Seventy years ago the musical fable "Peter and the Wolf" unexpectedly took the world by storm. Written and composed by the Russian Serge Prokofiev, this droll story for narrator and orchestra has sold millions of recordings in countless versions, narrated by great performers from Sir John Gielgud to Sting. The only problem up until now has been that "Peter and the Wolf" - composed specifically for children, and featuring a narrator with orchestra - is practically the only piece of its kind. The vast audience that loves "Peter" has not been able to find a similarly enchanting musical story. But now all that will change! The Shoe Bird has arrived! In The Shoe Bird multi-Grammy-award-winning performer and Guinness World Recordsâ„¢ holder Jim Dale brings to life a flock of unforgettable bird characters - Arturo the parrot, Gloria the goose, Minerva the owl, even the extinct Dodo! This is Eudora Welty's fantastical story of how some feathered friends made a fateful switch from flying to wearing shoes, little knowing that they would soon become the prey of Freddy the Cat! Masterfully scored for full symphony orchestra and children's choirs by Welty's fellow Mississippian Samuel Jones, The Shoe Bird appeals immediately to children and adults, just like the classic Peter and the Wolf. The Shoe Bird is a new work that reinvigorates a great tradition of storytelling fun for the whole family. It can be heard again and again, always rewarding the listener with the wit and wisdom of Eudora Welty, the delightful animal characters impersonated by Jim Dale, and the rich musical background of full symphony orchestra and chorus. Jim Dale is very enthusiastic and ready to promote The Shoe Bird which he considers one of his favorite recording projects.
Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.
At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school.
The film Stuck By Lightning is set to be released by Tribeca Film later this year and features Colfer's own original screenplay. Colfer also stars in the film alongside Allison Janney, Christina Hendricks, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Hyland, and Polly Bergen.
Tough because of Mama's addiction to drugs and alcohol. Tough because Daddy is away with the army fighting in Iraq. Tough because it looks like there is no way out once you're living in a homeless shelter in a North Carolina ghetto neighborhood. And tough because Joseph is enrolled at yet another new school where he doesn't know anyone and has to keep what is going on in his life a secret. Joseph struggles to keep Mama clean and to hold their broken family together while trying to make new friends and join the school tennis team. Can a boy who's only fifteen years old win his daily battle to survive?
Early Whitcomb's family needs a miracle. Their Iowa farm has been in the family for generations, but a long drought has withered their savings and left them in debt - and in danger of foreclosure. Early's uncle, Jesse, thinks he has the solution: to head West and dig for gold. Fueled by reports of prospectors striking it rich in the Rocky Mountains, Jesse can't think about anything but gold. Early is wild to go with him, as much for the adventure as for the gold. But the journey costs money-more than the boys can afford-and when Jesse flees during the night, after being accused of a robbery, Early doesn't know what to believe. Then Jesse sends an electrifying message-that he has found gold, but his life is in danger-and Early knows he must do whatever it takes to find him. The journey is dangerous and full of hardships, and the closer the travelers get to their destination, the more ruined lives they encounter-lives consumed by the hunt for gold. Then to his horror, Early learns that Jesse has been accused of another, much bigger crime. Somehow, Early must get to him without leading Jesse's pursuers right to his door. And even if he succeeds, Early will still have to make the hardest choice of his life.
Sure, Keith Emerson may have cured the common fart at age nine. But that was so last year. Now, the whole world wants to know, "What have you done lately!?" Thanks to his invention of Sweet Farts, the tablets that cancel even the most ripe and pungent fart smells, Keith has become the center of all kinds of attention he doesn't want. His kid sister has turned into a farting maniac, and his parents blame him. His so-called best friends torture him at school with nicknames like "S.B.D." (for Silent But Deadly) and try to humiliate him every chance they get. The principal wants to know what Keith's next brilliant invention will be. His mentor, Mr. Gonzalez, is threatening to pull the plug on his laboratory. And, with the annual science fair just weeks away, it looks like the boy wonder is about to choke big time. No pressure, Keith. With a little help from some unexpected sources, Keith will learn a valuable life lesson in this hilarious follow-up to Raymond Bean's surprise hit, Sweet Farts.
Grade Level: 4-6 Age Level: 8 and up Listening Level: Grades 4-6 The young Bellweathers - fourteen-year-old Spider, thirteen-year-old Ninda, and the nine-year-old triplets, Brick, Spike, and Sassy - and their equally peculiar parents have brought constant chaos to the once-peaceful village of Eel-Smack-by-the-Bay. Still, no one has suffered more than their loyal butler, Benway, who has finally had enough. He is secretly writing his tell-all memoirs, packing his bags, and planning his move to a tropical location, Far, Far Away. But when the siblings discover Benway is preparing to leave their lighthouse home, they band together to prove how much he's needed, as only Bellweathers can. . . . Full of comic capers and close calls, an art heist, albino alligators, and good intentions gone wrong, Kristin Clark Venuti's hilarious debut novel introduces a new family that is absolutely unforgettable.
Ivy and Tristan have both moved on-Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy with sweet, dependable Will. But when another serious car accident injures Ivy to the point of near death, she meets up with Tristan at the place of "in between," and their bittersweet reunion culminates in one breathtaking kiss. Unbeknownst to both Ivy and Tristan, it was that one heart-stopping kiss that brought Ivy back to life-and angels are prohibited from meddling in matters of life and death. Now fallen from heaven for saving the girl he loves, Tristan is in the body of a stranger, and he must find his way to Ivy once more....
A monster is coming after Shane Reece.
An earthquake two hundred miles from Fairfield has unleashed something terrible - Clayton T. Motley, a zombie gunslinger looking for revenge.
Back in the middle 1800s, one of Shane's ancestors ran Motley out of Fairfield by putting a bullet in his hide. A posse chased the fleeing bandit for weeks until Motley holed up in a cave, where he eventually succumbed to his gunshot wound. The bullet inside him, however, was made out of something . . . strange.
Now, almost one hundred and fifty years later, the earthquake has freed the undead gunfighter from his rocky prison - and he wants revenge.
He's coming after the only Reece left in Fairfield - Shane.
. . . and this town's not big enough for the both of them.
This is a collection of four linked stories about family life set in modern west Africa. Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa with her family in a wonderful house in a beautiful garden in a big city. Join Anna as she sings for the president, gets in a terrible tangle with her hair and visits the other side of the city. Lauren Tobia worked as an intensive care nurse for many years before taking a foundation course and gaining a degree in illustration from the University of the West of England. Whilst studying, she was highly commended in the Macmillan Children's Book Prize. "Anna Hibiscus" was her first children's book. She lives in Bristol with her husband, two daughters and a greyhound called Mickey.
Can classmate Julie protect the brothers from vanishing? With warmth and humor, Carnegie Medalist Frank Cottrell Boyce transports readers from the steppe of Mongolia to the streets of Liverpool in an immigration tale that is compelling, miraculous, and often laugh-out-loud funny.
This daughter of a rock star has it all---until murder crashes her world.
The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor, on tour with her mother's popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limos. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing ... except the one thing she can't have.
During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens' death connected to her?
Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at a time like this?
As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Tom's killer---before he strikes again.
The perfect companion to William J. Bennett's number-one bestseller; The Book of Virtues, The Children's Book of Virtues is the ideal storybook for parents and children to enjoy together:
With selections from The Book of Virtues, from Aesop and Robert Frost to George Washington's life as well as Native American and African folklore, The Children's Book of Virtues brings together timeless stories and poems from around the world.
The stories have been chosen especially for a young audience to help parents introduce to their children the essentials of good character: Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Work, Self-discipline, Compassion, Faith, Honesty, Loyalty, and Friendship.
Lavishly illustrated by the well-known artist Michael Hague, these wonderful stories and the virtues they illustrate come to life on these pages.
The Children's Book of Virtues is an enduring treasury of literature and art that will help lead young minds toward what is noble and gentle and fine.
