There's not a shot fired until page 602 in Clancy's lumbering new thriller, and readers up on their history will know the outcome of that shot on page 17. What comes in between is a slow-moving but, given Clancy's astonishing flair for fly-on-the-wall writing, steadily absorbing imagining of the back story behind Mehmet Ali Agca's (real-life) failed attempt on the life of Pope John II in 1981.
To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig - she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. BOOM! CRACK! As the bed and its occupants slowly sink through the floor, Mercy escapes in a flash - "to alert the fire department," her owners assure themselves.
Welcome to the wry and endearing world of Mercy Watson - an ebullient new character for early chapter-book readers in a series that's destined to be a classic. A teacher guide is included.
BookFLIX reinforces early reading skills and introduces children to a world of knowledge and exploration. 10 nonfiction texts about science are presented in a flipbook format. The Read Along option can be activated to hear the text read aloud with word-by-word highlighting. In addition, key content vocabulary words are highlighted in yellow. Placing the cursor on the highlighted word will display its definition, and the ear icon can be clicked to hear the definition read aloud. This engaging resource for children in grades pre-K through 3 will help early readers develop and practice essential reading skills.
• A CD with a reading of the adapted story • Helpful notes on characters • Cultural and historical notes relevant to the plot • A glossary of the more difficult words
