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The Collected Stories of William Carlos Williams


William Carlos Williams - 1996
    This new edition of The Collected Stories of William Carlos Williams contains all fifty-two stories combining the early collections The Knife of the Times (1932), Life Along the Passaic (1938) with the later collection Make Light of It (1950) and the great long story, “The Farmers’ Daughters” (1956). When these stories first appeared, their vitality and immediacy shocked many readers, as did the blunt, idiosyncratic speech of Williams’ immigrant and working-class characters. But the passage of time has silenced the detractors, and what shines in the best of these stories is the unflinching honesty and deep humanity of Williams’ portraits, burnished by the seeming artlessness which only the greatest masters command.

The Lottery: A play in one act


Brainerd Duffield - 1983
    

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily


Dino Buzzati - 1945
    Along their treacherous and sometimes heartbreaking journey, the bears encounter an army of wild boars, a wily professor who may or may not be a magician, ghosts, snarling Marmoset the Cat, and, worst of all, treachery within their own ranks.If The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily sounds too distressing to read alone, that's because it is. Lemony Snicket's introduction to this extraordinary tale is unlikely to make you feel any better, and a careful study of Snicket's Reader's Companion, cleverly hidden at the back, may actually make you feel worse. For that reason, among many others, it is recommended that you either abandon this book, abandon plans to read it, or abandon all hope.

The Good Thief


Hannah Tinti - 2008
    How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world. But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren’s long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he’s lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well.

To Kill a Mockingbird: The Themes · The Characters · The Language and Style · The Plot Analyzed


Mary Hartley - 1999
    This enlightening guide uses meaningful text, extensive illustrations and imaginative graphics to make this novel clearer, livelier, and more easily understood than ordinary literature plot summaries. An unusual feature, "Mind Map" is a diagram that summarizes and interrelates the most important details about the book that students need to understand. Appropriate for middle and high school students.

The Wreck of the Hesperus


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1996
    The special disaster in which the name originated had long been lost from memory when the poet Longfellow chose the spot as a background for his description of the “Wreck of the Hesperus,” and gave it an association that it will scarcely lose while the English language endures. Nor does it matter to the legend lover that the ill-fated schooner was not “gored” by the “cruel rocks” just at this point, but nearer to the Gloucester coast.

Beauty and the Beast


Marianna Mayer - 1978
    This acclaimed best-seller, first published in 1978, transports readers into a world of pure magic and mystery.

Tales of Folk and Fairies


Katharine Pyle - 1919
    Katharine Pyle's masterly retelling of well-loved folk tales from around the world.The Meester Stoorworm - A Story from ScotlandJean Malin and the Bull Man - A Louisiana TaleThe Widow’s Son - A Scandinavian TaleThe Wise Girl - A Serbian StoryThe History of Ali Cogia - From the Arabian NightsOh! - A Cossack StoryThe Talking Eggs - A Story from LouisianaThe Frog Princess - A Russian StoryThe Magic Turban, the Magic Sword and the Magic Carpet - A Persian StoryThe Three Silver Citrons - A Persian StoryThe Magic Pipe - A Norse TaleThe Triumph of Truth - A Hindu StoryLife’s Secret - A Story of BengalDame Pridgett and the Fairies

The Pushcart War


Jean Merrill - 1964
    There were so many trucks making deliveries that it might take an hour for a car to travel a few blocks. People blamed the truck owners and the truck owners blamed the little wooden pushcarts that traveled the city selling everything from flowers to hot dogs. Behind closed doors the truck owners declared war on the pushcart peddlers. Carts were smashed from Chinatown to Chelsea. The peddlers didn’t have money or the mayor on their side, but that didn’t stop them from fighting back. They used pea shooters to blow tacks into the tires of trucks, they outwitted the police, and they marched right up to the grilles of those giant trucks and dared them to drive down their streets. Today, thanks to the ingenuity of the pushcart peddlers, the streets belong to the people—and to the pushcarts.The Pushcart War was first published more than fifty years ago. It has inspired generations of children and been adapted for television, radio, and the stage around the world. It was included on School Library Journal’s list of One Hundred Books That Shaped the Twentieth Century, and its assertion that a committed group of men and women can prevail against a powerful force is as relevant in the twenty-first century as it was in 1964.

The Republic of Nothing: Reader's Guide Edition


Lesley Choyce - 1994
    A god-like ocean deposits many a thing, yet it also takes away. The 1960s blaze off shore and draw the island’s inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement. Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, AKA the Republic of Nothing. Where else can a dead circus elephant, a long-dead Viking, the discovery of uranium, a raven-haired castaway who may be psychic, an anarchist turned politician, and refugees fleeing from the United States all be part of everyday life? Where else is eccentricity embraced with such open arms? In this new readers’ guide edition, complete with an afterword by Neil Peart, Lesley Choyce’s novel about resilience, independence, and anarchy comes alive, leading readers to discover once again that everything is nothing and nothing is everything.

Been There, Done That: Writing Stories from Real Life


Mike WinchellKate Messner - 2015
    Where do authors get their ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into stories? This anthology gives readers an exclusive, “behind the scenes” look at the process of taking real-life experiences and turning them into works of engaging fiction. Each author will contribute two pieces: A narrative nonfiction account, which then serves as the inspiration for an original fictional short story. Subjects include a broad range—from an alien invasion to the realities of living during World War II—but are tied together with universal concepts, like dealing with change, fitting in, self-esteem, and relationships with friends and family. This collection is sure to inspire a new generation of writers. The contributing award-winning and bestselling middle-grade authors include Gary Schmidt, Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, Matthew Kirby, Adam Rex, Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple, Rita Williams-Garcia, Karen Cushman, Caroline Starr Rose, Claire Legrand, Lisa Yee, Nathan Hale, Julia Alvarez, Kate Messner, Margarita Engle, Alan Sitomer, Tracy Edward Wymer, and Dee Garretson.

The Book of the Dun Cow


Walter Wangerin Jr. - 1978
    What the animals did not know was that they were the Keepers of Wyrm, monster of evil long imprisoned beneath the earth ... and Wyrm, sub terra, was breaking free.

Entropy


Thomas Pynchon - 1960
    Many concepts which play a key role throughout the bulk of Pynchon's fiction can be found here in various stages of infancy. For example, the notion of entropy itself is reexamined and more deeply probed in both V. and the Crying of Lot 49. Another example: Saul's wife is "bugged by the idea of computers acting like people:" Pynchon years later probes the boundaries of 'acting like' and 'being' through the development of his theme concerning the Animate vs. the Inanimate in V. In fact, in V. we find robots acting like people and vice versa: Miriam would be "bugged" to no end had she been included in this novel as well. Pynchon's discussion of Noise vs. Signal in terms of communication theory and information transfer strongly carries through to a number of his later works, most importantly The Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity's Rainbow. Sandor Rojas' conditioned behavior when a woman walks into the room is set in motion by certain cues "like a contralto voice or a whiff of Arpege." He is described as salivating like Pavlov's dog: later, in Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon intimately works with Pavlovian notions and theories concerning conditioned behavior with regard to the major character of Tyrone Slothrop. Music, too, utilized as the general metaphor throughout "Entropy," constantly asserts itself as a recurring motif all the way across the spectrum of Pynchon's work, as does the setting used here in "Entropy:" ridiculously intense parties lasting not hours but days if not weeks and months, as is the case with, among others, Mondaugen's story in V.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard


J.K. Rowling - 2008
    K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come.

Caveman Farts: The Story of the First Stinky Fart (The Disgusting Adventures of Milo Snotrocket Book 4)


J.B. O'Neil - 2013
    O'Neil's #1 Bestseller "Ninja Farts - Silent But Deadly" with your purchase of "Caveman Farts". You and your kids will laugh out loud as you listen to this fart-tastic audiobook (complete with disgusting sound effects!). That's twice the farting fun!From #1 Bestselling Author J.B. O'Neil Ready to laugh your butt off? Milo Snotrocket is back and stinkier than ever in this hilarious new episode to the #1 Best-Selling "Fart Book" series.Here's what readers are already saying about the side-splitting, bottom-burping Fart Books:"I haven't heard my daughter laughing and giggling that much since she stared school. Thank you J.B O'Neill - I will definitely get all your books to keep my child laughing." -- Lisa D."Absolutely hysterical!...If you want to laugh your way through, from page to page, this is your opportunity and the price is perfect. Get your copy now, it will put a smile on your face!" -- Tom Foster"This ebook had me and my kids laughing from start to finish!...Talk about a fun Friday night!" -- Rob RodenparkerGrab it right now while the FREE audiobook of "Ninja Farts" is still available!