Barbara Brooks

Emily Luccock thought the worst was behind her; she had survived the horrors of Sugar Hill Hall and been reunited with her beloved Aunt and Uncle Twice. Now she is devastated to be left at Mrs. Spilking's Select Academy while her aunt and uncle sail for India. But nothing can top Emily's misery once she spies the dreary school, icy Mrs. Spilking, and, once again, a bowl of tantalizing yet forbidden peppermints!Emily tries to keep her spirits up while counting the days until she can rejoin Aunt and Uncle Twice. But she soon realizes her aunt and uncle have all but forgotten her, and, worse, Mrs. Spilking's behavior grows increasingly cruel -- and suspicious. Can Emily discover what's going on at the dreadful school before her future is destroyed forever?

Belonging to the V.I.G.'s and B.'s—the Very Important Girls and Boys—is the ultimate achievement in Lizabeth's sixth-grade class. Of course, being a V.I.G. or B. has a price. It often means being something she isn't or saying things she doesn't mean. But the price doesn't seem too high—until she comes to know a boy who for no accountable reason has become a class outcast. When Lizabeth's friendship with him grows, she finds her loyalties torn, trying to keep the secret friendship from the V.I.G.'s and B.'s.NLAPW Children's Book Award.

"Weaving together information from official sources and personal interviews, Barbara Tomblin gives the first full-length account of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in the Second World War. She describes how over 60,000 army nurses, all volunteers, cared for sick and wounded American soldiers in every theater of the war, serving in the jungles of the Southwest Pacific, the frozen reaches of Alaska and Iceland, the mud of Italy and northern Europe, or the heat and dust of the Middle East. Many of the women in the Army Nurse Corps served in dangerous hospitals near the front lines -- 201 nurses were killed by accident or enemy action, and another 1,600 won decorations for meritorious service. These nurses address the extreme difficulties of dealing with combat and its effects in World War II, and their stories are all the more valuable to women's and military historians because they tell of the war from a very different viewpoint than that of male officers. Although they were unable to achieve full equality for American women in the military during World War II, army nurses did secure equal pay allowances and full military rank, and they proved beyond a doubt their ability and willingness to serve and maintain excellent standards of nursing care under difficult and often dangerous conditions.

How, Amelia wonders, could four short months have such a wonderful beginning and such a grim and terrible ending? Why must she now find herself riding to the docks of London en route to a strange new life in America, seated beside the stone-faced, bloodless, tight-lipped woman in the grim black hat? “The plot twists and turns at an alarming rate in the is story of dastardly crimes and firm friendships, and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun…” says Booklist in its starred review. A Junior Library Guild book, and Mystery Writers of America EDGAR nominee.

This digital document, covering the life and work of Barbara Brooks Wallace, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3861 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information: Place and date of birth and death (if deceased) Family members Education Professional associations and honors Employment Writings, including books and periodicals A description of the author's work References to further readings about the author

One of the lesser known stories of the Civil War is the role played by escaped slaves in the Union blockade along the Atlantic coast. From the beginning of the war, many African American refugees sought avenues of escape to the North. Due to their sheer numbers, those who reached Union forces presented a problem for the military. The problem was partially resolved by the First Confiscation Act of 1861, which permitted the seizure of property used in support of the South's war effort, including slaves. Eventually regarded as contraband of war, the runaways became known as contrabands. In Bluejackets and Contrabands, Barbara Brooks Tomblin examines the relationship between the Union Navy and the contrabands. The navy established colonies for the former slaves and, in return, some contrabands served as crewmen on navy ships and gunboats and as river pilots, spies, and guides. Tomblin presents a rare picture of the contrabands and casts light on the vital contributions of African Americans to the Union Navy and the Union cause.

This is a story about furkens, descendants of a branch of genus elf, who have lost their elfin powers of being able to vanish and now hide fearfully in human houses. They are sadly often mistaken for mice, although don’t smell like mice. They smell like warm apricot jam! They are “endearing, fully developed creatures,” says Horn Book. ALA Booklist adds, “A tale that will have readers clamoring for a sequel.”

Nineteen months before the D-day invasion of Normandy, Allied assault forces landed in North Africa in Operation TORCH, the first major amphibious operation of the war in Europe. Under the direction of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, AUS, Adm. Andrew B. Cunningham, RN, Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN, and others, the Allies kept pressure on the Axis by attacking what Winston Churchill dubbed "the soft underbelly of Europe." The Allies seized the island of Sicily, landed at Salerno and Anzio, and established a presence along the coast of southern France. With Utmost Spirit takes a fresh look at this crucial naval theater of the Second World War. Barbara Brooks Tomblin tells of the U.S. Navy’s and the Royal Navy’s struggles to wrest control of the Mediterranean Sea from Axis submarines and aircraft, to lift the siege of Malta, and to open a through convoy route to Suez while providing ships, carrier air support, and landing craft for five successful amphibious operations. Examining official action reports, diaries, interviews, and oral histories, Tomblin describes each of these operations in terms of ship to shore movements, air and naval gunfire support, logistics, countermine measures, antisubmarine warfare, and the establishment of ports and training bases in the Mediterranean. Firsthand accounts from the young officers and men who manned the ships provide essential details about Mediterranean operations and draw a vivid picture of the war at sea and off the beaches.