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![]() ![]() ![]() To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous-and unexpected-villain on the High Seas. There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.īut Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. ![]() ![]() Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson's hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart's Mysterious Benedict Society. ![]() ![]() ![]() I warned you, Harry Keogh! the spirit of Boris Dragosani joined in, sharper than that of Thibor. Surely it is now time for you to tell me certain things. Did you stay in the castle as Faethor had commanded, or did you return to Kiev? You ended your days in Wallachia, right here, in these cruciform hills. What? Go on? Thibor seemed mildly surprised. 'Go on,' he urged, when the vampire's pause threatened to stretch indefinitely. He could only press Thibor to the bitter end. The important part - for Harry, and for Alec Kyle and INTESP - was still to come, but Harry knew better than to ask directly for the information he desired. In the Möbius continuum time was a very nearly meaningless concept, but here in the first low foothills of the Carpatii Meridionali it was very real, and still the dead vampire's tale was not completely told. Harry Keogh's nimbus of blue fire burned bright in the stirless glade over Thibor's tumbled mausoleum, and Keogh's incorporeal mind was aware of the passage of time. ![]() ![]() In interviews, Jackson talks about the insidiousness of the very first sentence about luring the reader into a false sense of comfort by hiding such violence in a beautiful setting: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.”Ĭhillingly, when asked in an interview why she thought her story was so hated, she answered that “people at first were not so much concerned with what the story meant what they wanted to know was where these lotteries were held, and whether they could go there and watch.” Could there be a more clear indication of why this violent narrative hit a nerve with the audience? ![]() ![]() The story addresses a number of different themes in its short text that of violence, of mob mentality, of conscription, of meaningless sacrifice and scapegoats, of men and women carrying out their ‘duty’ unquestioningly no matter the human cost. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Based on exhaustive research and told in Michener’s immersive prose, Hawaii is the story of disparate peoples struggling to keep their identity, live in harmony, and, ultimately, join together. Then, in the early nineteenth century, American missionaries arrive, bringing with them a new creed and a new way of life. As the volcanic Hawaiian Islands sprout from the ocean floor, the land remains untouched for centuries-until, little more than a thousand years ago, Polynesian seafarers make the perilous journey across the Pacific, flourishing in this tropical paradise according to their ancient traditions. ![]() Michener brings Hawaii’s epic history vividly to life in a classic saga that has captivated readers since its initial publication in 1959. ![]() ![]() In between it all, Chbosky peppers his story with unlikely heroes, smart pop culture references, and enough poignant musical moments to make the story an obvious addition to the Gen Y literary canon. Over the course of the novel, Charlie navigates his way through school, love interests, and the family life he feels disconnected from. ![]() Published in 1999 by MTV, Perks offers a touching and real-life look at a troubled high school freshman named Charlie and the friends that take him under their wing. ![]() In the world of modern literature, few coming-of-age stories are as beloved as Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower. (From left to right) Director Stephen Chbosky speaks with Emma Watson and Logan Lerman on the set of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. ![]() ![]() ![]() The scene twists away from the original reveal and takes a darker turn, creating higher stakes and putting Li Shang’s very life in the balance. As Shan Yu goes to attack Ping, Captain Li Shang jumps in front of her and takes a fatal blow. Mulan’s daring battle on the mountain side against Shan Yu doesn’t reveal her identity. Yet, as we get closer to the climax of the story, something unexpected shifts the narrative. She poses as a male, Fa Ping, racing off to fight for her family’s honor and to find her place in a world who won’t accept her for who she is. The story we all know follows Fa Mulan and her quest to save her father from the war against the invading Huns in China. Let’s get down to business Mulan’s epic journey to saving her family and country has taken a side trip, and Elizabeth Lim’s latest novel from Disney Press is the key to finding out what would happen if the happy ending we have all grown to love and adore decided to become a bit more complicated. ![]() ![]() “What if Mulan had to travel to the underworld?” This post contains affiliate links and our team will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (He has the Korean rap phenomenon "Gangnam Style" as his ringtone and, in classic SoCal fashion, shuns socks unless visiting wintery climes such as New York in late November). With his goatee and dressed-down aesthetic (for our meeting he's sporting jeans, a bright blue and robin's-egg plaid oxford, and black slip-ons), 58-year-old "Pastor Rick" cultivates the casual, cool-dad aura of the boomer generation to which he belongs. Since exploding onto the global stage in 2002 with his phenomenally successful book The Purpose Driven Life, Warren has been the warm and friendly face of evangelicalism-a welcoming, avuncular alternative to hellfire-and-brimstone finger waggers such as Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell. Warren is all about the agape, and he is a fierce and frequent hugger. A coterie of aides and handlers look on in amusement but not surprise. Without waiting for an answer or even an introduction, Rick Warren, megachurch minister and bestselling author, crosses his Manhattan hotel suite and swallows me up in a teddy-bearish embrace. ![]() ![]() The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. ![]() This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States. ![]() Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present. ![]() ![]() ![]() A story made up by its author to scare his children, Watership Down is a classic adventure novel that features a small group of rabbits as they escape the destruction of their warren and seek a place to establish a new home, encountering perils and temptations along the way.įull of rich characters, the rabbits of Watership Down have their own language (with words and concepts derived from their understanding of the world), and perhaps most engagingly, they tell stories and myths based on their beloved folk-hero El-ahrairah. Published in 1972, Watership Down was rejected seven times before finally being accepted for publication, and soon became a much loved children’s classic. ![]() ![]() While I knew of Richard Adam’s best known story, it wasn’t one I was over familiar with. Coming to Watership Down however, was a different story. From Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, to The Chronicles of Narnia and some of Roald Dahls’ best loved books, revisiting them as I worked my way through the list of a hundred books has offered a wonderful sense of nostalgia. A number of children’s favourites feature on the BBC Big Read – many of which I enjoyed as a child. ![]() |