Culture Adventure

Merle Johnson has here gathered together in one volume all of the nineteenth-century author-artist's classic pirate stories that had been scattered through many magazines and books. Well researched and with richly drawn characters, Pyle's work will appeal to students of history and adventure lovers alike.

In the summer of 1849, Lucy Whipple's mother packs up her household and her two young children, and leaves their home in Massachusetts for the gold fields of California. Moving is the last thing the outspoken 12-year-old, Lucy, wants to do. Reaching California, the Whipples set up a crude boardinghouse, and Lucy is put to work washing, cleaning, and baking pies in the rough mining town of Lucky Diggins.

In early 19th-century Scotland, 16-year-old Josie, an orphan, is sent to live with an aunt and uncle on the rocky, stormy northwest coast. Everything and everyone in her new surroundings, including her relatives, is sinister, threatening, and mysterious. She's told that Eli, the young man she's attracted to, is forbidden to her but not why. Spirited, curious, and determined, Josie sets out to learn the village's secrets and discovers evil fueled by heartless greed as well as a ghostly presence eager for revenge.

When Ruben and Jed find a dead body on the Rhode Island shore, they are certain it has something to do with smuggling liquor. It's the 1920s, Prohibition and bootlegging is in full swing, and almost everyone in the shore community is involved. Suddenly, the boys find themselves involved as well: didn't the dead man have something on him, and didn't they take it? It isn't long before Ruben is actually on the legendary Black Duck itself, caught in a war between two ferocious prohibition gangs.

When Brigid sees a tiny carrot moving about in the garden she can't believe her eyes. When the carrot turns out to be a tiny leprechaun, she can't believe her luck. She is the only human who can see him - but where is his pot of gold?

Suzy is a small striped cat with long white whiskers, who lives in a French seaside village with a fisherman and his four sons. She likes living in France, chasing butterflies and being stroked the wrong way. She doesn't like straying too far from home. But like all cats, Suzy is very inquisitive - which causes problems when she climbs into the basket of a hot-air balloon, falls asleep, and is carried up, up, and away over the Channel to England!

When Matt Graham finds an antique gold pocket watch he little realizes that he is being swept into a vortex of nefarious intrigue that began decades ago. Ninety miles away, Marie Buford finds a nearly identical watch. Both teenagers soon uncover concealed inscriptions whose obscure meanings draw them together at the intersection of a wealthy banker's mysterious death, a million-dollar gold heist and the exploits of a French jewel thief and a Corsican pirate on the Mediterranean Riviera.

Set against the burgeoning Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and then just before the outbreak of the Civil War, The Freedom Maze explores both political and personal liberation, and how the two intertwine. In 1960, 13-year-old Sophie isn't happy about spending the summer at her grandmother's old house in the Bayou. But the house has a maze Sophie can't resist exploring once she finds it has a secretive and mischievious inhabitant.

No one comes to the Second World on purpose. The doorway between worlds opens only when least expected. The Raft King is desperate to change that by finding the doorway that will finally take him and the people of Raftworld back home. To do it, he needs Pip, a young boy with an incredible gift - he can speak to fish; and the Raft King is not above kidnapping to get what he wants. Pip's sister Kinchen, though, is determined to rescue her brother and foil the Raft King's plans.

When the teen-age samurai apprentice, Seikei, is sent on a mission by the shogun, he believes it to be a simple one. The 14-year-old Emperor has refused to carry out his ceremonial duties, and Seikei must persuade him to resume his proper place. But when the emperor is kidnapped in an elaborate plot to overthrow the shogun, Seikei’s mission becomes much more dangerous. With the help of a mysterious warrior, he must rescue the Emperor before the sacred sword falls into the wrong hands.

Zinny's life is falling apart. Shadowy figures are following him. His parents are keeping secrets but he can't figure out why. Then his mum ends up in hospital, his dad disappears, and Zinny has to do whatever he can to save his family. Even if it means helping the very men he's been running from... As the clock ticks, Zinny knows it's only a matter of time before someone ends up dead - and it could be him.

Summer days drift by slowly in Meadville, South Carolina - that is, until Sherman the one-legged pigeon flies into town and causes a ruckus. First Stella, who's been begging for a dog, spots him on top of a garage roof and decides she wants him for a pet. Then there's Ethel and Amos, an old couple who sees the pigeon in their barn keeping company with a little brown dog that barks all night. The pigeon lands smack in the middle of Mutt Raynard's head, but he's the town liar, so no one believes him. And when Stella's brother Levi and his scabby-kneed, germ-infested friends notice the pigeon, they join the chase, too.

A boy and his elephant escape into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village immediately after the Vietnam war.

High in a hot-air balloon, flying away, all alone. How is Suzy the cat ever going to find her way home? A heart-warming purrfect adventure based on Jill Tomlinson's classic story. Thirty minutes of audio entertainment, including story reading, soundtrack, songs and lots of listening fun all voiced by actress Sophie Aldred.

Istanbul has a rich history. Explore the past of this country from Roman rule of Constantinople to the modern times. Look at one of the world's largest outdoor malls that has been around since the 1400s. Check out the landscape, the beautiful scenery, and learn some fun facts about Istanbul for your next book report or project.

Meet the Wrinklettes - Rosie, Ruby, and Roxanne - as they take your child inside their magical schoolroom and through the portal of a flying book that will teach your child history, science, and geography. Through their travels they will make new friends, learn about science from Nikola Tesla, and experience history when they meet Captain Blackbeard, Christopher Columbus, and George Washington.

Dawn Buckle spends most of her days trying to get people to notice her. But whether at home or at school, it's as if she's completely invisible. And that's exactly what makes her the ideal recruit for S.H,.H. (Strictly Hush Hush) - a secret intelligence agency. How the world's most forgettable girl transforms herself into a world-class spy and tracks down a surprising secret agent will delight listeners.

Un chico se despierta en el medio del bosque. No tiene idea de quién es o cómo llegó allí. Con la ayuda de varias personas y animales, así como de una espada con poderes especiales, este ronin encuentra el camino a través de múltiples aventuras. Cuando una aldea necesita de su protección, debe aprender a pelear con honor por los campesinos a los que tiene que salvar, y por él mismo.

Ronin conoce a un viejo amigo y comienza el entrenamiento con su sensei, con el que aprende que nada es imposible. Sus aventuras continúan y se encuentra a sí mismo defendiendo a los débiles y usando su poder para el bien. Ronin aprende más de sí mismo y, posiblemente, de dónde vino.

Ronin enfrenta un desafío complicado y aprende que a veces, aun en los enemigos, hay más de lo que el ojo deja ver. Al ir conociendo su pasado, a su padre y su espada, surgen más preguntas. En su última aventura, Ronin está cerca de entender quién es y cómo puede ayudar a aquellos que más le importan.