A classic & heartfelt war story from War Horse author & former Children`s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. Escaping from China as the Japanese invade, Ashley & Uncle Sung embark on a perilous journey across the Himalayas. Then Ashley finds himself alone in the hostile mountains, battling for his life. He is just about to give up all hope, when he has a mysterious & terrifying encounter.. . Author of Private Peaceful & Friend or Foe, Michael Morpurgo again demonstrates why he is considered to be the master storyteller with another of his beautifully crafted war stories. In the tradition of Goodnight Mr Tom, Carrie`s War, & The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, King of the Cloud Forests is a novel that takes children to the heart of a tumultuous period in history.-- ---- Former Children`s Laureate Michael Morpurgo needs no introduction. He is one of the most successful children`s authors in the country, loved by children, teachers & parents alike. Michael has written more than forty books for children including the global hit War Horse, which was made into a Hollywood film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. Several of his other stories have been adapted for screen & stage, including My Friend Walter, Why the Whales Came & Kensuke`s Kingdom. Michael has won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children`s Book Award & has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. He started the charity Farms for City Children in 1976 with his wife, Clare, aimed at relieving the ”poverty of experience” many young children feel in inner city & urban areas. Michael is also a patron of over a dozen other charities. Living in Devon, listening to Mozart & working with children have provided Michael with the ideas & incentive to write his stories. He spends half his life mucking out sheds with the children, feeding sheep or milking cows; the other half he spends dreaming up & writing stories for children. ” For me, the greater part of writing is daydreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out
- the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand & sharing my dream with my readers.” Michael received an OBE in December 2006 for his services to literature.
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From the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Isaac Bashevis Singer, comes a fictional exploration of primitive history. Singer`s novel portrays an era of superstition & violence in a country emerging from the darkness of savagery. Set in Poland in the dark ages, it describes the brutality, prejudice & subjugation that occur when hunter-gatherers & farmers struggle for supremacy over the l&. Part parable of modern civilization, part fascinating historical novel, this modern myth is a philosophical examination of man & his beliefs, & reaffirms the author`s reputation as a master of narrative invention. ...

Inside one of the world's most dangerous jobs with the star of History's top-rated reality show, Ice Road Truckers The highest-rated reality show ever to hit the History channel, Ice Road Truckers follows the heart-pounding adventures of the tough-as-nails truckers who risk peril every day to deliver goods & supplies in Alaska & across Canada's frozen north. Alex shares tales of his adventures-and misadventures-in the north, & explain, in his own entertaining voice, how he got to where he is today-working class hero, bona-fide celebrity, & the improbable star of a smash-hit television show. Alex is a natural storyteller who knows how to spin tales about his colorful life growing up in the backwoods. Whether he's recounting tales about his hair-raising confrontations with bears, calculating the strength of newly formed ice, divulging the secrets of providing security in a bar room full of combative, drunken miners, or saving the life of another trucker, he keeps you wanting more. The first inside look at industry legend & fan favorite Alex Debogorski, a devout Christian, father of 11 children, & the world's best known truck driver

Includes:: thrilling adventures & behind-the-scenes insights that you won't find on the show Features sidebars that explain the facts about ice roads, from how they're made to when & why they splinter & break King of the Road gives fans of Ice Road Truckers a deep look inside the life & times of the show's biggest rising star.

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A powerful & beautifully illustrated story about migration & the meaning of home, from the award-winning team behind The Promise.A breathtaking new picture book by children`s author Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, winner of the Bratislava Illustration Biennale & the Bologna Ragazzi Prize for Illustration. Starting a new life in a new country, a young boy feels lost & alone
- until he meets an old man who keeps racing pigeons. Together they pin their hopes on a race across Europe & the special bird they believe can win it: King of the Sky. Nicola Davies` beautiful story
- an immigrant`s tale with a powerful resonance in our troubled times
- is illustrated by an artist who makes the world anew with every picture. A musical adaptation of King of the Sky has already met with success on the stage, shown two years running at the Hay Festival & due to tour Welsh theatres next spring. Shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.


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The second book in the Broken Empire series, Lawrence takes his young anti-hero one step closer to his grand ambition. To reach greatness you must step on bodies, & many brothers lie trodden in my wake. I`ve walked from pawn to player & I`ll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood... The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords & petty kings fight for the Broken Empire. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother & brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game & vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, & discover how to break them. A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg`s gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire & heal its wounds. Every omen says he will. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people & their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king. Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But playing fair was never part of Jorg`s game plan. ...

Something is stirring in London`s dark, stamping out its territory in brickdust & blood. Something has murdered Saul`s father, & left Saul to pay for the crime. But a shadow from the urban waste breaks into his prison cell & leads him to freedom. A shadow called King Rat. In the night-land behind London`s facade, in sewers & slums & rotting dead spaces, Saul must learn his true nature. Grotesque murders rock the city like a curse. Mysterious forces prepare for a showdown. With Drum & Bass pounding the backstreets, Saul confronts his bizarre inheritance
- in the badlands of South London, in the heart of darkness, at the gathering of the Junglist Massive. Like the DJ says: ` Time for the Badman.` ` Tackles his theme with a dark assurance.. .with its original blend of twisted urban fairytale & modern gothic horror, King Rat marks out China Mieville as an author to be watched` The Times ` Brings together elements of fantasy, fairytale & the detective story.. .I greatly enjoyed Mieville`s weird & engaging myth-making` Daily Telegraph
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Set in Changi, the most notorious prisoner of war camp in Asia, King Rat is an heroic story of survival told by a master story-teller who lived through those years as a young soldier. Only one man in fifteen had the strength, the luck, & the cleverness simply to survive Changi. & then there was King. ...

Three men trek to the remote African interior in search of a lost friend
- & reach, at the end of a perilous journey, an unknown
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Three men trek to the remote African interior in search of a lost friend
- & reach, at the end of a perilous journey, an unknown
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Looking in detail at each case attributed to the Curse, this title examines how events were interpreted at the time, in addition to looking at their likely scientific causes. Fantastic, humorous, full-colour illustrations add a vibrant & exciting look which complements the clearly written text. On the day the tomb was opened, Carter's pet canary was swallowed by a cobra
- cobra's being one of the protectors of the Pharaoh; at the exact time of Lord Carnarvon's death all the lights in Cairo went out & at the same time, in Engl&, Carnarvon's three-legged dog howled & dropped dead. Was the Curse of Pharaoh really to blame? Burating with detailed observations, this title explores the myths behind the mysterious deaths in an accessible & entertaining way. A full glossary & index makes this title ideal for both school & home.
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