Books with author Andrea Smith

Casey Jones is best known for his work as a railroad engineer and for his dramatic death, which occurred when he was trying to stop his train—named Cannonball—in order to save lives. This volume details Casey Jones's life and the tragic railroad accident that catapulted him to fame. Illustrated and narrated through the graphic-novel format, this volume is an excellent tool for getting students interested in history and reading.

What do you get if you cross a magical cat, a grumpy lasagne, a mad scientist and a tap-dancing bat … with … a small boy, a sock puppet, a heroic blacksmith, a mysterious butler and about ten thousand rampaging aliens?Good question ... I'm not entirely sure. But, if you throw in a ghostly dog, a miserable tax collector and a genius young woman in a lab coat then the answer is obvious; what you get is this truly marvellous book! The Rise of the Foctopus (an Aldo's Cat adventure) is an awesome tale of science and magic ... and biscuits, in a race against time, evolution, gravity ... and tentacles. It starts one dark and stormy night when a hapless scientist accidentally creates THE FOCTOPUS, an amazing multi-coloured creature with a taste for steel bars and global conquest. Suddenly everything and everyone is in peril and the sounds of POP-POPPING tentacles are EVERYWHERE. Now, a boy, a cat and an unlikely band of heroes must battle to save the world and halt the almost unpronounceable Foctopocalypse. The Rise of the Foctopus is perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Andy Stanton ... or anyone else looking for a sparkling adventure sprinkled liberally with nonsense, strong female characters and a sarcastic cat.

Religious oppressors from the Brothers of Dawn have seized control of the realm and driven all non-human races into hiding. Fay is an Elven girl whose identity is kept secret, even from her. She discovers her adopted father is part of a secret resistance that plans to rescue a key member of their organization from the Brother’s of Dawn. When the attempt fails and her father is captured, Fayrinthia must set out on her own to rescue her father and defeat the Dawn before they succeed in their apocalyptic aims to destroy the world and have it reborn in the image of their god. Fayrinthia soon learns that she has a much bigger role in this than she realized. She discovers her true identity when she meets with her Elvish ancestors and learns that she is a child of prophecy. Only she has the power to stop the Brothers of Dawn and the birth of their evil god.

Jim Bowie, known for his famous knife and for his famous demise at the Alamo, lived a life full of adventure. From duels, land speculation schemes, and a hunt for the San Saba silver mines, his life was ready-made to become a legend. Readers will be fascinated by the facts about this American legend. The graphic illustrations lend to the action for a fun ride through history that young readers won't soon forget.

Jonah and his younger brother, Simon, are on their own. They set out to find what’s left of their family, carrying between them ten dollars, a backpack full of dirty clothes, a notebook, and a stack of letters from their brother, who is serving a tour in Vietnam. And soon into their journey, they have a ride. With a man and a beautiful girl who may be in love with Jonah. Or Simon. Or both of them. The man is crazy. The girl is desperate. This violent ride is only just beginning. And it will leave the brothers taking cover from hard truths about loyalty, love, and survival that crash into their lives. One more thing: The brothers have a gun. They’re going to need it.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba has always filled notebooks with the histories of his family and the narrative of his daily life, but his story takes an epic, dangerous turn when he and his best friend, Robby, accidently bring about the end of humanity by unleashing an unstoppable army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises on their small Iowa hometown. While struggling with their own confusing love triangle, the boys piece together the origin of the unstoppable soldiers from stories that have been locked away in an absurd underground bunker for decades.

The summer before Troy Stotts turns seventeen, his mother dies. Troy and his father barely speak, communicating instead by writing notes on a legal pad by the phone. Troy spends most of his time with his closest friends: Tom Buller, brash and fearless, the son of a drunk; Gabe Benavidez, smart enough to know he’ll never take over the family ranch; and Gabe’s sister, Luz, whose family overprotects her, and who Troy has loved since they were children. Troy and his friends don’t want trouble. They want this to be the summer of what Troy calls “ghost medicine,” when time seems to stop, so they won’t have to face the past or the future. But before the summer is over, their paths will cross in dangerous and fateful ways with people who will change their lives: Rose, a damaged derelict who lives with a flock of wild horses and goats; and Chase Rutledge, the arrogant sheriff’s son. Troy and his friends want to disappear. Instead, they will become what they least expect —brothers, lovers, heroes, and ghosts.

John Chapman is better known as Johnny Appleseed, but who was he, really? Did he really wear a pan on his head as a hat and travel the United States planting apple seeds? This unique biography explores the legend and the real man. The comic book-style illustrations help young people get a true flavor for what life might have been like for this memorable legendary figure.