The Epic World

Add your own color to Tolkien fantasies with these illustrations from renowned artists. This beautiful coloring book—suitable for Tolkien fans of all ages—presents more than 100 pages of famous scenes from Middle-earth. It includes the Trees of the Valar and Mount Doom, and characters as beloved as Gandalf the wizard or as feared as Smaug the dragon. Line art by renowned artists illustrates the fantastical world of Middle-earth and is ready to be colored. This work is unofficial and is not authorized by the Tolkien Estate or HarperCollins Publishers.

It may seem obvious to adults, but many young readers don't yet know that all cultures have the same kinds of activities. We all cook, we all entertain ourselves, we all wear things, we all transport ourselves, we all sleep, and much more. This important book allows readers to journey around the world and cultivate an early interest in the global community they belong to by understanding how people from elsewhere contribute their time, skills, and effort to their work. Full-color photography enhances comprehension on every spread.

A masterful retelling one of the major victories of Canadian troops over the German army’s elite division during WWII. In one blood-soaked, furious week of fighting, from December 20 to December 27, 1943, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division took the town of Ortona, Italy, from elite German paratroopers ordered to hold the medieval port town at all costs. Infantrymen serving in the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders, supported by tankers of the Three Rivers Regiment, moved from house to house in hand-to-hand combat amid heavy shelling and wrested the town from the grip of the fierce German defenders. Getting into Ortona had been a battle of its own. Ortona, the pearl of the Adriatic, stands on a promontory impregnable from three sides, with seacliffs on the north and east, and a deep ravine on the west. The Canadian infantrymen, drawn from virtually every corner of Canada, attacked from the south under the command of Major-General Chris Vokes, fighting across narrow gullies, mud-choked vineyards and olive groves, into the narrow streets of Ortona itself. When the vicious battle was over, 2605 Canadians were dead or wounded. But the town that had become known as "Little Stalingrad" was now in Allied hands.

Gives information on types and features of world maps. Includes quizzes and a mapmaking activity to reinforce map literacy.

"The Narnia for the Social Media Generation." --The Wall Street Journal "By the time of Farley's Game World, gaming had gone digital, and while his book is more fantasy-adventure than puzzle-mystery, there are parallels worthy of discussion, from the nature of the games to the depictions of disabled." --Booklist, included in "Conversation Starters: Recontextualizing the Classics" "Drawn from both video gaming culture and the rich tapestry of Jamaican myth and folklore, blending pointed social satire and mystical philosophy, this exuberant, original hero's journey is a real trip...Exhilarating, thought-provoking and one of a kind." --Kirkus Reviews "Adult author/Wall Street Journal editor Farley's middle-grade debut draws from Jamaican mythology and beliefs, as well as from other cultures, to weave a fast-paced, whimsical mixture of magic and action...the setting lends itself well to memorable imagery and a fun experience." --Publishers Weekly "Farley blends video gaming and Jamaican folklore in this intense, fast-paced middle-grade fantasy that is sure to quickly grab readers." --Booklist "Here (finally!) is a middle-grade action novel that showcases West Indian mythology and features protagonists of color." --School Library Journal "Game World is unique in that its fantasy world, as its name suggests, is built upon characters and stories from actual Jamaican folklore." --Philadelphia Review of Books One of This Spring's Hottest Teen Books, Huffington Post "I found it very hard to set down this excellent novel and do something else without thinking about it....I highly recommend his book to fans of fantasy. Because you will love it!!" --Middle Shelf (reviewed by Teak, age 13) "Farley writes in a straightforward way that is both accessible to younger readers but still interesting to adults." --Persephone Magazine "In his metaphorical world, Farley spares neither the dubious machinations of high finance nor the heartbreak of an orphan." --Center for Fiction "I highly recommend Game World for kids in 4th-12th grade. Parents can read it too and love the characters and story just as much as the kids." --The Family Coach Dylan Rudee's life is an epic fail. He's bullied at school and the aunt who has raised him since he was orphaned as a child just lost her job and their apartment. Dylan's one chance to help his family is the only thing he's good at: video games. The multibillion-dollar company Mee Corp. has announced a televised tournament to find the Game-Changers: the forty-four kids who are the best in the world at playing Xamaica, a role-playing fantasy game that's sweeping the planet. If Dylan can win the top prize, he just might be able to change his life. It turns out that Dylan is the greatest gamer anyone has ever seen, and his skills unlock a real-life fantasy world inside the game. Now actual monsters are trying to kill him, and he is swept up into an adventure along with his too-tall genius sister Emma, his hacker best friend Eli, and Ines Mee, the privileged daughter of Mee Corp.'s mysterious CEO and chief inventor. Along the way they encounter Nestuh, a giant spider who can spin a story but not a web; Baron Zonip, a hummingbird king who rules a wildly wealthy treetop kingdom; and an enchantress named Nanni who, with her shadow army, may be bent on conquering Xamaica and stealing its magic. In order to save his sister and his friends, Dylan must solve a dangerous mystery in three days and uncover secrets about Xamaica, his family, and himself. But will he discover his hidden powers before two worlds--Xamaica and Earth--are completely destroyed?

Moons explores the science of what we see in the night sky. Kids will learn how moons are made, find out which moon might have its own ocean of water, explore the moons that help keep Saturn's rings in place and more. Engaging photos, exciting graphics, and a fun quiz at the end of each book will keep them learning. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Super Sandcastle is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Here comes an allosaurus! The fierce predator races toward its prey. It sinks its sharp teeth into its latest meal! Scenes like this one were common during the Jurassic Period, when the allosaurus walked the earth. In this high-interest text, readers will explore the world of the allosaurus, from how it hunted to where it lived to why it went extinct. Special features include maps, a pronunciation guide, a diet graphic, and a two-page profile that highlights key information about the allosaurus. Readers will love taking a bite out of this ferocious title!