Book picks similar to
Dusty Diamonds Cut And Polished by R.M. Ballantyne


adventure
b-tbr-digital
children-s-literature
read-by-myself

Attonement


James Bailey - 2012
    A man sits on a bench in front of his old school remembering the place where one particular day changed his life and those of many others dramatically years earlier.

Woman of Mettle


Linda Caddick - 2015
    Safe in her small agricultural community, the recent outbreak of persecution against the 'followers of the Way' in Jerusalem is distant enough not to affect her, and she is determined to keep it that way. Little does she know, she is about to walk through the fire. How much is she prepared to suffer on behalf of another? Things get dangerous when an ambitious young man crosses her path, especially as he holds the key to her future. To survive, she must employ all her feminine wiles. In spite of her imperfect pursuit of the Master, his exceeding grace sustains her in her darkest hour. But when it's all over, she is yet to find out whether love still remains.

A Texas Ranger


William MacLeod Raine - 1911
    According to Wikipedia: "William MacLeod Raine (1871—1954), was a British-born American novelist who wrote fictional adventure stories about the American Old West.."

Tappan's Burro


Zane Grey - 1923
    He cleaned out the pocket before sunset, the richer for several thousand dollars. "'You brought me luck, ' said Tappan, to the little gray burro staggering round its mother. 'Your name is Jenet. You're Tappan's burro, an' I reckon he'll stick to you.'"--from the book Prospecting was a lonely business for Tappan, but his burro Jenet was good company, and more. She knew the trails and waterholes better than Tappan, from the scorching heat and poison air of Death Valley to the blinding blizzards of Arizona's mountains. Jenet tracked with him, faithful, his only friend. And he repaid her loyalty with a final, supreme effort of heart, will, and spirit.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood


Howard Pyle - 1883
    Consisting of a series of episodes in the story of the English outlaw Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, the novel compiles traditional material into a coherent narrative in a colorful, invented "old English" idiom that preserves some flavor of the ballads, and adapts it for children. The novel is notable for taking the subject of Robin Hood, which had been increasingly popular through the 19th century, in a new direction that influenced later writers, artists, and filmmakers through the next century.[1]Pyle had been submitting illustrated poems and fairy tales to New York publications since 1876, and had met with success. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was the first novel he attempted. He took his material from Middle Age ballads and wove them into a cohesive story, altering them for coherence and the tastes of his child audience. For example, he included "Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar" in the narrative order to reintroduce Friar Tuck. He needed a cooperative priest for the wedding of outlaw Allan a Dale (Pyle's spelling of the original Alan-a-Dale) to his sweetheart Ellen. In the original "A Gest of Robyn Hode", the life is saved of an anonymous wrestler who had won a bout but was likely to be murdered because he was a stranger. Pyle adapted it and gave the wrestler the identity of David of Doncaster, one of Robin's band in the story "Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow." In his novelistic treatment of the tales, Pyle thus developed several characters who had been mentioned in only one ballad, such as David of Doncaster or Arthur a Bland. Pyle's book continued the 19th-century trend of portraying Robin Hood as a heroic outlaw who robs the rich to feed the poor; this portrayal contrasts with the Robin Hood of the ballads, where the protagonist is an out-and-out crook, whose crimes are motivated by personal gain rather than politics or a desire to help others.[1] For instance, he modified the ballad "Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham", changing it from Robin killing fourteen foresters for not honoring a bet to Robin defending himself against a band of armed robbers. Pyle has Robin kill only one man, who shoots at him first. Tales are changed in which Robin steals all that an ambushed traveler carried, such as "Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford", so that the victim keeps a third and another third is dedicated to the poor. Pyle did not have much concern for historical accuracy, but he renamed the queen-consort in the story "Robin Hood and Queen Katherine" as Eleanor (of Aquitaine). This made her compatible historically with King Richard the Lion-Hearted, with whom Robin eventually makes peace. The novel was first published by Scribner's in 1883, and met with immediate success,[1] ushering in a new era of Robin Hood stories. It helped solidify the image of a heroic Robin Hood, which had begun in earlier works such as Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe. In Pyle's wake, Robin Hood has become a staunch philanthropist protecting innocents against increasingly aggressive villains.[1] Along with the publication of the Child Ballads by Francis James Child, which included most of the surviving Robin Hood ballads, Pyle's novel helped increase the popularity of the Robin Hood legend in the United States. The Merry Adventures also had an effect on subsequent children's literature. It helped move the Robin Hood legend out of the realm of penny dreadfuls and into the realm of respected children's books.[2] After Pyle, Robin Hood became an increasingly popular subject for children's books: Louis Rhead's Bold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band (1912) and Paul Creswick's Robin Hood (1917), illustrated by Pyle's pupil N. C.

Bob, Son of Battle


Alfred Ollivant - 1898
    It was published in 1898, and went on to become a popular children's book both in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Search


Grace Livingston Hill - 1919
    Grace Livingston Hill is the beloved author of more than 100 books. Read and enjoyed by millions, her wholesome stories contain adventure, romance, and the heartwarming triumphs of people faced with the problems of life and love.

Heart and Science


Wilkie Collins - 1883
    Of none is this more true than of his 1883 novel Heart and Science, which Collins himself placed alongside his masterpiece The Woman in White.Heart and Science turns on the fate of the orphaned Carmina Graywell, who is left in the charge of her aunt and guardian Mrs. Gallilee when her fiancé is forced to take an extended trip to Canada’s drier climes in order to recover his health. Over the issue of her inheritance Mrs. Gallilee schemes to manipulate, control and ultimately destroy the naïve but strong-willed Carmina. The story is complicated by the machinations of Dr. Benjulia, a dark genius whose passionate devotion to the study of diseases of the brain leads him to encourage the progress of Carmina’s life-threatening brain illness for the sake of scientific observation; the narrative builds to a pair of spectacularly lurid climactic scenes.Collin’s novel tackles the debate over what he termed ‘the hideous secrets of Vivisection’ with a passionate intensity aroused in large part by the sensational 1880s case of a doctor who was acquitted on charges laid under the new Cruelty to Animals Act of having practiced live experimentation on animals without a license. Excerpts from a contemporary account of this trial, together with other documents relating to the vivisectionist controversy and a variety of contemporary reviews of the book, are included among the appendices of this volume. The edition also includes a full introduction, chronology, explanatory notes and a note on the text.Heart and Science’s story of the struggle between strong-willed women will strike chords of sympathetic understanding with modern readers—as will its vivisectionist theme, with it’s clear parallels to the animal welfare/ animal rights debates of today.

Wuthering Heights: From the Story by Emily Brontë (Usborne Classics)


Jane Bingham - 2003
    The works in the series are suitable for ages eight and up. The books are simple, retellings of the great literary classics which remain faithful to the original text.

The Lost Wagon


Jim Kjelgaard - 1955
    Every member of the family will enjoy this tale of wagon trains, cowboys, settlers, love, romance, and did I mention wagons?

Moby Dick


Janet Lorimer - 1999
    This 80-page adaptation has been painstakingly edited to retain the integrity of the original work, and to convey a sense of the author's style and the novel's theme. A low reading level assures success and stimulates a desire for further exploration of this classic tale.Each novel, complete in just 80-pages, has been painstakingly adapted to retain the integrity of the original work. Each provides the reader a sense of the author's style and an understanding of the novel's theme.

The Bronze Bow


Elizabeth George Speare - 1961
    –from the Song of David (2 Samuel 22:35) The Bronze Bow, written by Elizabeth George Speare (author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond) won the Newbery Medal in 1962. This gripping, action-packed novel tells the story of eighteen-year-old Daniel bar Jamin—a fierce, hotheaded young man bent on revenging his father’s death by forcing the Romans from his land of Israel. Daniel’s palpable hatred for Romans wanes only when he starts to hear the gentle lessons of the traveling carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. A fast-paced, suspenseful, vividly wrought tale of friendship, loyalty, the idea of home, community . . . and ultimately, as Jesus says to Daniel on page 224: “Can’t you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy? Not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love.” A powerful, relevant read in turbulent times.

The Deer Slayer V1: Or The First Warpath


James Fenimore Cooper - 1997
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

War Horse


Michael Morpurgo - 1982
    With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

Old St. Paul's


William Harrison Ainsworth - 1840
    the Great Plague and the Fire of London ...The profligate Earl of Rochester, the frenzied Salvationist Solomon Eagle, the abominable undertaker Chowles and Judith Malmayns, the venal plague nurse, companions in iniquity, add a nightmare dimension to the adventures of dauntless Leonard Holt and the lovely Amabel in the stricken ...Dominating this spectacular story of love, greed, betrayal, abduction, conspiracy and revenge is the towering structure of Old St. Paul's ... cathedral ... public haunt of gallants and rogues ... pest house ... and blazing inferno.(Description taken from jacket).