HOW HAD MRS. OLINSKI CHOSEN her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they make such a good team?
It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski's team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen?
It happened at least partly because Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother and Nadia's grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued.
Mrs. Olinski, returning to teaching after having been injured in an automobile accident, found that her Academic Bowl team became her answer to finding confidence and success. What she did not know, at least at first, was that her team knew more than she did the answer to why they had been chosen.
This is a tale about a team, a class, a school, a series of contests and, set in the midst of this, four jewel-like short stories -- one for each of the team members -- that ask questions and demonstrate surprising answers.
Faerie can't lie . . . or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.
When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.
With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with wondrous strange.
Newbery Honor Winner
In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli's mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest. Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat, returns with a wondrous story of happiness, family, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless adventure story in the classic tradition of The Wizard of Oz.
From the Compact Disc edition.
The first book in a new trilogy from L. J. Smith!
Elena Gilbert is alive-again.
When Elena sacrificed herself to save the two vampire brothers who love her-the handsome, brooding Stefan and the sleek and dangerous Damon-she was consigned to a fate beyond death. Until a powerful supernatural force pulled her back.
Now Elena is not just human. She has powers and gifts that were bestowed on her in the afterlife. What's more, her blood pulses with an overwhelming and unique force that makes her irresistible to any vampire.
Stefan wants to find a way to keep Elena safe so that they can make a life together. Damon, however, is driven by an insatiable desire for power, and wants Elena to rule as his princess. When Stefan is lured away from Fell's Church, Damon seizes his chance to convince her that he is the brother she is meant to be with. . . .
But a darkness is infiltrating the town, and Damon, always the hunter, is now the hunted; he becomes the prey of a malevolent creature that can possess him at will, and who desires not just Elena's blood but her death.
Tilly Redbrow doesn't just love horses - she lives, breathes and dreams them too. Ever since she rescued Magic Spirit, Silver Shoe Farm has become her second home. Tilly has a special affinity with horses and at Silver Shoe, she's learning all the time, about riding, training, and caring for them. It's her idea of heaven!
Tilly spends all her spare time at Silver Shoe Farm, where she's discovering more about horses than she ever thought possible. Tilly's special gift draws her to an injured young thoroughbred racehorse, Red Admiral . Red might never compete again - unless Tilly can find a way to help him.
Perfect for every girl who has ever longed for a pony of her own, these delightful, warm and engaging stories are packed with Pippa's expert advice on everything you ever wanted to know about horses.
Read by Clare Balding
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd
I de branta blågröna bergen, långt från människors buller och skratt, där föddes en liten drake, en regnig och blåsig natt. Hans drakägg, alldeles prickigt, låg gömt bland stenar och snår där hade det legat sen sagornas tid, i hundratals, tusentals år.
Så börjar boken 'Visst finns det drakar', en färgsprakande och fartfylld historia på rim om en liten drakes märkliga öden och äventyr.
Boken innehåller även 'Pirater i parken' som handlar om syskonen Mira och Måns som går på upptäcktsfärd bland sjörövarhattar, kartor och guldmynt samt 'Fula fiskar' som, på rim, berättar om egendomliga fiskar i havens djup.
2009 fick Erik Magntorn Svenska barnboksinstitutets Lennart Hellsing-pris för texten i 'Visst finns det drakar'. Priset ska, enligt Hellsings direktiv, ges 'Till den som vet att utan poesi är språket utan liv och livet utan blomma.'
Amy and Dan make shocking discoveries about their family’s power and their parents' deaths as they track the next clue to a remote corner of the world.
The “famouse” reporter appears on a TV game show to save his newspaper and joins his sister on a haunted pirate treasure hunt in this pair of exciting adventures.
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
Elena is a high school golden girl who's used to getting what she wants. When she meets handsome, haunted Stefan, he struggles to resist her for fear that his dark secret is too much for her to handle. He's torn by guilt over his past, and mindful of the threat that his vengeful brother, Damon, poses to anyone Stefan gets close to. Soon Elena finds herself torn between two brothers, and in terrible danger.
As Elena comes to grips with the consequences of her devotion to Stefan, a vampire hunter descends on the town, determined to eradicate its immortal infestation. Soon, the hunters become the hunted. Stefan, Elena, and Damon must work together to trace the new evil that's befallen Fell's Church back to its mysterious origin.
