"Laugh a loty, learn a lot, and maybe shed a tear over the shared lives and loves of Neil, Betty and Anita. Australia is the backdrop of this story with a written visualization of its land and culture, but it is the story of a family's faith walk that will inspire and move the spirit. With their three voices, they share the wonders of the Australian Outback, meet the challenges of Aussie housing and transportation, and the Aussie English accent. In the final chapters they share their personal changes after returning home. ..."--Back cover.
A ten-year-old girl learns the importance of family and community in this tale of love and hope set during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Armani Curtis can think about only one thing: her tenth birthday. All her friends are coming to her party, her mama is making a big cake, and she has a good feeling about a certain wrapped box. Turning ten is a big deal to Armani. It means she’s older, wiser, more responsible. But when Hurricane Katrina hits the Lower Nines of New Orleans, Armani realizes that being ten means being brave, watching loved ones die, and mustering all her strength to help her family weather the storm. A powerful story of courage and survival, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere celebrates the miraculous power of hope and love in the face of the unthinkable. Praise for Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere “Lamana goes for and achieves realism here, carefully establishing the characters and setting before describing in brutal detail, beyond what is typical in youth literature, the devastating effects of Katrina—loss of multiple family members, reports of attacks in the Superdome, bodies drifting in the current and less-than-ideal shelter conditions. An honest, bleak account of a national tragedy sure to inspire discussion and research.” —Kirkus Reviews “I recommend the book because I think it does a good job of capturing what life was like in New Orleans both before and after Katrina and because Armani’s journey will give readers a lot to think about and discuss. But parents will want to know that it doesn’t flinch when describing the death and destruction that hit New Orleans during that time and be cautious with younger, sensitive readers.” —Cindy Hudson, author of Book by Book
One hundred years after the six Australian colonies voted to become a Federation, the country is struggling with the idea of a republic and a new Constitution and coming to terms with its tangled British legacy. Michael Davie examines this strange relationship and how it has developed over the past two hundred years.
The Little Prince meets Journey in this gorgeous, reassuring picture book fable about loss, perseverance, and finding what matters most. What happens to a boy who has nothing but a hat? Everything. A boy wakes up one morning and finds that everything he owns has gone missing. With nothing but a simple green hat, the boy journeys through distant landscapes, searching high and low for the things he has lost. Along the way he discovers that perhaps everything he needs has been with him all along. Stephen Barr makes his debut in this achingly poignant and deeply profound fable of one boy's adventure to recover his life's treasures. With vibrant illustrations by Gracey Zhang and a subtle message about hopeful perseverance, this book is an exquisite, emotional journey through loss, persistence, and discovering what's truly essential. TIMELESS PICTURE BOOK: Deeply reflective, sparingly written, and beautifully illustrated, this tale will strike a chord with its poignant storytelling. It's a picture book for any reader, of any age, at any time. A FABLE FOR THE AGES: Reminiscent of the stories of Aesop's Fables, this book touches on universal themes of the human condition and shares a heartfelt message that is effortless but hopeful. Readers will come away thinking differently about what they own, what they need, and what they hold most dear. NEW VOICE IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Debut author Stephen Barr brings years of experience working with authors as a literary agent to craft this gem of a picture book that will resonate with fans of classic children's stories. IMMERSIVE ILLUSTRATION: Gracey Zhang's spellbinding art illuminates every step of the story, immersing the reader in a gorgeously rendered world that feels familiar yet utterly unique. Perfect for: • Parents interested in teaching their kids about loss and gratitude • Children who like fables/myths • Readers who love losing themselves in immersive picture book art • Readers looking for a modern classic picture book • Fans of William Steig, Erin and Philip Stead, and the Chronicles of Narnia • Educators and librarians looking for a magical, engaging read-aloud
The Upside-Down Magic kids are back in another topsy-turvy adventure in the next installment of this New York Times bestselling series, now a Disney Channel Original Movie! When Willa's upside-down magic rains, it pours. Clouds form under ceilings. Classrooms get flooded. Nory and the kids in Ms. Starr's Upside-Down Magic class always have umbrellas nearby, just in case. Willa hates being the source of such sogginess. And yet the more she rains, the worse she feels . . . and the worse she feels, the more she rains. Nory, meanwhile, can't wait to celebrate her first Bing Day -- her town's magical holiday. There's even a parade! Too bad she's stuck doing her Bing Day class project with drippy Willa. To make things worse, Elliott seems to be taking Willa's side on everything. All the storminess is threatening to flood the UDM friendships. Will they drown in misery? Or can they use their magic to make the storm clouds disappear?
A hilarious and heartfelt new series about a group of magical misfits! Nory's shape-shifting ability is a bit wonky. When she flunks out of her father's own magic academy, Nory's forced to enter the magic equivalent of the remedial classes. But Nory and her new classmates are going to prove that upside-down magic beats right-side up!
The Upside-Down Magic kids are back in another topsy-turvy adventure in the next installment of this New York Times bestselling series, now a Disney Channel Original Movie! Strange things are happening at Dunwiddle Magic School -- and the Upside-Down Magic class is getting blamed! Yes, Marigold did shrink Lacey Clench to the size of a gerbil. But that was an accident. And, yes, most people weren't prepared for Nory to transform into a squippy (that's half squid, half puppy) -- but it's not like Nory meant to mix up paws and tentacles. And while Bax does have the unfortunate magical condition of turning into a stone, he swears he has nothing to do with the rocky magic that's been happening in Dunwiddle's halls. When things get messy, it's easy to point your finger at the kids with the messiest magic. But the Upside-Down Magic students aren't going to let themselves get in trouble. Instead, they're going to find out what's really going on -- and get their school back on track before something really wacky happens.
“Sparkling . . . it’s all systems go for a wonderful romance . . . a charming story told with large doses of love and humour.” –The Australian Women’s Weekly Eva Kennedy is in a rut. After seven years of working at her uncle’s Dublin delicatessen, her artistic aspirations have slipped by the wayside and her latest relationship has fizzled. Whatever happened to the Eva who was going to be someone? Hoping to shake things up and find inspiration, Eva takes a break and ventures to Melbourne, Australia, to visit her old friend Lainey, who, for fun, gives her an exciting new identity. Eva is now exotic and adventurous and . . . not herself. Joseph Wheeler is a successful London designer. Unfortunately his firm is thriving at such a high level that he doesn’t have time to actually design anymore. And his love life is nonexistent. In Australia on business, Joseph meets Eva, and the sparks fly–even as Eva is stuck pretending to be someone she’s not. Little does she know that Joseph has some secrets of his own. . . . When what starts as a holiday fling quickly blossoms into something more, Joseph and Eva discover that romance can turn life upside down and inside out at the bottom of the world. BONUS: This edition contains excerpts from Monica McInerney's Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, The Faraday Girls, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters, and Greetings from Somewhere Else.
Poetry. "Kate Lynn Hibbard's SLEEPING UPSIDE DOWN is a beautiful book of poetry, composed in well-crafted and pleasing cadences, sharing a vision of sexuality extraordinary for both the strong storytelling it inspires, and for a tender intimacy that pervades each strophe like another warm music. In poem after poem, it is a former norm of sexual orientation that is consciously backgrounded--a past, "straight" life fraught with the unresolved and repressed--and a new, happy and mature lifecelebrated and patiently chronicled in its stead. It is then that the plain sweetness of the everyday returns--planting peas for a summer garden, cooking a cranberry chutney, sleeping through a blizzard in late March--and all of these shared in the erotics of a woman-to-woman lovingness. What a debut. It was a gift to have read this wonderful book."--Garrett Hongo
Nita feels like she's different and doesn't fit in. But when she talks to her friends, she realises everyone is different and that's what makes us special. Your purchase of this book supports Library For All in its mission to make knowledge available to all, equally.
