Author: Rebecca Ballenger

Rebecca Ballenger

Here Be Monsters!

Skulduggery is afoot!Welcome to Ratbridge. But beware — for there is skulduggery afoot. Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed. Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over — and destroy — the entire town. With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher’s evil plans and find his way home?

The Sausage Situation

There’s a thief at Doggeroo Dog and Sausage Day and Jack soon finds he has a Sausage Situation on his paws.Who is the canine criminal? Surely not Lord Red, dressed up as a corn dog, or the Squekes, who look like hairy wasps in their striped suits.When Jack calls for backup, pan-dog-monium ensues. There is going to be a terrier-able disaster if someone doesn’t take maters in paw.Jack is just the dog for the job.

The Awful Pawful

When Jack and Foxie return from vacation, they can tell that something terrier-able is wrong in Doggeroo.Why are all the dogs in Doggeroo hiding under their beds? Who – or what – has scratched their noses? Why are they so terrier-fied?It’s a case for the dog with the nose that knows. But soon, Jack is hiding under his bed, too.

The Lacemaker and the Princess

Eleven-year-old Isabelle is a lace maker in the town of Versailles. One day as she delivers lace to the palace, she is almost trampled by a crowd of courtiers — only to be rescued by Marie Antoinette. Before Isabelle can believe it, she has a new job — companion to the queen’s daughter. Isabelle is given a fashionable name, fashionable dresses — a new identity. At home she plies her needle under her grandmother’s disapproving eye. At the palace she is playmate to a princess. Thrown into a world of luxury, Isabelle is living a fairy-tale life. But this facade begins to crumble when rumors of starvation in the countryside lead to whispers of revolution. How can Isabelle reconcile the ugly things she hears in the town with the kind family she knows in the palace? And which side is she truly on? Inspired by an actual friendship between the French princess and a commoner who became her companion, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley offers a vivid portrait of life inside the palace of Versailles — and a touching tale of two friends divided by class and the hunger for equality and freedom that fueled the French Revolution.

Bee Frog

A small frog who just wants to be heard.Bee Frog is not a frog — she’s a dragon! A not-nice, very fierce dragon! But Mom and Dad Frog are too busy to notice. They don’t even pay attention when Bee Frog hops off to practice her dragon noises all by herself. Is it possible that a scary dragon like her could get lonely?

The Furry-Legged Teapot

In ancient Japan, a young tanuki, a raccoon dog that can change shapes, becomes stuck in the form of a teapot. Includes notes on the original Japanese folktale from which this story is derived.

Little Eagle

Little Eagle tells the story of a young boy who is orphaned and taken in by a kind old man. The story centers on the boy’s discovery of his guardian’s gift as a master of Eagle boxing, a specialized form of Kung Fu. Combining classical Chinese elegance with elements of Japanese anime, Chen’s bold and energetic illustrations bring the dramatic physicality of Eagle boxing to life. Children will root for Little Eagle as he learns his new discipline and faces many challenges on his way to becoming a Kung Fu master himself. A perfect choice for children taking a martial arts class or simply looking for a good story.

Tell Me Lies

It is 1969, and Stephen meets up with old friend Astrid and her lover Spencer, and stays with them in the hippy household “The Hollies.” Peace and love are tangible, until his passionate attraction for another girl in the household goes sour. He drifts into the radical arts scene and far-left politics, and finally into a squalid squat in London. A return to the idyllic “The Hollies” seems a good idea, but now the house has become a commune, and Spencer is the guru.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.

Featured in Volume II, Issue 2 of WOW Review.