The darkness grew, a few stars appeared in the sky, and the moon lifted above the rocks. Then soundlessly, like a ghost out of the night, a pale blur of wings swooped over the crowd of bandits, who ducked their heads and cried out in alarm. Vair crouched down as he caught a glimpse of crooked talons. It was an owl, gliding down to the top of the central rock. Even in the darkness, his eyes glared amber. Vair caught his breath as he stared at the creature. He had never seen an owl as big or as terrifying as this... A silver horn, lost in the mists of time, holds a secret that will change the land of Riverbourne forever... Vair is a brave young pine marten -- and a fine sword fighter -- eager for his first challenge at the Watersmeet Midsummer Fair. But Vair meets his match sooner than expected when he is captured by a silver fox and his bloodthirsty gang. These brutal bandits are no ordinary thieves, and more is at risk than Vair can imagine. Led by the strangely powerful Lord Owl, the gang of bandits is searching the country for a mysterious silver horn -- and Vair is determined to find it before they do... Book jacket.

The Dark Ages—a time of great turmoil and the collision of empires! As the Frank kingdom prepares for war, Roland, young heir to the Breton March, has been relegated to guard duty until a foreign emissary entrusts him with vital word of a new threat to the kingdom. Now Roland must embark on a risky journey to save all he loves from swift destruction. And yet while facing down merciless enemies, he must also reveal the hand of a murderer who even now stalks the halls of power and threatens to pull apart a kingdom reborn under the greatest of medieval kings, the remarkable Charlemagne. For Roland to become the champion his kingdom needs, he must survive war, intrigue and betrayal. The Silver Horn Echoes pays homage to "La Chanson de Roland" by revisiting an age of intrigue and honor, and a fateful decision in the shadows of a lonely mountain pass—Roncevaux!

Plains Indians were artists as well as warriors, and Silver Horn (1860-1940), a Kiowa artist from the early reservation period, may well have been the most prolific Plains Indian artist of all time. Known also as Haungooah, his Kiowa name, Silver Horn was a man of remarkable skill and talent. Working in graphite, colored pencil, crayon, pen and ink, and watercolor on hide, muslin, and paper, he produced more than one thousand illustrations between 1870 and 1920. Silver Horn created an unparalleled visual record of Kiowa culture, from traditional images of warfare and coup counting to sensitive depictions of the sun dance, early Peyote religion, and domestic daily life. At the turn of the century, he helped translate nearly the entire corpus of Kiowa shield designs into miniaturized forms on buckskin models for Smithsonian ethnologist James Mooney. Born in 1860 when huge bison herds still roamed the southern plains, Silver Horn grew up in southwestern Oklahoma. Son of a chief and member of an artistically gifted family, he witnessed traumatic changes as his people went from a free-roaming, buffalo-hunting culture to reservation life and, ultimately, to forced assimilation into white society. Although perceived as a troublemaker in midlife because of his staunch resistance to the forces of civilization, Silver Horn became to many a romantic example of the "real old-time Indian." In this presentation of Silver Horn’s work, showcasing 43 color and 116 black-and-white illustrations, Candace S. Greene provides a thorough biographical portrait of the artist and, through his work, assesses the concepts and roles of artists in Kiowa culture.

Designed to cover the most up-to-date Standard Grade requirements, these books should provide everything you need to prepare your students for their exams. There are exam-style questions and full-colour presentation throughout, while the topics covered are among the most popular at this level.

There is a juncture where fantasy and reality co-exist and sometimes the lines between the two get blurry. This is the tale of a lonely boy who visits that place and begins developing the friendship needed to help chart the awkward path to manhood. Set in the early 60's, the boy has spent his life hiding behind a wall of books, movies, television and radio. His ability to come out from behind the wall and face the harsh truths of adulthood will depend on what he has learned about the value of friends.

The darkness grew, a few stars appeared in the sky, and the moon lifted above the rocks. Then soundlessly, like a ghost out of the night, a pale blur of wings swooped over the crowd of bandits, who ducked their heads and cried out in alarm. Vair crouched down as he caught a glimpse of crooked talons. It was an owl, gliding down to the top of the central rock. Even in the darkness, his eyes glared amber. Vair caught his breath as he stared at the creature. He had never seen an owl as big or as terrifying as this... A silver horn, lost in the mists of time, holds a secret that will change the land of Riverbourne forever... Vair is a brave young pine marten -- and a fine sword fighter -- eager for his first challenge at the Watersmeet Midsummer Fair. But Vair meets his match sooner than expected when he is captured by a silver fox and his bloodthirsty gang. These brutal bandits are no ordinary thieves, and more is at risk than Vair can imagine. Led by the strangely powerful Lord Owl, the gang of bandits is searching the country for a mysterious silver horn -- and Vair is determined to find it before they do... Book jacket.

'There's nothing so rare as a fantasy that elicits genuine wonder and that uses marvellous things to enrich a child's appreciation of ordinary ones. Lev Grossman's novel The Silver Arrow is something special.' WALL STREET JOURNAL _____________ Discover the magical, timeless children's adventure from Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians. Now a New York Times bestseller! When Kate is given a colossal steam train, the Silver Arrow, for her birthday, she can't believe her luck. After eleven years of waiting, adventure has finally found her! Soon the Silver Arrow is whisking Kate and her brother Tom to a magical station where their passengers stand ready to board. From the porcupine to the pangolin, each one is rare and wonderful. But these animals have been waiting a very long time too. Can Kate deliver them home ... before it's too late? _____________ Lev Grossman's first children's book is a journey you'll never forget: a rip-roaring adventure from desert plains to snow-covered mountains and everything in between. Packed with exciting creatures from the indignant porcupine to the lost polar bear and the adorable baby pangolin, The Silver Arrow is a classic story about saving our endangered animals and the places they live.