When a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs a 14-year-old Sudanese refugee with an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, the pen pals teach each other compassion and share a bond that bridges two continents.

When a nonprofit organization called Save the Girls pairs a fourteen-year-old Sudanese refugee with an American teenager from Richmond, Virginia, the pen pals teach each other compassion and share a bond that bridges two continents.

An insightful and honest memoir of post-communist Russia. A compelling story of what it was like to grow up in modern Russia, a magnificent but often misunderstood country, battered by media headlines. A personal journey that turned a Russian into a Westerner - a tale of every immigrant who suffers from a lost sense of belonging. Jana Bakunina tells the story of her childhood in the Soviet Union from the early days of perestroikato the collapse of the USSR, offering a unique insight into the lives of ordinary Russians. Bird's Milkreveals a period of turbulent political and economic changes but also a heart-warming world of bliniand pelmeni, weekends spent at the family dachaand summer camps on the Black Sea. With her background in economics and finance, Jana Bakunina has much to say about the current climate in Russia, but she also tells a personal story, featuring Bulgakov and Tolstoy, her grandmother's cooking and the Russian rock scene. Her childhood was in many ways traditional, but with Gorbachev's reforms and the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union, new horizons opened up. Bird's Milkis a tale of growing up, struggling to belong and make sense of what it means to love one's country, whilst being something of an outsider both at home and abroad.

There is a story about Kara and dragons. When she was four, she came down with vermillion fever. Her parents, thinking there was no cure, left her in a cave to die. A month, later she walked back into her parents’ home as healthy as if she had never been sick. It is said that a mother dragon lived in that cave, and she nursed young Kara back to life. Now, eleven years later, the only reminder of Kara’s illness is a small scar on her cheek. Of her contact with the dragon, there is more. Her eyes, which once were blue, are now green. And she can call down birds, which many believe is a sign that she can also call down dragons, for the two are distant cousins. Only Kara has her doubts. How can a beast as huge and terrifying as a dragon be related to a sweet, gentle bird? But could this explain why the king has sent for her? Does he think she has power over dragons? For Kara, the answer to this question means life or death—not only for her, but for all the dragons.

A stunning album of some of the most beautiful birds in North America. Geraldo Valério is an artist who loves birds, from majestic Golden Eagles and Snowy Owls to brilliant cardinals and jays to the tiniest of hummingbirds. Here he presents his favorites, with beautiful collage illustrations and brief descriptions that highlight intriguing facts about each one. The illustrations show a variety of feathered creatures in their natural habitats as they hunt for food, impress their mates, nest, and care for their young. The concise, accessible text provides information ranging from clever techniques for finding food to remarkable physical features to fascinating behaviors. But above all, Geraldo Valério shares his passion for birds in this lovingly created album, inspiring young readers with their beauty and the excitement of discovery. Includes an introduction, glossary, index and sources for further information. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.

The second Maisie Dobbs mystery Jacqueline Winspear’s marvelous debut, Maisie Dobbs, won her fans from around the world and raised her intuitive, intelligent, and resourceful heroine to the ranks of literature’s favorite sleuths. Birds of a Feather, its follow-up, finds psychologist and private investigator Maisie Dobbs on another dangerously intriguing adventure in London “between the wars.” It is the spring of 1930, and Maisie has been hired to find a runaway heiress. But what seems a simple case at the outset soon becomes increasingly complicated when three of the heiress’s old friends are found dead. Is there a connection between the woman’s mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would want to kill three seemingly respectable young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers lie in the unforgettable agony of the Great War.