Adventure
Black-and-white images follow one after another.
The story of an immigrant family alone in a big city.
Close-ups of a mother, a son -- faces filled with heartache and joy.
Plenty of action.
Excitement.
Melodrama.
A Silent Movie.
The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not.
There's trouble at Gray House, the girlhood home that Poppy left long ago. Poppy's family has called her back to save them all—mother, father, sisters and brothers, and dozens and dozens of deer mouse cousins. Poppy invites her rebellious son, Junior, to join her on the long trip across Dimwood Forest, hoping the journey will bring them closer together.
The I Witness books are accessible, action-packed, first-person historical narratives illustrated with primary source material -- period illustrations, photographs, and maps -- to make the history concrete and vivid.
Avon the snail has never had an adventure. And adventure, he has heard, is the key to a happy life. So with his new friend Edward the ant, Avon sets out on a journey to find the excitement his life has been missing.
The travelers meet all manner of wise, weird, and intriguing creatures--including a dragon!--and it's not long before their adventures begin.
Ragweed is so central a character in POPPY as well as in POPPY AND RYE, I needed to write a book about him so as to learn: how did he come to be the way he is? Where did he get that ring in his ear?
This is one of those stories that evolved out of someone else's story. Years ago I had a friend who told me how, when he was a boy and lived on the coast of New Jersey during the 1930's, time when it was illegal to buy or sell liquor, there were many smugglers. My friend's grandma used to lock him up in her seaside house when the smugglers came. She did not want her grandson to be hurt.
One day--when I was living in Connecticut--I was looking at a map of the state. On the southern coast I noticed a whole cluster of tiny islands--the Thimble Islands--which had wonderful names. Wouldn't it be fun--I thought--to sail about those islands?
Having finished the first three books in the series, it was perfectly clear I need to write one book about the favorite character, Ereth the Porcupine. It was a great deal of fun to write, because Ereth himself is so much fun. And yet, the story shows a whole new side of the grumpy fellow, and in so doing, rounds out the series in a very exciting way.
This story is based on something that really happened, the so-called. "D.B. Cooper case." The man stole some money, hijacked an airplane, then parachuted out of the plane with the money. My story is based on the notion that there was a boy on the ground who saw him jump from that plane. Exactly what the boy -- Jamie -- does makes for an exciting and unusual adventure.
