The Pearl Thief

Severine Kassel is asked by the Louvre in 1963 to aid the British Museum with curating its antique jewellery, her specialty. Her London colleagues find her distant and mysterious, her cool beauty the topic of conversations around its quiet halls. No one could imagine that she is a desperately damaged woman, hiding her trauma behind her chic, French image. It is only when some dramatic Byzantine pearls are loaned to the Museum that Severine's poise is dashed and the tightly controlled life she's built around herself is shattered. Her shocking revelation of their provenance sets off a frenzied hunt for Nazi Ruda Mayek. Mossad's interest is triggered and one of its most skilled agents comes out of retirement to join the hunt, while the one person who can help Severine - the solicitor handling the pearls - is bound by client confidentiality. As she follows Mayek's trail, there is still one lifelong secret for her to reveal - and one for her to discover. From the snowy woodlands outside Prague to the Tuileries of Paris and the heather-covered moors of Yorkshire comes a confronting and heart-stopping novel that explores whether love and hope can ever overpower atrocity in a time of war and hate.

A stunning new novel from New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Wein, a prequel to the award-winning Code Name Verity. Before Verity . . . there was Julie. When fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital, she knows the lazy summer break she'd imagined won't be exactly like she anticipated. And once she returns to her grandfather's estate, a bit banged up but alive, she begins to realize that her injury might not have been an accident. One of her family's employees is missing, and he disappeared on the very same day she la nded in the hospital. Desperate to figure out what happened, she befriends Euan McEwen, the Scots Traveller boy who found her when she was injured, and his standoffish sister Ellen. As Julie grows closer to this family, she experiences some of the prejudices they've grown used to firsthand, a stark contrast to her own upbringing, and finds herself exploring thrilling new experiences that have nothing to do with a missing-person investigation. Her memory of that day returns to her in pieces, and when a body is discovered, her new friends are caught in the crosshairs of long-held biases about Travellers. Julie must get to the bottom of the mystery in order to keep them from being framed for the crime. In this prequel to Printz Honor Book Code Name Verity, the exhilarating coming-of-age story returns to a beloved character just before she learned to fly.

This is a lovely little short story about Hassan, a poor Bahraini islander, who finds himself in desperate circumstances. Driven by the need to take care of his aging parents, he embarks on the unthinkable; a pearl diving quest... when he can't even swim! But can Hassan be more than he is? Can he leave his world of poverty and being looked-down upon, to finally be someone in life and provide for his family? Or will he always be a poor man's son, destined to a life of destitution and struggle?

This book assists the busy professional with ready-to-use materials to present entertaining, educational, and age-appropriate programs that introduce young learners to countries and cultures around the world. The result of a collaboration of children's librarians and educators with over 70 years' combined experience, Travel the Globe: Story Times, Activities, and Crafts for Children, Second Edition offers the busy librarian, teacher, or media specialist with ready-to-use resources that introduce children to countries and cultures around the world. It provides recommended books, stories, action rhymes, fingerplays, games, and activities that can be used to plan a series of programs or a single activity that are both entertaining and educational. The book is organized alphabetically by country, with simple, low-cost craft ideas included in each chapter. All crafts use low-cost supplies and are simple to prepare and execute. At least two craft projects are included in each chapter: one for preschoolers, with suggestions for additional simplification; and another designed for children in kindergarten through third grade. The wide variety of resources within makes this book a valuable investment, as it will be useful year after year with new presentations and activities.

Don’t miss Elizabeth Wein’s stunning new novel, Stateless The beloved #1 New York Times bestseller, a "fiendishly plotted" (New York Times) "heart-in-your mouth adventure" (Washington Post) that "will take wing and soar into your heart" (Laurie Halse Anderson) October 11th, 1943—A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? A universally acclaimed Michael L. Printz Award Honor book, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.

London, 1913. An exquisite strand of pale pink pearls, worth more than the Hope Diamond, has been bought by a Hatton Garden broker, capturing the attention of both jewelers and thieves. In transit to London from Paris, the necklace vanishes without a trace. Joseph Grizzard, “the King of Fences,” is the leader of a vast gang of thieves in London’s East End. Having risen from the deadly streets to become a wealthy family man, Grizzard still cannot resist the sport of crime, and the pearl necklace proves an irresistible challenge. Inspector Alfred Ward has joined the brand-new division of the Metropolitan Police known as “detectives.” Having caught some of the great murderers of Victorian London, Ward is now charged with finding the missing pearls and the thief who stole them. In the spirit of The Great Train Robbery, this is the true story of a psychological cat-and-mouse game. Thoroughly researched and compellingly colorful, The Great Pearl Heist is a gripping narrative account of this little-known, yet extraordinary crime.