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books tagged “realistic”
books tagged “realistic”
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1984by George OrwellISBN 078389368X (0-7838-9368-X)
Hardcover, Thorndike Pr
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finnby Mark TwainISBN 0743487575 (0-7434-8757-5)
Softcover, Pocket Classics
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'Book summary:ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN Huckleberry Finn isn't very happy living with a stuffy old widow who tries to "civilize" him. But when his cruel scoundrel of a father steals him back, Huck's life gets even worse. He escapes and soon joins up with a runaway slave named Jim. Together they go on an adventurous raft ride down the mighty Mississippi River. Join Huck and Jim as their journey teaches them many important life lessons. [via]
More editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: ISBN 0701112565 (0-7011-1256-5)
Hardcover, Chatto & Windus - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: ISBN 0766607208 (0-7666-0720-8)
Hardcover, Modern Pub - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: ISBN 0762405414 (0-7624-0541-4)
Hardcover, Courage Books - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: ISBN 0743487575 (0-7434-8757-5)
Softcover, Pocket Classics
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: ISBN 0701112565 (0-7011-1256-5)
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Angels & Demonsby Dan BrownISBN 074349346X (0-7434-9346-X)
Softcover, Washington Square Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Angels & Demons'Book summary:Hardcover Special Illustrated edition of Angels & Demons [via]
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Angels and Demonsby Dan BrownISBN 0739326759 (0-7393-2675-9)
Softcover, Ballantine Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Angels and Demons'Book summary:It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the Swiss Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of antimatter, jets that can travel 15,000 miles per hour, crafty assassins, a beautiful Italian physicist, and a Harvard professor of religious iconology. It takes talent to make that novel anything but ridiculous. Kudos to Dan Brown (Digital Fortress) for achieving the nearly impossible. Angels & Demons is a no-holds-barred, pull-out-all-the-stops, breathless tangle of a thriller--think Katherine Neville's The Eight (but cleverer) or Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (but more accessible).
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out, and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, antimatter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches, and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilization.
Brown seems as much juggler as author--there are lots and lots of balls in the air in this novel, yet Brown manages to hurl the reader headlong into an almost surreal suspension of disbelief. While the reader might wish for a little more sardonic humor from Langdon, and a little less bombastic philosophizing on the eternal conflict between religion and science, these are less fatal flaws than niggling annoyances--readers should have no trouble skimming past them and immersing themselves in a heck of a good read. "Brain candy" it may be, but my! It's tasty. --Kelly Flynn [via]
The Apple's Bruise: Storiesby Lisa GlattISBN 0743270525 (0-7432-7052-5)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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Betsy-Tacy: Library Editionby Maud Hart Lovelace, Lois LenskiISBN 0690138059 (0-690-13805-9)
Hardcover, Harpercollins
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Boy Proofby Cecil CastellucciISBN 0763627968 (0-7636-2796-8)
Softcover, Candlewick Pr
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Brave New Girlby Louisa LunaISBN 0743407865 (0-7434-0786-5)
Softcover, Mtv Books
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Briar Roseby Jane YolenISBN 0765342308 (0-7653-4230-8)
Softcover, Tor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Briar Rose'Book summary:A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is "heartbreaking and heartwarming."[via]
An American Library Association "100 Best Books for Teens"
An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults"
Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope. 
Clementineby Sara Pennypacker, Marla FrazeeISBN 0786838825 (0-7868-3882-5)
Hardcover, Hyperion
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Cliffscomplete Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letterby Karin JacobsonISBN 0764587242 (0-7645-8724-2)
Softcover, John Wiley & Sons Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Cliffscomplete Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter'Book summary:In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.[via]CliffsComplete The Scarlet Letter is a novel of betrayal and trials. Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet "A" wherever she goes. Her story is filled with the slow process of redemption and eventual love.
Discover what happens to Hester and save valuable studying time all at once. Enhance your reading of The Scarlet Letter with these additional features:
- A summary and insightful commentary for each chapter
- Bibliography and historical background on the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne
- A look at the historical context and structure of the novel
- Discussions on the novel's symbols and themes
- A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
- Review questions, a quiz, discussion topics (essay questions), activity ideas
- A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites
Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!
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Crunch Timeby Mariah Fredericks, Sam BassettISBN 068986938X (0-689-86938-X)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Crunch Time'Book summary:Mariah Fredericks is the author of the bestselling novel The True Meaning of Cleavage. In a starred review Booklist said, "Fredericks, a first-time novelist, writes with amazing truth and perception." Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries series, called it "Laugh-out-loud funny and way twisted!" Of her second book, Head Games, Kirkus Reviews said, "Fredericks has a gift for replicating teen vernacular." Mariah Fredericks lives with her husband in Queens, New York, where she is working on more novels for young people.
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Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphreyby Margaret Peterson HaddixISBN 0689871023 (0-689-87102-3)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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Emmaby Jane AustenISBN 0755331486 (0-7553-3148-6)
Softcover, Trafalgar Square
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Emma'Book summary:Of all Jane Austen's heroines, Emma Woodhouse is the most flawed, the most infuriating, and, in the end, the most endearing. Pride and Prejudice's Lizzie Bennet has more wit and sparkle; Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey more imagination; and Sense and Sensibility's Elinor Dashwood certainly more sense--but Emma is lovable precisely because she is so imperfect. Austen only completed six novels in her lifetime, of which five feature young women whose chances for making a good marriage depend greatly on financial issues, and whose prospects if they fail are rather grim. Emma is the exception: "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." One may be tempted to wonder what Austen could possibly find to say about so fortunate a character. The answer is, quite a lot.
For Emma, raised to think well of herself, has such a high opinion of her own worth that it blinds her to the opinions of others. The story revolves around a comedy of errors: Emma befriends Harriet Smith, a young woman of unknown parentage, and attempts to remake her in her own image. Ignoring the gaping difference in their respective fortunes and stations in life, Emma convinces herself and her friend that Harriet should look as high as Emma herself might for a husband--and she zeroes in on an ambitious vicar as the perfect match. At the same time, she reads too much into a flirtation with Frank Churchill, the newly arrived son of family friends, and thoughtlessly starts a rumor about poor but beautiful Jane Fairfax, the beloved niece of two genteelly impoverished elderly ladies in the village. As Emma's fantastically misguided schemes threaten to surge out of control, the voice of reason is provided by Mr. Knightly, the Woodhouse's longtime friend and neighbor. Though Austen herself described Emma as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like," she endowed her creation with enough charm to see her through her most egregious behavior, and the saving grace of being able to learn from her mistakes. By the end of the novel Harriet, Frank, and Jane are all properly accounted for, Emma is wiser (though certainly not sadder), and the reader has had the satisfaction of enjoying Jane Austen at the height of her powers. --Alix Wilber [via]
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The Essential Phantom Of The Operaby Leonard Wolf, Gaston Leroux, Max DouglasISBN 0743498364 (0-7434-9836-4)
Softcover, Pgw
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Essential Phantom Of The Opera'Book summary:The Essential Phantom of the Opera is the most comprehensive edition ever produced of the classic 1911 novel of romance, mystery, and psychological suspense, fully annotated with thousands of fascinating facts and legends. Here is the complete, authoritative edition of literature's most bizarre tale of love, obsession, and aberration-a story that has held an irresistible fascination for audiences and readers for nearly a century. [via]
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Everything Must Goby Elizabeth FlockISBN 0778323234 (0-7783-2323-4)
Hardcover, Mira Books
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A Girl Becomes a Comma Like Thatby Lisa GlattISBN 0743257766 (0-7432-5776-6)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishingby Melissa BankISBN 0786221690 (0-7862-2169-0)
Softcover, Thorndike Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing'Book summary:Jane Rosenal, the narrator of The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, is wise beyond her years. Not that that's saying much--since none of her elders, with the exception of her father, is particularly wise. At the age of 14, Jane watches her brother and his new girlfriend, searching for clues for how to fall in love, but by the end of the summer she's trying to figure out how not to fail in love. At twice that age, Jane quickly internalizes How to Meet and Marry Mr. Right, even though that retro manual is ruining her chances at happiness. In the intervening years, Melissa Bank's heroine struggles at love and work. The former often seems indistinguishable from the latter, and her experiences in book publishing inspire little in the way of affection. As Jane announces in "The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine": "I'd been a rising star at H----- until Mimi Howlett, the new executive editor, decided I was just the lights of an airplane."
Bank's first collection has a beautiful, true arc, and all the sophistication and control her heroine could ever desire. In "The Floating House," Jane and her boyfriend, Jamie, visit his ex-girlfriend in St. Croix, and right from the start she can't stop mimicking her beautiful competitor, in a notably idiotic fashion. "I'm like one of those animals that imitates its predators to survive," she realizes--one of several thousand of Bank's ruefully funny phrases. But even as Jane clowns around, desperately trying to keep up appearances, she is so hyperaware it hurts. Again and again, the author explores the dichotomy between life as it happens and the rehearsed anecdote, the preferred outcome. In The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, even suburban quiet has "nothing to do with peace." Bank's much-anticipated debut merits all its buzz and, more to the point, transcends it. --Kerry Fried [via]
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Graven Imagesby Paul Fleischman, Bagram IbatoullineISBN 0763629847 (0-7636-2984-7)
Softcover, Candlewick Pr
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The Great Gilly Hopkinsby Katherine PatersonISBN 0690038372 (0-690-03837-2)
Hardcover, Harpercollins Childrens Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Great Gilly Hopkins'Book summary:Gilly Hopkins is a determined-to-be-unpleasant 11-year-old foster kid who the reader can't help but like by the end. Gilly has been in the foster system all her life, and she dreams of getting back to her (as she imagines) wonderful mother. (The mother makes these longings worse by writing the occasional letter.) Gilly is all the more determined to leave after she's placed in a new foster home with a "gross guardian and a freaky kid." But she soon learns about illusions--the hard way. This Newbery Honor Book manages to treat a somewhat grim, and definitely grown-up theme with love and humor, making it a terrific read for a young reader who's ready to learn that "happy" and "ending" don't always go together. (Ages 9 to 12) --Richard Farr [via]
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The Handmaid's Taleby Margaret AtwoodISBN 0770428207 (0-7704-2820-7)
Softcover, Bantam Books of Canada Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Handmaid's Tale'Book summary:Throughout her career, Margaret Atwood has played with different literary genres in her novels--historical fiction (Alias Grace), pulp fiction (The Blind Assassin), the comedy of manners (The Robber Bride)--but no foray into genre fiction has been as successful as her turn to speculative fiction in The Handmaid's Tale. Published in 1985, it echoes Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World, but a vibrant feminism drives Atwood's portrait of a futuristic dystopia. In the Republic of Gilead, we see a world devastated by toxic chemicals and nuclear fallout and dominated by a repressive Christian fundamentalism. The birthrate has plunged, and most women can no longer bear children. Offred is one of Gilead's Handmaids, who as official breeders are among the chosen few who can still become pregnant.
The Handmaid's Tale is an imaginatively audacious novel that is at once a page-turning psychological thriller, a moving love story, and a chilling warning about what might be waiting for us around the corner. What ultimately makes it stand out is Atwood's ability to balance a passionate political statement with finely wrought literary fiction. The Handmaid's Tale is a remarkable work by one of Canada's most inventive writers. --Jeffrey Canton [via]
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Holesby Louis SacharISBN 0747546487 (0-7475-4648-7)
Softcover, Bloomsbury Pub Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Holes'Book summary:"If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character--that in fact the warden is seeking something specific--the plot gets as thick as the irony.
It's a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Louis Sachar uses poker-faced understatement to create a bizarre but believable landscape--a place where Major Major Major Major of Catch-22 would feel right at home. But while there is humor and absurdity here, there is also a deep understanding of friendship and a searing compassion for society's underdogs. As Stanley unknowingly begins to fulfill his destiny--the dual plots coming together to reveal that fate has big plans in store--we can't help but cheer for the good guys, and all the Yelnats everywhere. (Ages 10 and older) --Brangien Davis [via]
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Homefreeby Nina WrightISBN 0738709271 (0-7387-0927-1)
Softcover, Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Homefree'Book summary:Easter Hutton just might have the worst mum in the world. Does she really think her slime-ball boyfriend will divorce his wife just because Mum is pregnant? Missing her best friend and her dad, Easter just wants to blend in at her new school, which proves difficult when she starts experiencing involuntary bouts of astral-projection. She can't decide which is worse: these mysterious jaunts or the antics of her selfish, eccentric mother. Everything changes when Easter discovers Homefree, an underground organisation devoted to helping teenagers, like herself, with paranormal gifts. Suddenly she doesn't feel like an outsider anymore. Maybe a normal life - with real friends and a boyfriend - is possible after all. [via]
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The Homework Machineby Dan Gutman, Dan SantatISBN 0689876785 (0-689-87678-5)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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Hope Was Hereby Joan BauerISBN 0698119517 (0-698-11951-7)
Softcover, Puffin
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In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen and a Little Shoppingby Cynthia Rylant, Wendy Anderson HalperinISBN 0689871031 (0-689-87103-1)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
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It's Kind of a Funny Storyby Ned VizziniISBN 078685197X (0-7868-5197-X)
Softcover, Disney Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'It's Kind of a Funny Story'Book summary:Like many smart, ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner seeks entry into Manhattans most prestigious school, Executive Pre-Professional High School. With single-minded determination, he works night and day to ace the entrance exam and gets in. Thats when everything starts to unravel. [via]
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J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Ryeby Harold BloomISBN 0791036626 (0-7910-3662-6)
Hardcover, Facts on File
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› Find signed collectible books: 'J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye'Book summary:Includes a brief biography of the author, thematic and structural analysis of the work, critical views, and an index of themes and ideas. [via]
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Jacob Have I Lovedby Katherine PatersonISBN 0690040784 (0-690-04078-4)
Hardcover, Ty Crowell Co
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Jacob Have I Loved'Book summary:"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . ." With her grandmother's taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved.
Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister's name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach.
Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin's lost birthright. [via]
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Julieby Jean Craighead GeorgeISBN 0785780181 (0-7857-8018-1)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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Kira-kiraby Cynthia KadohataISBN 0786276169 (0-7862-7616-9)
Hardcover, Thorndike Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Kira-kira'Book summary:In Cynthia Kadohata's lively, lovely, funny and sad novel -- winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal -- the Japanese-American Takeshima family moves from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950s when Katie, the narrator, is just in kindergarten. Though her parents endure grueling conditions and impossible hours in the non-unionized poultry plant and hatchery where they work, they somehow manage to create a loving, stable home for their three children: Lynn, Katie, and Sammy. Katie's trust in, and admiration for, her older sister Lynn never falters, even when her sisterly advice doesn't seem to make sense. Lynn teaches her about everything from how the sky, the ocean, and people's eyes are special to the injustice of racial prejudice. The two girls dream of buying a house for the family someday and even save $100 in candy money: "Our other favorite book was Silas Marner. We were quite capitalistic and liked the idea of Silas keeping all that gold underneath the floorboards." When Lynn develops lymphoma, it's heartbreaking, but through the course of her worsening illness, Katie does her best to remember Lynn's "kira-kira" (glittery, shining) outlook on life. Small moments shine the brightest in this poignant story; told beautifully and lyrically in Katie's fresh, honest voice. (Ages 11 to 14) --Karin Snelson [via]
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Literature Made Easy Lord of the Fliesby Tony Buzan, Mary HartleyISBN 0764108212 (0-7641-0821-2)
Softcover, Barrons Educational Series Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Literature Made Easy Lord of the Flies'Book summary:TheLiterature Made Easy Series is more than just plot summaries. Each book describes a classic novel and drama by explaining themes, elaborating on characters, and discussing each author's unique literary style, use of language, and point of view. Extensive illustrations and imaginative, enlightening use of graphics help to make each book in this series livelier, easier, and more fun to use than ordinary literature plot summaries. An unusual feature, "Mind Map" is a diagram that summarizes and interrelates the most important details that students need to understand about a given work. Appropriate for middle and high school students. [via]
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Lord of the Fliesby William G. GoldingISBN 0698102193 (0-698-10219-3)
Hardcover, Putnam Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Lord of the Flies'Book summary:Lord of the Flies , William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island, is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition. --Jennifer Hubert [via]
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Lunch Moneyby Andrew Clements, Brian SelznickISBN 0786280360 (0-7862-8036-0)
Hardcover, Thorndike Pr
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Machiavelli: Il Principeby Brian RichardsonISBN 0719007429 (0-7190-0742-9)
Softcover, Palgrave Macmillan
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Mark Twain's Personal Recollections of Joan of Arcby Mark Twain, A. Maik ThomasISBN 0773484566 (0-7734-8456-6)
Hardcover, Edwin Mellen Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mark Twain's Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc'Book summary:Through the eyes of the fictional narrator Sieur Louis de Conte we learn about Joan of Arc, seeing the actions and events of an earlier time that did not necessarily seem significant at the moment, but from the vantage point of time and maturity, now seem meaningful. Originally published in 1896, Mark Twain's use of a female as the central character separates and distinguishes this text from his others. An introduction sets it into Twain's personal and historical perspective. [via]
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Mercyby Jodi PicoultISBN 0743422449 (0-7434-2244-9)
Softcover, Washington Square Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Mercy'Book summary:Police chief of a small Massachusetts town, Cameron McDonald makes the toughest arrest of his life when his own cousin Jamie comes to him and confesses outright that he has killed his terminally ill wife out of mercy.
Now, a heated murder trial plunges the town into upheaval, and drives a wedge into a contented marriage: Cameron, aiding the prosecution in their case against Jamie, is suddenly at odds with his devoted wife, Allie -- seduced by the idea of a man so in love with his wife that he'd grant all her wishes, even her wish to end her life. And when an inexplicable attraction leads to a shocking betrayal, Allie faces the hardest questions of the heart: when does love cross the line of moral obligation? And what does it mean to truly love another?
Praised for her "personal, detail-rich style" (Glamour), Jodi Picoult infuses this page-turning novel with heart, warmth, and startling candor, taking readers on an unforgettable emotional journey. [via]
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My Sister's Keeper: A Novelby Jodi PicoultISBN 0743454537 (0-7434-5453-7)
Softcover, Pocket Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'My Sister's Keeper: A Novel'Book summary:"New York Times" bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
"My Sister's Keeper" examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in "My Sister's Keeper, " Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity. [via]
The Nameless Dayby Sara DouglassISBN 0765303620 (0-7653-0362-0)
Hardcover, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom
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Nameless Day: Crucibleby Sara DouglassISBN 0765342820 (0-7653-4282-0)
Softcover, Tor Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Nameless Day: Crucible'Book summary:The Black Plague. The Pestilence. Disease and death haunt every town and village across 14th century Europe and none are immune from its evil. Some see the devastation of their world as a sign from God for Man's wickedness.[via]
But Brother Thomas Neville sees this swath of death as something much more. Neville is a man beset by demons. Or is it angels? He has had a visitation from none other than the Archangel Michael, who commands Thomas to a mission. This mission will take Neville across the length and breath of the continent in a desperate bid to find the means to stop the minions of Satan who have found a doorway out of Hell and are preparing to venture forth, to try and seize this world in preparation for an assault on Heaven itself.
As Thomas Neville encounters angels and demons, saints and witches, he comes to realize that the armies of God and Satan are arraying themselves for the final battle...and that his soul is to be the battleground.
The question is, has Neville picked the truly good side?More editions of Nameless Day: Crucible:
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Plain Truthby Jodi PicoultISBN 0743275012 (0-7432-7501-2)
Hardcover, Simon & Schuster
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Plain Truth'Book summary:Jodi Picoult has touched readers deeply with her acclaimed novels, such as Keeping Faith and The Pact. Gifted with "a remarkable ability to make us share her characters' feelings" (People), Picoult now explores the complex choices of the heart for a young Amish woman -- the compelling journey of discovery for an urban lawyer who befriends and protects her.
The small town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, is a jewel in Lancaster County -- known for its picture-postcard landscapes and bucolic lifestyle. But that peace is shattered by the discovery of a dead infant in the barn of an Amish farmer. A police investigation quickly leads to two startling disclosures: the newborn's mother is an unmarried Amish woman, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher. And the infant did not die of natural causes. Although Katie denies the medical proof that she gave birth to the child, circumstantial evidence leads to her arrest for the murder of her baby.
One hundred miles away, Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway has achieved an enviable, high-profile career. But her latest court "victory" has set the sands shifting beneath her. Single at thirty-nine and unsatisfied with her relationship, Ellie doesn't look back when she turns down her chance to make partner and takes off for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise.
Fate brings her to Katie Fisher. Suddenly, Ellie sees the chance to defend a client who truly needs her, not just one who can afford her. But taking on this case challenges Ellie in more ways than one. She finds herself not only in a clash of wills with a client who does not want to be defended but also in a clash of cultures with a people whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own.
Immersing herself in Katie Fisher's life -- and in a world founded on faith, humility, duty, and honesty -- Ellie begins to understand the pressures and sacrifices of those who to live "plain." As she peels away the layers of fact and fantasy, Ellie calls on an old friend for guidance. Now, just as this man from Ellie's past reenters her life, she must uncover the truth about a complex case, a tragic loss, the bonds of love -- and her own deepest fears and desires.
Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a triumph of contemporary storytelling. Jodi Picoult presents a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith -- and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem, where love meets falsehood, and where relationships grow strong enough to span two worlds. [via]
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Poisonwood Bibleby Barbara KingsolverISBN 0783884680 (0-7838-8468-0)
Softcover, Thorndike Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Poisonwood Bible'Book summary:Oprah Book Club® Selection, June 2000: As any reader of The Mosquito Coast knows, men who drag their families to far-off climes in pursuit of an Idea seldom come to any good, while those familiar with At Play in the Fields of the Lord or Kalimantaan understand that the minute a missionary sets foot on the fictional stage, all hell is about to break loose. So when Barbara Kingsolver sends missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters off to Africa in The Poisonwood Bible, you can be sure that salvation is the one thing they're not likely to find. The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preacher, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. To say that he and his family are woefully unprepared would be an understatement: "We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle," says Leah, one of Nathan's daughters. But of course it isn't long before they discover that the tremendous humidity has rendered the mixes unusable, their clothes are unsuitable, and they've arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congolese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. In addition to poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, and the hostility of the villagers to Nathan's fiery take-no-prisoners brand of Christianity, there are also rebels in the jungle and the threat of war in the air. Could things get any worse?
In fact they can and they do. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and the village they have come to. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor's animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortune across a span of more than 30 years.
The Poisonwood Bible is arguably Barbara Kingsolver's most ambitious work, and it reveals both her great strengths and her weaknesses. As Nathan Price's wife and daughters tell their stories in alternating chapters, Kingsolver does a good job of differentiating the voices. But at times they can grate--teenage Rachel's tendency towards precious malapropisms is particularly annoying (students practice their "French congregations"; Nathan's refusal to take his family home is a "tapestry of justice"). More problematic is Kingsolver's tendency to wear her politics on her sleeve; this is particularly evident in the second half of the novel, in which she uses her characters as mouthpieces to explicate the complicated and tragic history of the Belgian Congo.
Despite these weaknesses, Kingsolver's fully realized, three-dimensional characters make The Poisonwood Bible compelling, especially in the first half, when Nathan Price is still at the center of the action. And in her treatment of Africa and the Africans she is at her best, exhibiting the acute perception, moral engagement, and lyrical prose that have made her previous novels so successful. --Alix Wilber [via]
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The Princeby Niccolo Machiavelli, Benjamin BeardISBN 0743487680 (0-7434-8768-0)
Softcover, Pocket Classics
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Prince'Book summary:ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP
Classic guide to acquiring and maintaining political power.
EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:
" A concise introduction that gives readers important background information
" A chronology of the author's life and work
" A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context
" An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations
" Detailed explanatory notes
" Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work
" Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction
" A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience
Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.
SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON [via]
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The Promiseby Chaim PotokISBN 0783802560 (0-7838-0256-0)
Hardcover, G K Hall & Co
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Retold Classic Novel: The Scarlet Letterby Pat PerrinISBN 0780712153 (0-7807-1215-3)
Hardcover, Perfection Learning
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A Room of One's Own and Three Guineasby Virginia WoolfISBN 0701128291 (0-7011-2829-1)
Hardcover, Chatto & Windus
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Room of Ones' Ownby Virginia WoolfISBN 0783885555 (0-7838-8555-5)
Hardcover, G K Hall & Co
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranesby Eleanor CoerrISBN 0698119002 (0-698-11900-2)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranesby Ronald Himler, Eleanor CoerrISBN 0698118022 (0-698-11802-2)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes'Book summary:Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic--the star of her school's running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, the "atom bomb disease," Sadako faces her future with spirit and bravery. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the extraordinary courage that made one young woman a heroine in Japan. [via]
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Sahara Specialby Esme Raji CodellISBN 0786816112 (0-7868-1611-2)
Softcover, Hyperion Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Sahara Special'Book summary:Esmé Raji Codell, author of the bestselling Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, makes her children's book debut with the warm, funny novel Sahara Special. "Can't a woman get a divorce without her kid going special ed on her?" This is the question Sahara's mother asks her daughter after a huge stack of letters that she'd written to her dad (but never mailed) falls out of her locker and on to her teacher's feet. When those letters are confiscated and locked up in the school counselor's filing cabinet, Sahara decides she will stop supplying "evidence" to the school; she stops doing her assignments, and is subsequently paired up with a Special Needs teacher, a fate equivalent to being "the street person of a school." What no one knows is that the newly dubbed "Sahara Special" is really "Sahara Jones, Secret Writer," a girl who hides her Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures behind a public library shelf. No one, that is, until her show-stealing, deliciously unorthodox fifth-grade teacher Madame Poitier (Miss Pointy) arrives on the scene to remind her, so simply, that "a writer writes." Any child with a secret self (every child) will revel in Sahara's clear-sighted observations and sense of humor about a world that doesn't see who she really is. As in Sharon Creech's Love That Dog, readers will meet a likeable, difficult-at-first student and an extraordinary teacher who transforms lives by sharing her love of story and words. Highly recommended. (Ages 9 to 11) --Karin Snelson [via]
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The Scarlet Letterby Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret BrantleyISBN 0743487567 (0-7434-8756-7)
Softcover, Washington Square Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Scarlet Letter'Book summary:This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1871 edition. Excerpt: ...scholar-like renown still lived in Oxford, was considered by his more fervent admirers as little less than a heavenly-ordained apostle, destined, should he live and labor for the ordinary term of life, to do as great deeds for the now feeble New England Church, as the early Fathers had achieved for the infancy of the Christian faith. About this period, however, the health of Mr. Dimmesdale had evidently' begun to fail. By those best acquainted with his habits, the paleness of the young minister's cheek was accounted for by his too earnest devotion to study, his scrupulous fulfilment of parochial duty, and, more than all, by the fasts and vigils of which he made a frequent practice, in order to keep the grossness of this earthly state from clogging and obscuring his spiritual lamp. Some declared, that, if Mr. Dimmesdale were really going to die, it was cause enough, that the world was not worthy to be any onger trodden by his feet. He himself, on the other hand, with characteristic humility, avowed his belief, that, if Providence should see fit to remove him, it would be because of his own unworthiness to perform its humblest mission here on earth. With all this difference of opinion as to the cause of his decline, there could be no question of the fact. His form grew emaciated; his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it; he was often observed, on any slight alarm or other sudden accident, to put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness, indicative of pain. Such was the young clergyman's condition, and so imminent the prospect that his dawning light would be extinguished, all untimely, when Koger Chillingworth made his advent to the town. His first entry on the scene, few people... [via]
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- The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 0785407227 (0-7854-0722-7)
Softcover, Pearson Prentice Hall - Scarlett Letter: ISBN 0760748691 (0-7607-4869-1)
Hardcover, Barnes & Noble - The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 074326469X (0-7432-6469-X)
Softcover, Kaplan - The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 0786880937 (0-7868-8093-7)
Softcover, Hyperion Books - The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 076240552X (0-7624-0552-X)
Hardcover, Courage Books - The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 0743487567 (0-7434-8756-7)
Softcover, Washington Square Pr
- The Scarlet Letter: ISBN 0785407227 (0-7854-0722-7)
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Separate Peaceby John KnowlesISBN 0743253973 (0-7432-5397-3)
Softcover, Scribner
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Separate Peace'Book summary:Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.
A bestseller for more than thirty years, A Separate Peace is John Knowles's crowning achievement and an undisputed American classic. [via]
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Shattering Glassby Gail GilesISBN 0761315810 (0-7613-1581-0)
Hardcover, Roaring Brook Press
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Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozenby Arthur Conan DoyleISBN 0753703769 (0-7537-0376-9)
Hardcover, Sterling Pub Co Inc
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Shooterby Walter Dean MyersISBN 0786269693 (0-7862-6969-3)
Hardcover, Thorndike Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Shooter'Book summary:Cameron, Carla, and Len were fascinated (for different reasons) with guns and target shooting at the Patriots' club range until the day Len brought his Kalashnikov rifle, his AR-18, and his Ruger pistol to school, and shot and killed football jock Brad Williams, and then himself. Here is yet another school shooting story that begins with bullying and ends with disaster--a type that is becoming almost a sub-genre of YA fiction. Yet Walter Dean Myers, winner of many awards for his young adult novels, brings freshness and new anguish to this familiar tale (and growing social problem) of unstable victim tormented by bullies to homicidal rage. Following the example of his own masterwork Monster, Myers uses different perspectives in the aftermath of the "incident" to reveal the characters and to tell the story: interviews with Cameron and Carla by The Harrison County School Safety Committee, newspaper reports, a police report, Len's handwritten "die-ary" of his deranged thoughts, and finally, a grim medical examiner's report. The contrasts and contradictions in these various perspectives challenge readers to produce their own versions of why Cameron and Carla became Len's followers and what could have prevented this tragedy and others like it in real life. (ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell [via]
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The Sorrows of Young Wertherby Johannes Wolfgang Von GoetheISBN 0760768331 (0-7607-6833-1)
Softcover, Barnes & Noble
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Sufferings of Young Wertherby Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, B. W. MorganISBN 0714505420 (0-7145-0542-0)
Softcover, Riverrun Press, Incorporated
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To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper LeeISBN 0771052340 (0-7710-5234-0)
Hardcover, McClelland & Stewart Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'Book summary:"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.
Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber [via]
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Tom Clancy's Op-Centerby Tom Clancy, Steve R. PieczenikISBN 0786206187 (0-7862-0618-7)
Softcover, Thorndike Pr
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Tom Clancy's Op-Center'Book summary:The Cold War is over. And chaos is setting in. The new president of Russia is trying to create a democratic regime. But there are strong elements within the country that are trying to stop him: the ruthless Russian mafia, the right-wing nationalists, and those nefarious forces that will do whatever it takes to return Russia to the days of the Czar.
Op-Center, the newly-founded but highly successful crisis management team, begins a race against the clock and against the hardliners. Their task is made even more difficult by the discovery of a Russian counterpart... but this one's controlled by those same repressive hardliners and represents everything Op-Center stands for. Two rival Op-Centers, virtual mirror images of each other. But if this mirror cracks, it'll be more than seven years of bad luck.... [via]
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Vanity Fairby William Makepeace Thackery, John SutherlandISBN 0785772960 (0-7857-7296-0)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Vanity Fair'Book summary:This is Thackeray's rich and gloriously chaotic sketch of English society during the Napoleonic wars. At the centre of this picture is the scheming and disreputable Becky Sharp, one of Thackeray's greatest creations. The style here is fast-paced and comic, but the character of Dobbin and his unrequited love for Amelia bring depth and pathos to the novel. Dobbin, the unheroic hero, is Thackeray's realistic answer to the hero-worship of high romanticism. The novel stands as a landmark in the development of European Realism. [via]
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Vive La Parisby Esme Raji CodellISBN 0786851244 (0-7868-5124-4)
Hardcover, Disney Pr
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A Walk in the Woodsby Bill BrysonISBN 0767902521 (0-7679-0252-1)
Softcover, Bantam Dell Pub Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Walk in the Woods'Book summary:Your initial reaction to Bill Bryson's reading of A Walk in the Woods may well be "Egads! What a bore!" But by sentence three or four, his clearly articulated, slightly adenoidal, British/American-accented speech pattern begins to grow on you and becomes quite engaging. You immediately get a hint of the humor that lies ahead, such as one of the innumerable reasons he longed to walk as many of the 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail as he could. "It would get me fit after years of waddlesome sloth" is delivered with glorious deadpan flair. By the time our storyteller recounts his trip to the Dartmouth Co-op, suffering serious sticker shock over equipment prices, you'll be hooked.
When Bryson speaks for the many Americans he encounters along the way--in various shops, restaurants, airports, and along the trail--he launches into his American accent, which is whiny and full of hard r's. And his southern intonations are a hoot. He's even got a special voice used exclusively when speaking for his somewhat surprising trail partner, Katz. In the 25 years since their school days together, Katz has put on quite a bit of weight. In fact, "he brought to mind Orson Welles after a very bad night. He was limping a little and breathing harder than one ought to after a walk of 20 yards." Katz often speaks in monosyllables, and Bryson brings his limited vocabulary humorously to life. One of Katz's more memorable utterings is "flung," as in flung most of his provisions over the cliff because they were too heavy to carry any farther.
The author has thoroughly researched the history and the making of the Appalachian Trail. Bryson describes the destruction of many parts of the forest and warns of the continuing perils (both natural and man-made) the Trail faces. He speaks of the natural beauty and splendor as he and Katz pass through, and he recalls clearly the serious dangers the two face during their time together on the trail. So, A Walk in the Woods is not simply an out-of-shape, middle-aged man's desire to prove that he can still accomplish a major physical task; it's also a plea for the conservation of America's last wilderness. Bryson's telling is a knee-slapping, laugh-out-loud funny trek through the woods, with a touch of science and history thrown in for good measure. (Running time: 360 minutes, four cassettes) --Colleen Preston [via]
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A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trailby Bill BrysonISBN 0767902513 (0-7679-0251-3)
Hardcover, Broadway Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail'Book summary:Bill Bryson has made a living out of traveling and then writing about it. In The Lost Continent he re-created the road trips of his childhood; in Neither Here nor There he retraced the route he followed as a young backpacker traversing Europe. When this American transplant to Britain decided to return home, he made a farewell walking tour of the British countryside and produced Notes from a Small Island. Once back on American soil and safely settled in New Hampshire, Bryson once again hears the siren call of the open road--only this time it's a trail. The Appalachian Trail, to be exact. In A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson tackles what is, for him, an entirely new subject: the American wilderness. Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 miles to trail's end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin.
If nothing else, A Walk in the Woods is proof positive that the journey is the destination. As Bryson and Katz haul their out-of-shape, middle-aged butts over hill and dale, the reader is treated to both a very funny personal memoir and a delightful chronicle of the trail, the people who created it, and the places it passes through. Whether you plan to make a trip like this one yourself one day or only care to read about it, A Walk in the Woods is a great way to spend an afternoon. --Alix Wilber [via]
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Whatever Happened to Janie?by Caroline B. CooneyISBN 0785769528 (0-7857-6952-8)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Whatever Happened to Janie?'Book summary:FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Two families' lives are disrupted when a teenage girl who was kidnapped twelve years earlier discovers that the people who raised her are not her biological parents. [via]
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The World's Great ClassicsISBN 0717200019 (0-7172-0001-9)
Hardcover, Xs Books
Find This BookBook summary:Odyssey, The: The World's Great Classics, by Homer; tr. by S.H. Butcher and Andrew Lang [via]
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El Senor De Las Moscasby William GoldingISBN 0785795618 (0-7857-9561-8)
Hardcover, Bt Bound
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