Great Books

Colin Trevelyan, newly orphaned heir to his parents' fortune, is kidnapped in the night from his ancestral home and taken to the grim Broggin Home for Boys, where he is underfed, overworked, and destined for a short life in a deadly glass factory. This story "immediately hooks readers, who will gobble up this satisfying fare," says School Library Journal. "Fully realized Victorian melodrama that would make Dickens proud," says The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. A Junior Literary Guild selection and winner of the Mystery Writers of America EDGAR Award.

Although celebrated for her extraordinary studies of modern dance in the late 1920s and early thirties, Barbara Morgan enjoyed an artistic career that embraced a wide range of philosophical and aesthetic influences. Her studies of pioneering dancers such as Martha Graham, José Limón, Erik Hawkins, and Merce Cunningham capture the spirituality of a temporal art. She also combined photograms and light drawing to experiment with moving light patterns. A former painter, she used montage and manipulated imagery to express the visual and kinetic energy of New York City. Included in this volume are the finest examples of Morgan's work: dance photographs, photomontages, light drawings, and other works from a long, varied photographic career. In the accompanying essay, Deba P. Patnaik, photo-historian and Executive Director of the Willard & Barbara Morgan Foundation, provides an overview of the development of Morgan's career and insight into the beliefs that informed her work. Hardcover, 8 x 8 in./96 pgs

In this prequel to Claudia, aged eleven and in the sixth grade, Barbara Brooks Wallace introduces us to a Claudia aged nine and in the fourth grade. She and her best friends are like twins, even to the same number of scabs on their knees! But her friend leaves, the letters between them fade, and Claudia desperately looks for a replacement—in all the wrong places, it seems, until she realizes that the most unlikely person in the world might be what she’s been looking for! “Wallace has an easy way with dialogue and sure instinct for capturing kids’ personalities.” —School Library Journal

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.

What is the secret? In a grim tenement district of New York City, before the turn of the century, young Robin decides to take his baby brother, Danny, and escape from his brutal stepfather. Surviving on the street is no easy feat, until he discovers a place called St. Something, and joins up with the tough but loyal street boys who make St. Something their home. Robin knows he cannot hide forever -- but what he does not know is how many untold secrets lie before him, and how the answers lie with the most unlikely person....

In her three popular Claudia books, Barbara Brooks Wallace has created stories that have appealed to boys and girls alike. Misunderstood by her parents, snubbed by a former best friend, on the “outs” at school because of unjust rumors, and finally, forbidden by her family from playing with her only remaining friend, Claudia’s story comes to such a satisfying conclusion kids have written that they wish this would happen to them! “Funny all the way through—dialogue, situations, descriptions.”—Young Readers ReviewNLAPW Children’s Book AwardInternational Youth Library “Best of the Best”

An authentic memoir of Old China told through the clear eyes of a child of American parents. Sights and sounds are vividly remembered. A story filled with both humor and sometimes sadness. Highly unusual and completely original.

“…The mystery has plenty of snakes and twists as well as characters that step right off the pages.”—A Booklist Editor’s Choice Book “With a fine hand for Gothic embroidery and a nifty surprise conclusion that ties up all the loose ends, Wallace has delivered another very satisfying read.”—School Library Journal Winner of the Mystery Writers of America EDGAR AWARD

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.