Among the Beasts & Briars

For fans of Shannon Hale, Adam Gidwitz, and Michael Buckley comes a luminous new twist on a tale readers only thought they knew. . . Once upon a time, there was a girl with golden locks. But that’s just the beginning of this tale. The real story begins with a bear. Ursula is a young she-bear who has come to work as a governess at the Vaughn estate. Although she is eager to instruct her young charge, Teddy, she is also frightened, especially when inexplicable things happen in the huge house after dark. Ursula is sure she has heard footsteps in the hallways at night, and that something is following her during her walks in the Enchanted Forest. Then there is Mr. Bentley, a young bear also employed by Mr. Vaughn, whose superior disposition is enough to drive Ursula to tears . . . and yet why does he also make her heart race? As Ursula works to unravel the mysteries of the Vaughn manor, she will have to be very, very careful. After all, true love, justice, and a girl with golden locks are at stake. And in the Enchanted Forest, not every fairy tale is destined for a happily ever after.

Showcasing artwork from both Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Magical Characters & Places and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Magical Creatures Coloring Books, this collection of 20 postcards is filled with intricate illustrations and dazzling designs from the film. This book of fantastic postcards, officially licensed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products, features a heavy card stock cover and enchanting black-and-white line art printed on heavy white paper with excellent opacity, ideal for coloring with markers, pencils, crayons, or paints, allowing readers to tap into their creative spirits for hours of entertainment and fun.

There are, roughly speaking, two distinct types of Scottish Fairy Tales. There are what may be called "Celtic Stories," which were handed down for centuries by word of mouth by professional story-tellers, who went about from clachan to clachan in the "Highlands and Islands," earning a night's shelter by giving a night's entertainment, and which have now been collected and classified for us by Campbell of Isla and others. These stories, which are also common to the North of Ireland, are wild and fantastic, and very often somewhat monotonous, and their themes are strangely alike. They almost always tell of some hero or heroine who sets out on some dangerous quest, and who is met by giants, generally three in number, who appear one after the other; with whom they hold quaint dialogues, and whom eventually they slay. Most of them are fairly long, and although they have a peculiar fascination of their own, they are quite distinct from the ordinary Fairy Tale. These latter, in Scotland, have also a character of their own, for there is no country where the existence of Spirits and Goblins has been so implicitly believed in up to a comparatively recent date. As a proof of this we can go to Hogg's tale of "The Wool-gatherer," and see how the countryman, Barnaby, voices the belief of his day. "Ye had need to tak care how ye dispute the existence of fairies, brownies, and apparitions! Ye may as weel dispute the Gospel of Saint Matthew." Perhaps it was the bleak and stern character of their climate, and the austerity of their religious beliefs which made our Scottish forefathers think of the spirits in whom they so firmly believed, as being, for the most part, mischievous and malevolent. Their Bogies, their Witches, their Kelpies, even their Fairy Queen herself, were supposed to be in league with the Evil One, and to be compelled, as Thomas of Ercildoune was near finding out to his cost, to pay a "Tiend to Hell" every seven years; so it was not to be wondered at, that these uncanny beings were dreaded and feared. But along with this dark and gloomy view, we find touches of delicate playfulness and brightness. The Fairy Queen might be in league with Satan, but her subjects were not all bound by the same law, and many charming tales are told of the "sith" or silent folk, who were always spoken of with respect, in case they might be within earshot, who made their dwellings under some rocky knowe, and who came out and danced on the dewy sward at midnight.

Story of Thea Kronborg, who rose from humble origins to the top of the opera world through her own hard work and the support of others.

Fans of The Ancient Magus' Bride are sure to love this in-depth guide to its story. Chapter-by-chapter notes provide insight into the author's intent and the world of the story, covering mythology, magic, and more. This handbook contains spoilers aplenty, and is meant to enhance the reading experience for the first three volumes of the series. If you're hoping for a deeper examination of the story of Elias and Chise, look no further!

Modern English Structures is a clear and accessible text that follows a structural approach to teaching basic English grammar. The book is divided into three parts: what a sentence constituent is, what a sentence constituent does, and where a sentence constituent goes—Form, Function, and Position. The objective of the book is to bring students to a better understanding of sentence constituents and sentence structures, providing them with appropriate terminology to discuss these forms and relationships. This second edition has been revised and updated throughout. The accompanying Modern English Structures Workbook parallels the text and provides useful training both in memorization and in higher-order thinking skills.

Sumptuous storytelling combines Sleeping Beauty with Jack and the Beanstalk in a magical exploration of prejudice, justice, and the meaning of true love. “I finished reading this novel with my jaw hanging open. A whole country is captive to one tyrant or another, but kids make alliances with kids, and rebellions are born. Everyone has to read this!” —Tamora Pierce, best-selling author of Mastiff Lady Briar is scorned for her appearance. Princess Rose is adored for her looks. Unbeknownst to them, one or both may bear a curse that only true love can break. But the girls have little time for curses anyway—along with their friend Jack, they are busy plotting the downfall of the evil giant who plagues their kingdom. But how can children succeed when the adults are afraid to even try? And what if the curse manifests? Whose love could be true enough to save the day?

This early work by James Joyce was originally published in 1939 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'Finnegans Wake' is a an experimental novel of comic fiction. James Joyce was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1882. He excelled as a student at the Jesuit schools Clongowes and Belvedere, and then at University College Dublin, where he studied English, French, and Italian. Joyce produced several prominent works, including: 'Ulysses', 'A Portrait of the Young Artist', 'Dubliners', and 'Finnegans Wake. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the early twentieth century and his legacy can be seen throughout modern literature.

This early work by Alfred Russel Wallace was originally published in 1908 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'My Life a Record of Events and Opinions' is an autobiography that details Wallace's experiences from schoolboy to scientist. It discusses his exploration of the Amazon, his lecture tour of America, and many other interesting periods of his life. Alfred Russel Wallace was born on 8th January 1823 in the village of Llanbadoc, in Monmouthshire, Wales. Wallace was inspired by the travelling naturalists of the day and decided to begin his exploration career collecting specimens in the Amazon rainforest. He explored the Rio Negra for four years, making notes on the peoples and languages he encountered as well as the geography, flora, and fauna. While travelling, Wallace refined his thoughts about evolution and in 1858 he outlined his theory of natural selection in an article he sent to Charles Darwin. Wallace made a huge contribution to the natural sciences and he will continue to be remembered as one of the key figures in the development of evolutionary theory.

Offers a month-by-month guide to the saints canonized or beatified from late 1999 to the end of 2003, with an overview of each saint's life and accomplishments.

Francois Rabelais (1494-1553) was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor and humanist. He is regarded as an avant-garde writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, dirty jokes and bawdy songs. As a doctor, he used his spare time to write and publish humourous pamphlets which were critical of established authority and stressed his own perception of individual liberty. His revolutionary works, although satirical, revealed an astute observer of the social and political events unfolding during the first half of the sixteenth century. Using the pseudonym Alcofribas Nasier, he published his first book, Pantagruel, that would be the start of his Gargantua series. Gargantua and Pantagruel tells the story of two giants - a father, Gargantua, and his son, Pantagruel - and their adventures, written in an amusing, extravagant, and satirical vein. His use of his native tongue was astoundingly original, lively, and creative. He introduced dozens of Greek, Latin, and Italian loan-words and direct translations of Greek and Latin compound words and idioms into French. He has influenced many modern writers and scholars. Aleister Crowley's writings heavily borrow from Rabelais themes.