Everything is going well in eleven-year-old Annie's ordered life - until she finds out that her ailing grandmother is coming to live with the family. A virtual stranger, her grandmother takes over Annie's room, smokes in the house, runs her mother ragged and turns Annie's whole world on end. Annie fights to stay afloat as her problems, both at home and at school, multiply. In an attempt to help her cope with the changes, Annie's parents enroll her in a local genealogical society where she grudgingly embarks on a journey to learn her family tree. In the process she discovers not only that her grandmother has a wealth of knowledge and stories about their shared family history, but that she was not always the angry old woman she seems to be....

Imagine being an interpreter of dreams in ancient Egypt.

What was the daily grind like for the ancient Egyptians? Imagine it's your job to carve elaborate tombs out of rock formations (it will take years to do) or man an army outpost in the extreme heat of the desert. You might have worked transporting some of the over 2 million stones for the Great Pyramid or engineered irrigation projects along the Nile. Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers offers an innovative look at the jobs that kept Ancient Egypt running for 3,000 years.

Among the 100 careers profiled you'll also find reed cutters (who worked naked), sandal makers (many went barefoot) and even embalmers (pulling out organs took special training). Whether prestigious or poor, Egyptians had to be tough, trustworthy, stealthy and skilled to get by.

Complete with a fact-filled introduction, a comprehensive timeline and playful illustrations throughout, Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers will inspire readers to imagine how they may have lived out their days as a member of one of history's most fascinating civilizations.

(20090515)...

Zach and Zoe start up 'Odd Jobs Unlimited' as a way to beat the summer doldrums, but just when their business begins to take off with a dogsitting job, bullying cousin Howie comes to stay. Juggling the needs of the pup and the demands of their cousin is difficult enough, but when household items start disappearing, the twins set out to solve the mystery.

...

Is Linda the victim of mistaken identity? (RL4.0) (20060623)...

Zee and his friends are angry that their old haunt has been replaced by stores that are off-limits to them and storekeepers who treat them with distrust. To let the merchants know what he and his friends think, Zee paints graffiti on the wall of the hardware store. After the wall is repainted, Zee decides to repeat the vandalism, but this time with more artistic flair. A store owner catches him in the act and threatens to call the police--unless Zee agrees to repair the damage....

Zee is torn between making a statement and making art. (RL3.2)...

Imagine being an interpreter of dreams in ancient Egypt.

What was the daily grind like for the ancient Egyptians? Imagine it's your job to carve elaborate tombs out of rock formations (it will take years to do) or man an army outpost in the extreme heat of the desert. You might have worked transporting some of the over 2 million stones for the Great Pyramid or engineered irrigation projects along the Nile. Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers offers an innovative look at the jobs that kept Ancient Egypt running for 3,000 years.

Among the 100 careers profiled you'll also find reed cutters (who worked naked), sandal makers (many went barefoot) and even embalmers (pulling out organs took special training). Whether prestigious or poor, Egyptians had to be tough, trustworthy, stealthy and skilled to get by.

Complete with a fact-filled introduction, a comprehensive timeline and playful illustrations throughout, Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers will inspire readers to imagine how they may have lived out their days as a member of one of history's most fascinating civilizations.

(20090515)...