Jack's Talent

Jack's Talent
Author: Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2007-07-10
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780374336813

On the first day of school, as the children in Miss Lucinda's class introduce themselves and name their special talent, Jack wonders if he is good at anything.

The Prince of Shadow

The Prince of Shadow
Author: Curt Benjamin
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Total Pages: 406
Release: 2002-09-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101157488

Llesho was seven when the Harn invaded his family’s mountain kingdom of Thebin. Sold into slavery on Pearl Island, he was, as far as he know, the sole survivor of his royal family. When Llesho was ten, the old man called Lleck secretly began to undertake the boy’s education. But when Llesho was fifteen, Lleck died, and his spirit visited the boy while he worked the pearl beds, revealing his true destiny to him. All six of his older brothers were still alive! Llesho must win his freedom, find and rescue his brothers, and with their help raise an army against the evil Harn. But as a pearl diver he would never be allowed off the island. So llesho petitioned his lord to be trained as a gladiator, thus taking the first step on a road that would lead to conflicts with sorcerers, encounters with the avatars of gods, and a dangerous journey in search of the widely scattered family he had never expected to see again…

Jake's First Day

Jake's First Day
Author: Twinkl Originals
Publisher: Twinkl
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2019-05-29
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN:

It’s the first day of school and Jake is feeling nervous. He'd rather stay at home and play. Will an exciting day with his new class change his mind? Join Jake and his new friends as he finds out that starting school can be a real adventure. Download the full eBook and explore supporting teaching materials at www.twinkl.com/originals Join Twinkl Book Club to receive printed story books every half-term at www.twinkl.co.uk/book-club (UK only).

The Last Man

The Last Man
Author: Charles Kenney
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2009-12-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307574822

For decades Gerta Wahljak has been haunted by a photograph of ten Nazi officers taken in the concentration camp where she was imprisoned during the Holocaust. Since emigrating to the United States, she has carefully traced and recorded the fates of nine of these men. But there is one whom she has been unable to track--until now. While Gerta waits in her Boston cardiologist's office, she sees another patient who she is almost sure is the last man. She will not be at peace until she knows. After interviewing Gerta, assistant U.S. Attorney David Keegan is shocked to learn that he is closely linked to the man he's investigating. For the man accused of being a former Nazi is none other than Frederick Schiller, married to a renowned Jewish activist and the father of the woman Keegan loves. Poised to become U.S. attorney, Keegan suddenly finds his life maliciously uprooted. Someone envious of his rise to power will stop at nothing to ruin him . . . leaking the volatile story to the press and hoping Keegan's reputation is blackened in the firestorm. David Keegan is a man also haunted by the past, obsessed by his quest to uncover the facts behind his mother's death when he was a child. But as he pursues the truth about his mother, he must deal with the explosive case of Frederick Schiller. As newspaper headlines hurl accusations about Schiller and his wife, the two are forced to relive a dark history that was meant to be buried forever. Now Keegan must decide whether to risk his career to help the parents of the woman he loves. A gripping, relentlessly plotted story about the ambiguity of morality, the power of an unresolved past, and the necessity of forgiveness, The Last Man twists like a thriller, but has the truth-seeking depth of great fiction. Profound in theme and peopled with characters that possess a refreshing vitality, it is a novel that will breathlessly race you to its stunning, climactic finish.

Son of a Trickster

Son of a Trickster
Author: Eden Robinson
Publisher: Knopf Canada
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2017-02-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0345810805

Shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize: With striking originality and precision, Eden Robinson, the author of the classic Monkey Beach and winner of the Writers’ Trust of Canada Fellowship, blends humour with heartbreak in this compelling coming-of-age novel. Everyday teen existence meets indigenous beliefs, crazy family dynamics, and cannibalistic river otters . . . The exciting first novel in her trickster trilogy. Everyone knows a guy like Jared: the burnout kid in high school who sells weed cookies and has a scary mom who's often wasted and wielding some kind of weapon. Jared does smoke and drink too much, and he does make the best cookies in town, and his mom is a mess, but he's also a kid who has an immense capacity for compassion and an impulse to watch over people more than twice his age, and he can't rely on anyone for consistent love and support, except for his flatulent pit bull, Baby Killer (he calls her Baby)--and now she's dead. Jared can't count on his mom to stay sober and stick around to take care of him. He can't rely on his dad to pay the bills and support his new wife and step-daughter. Jared is only sixteen but feels like he is the one who must stabilize his family's life, even look out for his elderly neighbours. But he struggles to keep everything afloat...and sometimes he blacks out. And he puzzles over why his maternal grandmother has never liked him, why she says he's the son of a trickster, that he isn't human. Mind you, ravens speak to him--even when he's not stoned. You think you know Jared, but you don't.

Room

Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2023-04-06
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1350419168

In this deeply moving and life-affirming tale, a mother must nurture her five-year-old son through an unfathomable situation with only the power of their imagination and their boundless capacity to love. Written for the stage by Academy Award® nominee Emma Donoghue, this unique theatrical adaptation featuring songs and music by Kathryn Joseph and director Cora Bissett takes audiences on a richly emotional journey told through ingenious stagecraft, powerhouse performances, and heart-stopping storytelling. Room reaffirms our belief in humanity and the astounding resilience of the human spirit. This updated and revised edition was published to coincide with the Broadway premiere in Spring 2023.

The Art of Naughty Dog

The Art of Naughty Dog
Author: Naughty Dog Studios
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2014
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1616554770

Naughty Dog are responsible for developing some of the most iconic games of this generation including Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Uncharted. Now they invite you on a 30-year retrospective tour with this beautifully designed volume. Charting their 30-year history from being the precocious pup of the gaming world, to their current status as one of the industry's pedigree breeds, The Art of Naughty Dog is a comprehensive guide to one of the most influential game developers in the world. This volume collects decades of production art, essays and inside stories.