Noble House

The setting is Hong Kong, 1963. The action spans scarcely more than a week, but these are days of high adventure: from kidnapping and murder to financial double-dealing and natural catastrophes–fire, flood, landslide. Yet they are days filled as well with all the mystery and romance of Hong Kong–the heart of Asia–rich in every trade…money, flesh, opium, power.

The First Collier (Guardians of Ga'hoole, Book 9)

By Kathryn Lasky

It is a time of Legends and a time of chaos. Warlords vie for power and marauding outlaws roam the land. Good King Hrath and his queen, Siv, noble Spotted Owls struggle to keep peace in their kingdom. Grank, noble Spotted Owl, friend and supporter of King Hrath, has exiled himself to Beyond the Beyond, where he has developed his firesight and learns how to work with embers, fire and how to forge metals. He is the First Collier. Deep in a volcano in the farthest reaches of Beyond the Beyond, he discovers a magical Ember but fears its awful powers will be misused and hides it again.

Japanese Gods and Myths

The gods and myths of Japan embrace Shinto and Buddhist traditions, as well as popular agricultural-based folk beliefs. With a pantheon of noble heroes, such as Yamato-takeru, and more than eight million gods, Japanese mythology is extremely complex.

They were the wealthiest members of society -- a group who reported to their king and ruled over their serfs. In The Noble, students will delve into the nobility of the Middle Ages, exploring the castles that served as both fortification and living space for the noble family, while taking in the personal effects and food that demonstrated a noble’s affluence.

Junior Grades (4-6), Intermediate Grades (7-8) (JI)

This companion to Shakespeare’s poems, problem comedies and late plays contains original essays on Troilus and Cressida, Measure for Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well, “Venus and Adonis”, “The Rape of Lucrece”, and “The Sonnets”, as well as Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline, The Tempest, and The Two Noble Kinsmen.