Whose was the face that launched a thousand ships? Why did King Menelaus call other kings to war? Whose body was worth its weight in gold? The answers are here! In other stories in the 10th volume of the essential introduction to ancient Greek myths readers can thrill to stories of war & conquest heroism & hi-jinks. Meet Achilles too & find out why we explain someones weakness as being their Achilles heel. Meanwhile whats happened the Atticus the Storyteller & his quest to visit Troy? Could he still be at sea after all this time.. .? ...

THE STORY CONTINUES in the sixth volume of Hiccup's How to Train Your Dragon memoirs... Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter a dragon-whisperer & the greatest Viking Hero who ever lived. But it wasn't always like that. Hiccup's memoirs look back to when Hiccup was just an ordinary boy & finding it very hard to be a Hero. Hiccup is lost in the Library Labyrinth & the Driller-Dragons & Madguts & Murderous are on the prowl. Hiccup's birthday is not going to be the quiet affair he might have hoped for. Also contains a comprehensive Dragonese Dictionary for those who'd like to dragon-whisper as well as the dragon-whisperer himself. How to Train Your Dragon is a Dream Works film starring Gerrard Butler America Ferrera & Jonah Hill out on DVD in October 2010 adapted from the best selling How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell. Read the rest of Hiccup's exploits in the How to Train Your Dragon series in How to Be a Pirate How to Speak Dragonese How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse How to Twist a Dragon's Tale A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons How to Ride a Dragon's Storm & How to Break a Dragon's Heart. Check out the all-new Hiccup website at www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com. It's the place to go for games downloads activities & sneak peeks! Read all about Hiccup & all of your favourite characters learn to speak Dragonese & train your own dragon to do tricks! ...

Heroes by Robert Cormier is a moving young-adult novel set in World War II. ' What if I told him I am not the hero he thinks I am.. .?' Maimed & disfigured whilst fighting in the war young Francis Cassavant must hide both his face & his identity when he goes back home to Frenchtown. For his past holds a bitter secret one which he has vowed to revenge & which he can resolve only through his final desperate plan: to destroy the man who betrayed him as a boy bringing Francis dishonour & guilt. Left now without a face or a future yet sustained by his deep sense of shame Francis watches. He thinks of the gun in his duffel bag & waits alone for the return of another supposed hero. Praise for Robert Cormier: The Chocolate War: This is a tour de force & tour de force of realism". (Times The Bumblebee Flies Away). "A novel you are unlikely to forget". (Times). Robert Cormier is known for his devastatingly truthful writing. He was an award-winning journalist as well as a successful writer of fiction for young-adults. He lived in Massachusetts & his work is enormously popular on both sides of the Atlantic. He died in November 2000." ...

They say Black Dows killed more men than winter & clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union ever a jealous neighbour is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given & the armies are toiling through the northern mud. Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones on a worthless hill in an unimportant valley & theyve brought a lot of sharpened metal with them. Bremer dan Gorst disgraced master swordsman has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption & addicted to violence hes far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if its his own. Prince Calder isnt interested in honour & still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power & hell tell any lie use any trick & betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesnt have to fight for it himself. Curnden Craw the last honest man in the North has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees & frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him? Over three bloody days of battle the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues follies feuds & petty jealousies it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts or even the strongest arms that prevail. Three men. One battle. No Heroes. ...

When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town his face horribly disfigured during World War II he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero not realising that his act of 'heroism' was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home Francis has a mission -- to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised but betrayed him. & he's prepared to do whatever it takes. What are the themes? Heroism conflict struggle against evil guilt forgiveness loneliness loyalty. Teaching points This short novel with its gripping plot & engaging themes is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure & narrative viewpoint. ...

Heroes is the story of an extraordinary generation of young men mostly British who came of age in the Second World War. These young men
- & women
- found themselves facing life-threatening danger & the kind of responsibility few would be prepared to shoulder today. Whether fighting in the jungles of Burma or on the D-Day beaches as submariners pilots spies or prisoners of war young soldiers in WWII displayed astonishing courage & resilience united by honour & bound by the fellowship of their comrades. Those who made it home are now a passing generation & for many this is the last chance for them to tell their stories
- men like football legend Tom Finney who saw action in southern Italy; or James Bond set-designer Ken Adam a German Jew who flew as a fighter pilot for the RAF; or identical twins Tom & Dee Bowles who landed together on Easy Red beach on D-Day. Many of these young men never returned home & those who did faced insurmountable challenges assimiliating back into civilian life. Heroes is a moving & uplifting tribute to an remarkable generation.


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In 101 World Heroes bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents his personal selection of the 100 most heroic figures from the pages of world history. Emperors & queens soldiers & statesmen religious leaders & philosophers rub shoulders with composers & poets scientists & explorers artists & storytellers from three millennia. All are united not just by what they did in their own lifetimes but also by the enduring legacy they have bequeathed to the sum of human experience & achievement. The book is illustrated throughout with maps diagrams paintings & photographs & an appendix celebrates a further 100 individual deeds of heroism with a special claim to immortality. The heroes include: Ramses the Great Leonardo da Vinci Albert Einstein King Solomon Elizabeth I of England Winston Churchill The Buddha Tokugawa Ieyasu M. K. Gandhi Aristotle William Shakespeare F.D. Roosevelt Alexander the Great Thomas Jefferson David Ben Gurion Hannibal Voltaire George Orwell Jesus Napoleon Bonaparte Elvis Presley Marcus Aurelius Horatio Nelson J. F. Kennedy Mohammed Duke of Wellington John Paul II Charlemagne Abraham Lincoln Nelson Mandela Leo Tolstoy Charles Darwin ...

We all need heroes. We respect & value the people who have set an example for our lives. The writer of Hebrews set up an entire ...

The inspiring adventures & deeds of three great heroes spring to vivid life. One of the Victorian ages most brilliant storytellers recounts Perseus quest to slay the Medusa; Jason & the Argonauts search for the Golden Fleece; & Theseus encounter with the deadly Minotaur. 60 illustrations. ...

What dangers do runaway demigods Luke & Thalia face on their way to Camp Half-Blood? Are Percy & Annabeth up to the task of rescuing stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesnt take kindly to intruders? How exactly are Leo Piper & Jason supposed to find a runaway table dodge a band of party-loving Maenads (who just might be a little psychotic) & stave off a massive explosion...all in one hour or less? With his trademark wit & creativity Rick Riordan answers these questions & more in three never-before-seen short stories that provide vital back-story to the Heroes of Olympus & Percy Jackson books. Original art enlightening character interviews & profiles puzzles & a quiz add to the fun in this action-packed collection. ...