A young boy finds trouble, adventure and joy on his journey to maturity during the Great Depression and World War II. From a small Hudson River town to an upscale suburban community to an all-boy's boarding school he learns the hard way. The characters, friends and situations he confronts almost derail him. Help on his journey come from diverse individuals who provide a wide variety of fundamental truths. The era comes vividly alive and the excitement of his journey is contagious. Read and enjoy.
Life can be either an adventure or nothing at all. Since the destruction of Hargraves Academy and a hard reset to everything known and comfortable, Brittyn has been searching. For the past two years, she has hunted those who brought her world down around her. She also yearns to find her greatest love, Markus, and best friend, Aidan, who were lost. In her all-new adventure, Brittyn and her band of unlikely companions travel to the human realm, where everything is different. Valkyries are more feared than revered. Can Brittyn learn to control the raging chasm of anger, fear, and resentment that grows in her core? Will she finally determine her place when everyone around her wants her to be something she is not?
“WE ARE ALL WANDERERS ON THIS EARTH OUR HEARTS ARE FULL OF WONDER AND OUR SOULS DEEP WITH DREAMS” - ROMANY GYPSY SAYING Jakob Smith was a sometimes wild and reckless youth whose passion in life was to travel to new countries. Wherever he went, he was interested in the local history, daily life and culture of the people. During the daylight hours, he enjoyed visiting museums, religious sites, zoos and national parks. At night, contrary to his daytime wanderings, he would enjoy drinking beer and mixing with the local people in neighbourhood bars or restaurants. He would attempt to talk with anyone despite sometimes language difficulties. Frequently these conversations took place in places of ill repute where hookers and petty criminals made up the numbers. They conned him relentlessly but their stories, true or otherwise, were often amusing and worth the few drinks they cost. Now somewhat more mature, he looks back on such times with fond memories. So many people met only once for just a few, sometimes drunken moments, but never forgotten. Despite the odd black eye and a couple of nights spent in lock-up, was it worth it? I must say yes, as if I had my youth over, I would probably go down the same path. The few bad times fade into obscurity, and the many good times, prone to exaggeration, just seem to get better with age. A TRAVEL STORY DIFFERENT FROM MOST, ENTERTAINING, INFORMATIVE AT TIMES, JAKOB QUITE SIMPLY LOVES TRAVELLING, NEW PLACES AND NEW PEOPLE ARE HIS LIFE.
Looking for Trouble? Hair like smoke? Eyes that cut like steel? Chaos embodied? Stay away from her! She is Death! STORM, an unorthodox orphan from a backwater town, has always been regarded as one thing, and one thing only: TROUBLE! Storm wants nothing more than to free herself from the walls she's trapped in and find a place she can truly call "home." However, when push comes to shove, she must decide if solitude is a good price for her freedom, and if a "home," whatever it may be, is worth suffering for. Join Storm on this thrilling tale of survival, perseverance, and utter infamy as she rediscovers who she is and what life is really worth. And be ready for the penultimate decision, leading to the shocking finale. But be weary. If you're running with Storm, you're looking for TROUBLE.
The incredible memoir from the man voted one of the “Best Umpires of All Time” by the Society of American Baseball Research—filled with more than three decades of fascinating baseball stories. Doug Harvey was a California farm boy, a high school athlete who nevertheless knew that what he really wanted was to become an unsung hero—a major league umpire. Working his way through the minor leagues, earning three hundred dollars a month, he survived just about everything, even riots in stadiums in Puerto Rico. And while players and other umps hit the bars at night, Harvey memorized the rule book. In 1962, he broke into the big leagues and was soon listening to rookie Pete Rose worrying that he would be cut by the Reds and laying down the law with managers such as Tommy Lasorda and Joe Torre. This colorful memoir takes you behind the plate for some of baseball’s most memorable moments, including Roberto Clemente’s three thousandth and final hit; the heroic three-and-two pinch-hit home run by Kirk Gibson in the ’88 World Series; and the nail-biting excitement of the ’68 World Series. But beyond the drama, Harvey turned umpiring into an art. He was a man so respected, whose calls were so feared and infallible, that the players called him “God.” And through it all, he lived by three rules: never take anything from a player, never back down from a call, and never carry a grudge. A book for anyone who loves baseball, They Called Me God is a funny and fascinating tale of on- and off-the-field action, peopled by unforgettable characters from Bob Gibson to Nolan Ryan, and a treatise on good umpiring techniques. In a memoir that transcends the sport, Doug Harvey tells a gripping story of responsibility, fairness, and honesty.
“Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you.” But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s preparatory school, and the accident sparks racial tensions in the school—and in the well-established town where Henry’s family has lived for generations. Caught between anger and grief, Henry sets out to do the only thing he can think of: climb Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, which he and Franklin were going to climb together. Along with Black Dog, whom Henry has rescued from drowning, and a friend, Henry leaves without his parents’ knowledge. The journey, both exhilarating and dangerous, turns into an odyssey of discovery about himself, his older sister, Louisa, his ancestry, and why one can never escape from Trouble.
A fresh, lively retelling of the life of one of the most infamous characters of the Old West, Doc Holliday, by an imaginative, yet accurate storyteller.
A political and personal odyssey from hatred to love When Nonie Darwish was a girl of eight, her father died while leading covert attacks on Israel. A high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza, he was considered a shahid,a martyr for jihad. Yet at an early age, Darwish developed a skeptical eye about her own Muslim culture and upbringing. Why the love of violence and hatred of Jews and Christians? Why the tolerance of glaring social injustices? Why blame America and Israel for everything? Today Darwish thrives as an American citizen, a Christian, a conservative Republican, and an advocate for Israel. To many, she is now an infidel. But she is risking her comfort and her safety to reveal the many politically incorrect truths about Muslim culture that she knows firsthand.
Maya's friend Bailey loves to talk about everything and everyone. At first, Maya thinks Bailey is funny. But when Bailey's talk leads to harmful rumors and hurt feelings, Maya begins to think twice about their friendship. In her fourth book for children, relational aggression expert Trudy Ludwig acquaints readers with the damaging consequences of "trouble talk"-talking to others about someone else's troubles in order to establish connection and gain attention. Includes additional resources for kids, parents, and teachers, as well as advice from Trudy about how to combat trouble talk. Trudy Ludwig's books have sold more than 50,000 copies. Includes foreword by Dr. Charisse L. Nixon, author of Girl Wars: 12 Strategies That Will End Female Bullying.
