In the classic style of the great epic storytellers, Newbery Honor-winning author Jamake Highwater breathes new life into the ancient literary traditions of India. With non-stop action, powerful superheroes, and evil monsters, Rama is an exciting introduction to the richness of The Ramayana.
Here's an easy way to begin discussing the provocative issues of teenage violence and gangs. S.E. Hinton packs this story of a fourteen year old who idolizes his big brother-the toughest streetfighter in the city-with powerful images and poignant insights.
While young adults listen to this thrilling historical adventure, they'll also gain fascinating insights into the historical and political complications of Prohibition. Set in the 1930s, it is the story of an Irish-American boy who concocts a dangerous plan to bust the liquor smugglers who are terrorizing his island home.
Young adults almost always recognize part of themselves in Travis, the main character in this gritty story of a tough city teenager who is sent to live on his uncle's country ranch. Part insecure adolescent, part sensitive intellectual, and part hard-edged hell-raiser, Travis is guaranteed to begin thought-provoking discussions on substance abuse, violence, and what it means to be a teenager.
The air raid siren that pierces the English night sky comes as no surprise to young Harry Baguely. Ever since Hitler began sending his warplanes to raid London, Harry has become an old hand at running to his family's bomb shelter and waiting for the attacks to end. This time, though, Harry's family doesn't make it to the shelter. A war orphan with no where to go and only a lonely dog for a friend, Harry decides to make a courageous journey up the English coast. He is looking for a place to call home, a safe place far away from the danger and confusion of the city. But when he finds it, will it be worth the struggle? In Harry's encounters with the frightened civilians and weary soldiers of war-torn England, Robert Westall draws a compelling portrait of the devastating effects of war on children. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an American Booksellers Pick of the Lists, The Kingdom by the Sea is both a powerful historical record and a moving tale of one boy's adventure.
It was a warm summer day in 1951 when Rose Pottinger and Mrs. Zimmermann entered the tunnel. When they had emerged, it was snowing...and the year was 1828. Mrs. Zimmermann had felt that the ghost of Granny Wetherbee, who had taught Mrs. Zimmermann witchery, was in trouble and needed help. So she and Rose Rita had traveled to Pennsylvania where Granny had lived. They never dreamed that they would also journey back to a time long ago where they would encounter a sorcerer more terrifying than either could have imagined.
Peg Toland and her father think they've found the perfect vacation spot: a beautiful, uninhabited Mexican island in the sparkling Sea of Cortez. Unfortunately, the locals who live on the coast do not agree. "That is no place to go," they tell the Tolands with alarm. They will not explain why. Peg and her father should have listened to these mysterious warnings. Shortly after they arrive on the island and set up camp, the untamed landscape and isolation turn into a terrifying and deadly trap. Someone else is on the island. Someone who slashes the Toland's inflatable boat, steals their supplies, and stalks them day and night. With her diabetic father growing weak and sick from lack of insulin, 15-year-old Peg has no choice but to hunt the stalker down-to the death, if necessary. Realistic and chilling, Sweet Friday Island is nerve-jangling adventure from Theodore Taylor, the award-winning author whose novels have thrilled millions of young people.
When Janet's parents divorce, the 15-year-old moved with her mother to the isolated artist colony in Tres Pinos, New Mexico. As the only Anglo girl in her class, Janet feels like an outsider. At night she dreams of an exquisite moonlit stream. On its banks a delicate doe gently sips from the cool waters. Then an Indian warrior appears, an almost poetic vision from a past tie with his bow drawn, ready to strike. Janet's first encounter with a local Indian proves to be anything but dramatic. Dirty and in desperate need of a drink, Billy Honcho doesn't meet a tourist's definition of an Indian brave-yet Janet feels inexplicably drawn to him. As they forge an unusual and dangerous relationship, Janet wonders if the old alcoholic Indian might actually be the warrior haunting her dreams? Nearly four million copies of Paulsen's young adult books are in print in the U.S. alone. Paulsen has been a teacher, trapper, soldier, actor, truck driver, satellite tracker, sailor, and an alcoholic-an unfortunate experience he brings to this splendid story of redemption.
For the millions of children around the world who loved The Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell continues the breathtaking story of Karana, a Native American woman stranded on an island off the coast of California. O'Dell mixes stirring drama with historical insights into 18th-century California Mission life to create an unforgettable sequel to a modern classic of children's literature.
Galván es un ganso muy honorable y importante. El monta guardia afuera de la Tesorería Real; sólo él y el Rey Basilio tienen las llaves para abrir la puerta del tesoro. Pero un día Galván descubre que han desaparecido 29 rubíes. Siendo un ganso responsable, le comunica al Rey la desaparición de las joyas; días más tarde descubre que faltan más joyas. Cuando el mundialmente famoso diamante Kalikak también desaparece, el Rey decide de que es hora de resolver el problema. El Rey no iba a robar sus propias joyas, ¿verdad? Y si él no lo había hecho, ¿quién otro podría ser sino Galván?
"You never can do anything except on weekends," Simone complained. "How can people be friends only on weekends?" Stiffening, Franny said, "If you don't want to be friends, Simone, then all right." Threatened, as she so often was, with tears, Franny, as she usually did, fought them back. "See if I care," she said airily. Franny does care-a lot. But what can she do? Her mother works long hours at the laundromat, and her father can't seem to hold down a regular job. And who is going to clean the house and look after 4-year-old Marshall? It all falls on Franny's shoulders. But Franny will suffer any indignity-even her shabby clothes and not having enough lunch money-if her best friend Simone is on her side. But lately, Simone keeps taking about dopey rich Lila, and all the free time she has to play. How can Franny and Simone be friends if they never see each other?
In 1969, Natalie Kusz and her family abandoned the city, packed up the car, and headed to Alaska. They ended up a hundred miles from Fairbanks in a dilapidated house surrounded by 258 acres of spruce, birch and willow-and no road. When the first winter came-with Mr. Kusz working in Prudhoe Bay, money running out, and temperatures 60 below-the Kusz family was living so close to disaster that the question was not when it would strike but whom.
