After being diagnosed with plagiocephaly, Miller began wearing a cranial remolding orthosis (baby helmet) for treatment. My Little Blue Helmet is based on the true story of Miller’s journey. In this story, Miller asks his mother many questions that a typical child might ask about wearing a helmet. His mother recaps the journey from the day he was diagnosed until the day he graduated from the helmet. This book was written to encourage other families who have children undergoing treatment for plagiocephaly.
Helmet for My Pillow is a gripping memoir that transports readers to the frontlines of World War II through the eyes of Robert Leckie, a young Marine who fought in some of the most brutal battles of the Pacific Theater. With raw honesty and vivid prose, Leckie recounts his experiences from boot camp to the bloody battles of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu, offering a deeply personal perspective on the sacrifices, camaraderie, and horrors of war. This powerful narrative serves as a testament to the courage and resilience of the men who fought and died in the Pacific, making it an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the realities of combat and the human cost of war.
Can their love survive the difference in their circumstances? Song Hawkins is a beautiful, tough, but lonely New York City businesswoman who thinks she's met the man of her dreams in Cable Jordan, the superintendent of a West Virginia coal mine. But soon after they impulsively marry, Song realizes they're in big trouble. She can't imagine life outside of New York, and Cable has no intention of leaving his beloved town of Highcoal. Song's visit to the little mining community only makes things worse. It looks like the marriage is over. But in a shocking turn of events, Song realizes it's up to her to put on the red helmet of the new coal miner and descend into the deep darkness. There she faces her greatest challenge with choices and courage that will forever impact the life of Cable and the entire town. Sweet and thoughtful contemporary read Stand-alone novel Book length: 86,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Lee wants to be a Tarantula – a member of the biggest, most powerful gang in his neighbourhood. But when his initiation goes wrong and the police catch him robbing an auto supply store, Lee’s father sends him to live with his aunt in New Toronto. Lee feels more lost than ever. His mother’s death from cancer, and his father’s constant absence working two jobs mean he has practically had to raise himself. But though he initially resists his Aunt Reena and the customers of Reena’s Unique Café – a ragtag collection of the unusual, the unkempt and the deeply eccentric – Lee gradually learns to open himself up to his new surroundings. When Lee strikes up an unlikely friendship he is suddenly confronted by the ravages of violence, and is forced to face the consequences of his own aggression. The Blue Helmet is a powerful portrait of one young man’s struggle to come into his own, and the peace that comes from the achievement.
“Very funny . . . A pitch-perfect account of how it feels to be part of as culture that’s better at showing you what to wear than what to believe in . . . a real original.”—New York Magazine A gorgeous girl recalls her coming of age in her tiny, picturesque English village at the turn of the last century. After she opts out of a rural beauty pageant, her life—and its telling—begins to unravel. And it unravels into a multitude of extremely amusing, searingly beautiful strands that eventually lead her, and a troubled young man who befriends her, through the wall upholstered hellholes of modern Manhattan toward a heartrending and hugely satisfying climax that will almost literally blow your socks off. “Fun, full-throttle stuff, which rather miraculously dresses down the pernicious personal-history trend while remaining both giggly and moving in its own terms.”—Entertainment Weekly
In the pent-up heat of Colombo, piece by piece, a family comes apart. A stunning debut novel from a fresh voice in Australian fiction, for fans of Zadie Smith and Rohinton Mistry. 'RUINS is a stirring and skilfully crafted debut, and Savanadasa's characters are so vividly drawn they feel like family. With his sharp and masterful observations of race, class and gender in the "new" Sri Lanka, Savanadasa takes his seat beside Omar Musa, Alice Pung and Michael Mohammed Ahmad to usher in the brave and stunning new dawn of diverse Australian fiction.' Maxine Beneba Clarke, award-winning author of FOREIGN SOIL A country picking up the pieces, a family among the ruins. In the restless streets, crowded waiting rooms and glittering nightclubs of Colombo, five family members find their bonds stretched to breaking point in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war. Latha wants a home. Anoushka wants an iPod. Mano hopes to win his wife back. Lakshmi dreams of rescuing a lost boy. And Niranjan needs big money so he can leave them all behind. '[Savanadasa's] writing recalls Christos Tsiolkas' recent work ... distinct and convincing, RUINS heralds the arrival of a gifted new talent in Australian fiction.' BOOKS+PUBLISHING 'An absolute must-read' WOMAN'S DAY 'An outstanding debut novel' WEST AUSTRALIAN 'RUINS is an impressive debut. Savanadasa joins other important contemporary Australian-Sri Lankan novelists . . . in enriching the globalised phenomenon that is Australian literature.' THE SATURDAY PAPER 'RUINS stands out from other Australian debuts for its ambitious structure, its vibrant setting, and the depth and complexity of the Sri Lankan family at the centre of the story.' READINGS 'an intelligent, engaging novel' DARK MATTER ZINE 'A rich and colourful story of family and country, its complexity revealed in layers . . . Only through the eyes of others can we begin to see a place.' Inga Simpson, author of the critically acclaimed WHERE THE TREES WERE
Explores the power of rock and roll and first love. Against the backdrop of the Florida Gulf, one hot summer in 1980, Jamie becomes mesmerized by a gifted yet troubled older musician named Blue. Their electric attraction draws Jamie into Blue's world which is faster, wilder and more dangerous than she is ready for. The relationship leads Jamie to learn how far she will go for love, and builds to a dramatic and bittersweet conclusion.
Take a journey into the magical yet sometimes complicated world of youth baseball through the eyes of a volunteer coach. Its All about the Kids is a fascinating compilation of fictional stories based on actual events as retold by Scooter Stevens, a youth baseball coach for over ten years. From baseball to soccer, from basketball to football, from lacrosse to hockey, hundreds of thousands of children participate in all types of youth sports across the United States each season. Regardless of the sport the reader played as a child, coached as an adult, or had children participate in, Scooter Stevens masterfully recounts humorous, lighthearted, and sometimes unsettling stories about the ever-present dark side of youth sports. From West Palm Beach to Westlake, from Tidewater to Tacoma, Its All about the Kids will be relatable to any reader who has ever experienced youth sports!
From Alice and Abe to Zeb and Zipper, an alphabetical array of guests turns out for the biggest birthday party ever. But Hooper Humperdink isn’t on the guest list!
When mankind moves out to the stars, the colonists of the future will remake the worlds they inhabit in their image. Included here are twenty stories from the most imaginative writers in the field, including: Poul Anderson * Stephen Baxter * Gregory Benford * Arthur C. Clarke * Greg Egan * Joe Haldeman * Philip Jennings * William H. Kieth * Geoffrey A. Landis * Ian McDonald * Richard McKenna * Laura Mixon * G. David Nordley * Robert Reed * Kim Stanley Robinson * Pamela Sargent * Cordwainer Smith * Bruce Sterling * John Varley * Roger Zelazny These are the stories of the explorers and pioneers who transform their destinations in the image of their distant home--exciting tales of alien landscapes and the struggle to make them suit human desires.
