Jordan Wylie, a young man from a tough area of Blackpool where kids like him often went off the rails, chose a life in the army. He saw service in Iraq and learned to cope with the horrors he'd witnessed, then suffered an injury that blocked any chance of climbing up the military ladder. But an old army colleague suggested he join a security team on a tanker in Yemen. Ex-servicemen were offered dazzling salaries and `James Bond' lifestyles between jobs protecting the super-tankers carrying consumer goods to Europe and the US. However, for the men tempted to go, the price they paid was the claustrophobia and isolation of life on board and the ever-present possibility of death skimming towards them across the vast, lonely blue sea. Jordan was one of these men. In Citadel, he writes the first account of these dangerous years from someone 'at the front'. A young soldier from the backstreets of Blackpool, he was determined to make the most of his life, but unsure of the way forward. To his surprise, he found his answers in the perilous waters of 'Pirate Alley'.

    Ever since he can remember all he has loved doing is pranking other people in their Minecraft Village. There’s just a certain thrill that comes with watching a well-planned prank finally play out. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a water balloon splash on someone’s head, or hearing an adult sit on a whoopee cushion. With all of the fun he’s been having, and with how long his pranking streak has been going, Clyde never expected that one of his pranks would backfire. What Clyde failed to learn before now was--you need to be careful who you try to prank especially if that person happens to be a witch. This small flaw could cause Clyde’s biggest problem. Will Clyde’s joking nature be his biggest downfall, or will he be able to trick his way out of every sticky situation that comes his way? All of these details and more are only included in Clyde’s diary, Jokes on the Jokester. Author’s Note: This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch

    As soon as they drive across Andalusia, they fall in love with its rugged beauty, whitewashed villages, red geraniums, giant aloes, and endless olive trees. After weeks of visiting ruins and dilapidated sheds advertised as homes, they find a little stone cottage in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere. Equipped with everything that a romantic soul desires: a patio shaded by grape vines, an ancient bay leaf tree, and a formidable oak in front of a long driveway, they fall in love with this property and decide to reform it into a guest house. With little foresight or planning, they exchange cushy expats lives for a life in the sun.Quite quickly, however, they find themselves battling cowboy builders, no electricity, a dry well, torrential rain storms, and a freezing cold winter without a roof over their heads. Through all these adventures, they develop relations with their neighbours who had lived in the valley for many generations. Puzzled by the strangers’ behaviour, the neighbours teach them about olive picking, and the cultivation of local vegetables. But primarily, they offer their endless generosity and insight into life in rural Andalusia.As they begin to settle in, financial problems confront our somewhat naïve couple. Without steady pay checks and construction bills piling up, their idea of the good life starts to fall apart. Written with a wry sense of honest humour, this story is filled with twists and turns that take the reader on a journey from a life where every day was monotonously repetitive to a place where every day presents a new challenge.

    writes with humor, dripping Southern charm that you can’t miss.” (The Greenville Examiner). A collection of short stories from the author of Sean of the South, and Lyla. Columnist, humorist, and novelist, Sean Dietrich, is known for his commentary on life in the American South. In his newest work, Small Towns, Labradors, Barbecue, Biscuits, Beer, and Bibles, he delivers a set of quirky tales filled with smiles and a hefty dose of heart.

    

    Roman Garstang is obsessed with food - particularly Squidgy Splodge raspberry-jam doughnuts - but he is about to learn that things are not always as sugar-coated as they might seem. Because of his Monday-morning jam doughnut, Roman's week takes a very sticky turn ...By Friday Roman has been banned from eating for 24hrs, narrowly avoided a faceful of warm toddler-wee, accidentally shoplifted, been given a lift in a getaway van, styled his teacher's guinea pig with a blue mohawk, started an OAP riot ...and still barely managed to scoff a crumb - or lick - of a single doughnut. Who knew jam could be so deadly?

    Plus over 40 pictures of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang, Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and all the other kids from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. It's your must-have movie keepsake.

    JPA provides Java developers with both the knowledge and insight needed to write Java applications that access relational databases through JPA.Authors Mike Keith and Merrick Schincariol take a hands-on approach to teaching by giving examples to illustrate each concept of the API and showing how it is used in practice.All of the examples use a common model from an overriding sample application, giving readers a context from which to start and helping them to understand the examples within an already familiar domain.After completing the book, you will have a full understanding and be able to successfully code applications using JPA. The book also serves as a reference guide during initial and later JPA application experiences.Hands-on examples for all the aspects of the JPA specification, based on the reference implementation of this specification A special section on migration to JPA Expert insight about various aspects of the API and when they are useful Portability hints to provide increased awareness of the potential for non-portable JPA code

    Yet 9 out of 10 schools don't even offer computer science classes to students, according to code.org. Help correct this disparity by introducing your kids to the world of computer programming early, with a fun and approachable method. This book begins by introducing the essential concepts of programming with simple instructions, and without specialized computer lingo. Fun projects throughout let kids start putting their computer skills into practice and build their own code using Scratch programming and Python, the two most popular languages. Also included are profiles on coding stars and insights in technology such as the Raspberry Pi mini computer. In typical DK fashion, colorful graphics and step-by-step instructions assist readers in starting to think like their computers.

    Lucy, a schoolgirl of 11, finds that the animals of the world have been expecting her for more than a million years. Her exciting adventures take her to the heart of the greatest jungle on Earth, where the animals help her to overcome ruthless and deadly foes.

    Devotions written as if Jesus is speaking directly to a child's heart.Based on her original JesusCalling, this version has been adapted in a language and fashion that kidsand tweens can relate to their everyday lives. After many years ofwriting in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to listen to Godwith pen in hand, writing down what she believed He was saying toher through Scripture. Others were blessed as she shared her writings, until people all overthe world were using her devotionals.  They are written from Jesus’ point ofview, thus the title Jesus Calling. It is Sarah’s fervent prayer that our Savior may bless readers, and now youngreaders, with His presence and His peace in ever deeper measure.Meets national education standards.

    After learning about the great Babe Ruth, David becomes determined to become a good all-around player, which means he'll have to learn how to bat.

    Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone. Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution, and he will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

      Do you remember your first visit to where the wild things are? How about curling up for hours on end to discover the secret of the Sorcerer’s Stone? Combining clear, practical advice with inspiration, wisdom, tips, and curated reading lists, How to Raise a Reader shows you how to instill the joy and time-stopping pleasure of reading.   Divided into four sections, from baby through teen, and each illustrated by a different artist, this book offers something useful on every page, whether it’s how to develop rituals around reading or build a family library, or ways to engage a reluctant reader. A fifth section, “More Books to Love: By Theme and Reading Level,” is chockful of expert recommendations. Throughout, the authors debunk common myths, assuage parental fears, and deliver invaluable lessons in a positive and easy-to-act-on way.

    How do you speak up for yourself when you're worried about hurting your friend's feelings? What if your best friend leaves you for the more popular crowd? What do you do when your friend the "rule setter" decides you're not cool anymore? When- and how- do you get your parents involved without making things worse? Tips, quizzes, and real life stories about girls who've solved their friendship problems round out this timely advice book.