Adventure

Liberator

Col Porpentine has come a long way from begin the pampered future leader of Worldshaker.  Just a few short months ago he helped Riff free the Filthies from generations of servitude, and created a new balance on the massive juggernaut, newly christened Liberator.  Now the Filthies command Liberator, and many Swanks, former members of the upper class, have remained to teach them how to operate the juggernaut , and to build a new society together.  But all is not peaceful on Liberator.  A rising anti-Swank sentiment among the more fanatical Filthy factions grows increasingly violent and dangerous.  And an anti-Filthy saboteur is loose aboard the ship.  Even the one thing Col thought he could always depend upon–his friendship with Riff– is beginning to crumble.  As tensions run high and the coal supply runs low, Liberator is on the verge of a crisis.  Col and Riff are faced with their most challenging task yet: unifying a divided people…before it’s too late.

Richard Harland returns to the world of Worldshaker withe a heart-stopping sequel that will take readers on a ride to places they’ve never imagined.

Timber Wolf

The third book in the series follows the adventures of Jack Byrne, brother of Kit, as he seeks independence from his sister in the lumber camps. Jack works as a cook’s helper but is always yearning for the glory of working with the loggers. Full of confidence, the inexperienced Jack tries his hand at logging only to have his attempts end in a tragic accident for himself and another logger. Circumstances soon find Jack alone and injured in the wilderness. Memories of his past come rushing in as he struggles to survive his guilt over his past and survive the hardship of the woods with only a stray wolf cub for a companion. Jack comes to understand that he must own up to all of his past mistakes if he truly wants to become the strong man he yearns to be.

Mayfly

School is over! Hurry, pack up all your summer clothes (don’t forget your bathing suit!), load everything into the car, and find a spot in the backseat. Summer is about to begin. The siblings in Marthe Jocelyn’s new picture book can’t wait to get to the cottage. The smell of pine needles, the first swim off the dock, playing summer games, and greeting their old friend, the rowboat Mayfly, are among the summer fun that young readers will identify with. Delightfully illustrated with Jocelyn’s signature collages, Mayfly captures the incomparable excitement of the beginning of summer vacation and those seemingly endless days that follow, which children (and grown-ups) look forward to all year round.

A Wrinkle In Time

wrinkleMeg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government, in a re-release of the classic story which now includes an essay about the real-life science behind the fantasy. Original.

Miracles on Maple Hill

After Marly’s father returns from the war moody and tired, her family decides to move from the city to Maple Hill Farm in the Pennsylvania countryside where they share many adventures which help restore their spirits and their bond with each other.

No Ordinary Day

Even though Valli spends her days picking coal and fighting with her cousins, life in the coal town of Jharia, India, is the only life she knows. The only sight that fills her with terror is the monsters who live on the other side of the train tracks — the lepers. When Valli discovers that that her “aunt” is a stranger who was paid money to take Valli off her own family’s hands, she leaves Jharia and begins a series of adventures that takes her to Kolkata, the city of the gods. Valli finds that she really doesn’t need much to live and is very resourceful. But a chance encounter with a doctor reveals that she has leprosy. Unable to bear the thought that she is one of the monsters she has always feared, Valli rejects help and begins an uncertain life on the street.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 3.

Chike and the River

The more Chike saw the ferry-boats the more he wanted to make the trip to Asaba. But where would he get the money? He did not know. Still, he hoped.Eleven-year-old Chike longs to cross the Niger River to the city of Asaba, but he doesn’t have the six pence he needs to pay for the ferry ride. With the help of his friend S.M.O.G., he embarks on a series of adventures to help him get there. Along the way, he is exposed to a range of new experiences that are both thrilling and terrifying, from eating his first skewer of suya under the shade of a mango tree, to visiting the village magician who promises to double the money in his pocket. Once he finally makes it across the river, Chike realizes that life on the other side is far different from his expectations, and he must find the courage within him to make it home.

Two Crafty Criminals!

Eleven-year-old Benny Kaminsky leads a rag-tag gang of neighborhood children as they use improbable disguises and crazy ruses while investigating such crimes as counterfeiting and stolen silver in 1894 London.