Books

The tale is told as if it's happening once upon a dream: the lovely maiden meets her handsome prince in the woods. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the maiden finds out that she is a princess-a princess who has been cursed by a dark fairy to prick her finger on a spindle and fall into an eternal sleep. Though her three good fairies try to protect her, the princess succumbs to the curse. But the power of good endures, as her true love defeats the fire-breathing dragon and awakens the princess with true love's first kiss. The two live happily ever after. And yet this is only half the story. So what of the dark fairy, Maleficent? Why does she curse the innocent princess? What led to her becoming so filled with malice, anger, and hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account, pulled down from the many passed down through the ages. It is a tale of love and betrayal, of magic and reveries. It is a tale of the Mistress of All Evil.

In Ted Talks Chris Anderson, head of TED, reveals the inside secrets of how to give a first-class presentation. Where books like Talk Like TED and TED Talks Storytelling whetted the appetite, here is the official TED guide to public speaking from the man who put TED talks on the world's stage. 'Nobody in the world better understands the art and science of public speaking than Chris Anderson. He is absolutely the best person to have written this book' Elizabeth Gilbert.

Stop summer slide! Stay summer smart! For kids who just finished Pre-K, this Common Core–aligned workbook will get you back-to-school ready for kindergarten, with hundreds of fun activities, exercises, and games. Learn all summer long with this personalized, interactive quest! Begin with a map that guides you through a workbook jam-packed with activities based on ABCs, phonics, vocabulary, counting, shapes, patterns, map skills, seasons, and more, with fun illustrations throughout. Once you complete an activity, get your stickers and track your progress on the map! Loved by kids, teacher-approved, and parent-trusted, this Summer Brain Quest Workbook also includes bonus challenges and stickers, outside activities, summer reading list, Brain Quest mini deck, and more. Also available: Brain Quest Workbooks (Pre-school through 6th Grade) and Brain Quest Decks (Pre-K through 6th-7th Grades).

Travel through the seasons with Polar Bear and Cub as they discover the world and the wonders within it. Although snow melts and leaves turn golden, Cub learns that a parent’s love will never change.

Rabbit loves adventure stories. Hedgehog loves happy endings. And Mouse and Fox love to read together. So when the friends discover a mysterious house full of books, it’s a dream come true. But – uh-oh! – these books belong to a very big bear

Early one morning, a funny noise wakes up Duck. It sounds like pshhh-pshh, and it comes from right under her bed. Duck is not quite sure what it is, and she is much too afraid to look...

When you were born, so precious and new, I searched high and low for a gift just for you. I give you the world, the bees buzzing by, The eagles that soar through the bright, sunny sky. The forests, the mountains, the oceans of blue – Each one of these wonders is waiting for you…

THE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER `A suspenseful epic' Daily Telegraph `A triumph' Financial Times `Heartbreaking' Mail on Sunday `Deeply moving' Sunday Times Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter...

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here. In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon "The Da Vinci Code," Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in a Maine town. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away