A Raven Named Grip
A Raven Named Grip

Author: Marilyn Singer

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-12-07

Total Pages: 33

ISBN-13: 0593324722

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The endearing true story of how a love of birds connected and inspired two literary giants--Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe. Years before Edgar Allan Poe's raven said "Nevermore," Charles Dickens' pet raven, Grip, was busy terrorizing the Dickens children and eating chipped paint. So how exactly did this one mischievous bird make a lasting mark on literature? From England to the United States and back again, this is the true and fascinating story of how a brilliant bird captured two famous authors' hearts, inspired their writing, and formed an unexpected bond between them. This ingenious slice of history, biography, and even ornithology celebrates the fact that creative inspiration can be found everywhere.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle
Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

Author: George Hagen

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade

Published: 2014-08-26

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0385371055

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“A first-rate fantasy for middle-grade readers,” declares Booklist in a starred review, comparing Gabriel Finley to Harry Potter, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. A tangle of ingenious riddles, a malevolent necklace called a torc, and flocks of menacing birds: these are just some of the obstacles that stand between Gabriel and his father, Adam Finley, who has vanished from their Brooklyn brownstone. When Gabriel rescues an orphaned baby raven named Paladin, he discovers a family secret: Finleys can bond with ravens in extraordinary ways. Along with Paladin and three valiant friends, Gabriel sets out to bring his father home. They soon discover that Adam is being held captive by the evil demon Corax—half man, half raven, and Adam’s very own disgraced brother—in a foreboding netherworld of birds called Aviopolis. With help from his army of ghoulish minions, the valravens, Corax is plotting to take over the land above, and now only Gabriel stands in his way. “A vivid, compelling fantasy that sends you off to a world you will not soon forget.” —Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth “A great read for fantasy lovers who have worn out their copies of Harry Potter.” —School Library Journal, Starred “Brimful of antic energy and inventive flair, like the best middle-grade fantasies; readers, like baby birds, will devour it and clamor for future installments.” —Kirkus Reviews

Raven Black
Raven Black

Author: Ann Cleeves

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Published: 2008-06-24

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 1429964375

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The basis for the hit series "Shetland" now airing on PBS. Winner of Britain's coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award, Ann Cleeves's Raven Black introduces a dazzling suspense series to U.S. mystery readers. It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man--loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbors nervously lock their doors, while a killer lives on in their midst.

A Raven Named Grip
A Raven Named Grip

Author: Marilyn Singer

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-12-07

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 0593324730

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The endearing true story of how a love of birds connected and inspired two literary giants--Charles Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe. Years before Edgar Allan Poe's raven said "Nevermore," Charles Dickens' pet raven, Grip, was busy terrorizing the Dickens children and eating chipped paint. So how exactly did this one mischievous bird make a lasting mark on literature? From England to the United States and back again, this is the true and fascinating story of how a brilliant bird captured two famous authors' hearts, inspired their writing, and formed an unexpected bond between them. This ingenious slice of history, biography, and even ornithology celebrates the fact that creative inspiration can be found everywhere.

The Witches of New York
The Witches of New York

Author: Ami McKay

Publisher: Knopf Canada

Published: 2016-10-25

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 0307366782

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The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft... The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom (Moth from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and gardien de sorts (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions—and in guarding the secrets of their clients. All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind? Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force. As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?

Beastly London
Beastly London

Author: Hannah Velten

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2013-08-15

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1780232179

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Horse-drawn cabs rattling down muddy roads, cattle herded through the streets to the Smithfield meat market for slaughter, roosters crowing at the break of dawn—London was once filled with a cacophony of animal noises (and smells). But over the last thirty years, the city seems to have banished animals from its streets. In Beastly London, Hannah Velten uses a wide range of primary sources to explore the complex and changing relationship between Londoners of all classes and their animal neighbors. Velten travels back in history to describe a time when Londoners shared their homes with pets and livestock—along with a variety of other pests, vermin, and bedbugs; Londoners imported beasts from all corners of the globe for display in their homes, zoos, and parks; and ponies flying in hot air balloons and dancing fleas were considered entertainment. As she shows, London transformed from a city with a mainly exploitative relationship with animals to the birthplace of animal welfare societies and animal rights’ campaigns. Packed with over one hundred illustrations, Beastly London is a revealing look at how animals have been central to the city’s success.

Call of the Raven
Call of the Raven

Author: Wilbur Smith

Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.

Published: 2020-09-03

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 1785767968

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The action-packed and gripping historical adventure by global sensation Wilbur Smith, about one man's quest for revenge. 'An exciting, taut and thrilling journey you will never forget' - Sun THE DESIRE FOR REVENGE CAN BURN THE HEART OUT OF A MAN The son of a wealthy plantation owner and a doting mother, Mungo St John is accustomed to wealth and luxury - until he returns from university to discover his family ruined, his inheritance stolen and his childhood sweetheart, Camilla, taken by the conniving Chester Marion. Mungo swears vengeance and devotes his life to saving Camilla - and destroying Chester. As Mungo battles his own fate and misfortune, he must question what it takes for a man to regain his power in the world when he has nothing, and what he is willing to do to exact revenge . . . Call of the Raven is the prequel to Wilbur Smith's bestselling novel, A Falcon Flies (1980), part of the Ballantyne Series. Don't miss the rest of the series, Men of Men, The Angels Weep, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness, Triumph of the Sun and King of Kings, all available in paperback and ebook now. Praise for Wilbur Smith 'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King 'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' - The Times 'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily Mirror 'Call of the Raven' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/e 06-09-2020.

The Raven's Gift
The Raven's Gift

Author: Don Rearden

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2011-01-25

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 0143196863

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John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as the new teachers in a Yup’ik village on the windswept Alaskan tundra. Lured north in search of adventure, the couple hope to immerse themselves in the ancient Arctic culture. But their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated community descends into total chaos. When outside help fails to arrive, John’s only hope lies in escaping the snow covered tundra and the hunger of the other survivors by making the thousand-mile trek across the Alaskan wilderness for help. Along the way, he encounters a blind Yup’ik girl and an elderly woman who need his protection as badly as he needs their knowledge of the terrain and their companionship to survive. And as the harsh journey and constant danger push him beyond his limits, John discovers a new sense of hope and the possibility of loving again.