Story Sparks

Story Sparks
Author: Denise Jaden
Publisher: New World Library
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2017-07-10
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1608685098

Find rock-solid story ideas before you start writing Anyone who has been hamster-wheeling a story idea for years or has hundreds of pages exploring various approaches on their hard drive knows that there must be a better way. There is. Young adult novelist Denise Jaden shows exactly how to create the captivating stories that prevent dispiriting wasted time. Busting the “visitation from the muses” myth, she shows that inspiration is a skill writers can learn by understanding how story ideas work (or don’t), fertilizing the ground for fresh and sound ideas, and moving swiftly through stuck points. Practical and inspiring, Jaden’s approach celebrates the imaginative sparks that make innovations of all kinds possible while pinpointing the precise tools writers need to fan their unique creative flames.

Sophia Sparks

Sophia Sparks
Author: Elanor Best
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2019-02
Genre: Stature
ISBN: 9781788437080

The Healing of Natalie Curtis

The Healing of Natalie Curtis
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Revell
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1493431781

Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can't seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she'd never before encountered--the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans. But their music is under attack. The US government's Code of Offenses prohibits American's indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song . . . and a new future? Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick weaves yet another lyrical tale based on a true story that will keep readers captivated to the very end.

The Spark Story Bible

The Spark Story Bible
Author: Debra Thorpe Hetherington
Publisher: Sparkhouse Family
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2015-09-25
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1451499795

Each action-packed story in this engaging Bible comes with a prompt to invite discussion and leaves kids begging for you to read "just one more." The most comprehensive and Scripture-based children's storybook Bible available, The Spark Story Bible includes 100 easy-to-read stories with more than 60 stories from the New Testament. The Spark Story Bible provides a true Gospel-centric resource for kids and families to enjoy. This engaging resource touches on Old Testament stories but focuses on the life and times of Jesus, Paul, and the early church. The rich retellings found within The Spark Story Bible will have children discovering powerful truth found in God's Word. Designed for read-aloud use, the child-friendly illustrations and captivating storytelling make this story Bible perfect for home, school, or church. Fun activities and brief interactive questions help children apply what they have read to their own lives while enjoying Squiggles, an expressive caterpillar who responds to each story. The 100 stories give kids an excellent foundation for a journey through God's message and trigger an interest in more study that your whole family can explore. With thousands in print, The Spark Story Bible is a perfect kids' Bible beloved by parents, grandparents, pastors, and teachers. This highly recommended illustrated Bible is meant for personal use and does not work in tandem with Spark Sunday School.

Lifeboat 12

Lifeboat 12
Author: Susan Hood
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1481468847

“This page-turning true-life adventure is filled with rich and riveting details and a timeless understanding of the things that matter most.”—Dashka Slater, author of The 57 Bus “Brilliantly told in verse, readers will love Ken Sparks.” —Patricia Reilly Giff, two-time Newbery Honor winner “Lyrical, terrifying, and even at times funny. A richly detailed account of a little-known event in World War II.” —Kirkus Reviews “Middle grade Titanic fans, here’s your next read.” —BCCB “An edge-of-your seat survival tale.” —School Library Journal (starred review) A Junior Library Guild Selection The 2019 Golden Kite Middle Grade Fiction Award Winner A 2019 ALSC Notable Children’s Book The 2019–2020 Lectio Book Award Winner The 2020–2021 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award List The 2020 Oklahoma Library Association’s Children’s Sequoyah Book Award Winner The Connecticut Book Award Winner In the tradition of The War That Saved My Life and Stella By Starlight, this poignant novel in verse based on true events tells the story of a boy’s harrowing experience on a lifeboat after surviving a torpedo attack during World War II. With Nazis bombing London every night, it’s time for thirteen-year-old Ken to escape. He suspects his stepmother is glad to see him go, but his dad says he’s one of the lucky ones—one of ninety boys and girls to ship out aboard the SS City of Benares to safety in Canada. Life aboard the luxury ship is grand—nine-course meals, new friends, and a life far from the bombs, rations, and his stepmum’s glare. And after five days at sea, the ship’s officers announce that they’re out of danger. They’re wrong. Late that night, an explosion hurls Ken from his bunk. They’ve been hit. Torpedoed! The Benares is sinking fast. Terrified, Ken scrambles aboard Lifeboat 12 with five other boys. Will they get away? Will they survive? Award-winning author Susan Hood brings this little-known World War II story to life in a riveting novel of courage, hope, and compassion. Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 12 is about believing in one another, knowing that only by banding together will we have any chance to survive.

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges
Author: Amber Sparks
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2020-02-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1631496212

Amber Sparks holds her crown in the canon of the weird with this fantastical collection of “eye-popping range” (John Domini, Washington Post). Boldly blending fables and myths with apocalyptic technologies, Amber Sparks has built a cultlike following with And I Do Not Forgive You. Fueled by feminism in all its colors, her surreal worlds—like Kelly Link’s and Karen Russell’s—are all-too-real. In “Mildly Happy, With Moments of Joy,” a friend is ghosted by a text message; in “Everyone’s a Winner at Meadow Park,” a teen coming-of-age in a trailer park befriends an actual ghost. Rife with “sharp wit, and an abiding tenderness” (Ilana Masad, NPR), these stories shine an interrogating light on the adage that “history likes to lie about women,” as the subjects of “You Won’t Believe What Really Happened to the Sabine Women” will attest. Written in prose that both shimmers and stings, the result is “nothing short of a raging success, a volume that points to a potentially incandescent literary future” (Kurt Baumeister, The Brooklyn Rail).

Show Me a Story

Show Me a Story
Author: Emily K. Neuburger
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2012-08-29
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1603428976

Encouraging children to let their imagination run wild, Emily K. Neubinger offers 40 inventive projects and activities that will inspire kids ages 5 to 12 to express themselves through storytelling. Younger children will love making story stones and a storytelling jar, while older kids will open up and thrive as they embark on guided story walks and inspiring journaling exercises. Sparking creativity while developing a child’s love of language, Show Me a Story will kindle a lifelong passion for both writing and telling original stories.

Sparks!: A Graphic Novel (Sparks! #1)

Sparks!: A Graphic Novel (Sparks! #1)
Author: Ian Boothby
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2018-02-27
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1338029487

Sparks is a hero and man's best friend, but nobody suspects he's two cats! This Super Dog is the Cat's Meow!August is a brilliant inventor who is afraid of the outside. Charlie is a crack pilot who isn't afraid of anything. Together these pals save lives every day. They also happen to be cats who pilot a powerful, mechanical dog suit! Always eager to leap into danger, this feline duo have their work cut out for them as they try to thwart Princess, an evil alien bent on enslaving mankind. Don't let the fact that Princess looks like a cute, diaper-wearing baby fool you. She's clever, determined, and totally ruthless. So when Princess and the browbeaten fools she calls servants enact a brilliant and dastardly plan to conquer Earth, August and Charlie pull out all the stops to save the day.

Gathering Sparks

Gathering Sparks
Author: Howard Schwartz
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2010-08-03
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1596432802

A grandfather introduces his grandson to the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, a centuries-old concept which proposes that everyone must do their part in order to improve the world.

Sparks Like Stars

Sparks Like Stars
Author: Nadia Hashimi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 476
Release: 2021-03-02
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0063008300

“Suspenseful…emotionally compelling. I found myself eagerly following in a way I hadn’t remembered for a long time, impatient for the next twist and turn of the story."—NPR An Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives in this brilliant and compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, The House Without Windows, and When the Moon Is Low. Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon. A survivor, Aryana has refused to look back, choosing instead to bury the trauma and devastating loss she endured. New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul—a battleground between the corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban—and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost. Bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, Sparks Like Stars is a story of home—of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance, told in Nadia Hashimi’s singular voice.