An exploration of the origins and history, basic tenets and beliefs, organizations and structure, practices, influence, and contemporary role of the Catholic Church.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Waiting for Normal
Addie is waiting for normal.
But Addie’s mom has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, jubilation or gloom, her way or no way. All or nothing never adds up to normal. All or nothing can’t bring you all to home, which is exactly where Addie longs to be, with her half sisters, every day.
In spite of life’s twists and turns, Addie remains optimistic. Someday, maybe, she’ll find normal.
Leslie Connor has created an inspiring novel about one girl’s giant spirit. waiting for normal is a heartwarming gem.
Featured in Volume II, Issue 1 of WOW Review.
Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood
Comic-book writer, Tony Lee retells the heroic Robin Hood story, with an emphasis on the bandit’s childhood and Crusader experiences.
The Siege Of Macindaw
After years as a Ranger’s apprentice, Will is now the protector of his first fief. Not long into his service, everything that can go wrong does: Keren, a renegade knight, has taken over Castle Macindaw, a strategic gateway to the North—poisoning the royal family in the process—and is holding Will’s friend Alyss captive. The situation grows direr when Will uncovers Keren’s secret alliance with the Scotti, who have plans to plunder Araluen. Time is of the essence, and Will must recruit a motley crew to rescue Alyss and reclaim Castle Macindaw—before the Scotti can make it their own.
The Lost Conspiracy
On an island of sandy beaches, dense jungles, and slumbering volcanoes, colonists seek to apply archaic laws to a new land, bounty hunters stalk the living for the ashes of their funerary pyres, and a smiling tribe is despised by all as traitorous murderers. It is here, in the midst of ancient tensions and new calamity, that two sisters are caught in a deadly web of deceits. Arilou is proclaimed a beautiful prophetess—one of the island’s precious oracles: a Lost. Hathin, her junior, is her nearly invisible attendant. But neither Arilou nor Hathin is exactly what she seems, and they live a lie that is carefully constructed and jealously guarded. When the sisters are unknowingly drawn into a sinister, island-wide conspiracy, quiet, unobtrusive Hathin must journey beyond all she has ever known of her world—and of herself—in a desperate attempt to save them both. As the stakes mount and falsehoods unravel, she discovers that the only thing more dangerous than the secret she hides is the truth she must uncover.
Flags Of The World
In this complete compendium of the world’s flags, each nation’s flag is paired with facts and tidbits of history. These flags provide a window into the histories, values, and cultures of countries around the world. Waving in the wind, a flag may not seem like a code. But hidden in the stripes, stars, suns, moons, and colors of the world’s flags are the keys to understanding different countries’ shared histories and cherished ideals. Flags do much more than identify countries and groups of people. In every color, pattern, and design, the citizens and governments of countries announce their allegiances and herald their history. If you know what to look for, a flag can reveal major insights into another country’s history and culture.
Sacred Mountain: Everest
A cultural, geological, and ecological history of Mount Everest focusing on the indigenous Sherpa and their spiritual connection to the mountain, record-setting multinational climbing expeditions, and the effects of tourism on the environment. Illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and timelines.
From Somalia with Love
Safia Dirie is a teenage girl living in East London with her mother, Hoyo, and two older brothers, Ahmed and Abdullahi. Though she was born in Somalia, she doesn’t remember much of it — Safia’s a London girl, through and through. But now, after 12 long years, her father, Abo, has returned to the family from war-torn Mogadishu. Safia knew things would change, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of dealing with Abo’s cultural expectations. Or that Ahmed, her favorite brother, would start to run wild. And she herself certainly didn’t expect to find her cousin’s party-girl lifestyle so tempting. Safia must come to terms with who she is — as a Muslim, as a teenager, as a poet, as a friend, but most of all, as a daughter to a father she’s never known. Rooted in Somali and Muslim life, this poignant and beautifully written novel about one girl’s quest to find her own place in the world strikes a chord with young readers everywhere.
Read more about From Somalia with Love in WOW Review.
Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming
On the island of Bali in Southeast Asia, rice farming is a way of life. The people live in tune with the natural rhythms and cycles of the water and the soil. Ingrained in their community and culture, rice farming connects them to the land and one another. Balinese farmers have planted rice using an intricate system of water sharing and crop rotation for more than a thousand years. Intertwined with their spiritual, social, and day-to-day lives, this system has made Bali a leading producer of one of the world’s most important crops. And because Balinese rice farming respects the balances of nature, it serves as a remarkable example of sustainable agriculture in an increasingly industrialized world. With lush photographs and captivating text, Jan Reynolds explores the traditional world of rice farming on the beautiful island of Bali. Readers of all ages will come away with an enhanced awareness of how we farm, eat, and live today, and the effects these practices have on the world of tomorrow.
The Pharoah’s Armies (Ancient And Medieval People)
“An introduction to the history and lifestyle of the Pharaohs’ armies”–Provided by publisher