-X, 060602123X)

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

by Judy Blume

ISBN 060602123X (0-606-02123-X)
Hardcover, Demco Media

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: ISBN 060602123X (0-606-02123-X)
Hardcover, Demco Media

The Babysitter's Club 2

by Ann M. Martin

ISBN 0590251589 (0-590-25158-9)
Softcover, Apple

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The Best Teacher in the World

by Bernice Chardiet, Grace MacCarone, G. Brian Karas

ISBN 0590681583 (0-590-68158-3)
Softcover, Cartwheel Books

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The Best Teacher in the World: ISBN 0590681583 (0-590-68158-3)
Softcover, Cartwheel Books

The Contest

by Gordon Korman

ISBN 0613589459 (0-613-58945-9)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

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The Contest: ISBN 0613589459 (0-613-58945-9)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

Face on the Milk Carton

by Caroline B. Cooney

ISBN 0553289586 (0-553-28958-6)
Softcover, Bantam Books

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Fourth Grade Rats

by Jerry Spinelli

ISBN 0590442449 (0-590-44244-9)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

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Fourth Grade Rats: ISBN 0590442449 (0-590-44244-9)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

ISBN 9780552552776 (0-552-55277-1, 0552552771)

via

Girls In Pants: The Third Summer Of The Sisterhood

by Ann Brashares

ISBN 0552552771 (0-552-55277-1)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square Books

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Book summary:

Ages 12 and up. Best buds Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bridget are back with their magical pair of shared jeans in Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood. Each summer brings new and difficult challenges, as the perennially separated friends discover afresh this last season before college. Tibby struggles with the idea of close friend Brian becoming her boyfriend, and their fragile relationship is soon tested by a tragedy in her immediate family. Carmen doesnt know how to react when she finds out that her middle-aged mom is pregnant, and Bridget is unpleasantly surprised to be reunited with the boy who broke her heart two summers ago. Finally, Lena, still coming to terms with the loss of her first love, tries to convince her strict father that art school is a better career path than Greek restaurant management. But through every crisis, each girl is assured of the love and support of the created sisterhood when she pulls on the denim armor of the cherished, and by now, a bit fragrant ("Rule # 1. You must never wash the Pants.") Traveling Pants.

Full of homey platitudes about life, love and the pursuit of perfect jeans, Girls in Pants occasionally reads like a lengthy Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul entry. But often thats precisely the kind of friendly reassurance female readers are looking for, and fans of the wildly popular series whove journeyed every summer with the "Septembers" will find much to laugh and cry about in this concluding volume. --Jennifer Hubert [via]

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ISBN 9780486415864 (0-486-41586-4, 0486415864)

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Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

ISBN 0486415864 (0-486-41586-4)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

In the marshy mists of a village churchyard, a tiny orphan boy named Pip is suddenly terrified by a shivering, limping convict on the run. Years later, a supremely arrogant young Pip boards the coach to London where, by the grace of a mysterious benefactor, he will join the ranks of the idle rich and "become a gentleman." Finally, in the luminous mists of the village at evening, Pip the man meets Estella, his dazzingly beautiful tormentor, in a ruined garden--and lays to rest all the heartaches and illusions that his "great expectations" have brought upon him. Dickens's biographer, Edgar H. Johnson, has said that--except for the author's last-minute tampering with his original ending--Great Expectations is "the most perfectly constructed and perfectly written of all Dickens's works." In John Irving's Introduction to this edition, the novelist takes the view that Dickens's revised ending is "far more that mirror of the quality of trust in the novel as a whole." Both versions of the ending are printed here. [via]

More editions of Great Expectations:

ISBN 9780517415092 (0-517-41509-7, 0517415097)

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Great Expectations

by Outlet Book Company Staff, Random House Value Publishing Staff

ISBN 0517415097 (0-517-41509-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

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Book summary:

An absorbing mystery as well as a morality tale, the story of Pip, a poor village lad, and his expectations of wealth is Dickens at his most deliciously readable. The cast of characters includes kindly Joe Gargery, the loyal convict Abel Magwitch and the haunting Miss Havisham. If you have heartstrings, count on them being tugged. [via]

More editions of Great Expectations:

Great Expectations: ISBN 0517415097 (0-517-41509-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

Horse Crazy

by Bonnie Bryant

ISBN 0553484028 (0-553-48402-8)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

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ISBN 9780517118290 (0-517-11829-7, 0517118297)

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Jane Austen

by Jane Austen

ISBN 0517118297 (0-517-11829-7)
Hardcover, Grammercy

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Book summary:

Collected together in one volume, The Complete Novels show the development of Austen as a writer and social commentator. From the early optimism and youthful energy of Northanger Abbey to the quiet and subtle art of Persuasion, this collection reveals the breadth of one of the best loved novelists of all time. [via]

More editions of Jane Austen:

Jane Austen: ISBN 0517118297 (0-517-11829-7)
Hardcover, Grammercy

ISBN 9780486424491 (0-486-42449-9, 0486424499)

via

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Bronte

ISBN 0486424499 (0-486-42449-9)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

Charlotte Brontë's impassioned novel is the love story of Jane Eyre, a plain yet spirited governess, and her employer, the arrogant, brooding Mr. Rochester. Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Currer Bell, the book heralded a new kind of heroine-one whose virtuous integrity, keen intellect, and tireless perseverance broke through class barriers to win equal stature with the man she loved. Hailed by William Makepeace Thackeray as "the masterwork of a great genius," Jane Eyre is still regarded, over a century later, as one of the finest novels in English literature. [via]

More editions of Jane Eyre:

ISBN 9780460875967 (0-460-87596-5, 0460875965)

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Jane Eyre

by Margaret Smith, Charlotte Bronte

ISBN 0460875965 (0-460-87596-5)
Softcover, Tuttle Pub

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Book summary:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, orphaned, penniless, victim to a harsh Aunt, and miserable years at Lowood institution finds love as Governess to the sickly Adele, illegitimate daughter of Mr Rocheste. With their wedding interrupted by the sudden intrusion of Rochester's mad Creole wife, inhabitant of the upper regions of Thornfield Hall for years, Jane flees. Nursed from near-death on the moors by the Revd St John Rivers and his 2 sisters, Jane learns both that they are her cousins and that she is the recipient of some money from her Uncle. On the verge of yielding to River's appeal that she marry him, Jane is prevented by a telepathic appeal from Rochester and returns to the Hall to find the building burned, his wife dead and Rochester blinded. Yet marriage seemsaid in the restoration of his sight. [via]

More editions of Jane Eyre:

Jane Eyre: ISBN 0460875965 (0-460-87596-5)
Softcover, Tuttle Pub

Jane Eyre : Oxford World Classics

by Outlet Book Company Staff, Random House Value Publishing Staff

ISBN 0517606100 (0-517-60610-0)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

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Jane Eyre : Oxford World Classics: ISBN 0517606100 (0-517-60610-0)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

by Jack Gantos

ISBN 0613282280 (0-613-28228-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key: ISBN 0613282280 (0-613-28228-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

ISBN 9780590134705 (0-590-13470-1, 0590134701)

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Julie of the Wolves

by Jean Craighead George

ISBN 0590134701 (0-590-13470-1)
Softcover, Scholastic

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Book summary:

Winner of the Newbery MedalLost on the TundraTo her small Eskimo village, she is known as Miyax; to her friend in San Francisco, she is Julie. When the village is no longer safe for her, Miyax runs away. But she soon finds herself lost in the Alaskan wilderness, without food, without even a compass to guide her.Slowly she is accepted by a pack of Arctic wolves, and she grows to love them as though they were family. With their help, and drawing on her father's teachings, Miyax struggles day by clay to survive. But the time comes when she must leave the wilderness and choose between the old ways and the new. Which will she choose? For she is not Miyax of the Eskimos - but Julie of the Wolves.Faced with the prospect of a disagreeable arranged marriage or a journey across the barren Alaskan tundra, 13-year-old Miyax chooses the tundra. She finds herself caught between the traditional Eskimo ways and the modern ways of the whites. Miyax, or Julie as her pen pal Amy calls her, sets out alone to visit Amy in San Francisco, a world far away from Eskimo culture and the frozen land of Alaska.During her long and arduous journey, Miyax comes to appreciate the value of her Eskimo heritage, learns about herself, and wins the friendship of a pack of wolves. After learning the language of the wolves and slowly earning their trust, Julie becomes a member of the pack.Since its first publication, Julie of The Wolves, winner of the 1973 Newbery Medal, has found its way into the hearts of millions of readers. [via]

More editions of Julie of the Wolves:

Julie of the Wolves: ISBN 0590134701 (0-590-13470-1)
Softcover, Scholastic

ISBN 9780531057292 (0-531-05729-1, 0531057291)

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Just As Long As We're Together

by Judy Blume

ISBN 0531057291 (0-531-05729-1)
Hardcover, Scholastic

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Book summary:

With deft wit and an ear fine-tuned to both inner and outer dialogue, Judy Blume lets three distinct 12-year-olds show readers the truth about their first year of junior high in Connecticut, their families, themselves. [via]

More editions of Just As Long As We're Together:

ISBN 9780486296340 (0-486-29634-2, 0486296342)

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Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott, Robert Blaisdell, Thea Kliros

ISBN 0486296342 (0-486-29634-2)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

Timeless, heartwarming tale of the four young March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy their mother Marmee, and other memorable characters. Generations of readers have enjoyed this story of the joys, heartaches, and triumphs of a warm, close-knit family, poor in material wealth, but rich in love and devotion to one another. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

[via]

More editions of Little Women:

ISBN 9780460871419 (0-460-87141-2, 0460871412)

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Little Women and Good Wives

by Louisa May Alcott

ISBN 0460871412 (0-460-87141-2)
Softcover, Tuttle Pub

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Book summary:

Chronicles the humorous and sentimental fortunes of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies and marry in nineteenth-century New England. [via]

More editions of Little Women and Good Wives:

Little Women and Good Wives: ISBN 0460871412 (0-460-87141-2)
Softcover, Tuttle Pub

ISBN 9780590481410 (0-590-48141-X, 059048141X)

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Make Lemonade

by Virginia Euwer Wolff

ISBN 059048141X (0-590-48141-X)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

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Book summary:

The astounding first book in Virigina Euwer Wolff's MAKE LEMONADE trilogy, which continues with the award-winning TRUE BELIEVER.

LaVaughn needed a part-time job. What she got was a baby-sitting gig with Jolly, an unwed teen mother. With two kids hanging in the balance, they need to make the best out of life -- and they can only do it for themselves and each other.

[via]

More editions of Make Lemonade:

Make Lemonade: ISBN 059048141X (0-590-48141-X)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

Matar UN Ruisenor/to Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

ISBN 0613054490 (0-613-05449-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

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Matar UN Ruisenor/to Kill a Mockingbird: ISBN 0613054490 (0-613-05449-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

Molly's Pilgrim

by Barbara Cohen

ISBN 0553158333 (0-553-15833-3)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

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Molly's Pilgrim: ISBN 0553158333 (0-553-15833-3)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

New Method Supplementary Readers

by D.K. Swan

ISBN 0582538432 (0-582-53843-2)
Softcover, Addison-Wesley

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New Method Supplementary Readers: ISBN 0582538432 (0-582-53843-2)
Softcover, Addison-Wesley

Pigman

by Paul Zindel

ISBN 0553253972 (0-553-25397-2)
Softcover, Random House Childrens Books

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Book summary:

For sophomores John and Lorraine, the world feels meaningless; nothing is important. They certainly can never please their parents, and school is a chore. To pass the time, they play pranks on unsuspecting people. It's during one of these pranks that they meet the "Pigman"--a fat, balding old man with a zany smile plastered on his face. In spite of themselves, John and Lorraine soon find that they're caught up in Mr. Pignati's zest for life. In fact, they become so involved that they begin to destroy the only corner of the world that's ever mattered to them. Originally published in 1968, this novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel still sings with sharp emotion as John and Lorraine come to realize that "Our life would be what we made of it--nothing more, nothing less." [via]

More editions of Pigman:

ISBN 9780486284736 (0-486-28473-5, 0486284735)

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Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

ISBN 0486284735 (0-486-28473-5)
Softcover, Dover Pubns

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Book summary:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.

Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber [via]

More editions of Pride and Prejudice:

ISBN 9780517415122 (0-517-41512-7, 0517415127)

via

Pride and Prejudice

by Outlet Book Company Staff, Random House Value Publishing Staff

ISBN 0517415127 (0-517-41512-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

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Book summary:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.

Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber [via]

More editions of Pride and Prejudice:

Pride and Prejudice: ISBN 0517415127 (0-517-41512-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

ISBN 9780517606094 (0-517-60609-7, 0517606097)

via

Pride and Prejudice : Oxford World Classics

by Outlet Book Company Staff, Random House Value Publishing Staff

ISBN 0517606097 (0-517-60609-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

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Book summary:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.

Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber [via]

More editions of Pride and Prejudice : Oxford World Classics:

Pride and Prejudice : Oxford World Classics: ISBN 0517606097 (0-517-60609-7)
Hardcover, Random House Value Publishing

ISBN 9780606274043 (0-606-27404-9, 0606274049)

via

Princess in the Spotlight

by Meg Cabot

ISBN 0606274049 (0-606-27404-9)
Hardcover, Demco Media

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Book summary:

Fifteen-year-old Mia Thermopolis, the witty, lovable star of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries, has had it with princess lessons, also known as torture sessions: "Do they really think anyone in Genovia cares whether I know how to use a fish fork? Or if I can sit down without getting wrinkles in the back of my skirt? Or if I know how to say 'thank you' in Swahili? Shouldn't my future countrymen be more concerned with my views on the environment? And gun control? And overpopulation?" To make matters worse, she's getting these lessons from Grandmère, a rather judgmental woman who dresses her pet in chinchilla bolero jackets and has eyeliner permanently tattooed on her eyelids. Princess in the Spotlight further records Mia's path to princessdom: her artist mother's relationship with her algebra teacher (how awkward), her forced television interview, broadcast to all of America (how humiliating), and her crush on her best friend Lilly's brother Michael (how excruciating). The result is another thoroughly entertaining diary of a very human, very self-deprecating, very unprincesslike princess. (Ages 12 and older) --Karin Snelson [via]

More editions of Princess in the Spotlight:

Princess in the Spotlight: ISBN 0606274049 (0-606-27404-9)
Hardcover, Demco Media

ISBN 9780590762694 (0-590-76269-9, 0590762699)

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The Red Hen

by Wiley Blevins, Judith Bauer Stamper, Ronald Fritz

ISBN 0590762699 (0-590-76269-9)
Softcover, Scholastic

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Book summary:

This funny rhyming story helps children learn how to spell and sound out words containing the vowel sounds short e, short o, and short u. [via]

More editions of The Red Hen:

The Red Hen: ISBN 0590762699 (0-590-76269-9)
Softcover, Scholastic

ISBN 9780606009836 (0-606-00983-3, 0606009833)

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Red Storm Rising

by Tom Clancy

ISBN 0606009833 (0-606-00983-3)
Hardcover, Demco Media

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Book summary:

Using the latest advancements in military technology, the world's superpowers battle it out on land, sea, and air for the ultimate global control. A chillingly authentic vision of modern war, Red Storm Rising is as powerful as it is ambitious. It's a story you will never forget.

Hard-hitting, suspenseful, and frighteningly real.

[via]

More editions of Red Storm Rising:

Red Storm Rising: ISBN 0606009833 (0-606-00983-3)
Hardcover, Demco Media

Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf

by Wendelin Van Draanen

ISBN 061328240X (0-613-28240-X)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

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Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf: ISBN 061328240X (0-613-28240-X)
Hardcover, Bt Bound

ISBN 9780590065726 (0-590-06572-6, 0590065726)

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Sarah, Plain and Tall

by Patricia MacLachlan

ISBN 0590065726 (0-590-06572-6)
Softcover, Scholastic

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Book summary:

MacLachlan, author of Unclaimed Treasures, has written an affecting tale for children. In the late 19th century a widowed midwestern farmer with two children--Anna and Caleb--advertises for a wife. When Sarah arrives she is homesick for Maine, especially for the ocean which she misses greatly. The children fear that she will not stay, and when she goes off to town alone, young Caleb--whose mother died during childbirth--is stricken with the fear that she has gone for good. But she returns with colored pencils to illustrate for them the beauty of Maine, and to explain that, though she misses her home, "the truth of it is I would miss you more." The tale gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love. [via]

More editions of Sarah, Plain and Tall:

Sarah, Plain and Tall: ISBN 0590065726 (0-590-06572-6)
Softcover, Scholastic

ISBN 9780609807910 (0-609-80791-9, 0609807919)

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Second Helpings

by Megan McCafferty

ISBN 0609807919 (0-609-80791-9)
Softcover, Random House Inc

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Book summary:

Knowing that Ive just done something that will take decades off my parents lives with worry, youll excuse me for not getting into the fa-la-la-la-la Yuletide spirit this year. . . . The only difference between Christmas 2001 and Christmas 2000 is that I dont have a visit from Hope to look forward to. And Bethany has already packed on some major fetal flab. Oh, and now Gladdie doesnt need to ask a bizillion questions about my boyfriend, because shes already gotten the dirt from you know who.

Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she cant seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessicas parents wont get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethanys pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of todays fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and also introduced to the fresh new faces that have entered Jesss life, including the hot creative writing teacher at her summer college prep program and her feisty, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother Gladdie. But most of all, readers will finally have the answers to all of their burgeoning questions, and then some: Will Jessica crack under the pressure of senioritis? Will her unresolved feelings for Marcus wreak havoc on her love life? Will Hope ever come back to Pineville? Fall in love with saucy, irreverent Jessica all over again in this wonderful sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years. [via]

More editions of Second Helpings:

Second Helpings: ISBN 0609807919 (0-609-80791-9)
Softcover, Random House Inc

ISBN 9780590457262 (0-590-45726-8, 0590457268)

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Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School

by Louis Sachar

ISBN 0590457268 (0-590-45726-8)
Softcover, Scholastic Paperbacks

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Book summary:

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Readers can join the students of mixed-up Wayside School in solving over 50 bizarre math and logic problems. [via]

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ISBN 9780525473114 (0-525-47311-4, 0525473114)

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Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie: Library Edition

by David Lubar

ISBN 0525473114 (0-525-47311-4)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA

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Book summary:

Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your lunch money. Girls youve known forever are suddenly beautiful and unattainable.The guys you grew up with are drifting away.And you can never get enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scotts mother to announce shes pregnant? Scott decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling. Scotts chronicle of his first year of bullies, romance, honors classes, and brotherhood is both laugh-out-loud funny and touchingly wise.

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More editions of Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie: Library Edition:

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie: Library Edition: ISBN 0525473114 (0-525-47311-4)
Hardcover, Penguin Group USA

ISBN 9780609807903 (0-609-80790-0, 0609807900)

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Sloppy Firsts

by Megan McCafferty

ISBN 0609807900 (0-609-80790-0)
Softcover, Random House Inc

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Book summary:

My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Dont they realize that Hopes the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I dont see how things could get any worse.

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dads obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethanys lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessicas predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment--from the dark days of Hopes departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious Dreg who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they dont have to go back and grow up all over again. [via]

More editions of Sloppy Firsts:

ISBN 9780590373630 (0-590-37363-3, 0590373633)

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Summer of the Swans

by Betsy Byars

ISBN 0590373633 (0-590-37363-3)
Softcover, Scholastic

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Book summary:

Introduce your students to these award-winning books with these engaging teaching guides. Each guide includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought-provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross-curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students. For use with Grades 4-8.

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