After escaping from her scientist captors, Rat finds herself aboard a space station When Rat—a lavender-colored, highly intelligent rat—escaped from her cage and found a hiding place in a nearby crate, she had no idea she’d be headed for the stars. A space station, she quickly discovers, is no place for a rat. It’s hard to find food amid the humans and robots aboard the craft, and even harder to move around undetected. Meanwhile, Jeff, whose parents are scientists, is the only kid on board. He’s got no friends to play with, and his robot babysitter is constantly bossing him around. To make matters worse, all of his friends are off at summer camp back on Earth and too busy having a great time to email him. So Jeff is beyond excited when he gets an email from an anonymous pen pal. Little does he know that his new buddy doesn’t live on Earth—and isn’t even human!
Rat and Jeff are back and still aboard the space station—but with suspicious scientists and robots around every corner, Rat is in danger again Rat barely escaped the wrath of the researchers aboard the space station last time around. Thanks to her best friend, Jeff, she has managed to stay safe and out of sight. When Jeff learns that he and his parents will be taking the shuttle back to Earth, he’s thrilled. But the scientists—Jeff’s parents included—want to get rid of Rat for good. After a couple of serious close calls, Jeff starts to fear for the safety of his rodent friend. But can he outsmart a team that is bent on hunting Rat down? This science fiction adventure story is a must for young readers.
Jack knows who belongs out in the Black. And who doesn't -- until Kit comes walking into the pub and changes everything he believes about the Black, about the people who live there, about what it takes to be a human being. Margaret Bechard had set out to write an adventure story with laser guns and spaceships. Then, she says, "there was a big step and a long fall off a cliff while I realized that my characters didn't want to do the stuff I had in my mind; they had plans of their own." The result: Spacer and Rat, a fast-paced space adventure and a short story about human feeling and growing up -- science fiction for those who love SF; riveting fiction for those who don't.
A young man discovers his identity among a tribe of rats in the renowned fantasy author’s "riveting, brilliant novel"—with an introduction by Tim Maughan (Charles de Lint). Something is stirring in London’s dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust and blood. Something has murdered Saul Garamond’s father, and left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into Saul’s prison cell and leads him to freedom: a shadow called King Rat. King Rat reveals to Saul his own royal heritage—a heritage that draws him into the grimy, magical world below London’s streets. With drum-and-bass pounding the backstreets, Saul must confront the forces that would use him, the ones that would destroy him, and those that have shaped his own bizarre identity. World Fantasy Award–winning author China Miéville began his astounding career with the novel King Rat, which combines a young man’s search for identity with a pulse-pounding story of revenge and madness. This Tor Essential edition includes an introduction by Tim Maughan, author of Infinite Detail.
Scab McNally does not want Missy Malone to be class president. He thinks “Never Missy”—nicknamed for her irritating habit of always answering questions correctly—is really an alien in disguise, and he decides to run against her to prove his case. Scab’s twin sister, Isabelle, doesn’t miss a beat reminding Scab that he should be busy creating a platform of what he’ll do as class president, preparing a speech, and making signs. Instead, Scab focuses on launching wild-enough stunts to win the popular vote… but will Never Missy be the first to beat Scab at his own game?
When Jacob Hicks, resident weird professor with a phobia for women, is the suspect in a murder case, he reluctantly sets out to prove his own innocence. He tolerates the help of Emily, the niece of his best pal Dave and on probation for having bitten a policeman. Together they delve into the gossip and lies surrounding the members of the local allotment society, where gardening implements can turn out to be deadly weapons. Meanwhile, Paddy the Rat and his friends are plagued by obnoxious teenage rat Cecil, who with his posse is disturbing the peace and quiet of the allotments. This wouldn’t be half as bad if Cecil hadn’t focussed on teasing Mad Maggie, Paddy’s childhood bogeyman. She has recently come alive and is now making Paddy’s life a living hell. While Inspector McDermott tries to prove Jacob’s guilt, Jacob and Emily deal with scantily clad women, a development project that turns into blackmail and a maniacal old neighbour, who is convinced the rats are out to get her. Will Milbury Hill ever be the same after this?
More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human outposts, culminating in the current International Space Station (ISS). However, of the more than 500 humans who have so far ventured into space, most have gone only as far as near-Earth orbit, and none have traveled beyond the orbit of the Moon. Achieving humans' further progress into the solar system had proved far more difficult than imagined in the heady days of the Apollo missions, but the potential rewards remain substantial. During its more than 50-year history, NASA's success in human space exploration has depended on the agency's ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical science, and related obstacles-an achievement made possible by NASA's strong and productive commitments to life and physical sciences research for human space exploration, and by its use of human space exploration infrastructures for scientific discovery. The Committee for the Decadal Survey of Biological and Physical Sciences acknowledges the many achievements of NASA, which are all the more remarkable given budgetary challenges and changing directions within the agency. In the past decade, however, a consequence of those challenges has been a life and physical sciences research program that was dramatically reduced in both scale and scope, with the result that the agency is poorly positioned to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the now fully equipped and staffed ISS laboratory, or to effectively pursue the scientific research needed to support the development of advanced human exploration capabilities. Although its review has left it deeply concerned about the current state of NASA's life and physical sciences research, the Committee for the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is nevertheless convinced that a focused science and engineering program can achieve successes that will bring the space community, the U.S. public, and policymakers to an understanding that we are ready for the next significant phase of human space exploration. The goal of this report is to lay out steps and develop a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the excitement and value of human spaceflight-thereby enabling the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives that serve the nation, excite the public, and place the United States again at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.
A critically acclaimed historical novel “that roars” (Kliatt), from the author of the National Book Award-winning novel Homeless Bird. Africa is the only home Rachel Sheridan has ever known. But when her missionary parents are struck with influenza, she is left vulnerable to her family’s malicious neighbors. Surrounded by greed and lies, Rachel is entangled in a criminal scheme and sent to England, where she's forced into a life of deception. Like the lion, she must be patient and strong, awaiting the moment when she can take control of her own fate—and find her way home again at last. Named one of New York Public Library's One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing, this tale of a strong young heroine “in the tradition of Frances Hodgson Burnett” (School Library Journal), by award-winning master of historical fiction Gloria Whelan, is a perfect read for schools and classrooms, as well as for fans of A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.
