Whiter Than Snow

Whiter Than Snow
Author: Sandra Dallas
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2011-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1429934352

From The New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for Sale comes the moving and powerful story of a small town after a devastating avalanche, and the life changing effects it has on the people who live there Whiter Than Snow opens in 1920, on a spring afternoon in Swandyke, a small town near Colorado's Tenmile Range. Just moments after four o'clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, enveloping everything in its path including nine young children who are walking home from school. But only four children survive. Whiter Than Snow takes you into the lives of each of these families: There's Lucy and Dolly Patch—two sisters, long estranged by a shocking betrayal. Joe Cobb, Swandyke's only black resident, whose love for his daughter Jane forces him to flee Alabama. There's Grace Foote, who hides secrets and scandal that belies her genteel façade. And Minder Evans, a civil war veteran who considers his cowardice his greatest sin. Finally, there's Essie Snowball, born Esther Schnable to conservative Jewish parents, but who now works as a prostitute and hides her child's parentage from all the world. Ultimately, each story serves as an allegory to the greater theme of the novel by echoing that fate, chance, and perhaps even divine providence, are all woven into the fabric of everyday life. And it's through each character's defining moment in his or her past that the reader understands how each child has become its parent's purpose for living. In the end, it's a novel of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith and family.

Еlla’s Magic Kitchen - Early Reader - Children's Picture Books

Еlla’s Magic Kitchen - Early Reader - Children's Picture Books
Author: John Davidson
Publisher: Mendon Cottage Books
Total Pages: 43
Release: 2018-06-11
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 0463780329

Еlla’s Magic Kitchen - Early Reader - Children's Picture Books It was Ella’s seventh birthday party; she received wonderful presents from her family and friends. She had recently learned how to read and so many of the presents were books. That made her really happy.

Iggy Peck, Architect

Iggy Peck, Architect
Author: Andrea Beaty
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2016-02-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 161312984X

Both parents and children will love Iggy Peck, Architect, a fun-filled, inspiring, colorful New York Times bestselling picture book, from author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts, about the power of teamwork and the importance of celebrating individual gifts and self-expression. Watch Iggy Peck in the Netflix television series Ada Twist, Scientist! “Read it at bedtime (it’s a quick read!), chuckle with your children, and send them to dreamland.” —American Institute of Architects Some kids sculpt sandcastles. Some make mud pies. Some construct great block towers. But none are better at building than Iggy Peck, who once erected a life-size replica of the Great Sphinx on his front lawn! It’s too bad that few people appreciate Iggy’s talent—certainly not his second-grade teacher, Miss Lila Greer. It looks as if Iggy will have to trade in his T-square for a box of crayons . . . until a fateful field trip proves just how useful a master builder can be. A story told in verse, this is a book that shows the power of education and science. Iggy Peck is a child who once “built a great tower—in only an hour—with nothing but diapers and glue.” The structured rhymes and lively illustrations fit the architectural theme, and the text uses absorbing details of Iggy’s world to bring the tale to life. Each of Iggy’s classmates has their own unique quality, implying the variety of personalities and potentials to be appreciated in any group of children. Young readers will love their time spent with Iggy Peck. They’ll love the story, colorful illustrations, and also learn about the passion and practicality of science (STEM). Check out all the books in the Questioneers Series: The Questioneers Picture Book Series: Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Ada Twist, Scientist | Sofia Valdez, Future Prez | Aaron Slater, Illustrator | Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year The Questioneers Chapter Book Series: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters | Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants | Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion | Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote | Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs | Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake Questioneers: The Why Files Series: Exploring Flight! | All About Plants! | The Science of Baking | Bug Bonanza! | Rockin’ Robots! Questioneers: Ada Twist, Scientist Series: Ghost Busted | Show Me the Bunny | Ada Twist, Scientist: Brainstorm Book | 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories The Questioneers Big Project Book Series: Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects | Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers | Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists | Sofia Valdez’s Big Project Book for Awesome Activists | Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists

The Best Week That Never Happened

The Best Week That Never Happened
Author: Dallas Woodburn
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2020-04-21
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1951710126

"A poignant and gripping heart-tug of a page-turner filled with heart and hope. I couldn't put it down. Magic." —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe "Dallas Woodburn…shows real maturity about the complexities of relationships of all kinds, and she doesn't shirk from the painful experiences of her characters. Even so, the writing is so lively and the scenes so engaging that the reader gets to move fluidly between heft and lightness. A terrific debut!" –Aimee Bender, national bestselling author "Dallas Woodburn's…full of tragedy and grace in equal measure. Deeply moving." –Vanessa Hua, author of A River of Stars "Dallas Woodburn writes with rare insight and compassion about the aching glory of being young." –Hilma Wolitzer, author of An Available Man After her parents' bitter divorce, family vacations to the Big Island in Hawaii ceased. But across the miles, eighteen-year-old Tegan Rossi remains connected to local Kai Kapule, her best friend from childhood. Now, Tegan finds herself alone and confused about how she got to the Big Island. With no wallet, no cell phone, purse, or plane ticket, Tegan struggles to piece together what happened. She must have come to surprise-visit Kai. Right? As the teens grow even closer, Tegan pushes aside her worries and gets swept away in the vacation of her dreams. But each morning, Tegan startles awake from nightmares that become more difficult to ignore. Something is eerily amiss. Why is there a strange gap in her memory? Why can't she reach her parents or friends from home? And what's with the mysterious hourglass tattoo over her heart? Kai promises to help Tegan figure out what is going on. But the answers they find only lead to more questions. As the week unfolds, Tegan will experience the magic of first love, the hope of second chances, and the bittersweet joy and grief of being human.

The Impossible Knife of Memory

The Impossible Knife of Memory
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2014-09-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1407149121

A searing look at the effects of post traumatic stress on soldiers and their families, seen through the eyes of teenage Hayley. Hayley is struggling to forget the past. But some memories run too deep, and soon the cracks start to show. Stunning, hard-hitting fiction from an award-winning writer.

These Precious Days

These Precious Days
Author: Ann Patchett
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2021-11-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0063092808

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

The Real Boy

The Real Boy
Author: Anne Ursu
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2013-09-24
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0062049259

National Book Award Longlist * Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Book of the Year "Beautifully written and elegantly structured, this fantasy is as real as it gets."—Franny Billingsley, author of Chime The Real Boy, Anne Ursu's follow-up to her widely acclaimed and beloved middle grade fantasy Breadcrumbs, is a spellbinding tale of the power we all wield, great and small. On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy named Oscar. Oscar is a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the village, and spends his days in a small room in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island generations ago. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it. But now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill, and something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room in the cellar, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the forest will keep his island safe. Now even magic may not be enough to save it.

Why Some Animals Eat Their Young

Why Some Animals Eat Their Young
Author: Dallas Louis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre:
ISBN: 9781954861930

A contemporary Erma Bombeck extols the highs and lows of parenting When Dallas Louis decided that all she wanted in life was to meet and marry her Prince Charming and become a mother, she had no idea what was in store for her. But she would soon find out. After only seven months of dating, she married the love of her life, and within the course of twenty-six months, she gave birth to three children. Her husband knew her longer pregnant than not pregnant! In this hilarious book, Dallas shares highlights of what happened in her world once she and her husband, Jeff, brought home three kids in a time span that was barely long enough to build a house, let alone long enough to build three humans. She would like readers to find comfort in knowing that they aren't the only ones suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome or buyer's remorse. And, yes, it's okay to admit that both of those conditions apply to parenting, though hopefully not all the time. Channeling Erma Bombeck, Dallas will tell you all the things your friends will not and the things the other books are too afraid to print. With her irreverent humor and brash "tell it like it is" style, she'll help you laugh at everyday situations, easing the pressure of the toughest job in the world: being a mom.

Bite-Sized Magic

Bite-Sized Magic
Author: Kathryn Littlewood
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2014-02-11
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0062084283

This third book in Kathryn Littlewood's acclaimed Bliss trilogy mixes the down-home heart punch of Ingrid Law's Newbery Honor Book Savvy, the always-on-the-edge-of-chaos comedy of Cheaper by the Dozen, and a humorous magic all its own to create a thoroughly original confection, a delicious guilty pleasure for readers of all ages. Rose won back her family's magical Cookery Booke in an international baking competition in A Dash of Magic, the second novel in the series. Rose is now world famous—so famous, in fact, that Mr. Butter, head of the Mostess Corporation, has kidnapped her so that she can develop new and improved magical recipes for his company's snack cakes. With the magically enhanced Dinkies and Moony Pies, Mr. Butter plans to take over the world. Together with her brothers, their talking cat and mouse, and an unlikely team of bakers, Rose must overthrow Mr. Butter before he destroys civilization, one magically evil snack cake at a time.