Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Blending historical research and contemporary literary criticism, this fascinating look at one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays explains how the playwright conceived and wrote Macbeth and brings to life a production of the play.
What the Dickens is all the fuss? Take a lively look at an author whose indelible characters live on in our language and culture — and whose legacy shapes our literature to this day. Join award-winning author, critic, and anthologist Michael Rosen for a spirited tour of the life and work of one of our greatest novelists. With stunning illustrations by Robert Ingpen, this accessible, child-friendly book vividly re-creates the world of Charles Dickens, from the author’s childhood in London to his early career, his performances, and, of course, the great social and political upheavals of the time, which inspired so much of his work. Michael Rosen’s vibrant discussion covers some of the best-known novels by Dickens, describing OLIVER TWIST, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and DAVID COPPERFIELD, and providing a fascinating detailed analysis of GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
Retellings of twenty of Shakespeare’s best known plays, using the playwright’s own words when possible.
When the Surfman comes to a rundown neighborhood torn by gang warfare to open an unusual business, he brings peace for awhile–but only awhile.
Offers simple, step-by-step recipes for dishes mentioned in Roald Dahl’s works, including such delicacies as “Bruce Bogtrotter’s Sensational Chocolate Cake” and “Stinkbug Eggs.”
When the Turkish army invades northwestern Persia in 1918, nine-year-old Samira and her parents, brother, and baby sister are driven from their tiny village. Taking only what they can carry, they flee into the mountains, but the journey is so difficult that only Samira and her older brother survive. Shunted from one refugee camp to another, from Persia to Iraq and back again, Samira finally ends up in an orphanage, where it seems that she will live out her childhood. Then Susan Shedd, the new orphanage director, arrives and, to Samira’s amazement, announces that she will take all the children back to their villages to make new lives for themselves. With wonder and fear, Samira and three hundred other orphans embark on an epic march of three hundred miles through the mountains towards home.
“In order to gain wisdom, you must learn to read inter linea, between the lines.” Artos doesn’t know who his parents are, just that kindly Sir Ector and Lady Marion took him into their castle when he was a baby. Though Sir Ector raises him as one of his sons, Artos never feels he truly belongs. The other boys of the castle — Cai, Bedvere, and Lancot — make fun of him and never invite him to join in their games. One day, while searching for Sir Ector’s missing brachet hound in the fens around the castle, Artos stumbles across a musty cave in a hill where a very old dragon lives. Though he is afraid, he is drawn to the beast by both the dragon’s knowledge and his promise to teach Artos the game of wisdom. With the dragon’s guidance, Artos begins the slow journey to his destiny-one that he never dreamed could belong to him. Notable 1990 Children’s Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
As English armies invade Scotland in 1306, eleven-year-old Princess Marjorie, daughter of the newly crowned Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is captured by England’s King Edward Longshanks and held in a cage on public display.
In flight from the magic visions that plague him, Merlin falls into the hands of the wodewose–wild folk who, according to legend, live in the company of wolves and devour children. But far from being wild, the wodewose are an enormous family of the unwanted, the abandoned, and the homeless. For once Merlin has found a place where an orphan like himself belongs.
This is the third book in the “Young Merlin Trilogy.”
When twelve-year-old Nicola leaves Troupe Brufort and serves as the fool for Mary, Queen of Scots, she experiences the political and religious upheavals in both France and Scotland.