A Castle To Let

Youngsters can discover the inner-workings of a castle in this fun novelty book. Readers are encouraged to peek behind doors, windows and walls, and open foldouts of four detailed scenes that reveal castle life. Illustrations.

Germany, spring 1945. Hitler is dead and his armies crushed. Across the conquered Reich, cities lie devastated by Allied saturation bombing; their traumatised populations, exhausted and embittered by defeat, face a future of acute privation and hardship. Such was the broken state of the nation in which a British civilian and military force arrived in the spring and summer of 1945. Their zone of occupation was the northern and northwestern part of Germany, the country's former industrial heartland. Their task? To build democracy from the ruins of Hitler's Reich, and, having defeated Nazism on the battlefield, to 'win the peace' by eradicating Nazism from German hearts and minds. As well as offering a vivid narrative of the British occupation in political and military terms, from the Potsdam Conference to the Berlin Airlift, Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans explores the day-to-day experiences of the ordinary Britons who worked for the Control Commission for Germany between 1945 and 1949. Some reconstructed bridges and schools, supervised the destruction of military matériel and brought fugitive Nazis to justice; while others became entangled in black marketeering, corruption and sexual scandal. In time, they would find themselves on the front line of the Cold War, as irreconcilable tensions divided Europe between East and West.

The babysitter flaked and four young boys have pretty much free reign of a castle. "Wait, what?" they ask. Yes, they heard it right. While one of their dad is getting married, the boys are free to explore the castle. "They're old enough to be responsible, aren't they?" one dad asked the other. Ah, we soon shall see what the boys discover as they explore the castle, make new friends and learn of the secret of the Markree Castle. But what is the secret of the castle? What lurks behind all of those doors down in the cellar? Who's that scary old guy Killian? Is Alastar to be trusted? You see, dear reader, I don't know yet. These four boys are the creative behind the story. In many ways, I'm just the messenger. The story and magic and secrets of the castle are up to them. It's a collaborative effort and we talk, we imagine, we have Skype calls with poor WiFi connections while two boys are getting ready for bed in San Francisco, California and the other two are having breakfast in a restaurant in their hometown of Beijing, China. How is this going to work? How are two dads and four boys going to write a book together? Who knows! Has it been done before? Who knows! Who cares! What's happening is that we're all working on a project together. The kids are digging deeper into their creative minds and their dads are learning sides of their kids that they didn't even know existed. What would your child answer to the question, "If you could have any magical power, what would it be?" Do you know what your child would answer? Of course not. But you might have an idea. Do you know what's fun? Ask your child and guess (quietly) what they might say. Then listen to what they say and see how it differs from what you thought they would say. The answer might surprise you. That's how we're writing this book. It's a collaboration of these four boys and two dads (from different families). Three of us live in San Francisco and three of us live in Beijing. We're using shared online documents and Skype calls to communicate the story, the characters, and what's going to happen next. This first book (available April 1, 2015 in honor of Li & Lu's first adventure, The Secret of Kite Hill) has turned into more of a story that we had imagined and it's going to make this book only the first part of a series with the four boys at the castle. Oh, dear reader, I wish I could tell you what's going to happen in books two and three, but I don't know myself. We'll have to see what the boys come up with. But for now, enjoy The Secret of the Markree Castle and please leave us a note in the comments as to what you'd like to see in the upcoming books. Thanks for visiting. We hope you enjoy The Secret of Markree Castle.

Six-years-war has ended, by the strength of only one man. สงครามหกปีสิ้นสุดลงแล้ว ด้วยพลังของชายเพียงคนเดียว Everyone calls him "Swordmaster". ทุกคนเรียกเขาว่า “ซอร์ดมาสเตอร์” Unfortunately, this is not the story of such time of glory, bloodshed and..... แต่โชคร้ายที่เรื่องนี้ไม่ใช่เรื่องราวแห่งเกียรติยศ การนองเลือด และ.... Ruby: Sola, why don't you just tell them that this is the story of a man in a harem full of beautiful flower girls. รูบี้: โซล่า ทำไมเธอถึงไม่บอกพวกเขาไปล่ะว่านี่คือเรื่องของผู้ชายในฮาเร็มที่เต็มไปด้วยสาวดอกไม้แสนสวย Almond: Could you not disturb her? This is the most important part of our story, and it could decide the future of us all. อัลมอนด์: อย่ารบกวนเธอได้ไหม? นี่เป็นส่วนสำคัญที่สุดของเรื่องราวของเรา และอาจจะตัดสินอนาคตของพวกเราทุกคน Ruby: And I want to ask you why the novel cover doesn't have me on it? Since I'm the main heroine and all. รูบี้: ฉันอยากจะรู้ว่าทำไมปกนิยายถึงไม่มีรูปฉันอยู่บนนั้น? ฉันเป็นนางเอกนะ Sola: I am so fed up with pen tool.. uh... better not talk about it. So, we used a photo of flowers instead, and I think you are not the main heroine. โซล่า: ก็ฉันสุดทนกับ Pen tool แล้ว เอ่อ...อย่าไปพูดถึงมันจะดีกว่า เราก็เลยใช้ภาพดอกไม้แทน แล้วฉันก็คิดว่าเธอไม่ใช่นางเอกหรอก Almond: It's a budget cost too. Those artists charge us over US$200. We are broke. Plain and simple. อัลมอนด์: มันยังเป็นเรื่องงบประมาณด้วย ศิลปินพวกนี้คิดเงินเราแพงถึง US$200 พวกเราไม่มีตังแล้ว ก็แค่นั้น Ruby: That's really expensive, huh. รูบี้: มันแพงจริงๆด้วยนะ Sola: Could you girls stop talking? So, I can continue with the synopsis.... โซล่า: หยุดพูดกันหน่อยได้ไหม? ฉันจะได้เขียนสรุปเรื่องต่อ.... Ruby: I don't understand why this is so important. รูบี้: ฉันไม่เข้าใจว่าทำไมมันถึงสำคัญนัก Sola: Ruby, listen. If we don't have a good synopsis, people will not buy our book, and then..... โซล่า: ฟังนะรูบี้ ถ้าเราไม่มีสรุปเรื่องที่ดี คนก็จะไม่ซื้อหนังสือของเรา แล้วจากนั้น.... Iris: Then what? I want to know it too. ไอริส: แล้วยังไงต่อ? ฉันก็อยากจะรู้เหมือนกัน Sola: Then there will be no book 2. โซล่า: ก็จะไม่มีเล่ม 2 Iris: No book 2, so what? Why should I care? ไอริส: ไม่มีเล่ม 2 แล้วยังไง? ทำไมฉันต้องสนใจด้วย? Sola: Our universe will collapse, and we will disappear forever.. โซล่า: จักรวาลของพวกเราก็จะยุบตัวลง แล้วพวกเราก็จะหายไปตลอดกาล... Iris: What did you say? ไอริส: ว่าไงนะ? Almond: Well, too late now. You talked too much. We have run out of writing space... อัลมอนด์: สายไปซะแล้ว พวกเธอพูดมากเกินไป เราไม่มีเนื้อที่เหลือจะเขียนอะไรแล้ว.... Ruby: What!!!!!NO!!! I don't want to DIE!!!!You do something sis!!! I should have done that human thing with our lord when I still had a chance. Noooooooo...... รูบี้: อะไรนะ!!!!!ไม่!!! ฉันยังไม่อยากตาย!!!!ทำอะไรสักอย่างสิคะพี่!!! ฉันควรจะทำกิจกรรมของมนุษย์กับท่านลอร์ดตอนที่ฉันยังมีโอกาสอยู่ ไม่นะ ไม่...... Iris: Buy it now. People!! Yes, I mean, you!! YES! YOU!!! BUUUUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYY.... ไอริส: ซื้อเลย ทุกคน!!! ใช่ ฉันหมายถึงแกนั่นแหละ!!เออ!!! แกนั่นแหละ!!! ซื้อ!!!!!!!!! Iris is shouting as loud as if this is the last moment of her life, but no one listens. ไอริสตะโกนสุดเสียงราวกับว่านี่คือวินาทีสุดท้ายของชีวิตเธอ แต่กลับไม่มีใครฟังเลย

The brand new series, perfect for fans of DOWNTON ABBEY, from the author of the hugely successful MORLAND DYNASTY novels Behind the doors of the magnificent Ashmore Castle, secrets are waiting to be uncovered . . . 1901. When the Earl of Stainton dies in a tragic hunting accident, Giles, the eldest son of the noble Tallant family, must step forward to replace him as the head of the family. But Giles has avoided the Castle and his stifling relatives for years, deciding instead to forge his own path away from the spotlight. Now, he must put aside his ambitions and honour his duty to the family. With their world upended, the Tallants and their servants struggle to find their place in the house - and society - once again. And Giles realises that, along with the title and the castle, he's also inherited his father's significant financial troubles that threaten the security of his entire family. In Kensington, Kitty Bayfield, the painfully shy but moneyed daughter of a Baronet, has just left school with her penniless companion Nina. Nina captures the new Earl's heart, but only Kitty can save his family from their debts, and soon Giles must choose between his duty and his heart . . . The Secrets of Ashmore Castle is the first in a brand new historical family drama series, filled with heartbreak, romance and intriguing secrets waiting to be uncovered. The perfect read for fans of Downton Abbey, Bridgerton and rich period dramas

A “thrilling” historical mystery about impoverished British aristocrats from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Good Earth (Boston Herald). Sir Richard Sedgeley and Lady Mary are broke and without an heir to the castle that’s been in their family for centuries. Tourists are infrequent, and the offers they’ve received are not ones they can live with: a state-run prison or a museum in America. What is the remedy, and is it true that there’s treasure hidden somewhere under their noses? Featuring a cast of outsize characters—timid Mary, her possibly mad husband, Wells the Butler, and his mysterious daughter Kate—Death in the Castle is a suspenseful delight by the author of The Good Earth. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author’s estate.