The Missing Ring

Keith Dunnavant's The Missing Ring is more than a football book. It is both a story of a changing era and of an extraordinary team on a championship quest. Very few institutions in American sports can match the enduring excellence of the University of Alabama football program. Across a wide swath of the last century, the tradition-rich Crimson Tide has claimed twelve national championships, captured twenty-five conference titles, finished thirty-four times among the country's top ten, and played in fifty-three bowl games. Especially dominant during the era of the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant, the larger-than-life figure who towered over the landscape like no man before or since, Alabama entered the 1966 season with the chance to become the first college football team to win three consecutive national championships. Every aspect of Bryant's grueling system was geared around competing for the big prize each and every year, and in 1966 the idea of the threepeat tantalized the players, pushing them toward greatness. Driven by Bryant's enthusiasm, dedication, and perseverance, players were made to believe in their team and themselves. Led by the electrifying force of quarterback Kenny "Snake" Stabler and one of the most punishing defenses in the storied annals of the Southeastern Conference, the Crimson Tide cruised to a magical season, finishing as the nation's only undefeated, untied team. But something happened on the way to the history books. The Missing Ring is the story of the one that got away, the one that haunts Alabama fans still, and native Alabamian Keith Dunnavant takes readers deep inside the Crimson Tide program during a more innocent time, before widespread telecasting, before scholarship limitations, before end-zone dances. Meticulously revealing the strategies, tactics, and personal dramas that bring the overachieving boys of 1966 to life, Dunnavant's insightful, anecdotally rich narrative shows how Bryant molded a diverse group of young men into a powerful force that overcame various obstacles to achieve perfection in an imperfect world. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, the still-escalating Vietnam War, and a world and a sport teetering on the brink of change in a variety of ways, The Missing Ring tells an important story about the collision between football and culture. Ultimately, it is this clash that produces the Crimson Tide's most implacable foe, enabling the greatest injustice in college football history.

An exciting contemporary mystery set in a Thai family in London, by Emma Shevah, author of Dream On, Amber. When Ping visits her Aunty Lek and her cousins Tong and Taptim it usually isn't long before they're on an adventure. Aunty Lek's precious ring is missing, and she's sure it's been stolen. Will Ping, Tong and Taptim be able to solve the case of the missing ring? This contemporary story features black-and-white illustrations by Izzy Evans.The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With black-and-white illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyguidedreading.com.Book Band: Dark Red (Ideal for ages 10+)

There was once a princess called Rose. She had a beautiful ring which sparkled in the light coming out of the window. One day, the ring disappeared! Join Mr Detective on an exciting adventure to solve the case of the missing ring. What clues will Mr Detective find along the way? Who will join him on his seemingly impossible quest? Will Rose ever get her ring back?About the author: Five-year old Elise-Grace loves a good mystery story and she could not wait to pen this one very soon after her first book, The Star and The Rainbow, was published. Apart from writing stories, she also loves to draw, dance and sing. Just like her first book, this book was illustrated by her and she really enjoyed making all the characters in her book come to life. She hopes that all her readers will have fun reading this gripping tale filled with adventure, mystical creatures and suspense

As a cancer patient, attending school and learning to read was challenging for Ziggy. However, his strong determination pushed him to succeed.Ziggy was excited to be among his peers daily and looked forward to the social interaction. School gave Ziggy more knowledge and confidence in putting words that he could verbalize onto paper. Words became sentences, sentences became paragraphs, and paragraphs became stories. Ziggy would dramatically act out his stories as he and his sister Zai would play together. Often, Zai would follow Ziggy's lead as he would give her the details of the story word for word, instructing her on what he needed her to say. He would also draw pictures to help her understand.He was the writer, director, and lead in every story he wrote!This story highlights Ziggy's strength, a gift for entertainment, and was published as encouragement for other children and adults who are on a cancer journey. In spite of his health condition, Ziggy never lost focus on the things he wanted to do during his lifetime."The Mystery of the Missing Ring" is a continuation of Ziggy and Zai's beautiful sibling bond that we, his family, hope will be shared with others and thereby allowing Ziggy to live on in the hearts and minds of others for eternity.

Amber is facing up to life without Dad. He left when she was little, but now she really needs him, and if he isn't coming back she'll have to dream up other ways to sort things out. But replying to her little sister's 'Dear Dad' letters was definitely not one of her best ideas ...

WWNDD? What Would Nancy Drew Do? Judy and her new friend, Mighty Fantaskey, take cues from their favorite sleuth as they search for a lost mood ring in a spooky attic. Judy Moody is freaky for Nancy Drew, the famous girl detective from the book series. Nancy Drew is an ace at solving mysteries with brains, bravery, and bobby pins, and Judy is determined to solve mysteries too. So when Judy bumps into Mighty Fantaskey, she is excited to meet another Nancy Drew fan and to make a new friend. Excited, that is, until she visits Mighty’s house: it’s big and old and creaky and definitely haunted. It even turns Judy’s mood ring the color of fear! On Judy’s first visit, she hightails it out of there, leaving Mighty in the dust. But where is Judy’s favorite ring? Jeepers! Can Judy pluck up enough courage to go back and find it—and solve the real-life mystery waiting in Mighty’s attic?

The hit series is back, to charm and inspire another generation of baby-sitters! Stacey is shocked when a new family accuses her of stealing a valuable ring from them while she was baby-sitting. Stacey would never take anything from anyone! Even worse for the Baby-sitters, the Gardellas are threatening to tell their other clients about the missing ring.Will everyone in Stoneybrook think the Baby-sitters are thieves? Not if Stacey can help it--she's going to find out what happened to that ring!The best friends you'll ever have are detectives, too!