A shy boy with asthma starts first grade — and comes into his own — in this appealing story for early chapter book readers. Six-year-old Monty doesn’t have a brother, a sister, or a pet. What he does have is asthma, which sometimes makes it hard to breathe and often makes him feel like he’d rather be somebody else. And now that he’s starting first grade, he’s very nervous about being with all those kids he won’t know. Luckily, he loves to read — even really hard books — and has a talent for finding things, from a cocooning caterpillar to classmates who want to be in his very own club. With familiar situations and gentle humor, Johanna Hurwitz follows an endearing character as he discovers that being himself can be pretty great after all.

Monty is mighty enough to take karate in a funny, true-to-life sequel with surefire appeal for early chapter-book readers. (Ages 5-7) Monty Gerald Morris may be small and shy, but he's a mighty smart kid and an A+ reader. In an endearing follow-up to Mostly Monty, the quiet first-grader continues to come into his own -- playing the part of a tree in a comically miscued school play, sharing his enthusiasm for ants at an outdoor birthday party, even signing up for karate class despite his asthma. Once again, Johanna Hurwitz finds gentle humor in everyday situations and offers a charming portrayal of a likable character many young readers will relate to.

“Hurwitz writes in a tender, positive manner.” — School Library Journal A new sibling is just one of the surprises — some good, some not so much — awaiting Monty in another story for early chapter book readers. In this gently humorous adventure, Monty faces the unpredictable, everyday turns of a first-grader’s life with his usual lovable charm.

Monty tries to master a magic kit — and finds some real-life situations tricky — in this spot-on story about an endearing, utterly relatable first-grader. First grade is almost over, and Monty will soon be seven. He’s now a big brother, too, which makes him feel very grown-up. But when he tries to use the magic set his grandmother gave him, he has a little trouble. Maybe the card trick would work if he were eight years old? Mother’s Day is coming, and Monty wishes he had something better to give his mom than the picture frame he made out of ice-cream sticks at school. But how is he supposed to guess from the TV call-in ad how much flowers cost, or that you need a special card to get them? Whether involving his baby sister in his library project, losing a sneaker while marching with his karate class in the parade, or learning that an exciting afternoon isn’t always a good thing, Monty’s familiar adventures embody the gentle humor of everyday life.

In 2005, Monty Don set up a smallholding where a group of young offenders would work on the land. 'Growing Out of Trouble' documents an extraordinary journey during which Monty Don had to confront issues he had never encountered.

TERRY PRATCHETT meets THE WITCHER in this pee-your-pants-laughing fantasy novel. Sure, you think you know the story of the fearsome red dragon, Dragonia. How it terrorized the village of Skendrick until a brave band of heroes answered the noble villagers' call for aid. How nothing could stop those courageous souls from facing down the beast. How they emerged victorious and laden with treasure. But, even in a world filled with epic adventures and tales of derring-do, where dragons, goblins, and unlicensed prestidigitators run amok, legendary heroes don't always know what they're doing. Sometimes, they're clueless. Sometimes, beleaguered townsfolk are more hapless than helpless. And orcs? They're not always assholes, and sometimes, they don't actually want to eat your children. Heloise the Bard, Erithea's most renowned storyteller, is here to set the record straight. See, it turns out adventuring isn't easy, and true heroism is as rare as an articulate villager. Having spent decades propagating this particular myth (which, incidentally, she wrote), she's finally able to tell the real story...for which she just so happened to have a front-row seat. Welcome to Erithea. I hope you brought a change of undergarments; things are going to get messy. hr “Evoking the dry humor of Terry Pratchett and absurdist trope subversions of Monty Python...Gibson’s story is clever, twisty, and bursting with sidesplittingly funny one-liners. Fantasy fans are guaranteed a laugh.” – Publisher’s Weekly “...if Gibson continues to put out work of this quality and high level of entertainment, will be a success story along the lines of Michael R. Fletcher, M.L. Spencer, or Rob J. Hayes.” – Grimdark Magazine “I can't praise the story enough. If you want something light-hearted and fun to read that will zip by quickly, but still want to feel like you got the content you hoped for, this is definitely the book you should pick up.” – The Inkslinger Book Reviews “Mr. Sean Gibson would be extremely fun to play Dungeons and Dragons with.” – Verified Reviewer

Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired from 1969 until 1974, but the conclusion of the series did not mark the end of the troupe’s creative output. Even before the final original episodes were recorded and broadcast, the six members began work on their first feature-length enterprise of new material. Rather than string together a series of silly skits, they conceived a full-length story line with references to the real and imagined worlds of the mythical King Arthur, the lives of medieval peasants, and the gloomy climate of 1970s Britain. Released in 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a modest success but has since been hailed as a modern classic. In A Book about the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail:All the References from African Swallows to Zoot, Darl Larsen identifies and examines the cultural, historical, and topical allusions in the movie. In this entertaining resource, virtually every reference that appears in a scene—whether stated by a character, depicted in the mise-en-scène, or mentioned in the print companion—is identified and explained. Beyond the Arthurian legend, entries cover literary metaphors, symbols, names, peoples, and places—as well as the myriad social, cultural, and historical elements that populate the film. This book employs the film as a window to both reveal and examine “Arthurian” life and literature, the historical Middle Ages, and a Great Britain of labor unrest, power shortages, and the common man. Introducing the reader to dozens of medievalist histories and authors and connecting the film concretely to the “modern” British Empire, A Book about the Film Monty Python and the Holy Grail will appeal to fans of the troupe as well as medieval scholars and academics who can laugh at themselves and their work.