I have become what Mama set out for me to be. Majestic. A Dauphine and eventually a Queen." So writes the headstrong 13-year-old Maria Antonia--future Queen of France--in her diary on October 23, 1769. In this engrossing addition to the Royal Diaries series (Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile), Kathryn Lasky invents a diary of the young Marie Antoinette in 1769--the year she is to be married off to Dauphin Louis Auguste, eldest grandson of the French king Louis XV. Arranged marriages were common in that day and age--as the Empress Theresa (of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic Nations) sought to consolidate power among nations by marrying off her children. Thus, the future of Austria and France falls upon Maria Antonia's young shoulders. To prepare her for this awesome responsibility, she must be trained to write, read, speak French, dress, act... even breathe. Things get even more grim as she is shipped off to the court of Versailles and introduced to her puffy, awkward future husband and confronted with the court's ridiculous customs. Marie--an opinionated and insightful young woman--mocks the court of "impeccable etiquette and manners" that makes up nasty rhymes about those they hate, but panics when her hair is mussed. Lasky has done an excellent job of creating a very human character in the young Marie Antoinette--one whom young readers will want to learn more about. Fortunately, her story is given plenty of context with an epilogue describing the history of the young Queen after 1769, a historical note offering an 18th-century context, a Habsburg-Bourbon family tree, and various portraits of the royal family. (Ages 9 to 13) --Karin Snelson

    This enjoyable read handles with heart and a light touch such issues as marriage, family, home ownership, illness, and death.

    هذه الإشاعة تدفع مجموعة من الشبان إلىزيارة المكان للتحقق بأنفسهم من الموضوع. مغامرات تتداخلوقصص تتشعب، يسافر عبرها فهد وفارس ونور وسامي فيرحلة عبر الزمن، وعبر تجارب تؤدي إلى فهم أعمق للذات.The only fairy tale or rather “jinn-tale” bedtime stories to come out of the Middle East are hundreds of years old. Well, it was about time for a new one. Part folklore, part philosophy, part myth, and part truth, “Maskoon” (The Haunted) is a young reader’s book based on a real haunted palace in the UAE.The author’s visit to the palace left her with questions and doubts that translated into this bedtime fable-like tale of friendship, loneliness, courage and love.Maskoon was hailed by the media as one of the first novel-length books written in Arabic within the paranormal/horror genre. The book contains a special poetic contribution from the renowned Emirati poet, Rashid Sharar.

    Each Small Miracles book is a collection of more than sixty heartwarming stories that recall remarkable coincidences that have changed people's ordinary lives.

    In the story, it is traced somewhere in the African continent and plays a crucial role in re-constructing the history of human evolution.

    He is Lord Rama’s most trusted ally who embodies the virtues of a sincere devotee, the fearless fighter who sets the city of Lanka ablaze with his burning tail, the humble messenger who informs Mother Sita of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the noble fellow warrior who uproots Dronagiri, a mountain of herbs, to save Lakshmana’s life. Above all, he is a perfect blend of intelligence and humility. The Chronicles of Hanuman, an engaging and inspiring bildungsroman of the Monkey God, is also replete with interesting folk tales, local lore about Hanuman temples across India and Hanuman prayers, making this book a reader’s delight.

    A little girl name Rosie is creating miracles in the lives of its residents using the wondrous power of love. Because of Rosie, Cleston, a wood craftsman, finds his gift rekindled; Helen, an Alzheimer's patient, instictively trusts the little girl; Jake, the war veteran, begins to feel whole again; Ina, who, though blind, helps people see the beauty all around; and, most importantly, Bessie.Rosie and Bessie become inseparable best friends. Through Bessie, Rosie learns some invaluable life lessons, including Home is a place where you're surrounded by love. Just before Christmas, when the woman who had taught her so much about living speaks of dying, Rosie learns what true love and beauty and friendship really mean.

    Whether fictionalizing his dramatic exploits as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II or concocting the ingeniously plotted fables that were dramatized on television as Tales of the Unexpected, Dahl was brilliant at provoking in his readers the overwhelming desire to know what happens next—and at satisfying that desire in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable.In this collection:-A Fine Son-Death of an Old Man-Parson’s Pleasure-Poison-The Hitch-Hiker-The Wish-Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat-Dip in the Pool-The Landlady-Skin-Lamb to the Slaughter-Man from the South-The Way Up to Heavan-The Umbrella Man-Taste-The Swan-William and MaryFilled with devilish plot twists, his tales display a tantalizing blend of macabre humor and the absurdly grotesque. Dahl’s creations amuse and shock us in equal measure, gleefully reminding us of what might lurk beneath the surface of the ordinary.

    Each casebook reprints documents relating to a work's historical context and reception, presents the best critical studies, and, when possible, features an interview with the author. Accessible and informative to scholars, students, and nonspecialist readers alike, the books in this series provide a wide range of critical and informative commentaries on major texts. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude is arguably the most important novel in twentieth-century Latin American literature. This Casebook features ten critical articles on Garcia Marquez's great work. Carefully selected from the most important work on the novel over the past three decades, they include pieces by Carlos Fuentes, Iris Zavala, James Higgins, Jean Franco, Michael Wood, and Gene H. Bell-Villada. Among the intriguing aspects of the work discussed are its mythic dimension, its "magical" side, its representations of women, its relationship with past chronicles of exploration and discovery, its portrayals of Western power and imperialism, its astounding diffusion throughout the globe and the media, and its simple truth-telling, its fidelity to the tangled history of Latin America. The book incorporates several theoretical approaches--historical, feminist, postcolonial; the first English translation of Fuentes's renowned, oft-cited, eight page meditation on the work; a general introduction; and a 1982 interview with Garcia Marquez.

    With comfort-food recipes gathered from across America as well as 46 other countries, you'll find homemade classics along with dishes that may be difficult to pronounce, but are easy to enjoy. And nearly all 440 of these simple and economical recipes are made from ingredients available in most local groceries, so you can delight your family and friends again and again. As you turn the more than 340 pages of this charming book, you'll discover recipes for real food cooked by real people around the globe—dishes for every occasion and every taste. Enjoy a traditional British Sunday dinner, or delight your family and friends with a delicious Finnish glass cake. You may even want to whip up a batch of Brigham Young's favorite buttermilk donuts. You'll find savory soups to sweet treats, creamy casseroles, entrées with a little bit of kick, and dishes that younger taste buds will like. But perhaps your favorite part of this delightful book will be the stories behind the recipes—snippets that will bring a smile, and maybe even inspire you to start a few new traditions. So pull out the pans, fire up the stove, and create some new favorites with the abundance of appetizing ideas found in your Worldwide Ward Cookbook. 9.5" X 11", 342 pages ISBN 978-1-59811-779-0

    Twelve classic Horrible Histories are being reissued with a tie-in cover. In Gorgeous Georgians readers can discover thehe full story: Gangs who made a living selling dead bodies. Husbands who sold their wives at auction. Doctors who cured toothache with squashed fish eyes. Join Rattus Rattus and the gang for the funniest, fastest, nastiest and daftest ride through histor you're ever likely to see..

    As tiny and inconspicuous as it may seem, That-Which-Had-Been exhibits an unexpected and varied gift for survival, as it journeys implacably toward its ultimate destination. Along the way, it meets a rich array of ordinary human beings, some of whom assist it along its way, others who impede its progress, none of whom have any idea of its existence.From whence comes the strange, but universal, experience of deja vu? Why do some people exhibit a wisdom far beyond their age and experience - persons reincarnationists refer to as 'old souls'? Joseph Wurtenbaugh in this short story offers a fascinating and tantalizingly plausible explanation for these phenomena, presented in a natural setting that brims with adventure and exhilarating possibility. Not to be missed by anyone who enjoys science fiction or thinking outside the box.

    Ballroom dancing, flying fighter planes, detonating bombs, skinning and eating snakes in times of dire need, and everything else in between—there’s nothing our officers can’t do!Read twenty-one nail-biting stories of daring. Hear from some amazing men and women about what the forces have taught them—and decide if the olivegreen uniform is what you want to wear too.

    When a mysterious phantom enters his life, he sets himself on a quest to discover the true meaning of lummoxness, and what he learns along the way is both shocking and hilarious.Written with honesty and selfeffacing wry humor, Lummox is an exceptional story of manhood at a time of its redefinition, a book that will leave you laughing out loud in recognition and cheering for lummoxes everywhere.

    While focusing on the words from the project, new photography launches each section which speaks to the reader's journey through the world: Love Found, Being In Love, Love Lost, Hope, Despair, Living and Dying.