"I can do this. I can do this."
Home World: Jakku
Occupation: Scavenger
Affiliation: Resistance
Family: Unknown
Cinder by
The #1New York TimesBestselling Series! Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future. Marissa Meyer onCinder, writing, and leading men Which of your characters is most like you? I wish I could say that I'm clever and mechanically-minded like Cinder, but no—I can't fix anything. I'm much more like Cress, who makes a brief cameo in Cinder and then takes a more starring role in the third book. She's a romantic and a daydreamer and maybe a little on the naïve side—things that could be said about me too—although she does find courage when it's needed most. I think we'd all like to believe we'd have that same inner strength if we ever needed it. Where do you write? I have a home office that I've decorated with vintage fairy tale treasures that I've collected (my favorite is a Cinderella cookie jar from the forties) and NaNoWriMo posters, but sometimes writing there starts to feel too much like work. On those days I'll write in bed or take my laptop out for coffee or lunch. If you were stranded on a desert island, which character fromCinder would you want with you? Cinder, definitely! She has an internet connection in her brain, complete with the ability to send and receive comms (which are similar to e-mails). We'd just have enough time to enjoy some fresh coconut before we were rescued. The next book in the Lunar Chronicles is calledScarlet, and is about Little Red Riding Hood. What is appealing to you most about this character as you work on the book? Scarlet is awesome—she's very independent, a bit temperamental, and has an outspokenness that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. She was raised by her grandmother, an ex-military pilot who now owns a small farm in southern France, who not only taught Scarlet how to fly a spaceship and shoot a gun, but also to have a healthy respect and appreciation for nature. I guess that's a lot of things that appeal to me about her, but she's been a really fun character to write! (The two leading men in Scarlet, Wolf and Captain Thorne, aren't half bad either.)
Desert Survival by
Key features: - High-interest topic - Content that supports the science curriculum - How plants, animals, and people adapt to extreme environments - Amazing facts about each environment - Survival Tips focus boxes - Maps, diagrams, and tables. Special Features: - Maps - Charts and Diagrams - Full-color labeled photographs - Focus boxes - Sources of further information
Flygirl by
All Ida Mal Jones wants to do is fly. Ida's daddy was a pilot, and when he took her flying, she never want to come down again. But after his death, the sky is off-limits to a young black woman such as herself. When America enters World War II, the Army forms the WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilots-and Ida has a chance to join, if she's willing to use her light skin to pass as a white girl. She want to fly more than anything, but Ida soon learns that denying one's identity and family is a heavy burden. Can she fulfil her dream with losing herself? 'This breakthrough title adds a new story to the shelves of World War II books. The details . . . are exciting, but tougher than any flight maneuver are Ida Mae's . . . feelings that culminate in an unforgettable climax.' -Booklist, starred review 'It was hard not to find myself cheering Ida Mae on. Hard not to get an itch to fly after reading this. Sherri Smith is a truly talented writer and Flygirlis a wonderful story.' -JACQUELINE WOODSON, Three-time Newbery Honor-Winning author The Washington Post Best Kid's Books of the Year
Holes by
A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. There is no lake - it has been dry for over a hundred years - and it's hardly a camp. As punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed. The warden claims that this pointless labor builds character, but she is really using the boys to dig for loot buried by the Wild West outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow. The story of Kissin' Kate, and of a curse put on Stanley's great-great-grandfather by a one-legged gypsy, weaves a narrative puzzle that tangles and untangles, until it becomes clear that the hand of fate has been at work in the lives of the characters - and their forebears - for generations. With this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has written his best book to date. Holes is a 1998 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and the winner of the 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the 1999 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Fiction and the 1999 Newbery Medal.
The Jerrie Mock Story: The First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World by
"The Jerrie Mock Story is the rewarding tale of a feisty woman who not only followed her dream, but made it happen." -- Dorothy S. Cochrane, curator, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum In this biography for middle-grade readers, Nancy Roe Pimm tells the story of Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world. In her trusty Cessna, The Spirit of Columbus--also known as Charlie--she traveled from Columbus, Ohio, on an eastward route that totaled nearly twenty-three thousand miles and took almost a month. Overcoming wind, ice, mechanical problems, and maybe even sabotage, Mock persevered. Mock caught the aviation bug at seven years old, when she rode in a Ford Trimotor plane with her parents. In high school, she displayed a talent for math and science, and she was the only woman in her aeronautical engineering classes at Ohio State University. Although she then settled into domestic life, she never lost her interest in flying. What began as a joking suggestion from her husband to fly around the world prompted her to pursue her childhood dream. But the dream became a race, as another woman, Joan Merriam Smith, also sought to be the first to circle the globe. Even though Mock beat Smith and accomplished what her heroine Amelia Earhart had died trying to do, her feat was overshadowed by the Vietnam War and other world events. Now, Pimm introduces Mock to a new generation of adventurers.
Recycle This Book by
With essays from renowned children’s book authors such as Ann Brashares, Jeanne DuPrau, Caroline B. Cooney, Laurie Halse Anderson, Bruce Coville, Gennifer Choldenko, and over 100 others, each piece is an informative and inspiring call to kids of all ages to understand what’s happening to the environment, and to take action in saving our world. Helpful tips and facts are interspersed throughout. This book will be a great classroom tool to teach young readers how they can help to make the Earth a greener place.
Ship Breaker by
In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . . In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.
The Force Awakens by
The definitive guide to the characters, droids, aliens, and creatures of Star Wars: The Force Awakens(tm). Beautiful photography and clear, authoritative text by Lucasfilm insider Pablo Hidalgo names and explains all the details of costumes, weapons, and accessories. Includes three exclusive, specially commissioned cutaway models produced by Industrial Light & Magic model maker John Goodson.
Rey's Survival Guide by
Complete with stories, secrets, and insights, this guide will immerse readers in the world of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Discover what you need to survive the hostile planet, Jakku. What secrets lurk in the ship graveyard? What do you want to salvage? What should you avoid to stay alive? Includes gatefolds with exclusive artifacts including starship schematics and more! Honored as a Finalist in the 2016 International Book Awards in the Best Interior Design category.