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Splinter & Ash [electronic resource] : by Nijkamp, Marieke.aut; cloudLibrary;
“An essential middle grade fantasy where all readers will find heroes to love and to cheer!” —Alex London, author of Battle Dragons and The Princess Protection Program “Every kid deserves to see themselves as princesses or knights or whatever role they wish to play, and Nijkamp carves out the space for them to do so. Thoughtful, inclusive, and an outright joy, Splinter & Ash shines; a new classic that belongs on the shelves of every fantasy reader.” —Nicole Melleby, author of Hurricane Season and coeditor of This Is Our Rainbow “Splinter & Ash is a rare gem: a shining example of a fantasy novel that will engage readers of any age.” —A. J. Sass, award-winning author of Ellen Outside the Lines and Ana on the Edge New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp's middle grade prose debut is an immersive medieval fantasy starring queer and disabled young heroes. For two young misfits, a dangerous quest to save their kingdom will also mean saving each other. For fans of B. B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers, Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil, and Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books. Ash—or Princess Adelisa—is the youngest child of the queen, recently returned to the city of Kestrel’s Haven after spending six years on the other side of the country. Ash was hoping for a joyous reunion, but the reality is far from it. Her mother is holding the kingdom together by a thread; her brother has only taunts and jibes for her; and court is full of nobles who openly mock and dismiss Ash, who uses a cane and needs braces to strengthen her joints. Splinter is the youngest child of one of Haven’s most prominent families. She’s fierce, determined, and adventurous, and she has her sights set on becoming a knight just like her older brother. Even if everyone says she can’t because she’s not a boy. So what? She’s not a girl, either. A chance encounter throws Ash and Splinter into each other’s orbits and changes the course of the kingdom's history. The princess and her new squire will face bullies, snobs, gossips, and their own disapproving families. But when they uncover a shadowy group of nobles plotting to overthrow the queen, they will show everyone how legends are born. Together. The first in a trilogy, bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp’s medieval fantasy is an action-packed love letter to nonbinary, queer, and disabled kids. Splinter & Ash evokes the classic adventure and atmosphere of fantasies by Lloyd Alexander and Tamora Pierce and the fresh, inclusive lens of writers such as Rick Riordan, Angie Thomas, and Soman Chainani. It invites everyone—no matter who they are or what they look like—to fight for what they believe in.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Royalty; Bullying; Action & Adventure; Fantasy & Magic; Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance; Special Needs; Emotions & Feelings; LGBT; Friendship;
© 2024., HarperCollins,
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The bird way : a new look at how birds talk, work, play, parent, and think / by Ackerman, Jennifer,1959-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.""There is the mammal way and there is the bird way." This is one scientist's pithy distinction between mammal brains and bird brains: two ways to make a highly intelligent mind. But the bird way is much more than a unique pattern of brain wiring, and lately, scientists have taken a new look at bird behaviors they have, for years, dismissed as anomalies or mysteries. What they are finding is upending the traditional view of how birds conduct their lives, how they communicate, forage, court, breed, survive. They're also revealing the remarkable intelligence underlying these activities, abilities we once considered uniquely our own--deception, manipulation, cheating, kidnapping, infanticide, but also, ingenious communication between species, cooperation, collaboration, altruism, culture, and play. Some of these extraordinary behaviors are biological conundrums that seem to push the edges of--well--birdness: A mother bird that kills her own infant sons, and another that selflessly tends to the young of other birds as if they were her own. Young birds that devote themselves to feeding their siblings and others so competitive they'll stab their nestmates to death. Birds that give gifts and birds that steal, birds that dance or drum, that paint their creations or paint themselves, birds that build walls of sound to keep out intruders and birds that summon playmates with a special call--and may hold the secret to our own penchant for playfulness and the evolution of laughter. Drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, from the tropical rainforests of eastern Australia and the remote woodlands of northern Japan, to the rolling hills of lower Austria and the islands of Alaska's Kachemak Bay, Ackerman shows there is clearly no single bird way of being. In every respect, in plumage, form, song, flight, lifestyle, niche, and behavior, birds vary. It's what we love about them. As E.O Wilson once said, when you have seen one bird, you have not seen them all"--
Subjects: Birds;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Birth of a dynasty : a novel / by Bado, Chinaza,author.;
"After witnessing the massacre of everyone he's ever known and loved, M'Kuru Mukundi, the sole surviving member of the High Noble House Mukundi of Madada, vows revenge. M'kuru flees to a small village where he hides under the guise of farm boy Khalil Rausi ... unaware that the real Khalil's father is the bloodthirsty General of Zenzele army, and under the direction of the King's scheming son, Prince Effiom, was responsible for the murder of M'kuru's people. When an imposter claiming to be M'kuru shows up in the village, the real M'kuru-now Khalil-must bide his time amongst his enemies, pretending to be everything that he hates in order to get vengeance. In another part of the country where giants roam free, young Zikora Nnamani, the only daughter of Lord Nnamani, knows nothing of political intrigue-she wants little more than to be a fierce Seh Llinga warrior. But a well-known prophecy places too much potential power on her small shoulders, and-as far as Prince Effiom and the King know-she is the only living threat to their dynasty ruling forever. However, when a messenger arrives to "invite" Zikora to stay at the palace, her family is not in a position to refuse. Before she is taken away, she begins The Rite of Blessing, a magical inheritance that she will need to learn how to use, but that may also bring the world one step closer to the completion of the prophecy that Prince Effiom so fears. Between scheming ladies at court, backstabbing princes on the prowl, and paranoid kings, M'kuru and Zikora must do what they can, no matter how terrible, to save their people and claim vengeance for their families. But they are just two young people against an entire kingdom-and a prophecy destined to thwart their dreams-and the last thing they can do is trust anyone ... even each other"--
Subjects: Fantasy fiction.; Epic fiction.; Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Courts and courtiers; Kings and rulers; Prophecies; Royal houses; Revenge;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The Queen's men / by Clements, Oliver,1972-author.;
"Masked gunmen ambush Queen Elizabeth as she travels through Waltham forest, peppering her carriage with ball holes before disappearing like wraiths in the night. In the tense hours that follow, while no one knows whether she will live or die, her councillors must make decisions, and roll dice. Some argue for acceptance of the new Queen: Mary of Scotland, while others - John Dee - argue the fight against the darkness must go on, and that he should go across the sea, and into the courts of the Queen's enemies, to do to them what they would do to her. When she survives, Francis Walsingham - responsible for her safety - must explain how such a plot could so nearly succeed: who are the gunmen? How did they know she was coming on that road, that night, and in which carriage she would be travelling? And more importantly, where are they now? Robert Beale, Walsingham's deputy, shaken by the thought of Mary of Scotland inheriting the throne and returning England to Catholicism, stumbles on a solution if such a thing could happen again, but the scheme is lethally fraught with risk, and should it be uncovered, he will be hung, drawn and quartered as a traitor. And in her fever her Majesty dreams of fire, and on waking, comes to believe the only way to protect her country is with Greek Fire, the secret of which died with the Byzantines, but which she commissions her disappointed alchemist and scholar John Dee to rediscover. With the help of one of the Queen's women - Jane Frommond - Walsingham learns the depth and complexity of the plot to kill the Queen; Robert Beale falls violently in love and John Dee reluctantly rediscovers Greek Fire. But their enemy is cunning, and fate fickle. Beale's plot is uncovered, and the Greek Fire stolen, and the Queen's would be assassins evade capture, only to reappear, bent on inflicting a grisly death on Her Majesty. Only one man can stop them. John Dee"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Biographical fiction.; Historical fiction.; Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603; Dee, John, 1527-1608; Attempted assassination; Greek fire;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Jeanne du Barry. by Maïwenn,film director.; Lavernhe, Benjamin,actor.; Depp, Johnny,actor.; Maïwenn,actor.; Poupaud, Melvil,actor.; Greggory, Pascal,actor.; Richard, Pierre,actor.; Vertical Entertainment (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Benjamin Lavernhe, Johnny Depp, Maïwenn, Melvil Poupaud, Pascal Greggory, Pierre RichardOriginally produced by Vertical Entertainment in 2023.Jeanne du Barry follows Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a working-class woman determined to climb the social ladder, using her charms to escape her impoverished life. Her lover, the Comte du Barry (Melvil Poupaud), wishes to present her to King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) and orchestrates a meeting through the influential Duke of Richelieu (Pierre Richard). The encounter goes far beyond his expectations for it was love at first sight for the King and Jeanne. Through this ravishing courtesan, the king rediscovers his appetite for life and feels he can no longer live without her. Making Jeanne his last official mistress, scandal erupts as no one at Court will accept a girl from the streets into their rarified world.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Feature films.; Foreign films.; Motion pictures.; Drama.; Romance.; Motion pictures, French.; Historical drama.;
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