So begin the adventures of young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. Believing that Oliver can spy out ghosts, Captain Scratch kidnaps him, bringing him aboard the notorious pirate vessel Bloody Hand. The ship sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where the pirate treasure lies buried. A despicable pirate captain, a mutinous crew, a band of sly sea ghosts—Oliver is determined to outfox them all and get safely home. It's a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense!
"Discusses the life of children's author Sid Fleischman, including his childhood, writing career, and his advice for young writers"--Provided by publisher.
You're no idiot, of course. You know Casper was a friendly ghost and that the Phantom Hitchhiker is someone you'd rather not meet on a deserted highway late at night. But when it comes to knowing the authentic roots of ghost stories--and which ones remain unexplained to this day--you don't stand a ghost of a chance. Don't get spirited away yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings is an eerie investigation into the firsthand accounts, legends, literature, and dramatic works surrounding the world of ghosts. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:
This Is the Church ... is a powerful, entertaining novel about the trials and triumphs of Our Father's Evangelical Church of Monument, California. The town's namesake is a 100-foot, Mount Rushmore-like carving of the left half of Rudolph Valentino's face from his 1921 movie, The Sheik. The main character is Ian Block, son and grandson of present and former deacons at the church. Ian tells of his very first impressions of the church, starting in the second grade, and its impact on his young life. He is greatly influenced by his fifth- and sixth-grade Sunday school teacher, the portly "Synopsis" Sid Barrington. As Ian grows up, he discovers that his adult foundation is in fact the lessons learned from his Sunday school days, especially those from Sid Barrington. From church splits to first kiss, from solving the mystery of his grandfather's defection from the church to coming to grips with mid-life, This Is the Church ... touches on the life lessons flung at anyone who has ever been involved with a local church: friendships, loyalty, accountability, racism, sexuality, marriage, politics, tithing, and evangelism. This Is the Church ... is also a heartfelt tribute to the backbone of the local church-the Sunday school-and to everyone who has even been, or ever will be, a committed Sunday school teacher-heroes and heroines of the twenty-first century.
One hundred and fourteen authors and illustrators of children's books share the process of researching, writing, and publishing books, discuss what their inspirations are, and recount the best and worst advice they ever received.
There was once a village bred by evil. On the barren coast of Cornwall, England, lived a community who prayed for shipwrecks, a community who lured storm-tossed ships to crash upon the sharp rocks of their shore. They fed and clothed themselves with the loot salvaged from the wreckage; dead sailors' tools and trinkets became decorations for their homes. Most never questioned their murderous way of life. Then, upon that pirates' shore crashed the ship The Isle of Skye. And the youngest of its crew members, 14-year-old John Spencer, survived the wreck. But would he escape the wreckers? This is his harrowing tale.
This concise, authoritative volume analyses critically the work of 100 British directors, from the innovators of the silent period to contemporary auteurs.
Peter Sellers's explosive talent made him a beloved figure in world cinema and continues to attract new audiences. With his darkly comic performances in Dr. Strangelove and Lolita and his outrageously funny appearances as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films, he became one of the most popular movie stars of his time. Sellers himself identified most personally with the character he played in Being There -- an utterly empty man on whom others projected what they wanted, or needed, to see. In this lively and exhaustively researched biography, Ed Sikov offers unique insight into Sellers's comedy style. Beginning with Sellers' lonely childhood with a mother who wouldn't let go of him, through his service in the Royal Air Force and his success on BBC Radio's The Goon Show, Sikov goes on to detail his relationships with co-stars such as Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, and Shirley MacLaine; his work with such directors as Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder, and Blake Edwards; his four failed marriages; his ridiculously short engagement to Liza Minnelli; and all the other peculiarities of this eccentric man's unpredictable life. The most insightful biography ever written of this endlessly fascinating star, Mr. Strangelove is as comic and tragic as Peter Sellers was himself.
