Books with author David Boyle

Deep below the White House in Washington, D.C., there is a top-secret room that houses the Worldwide Wonderdog Web Headquarters. In this busy hub of operations, Milo the Wonderdog and his able assistant, Winston, scan the globe, searching for any potholes in the road of time. Whenever their amazing machines detect one of these potholes, they enlist the aid of a child to travel back in time and make things right.In this adventure, they send 11-year-old Donny Beck hurtling back to the 1400s for a meeting with Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest adventurers and scientists of all time. Leonardo is having trouble getting his flying machine off the ground, and it's up to Donny to help him. If he doesn't succeed, it will change the history of aviation. Will Donny and Leonardo discover the secret of flight? Milo (the masterful black-and-white sheltie) and Winston (the inventive pug) can only watch and wait -- and hope for the best.

Nicholas Sparks is a "normal" fourteen-year-old who likes rock music and sports. The only problem is that something has caused him to commit a terrible act that has changed his life forever. His psychiatrist thinks she can help him, but she doesn't know the dark secret that Nicholas is carrying... Every reader will be affected by the twists and turns which Nicholas experiences as he is propelled toward a revelation that will either save him or have terrible consequences. Told through a series of interviews, reports, and letter, this challenging novel is one that the reader will find difficult to put down until the end.Nominated for Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award 1994 Canadian Children's Book Centre "Best Choice!" • Review - Canada Schoolnet "In Looking for a Hero, David Boyd presents us with Nicholas, a character burdened with a deep secret that is gradually revealed through the efforts of the physician assigned to his case. Through a series of interview transcripts, reports and letters, we learn that Nicholas has been referred for psychiatric assessment following a terrible act. The author skillfully leads the reader through a series of twists and turns, to confront a scenario that is as tragic as it is thought-provoking. Although the crime is dreadful, we come to a fuller understanding of the motivation, as well as a fuller realization of what it is to be, or to have, a hero. Looking for a Hero is a contemporary novel that kept this reviewer hooked right to the end."

Paul is 15 and a survivor. His psychiatrist believes he can help Paul deal with the terrible images he has locked inside his mind in the aftermath of his best friend’s shooting rampage in his high school. Writing in his journal, Paul’s struggle to make sense of what happened reveals the depth of feeling in adolescent friendships, the far-reaching effects of angst and anger, and the havoc caused by a friend’s betrayal.

Zaki is a long distance runner. But now he’s in the care of his psychiatrist who believes that his patient can only come to grips with the terrible events in which he was involved by writing about them. Slowly, reluctantly, Zaki begins to open up and examine his life, family, and friendships…especially his relationship with Deon. Zaki’s journal is a fascinating account of adolescent friendships, the struggle for individuality, and tragic loss.

Fifteen-year-old MacKenzie Kuper finds relief from his troubled relationship with his stepfather via the Internet. "MacKid," as he calls himself, meets "2Cool" in cyberspace, and the two quickly become good friends. Unfortunately, events from the past and the present propel the boys into their own life-and-death situations. Told through a series of interviews, reports, letters, memos, and cyberchat, this book will keep readers enthralled as they follow Mac through his painful journey to maturity. Second in the trilogy which began with the award-winning Looking For A Hero.Nominated for the Governor-General's Literary Award: Children's Text 1996 Nominated for the Blue Heron Award 1996 Canadian Children's Book Centre "Best Choice!" • Review - The Globe & Mail "Boyd unravels a psychological mystery of great complexity. It is a bravura performance that also encompasses numerous contemporary issues without ever becoming an 'issue' novel. The paradox of Bottom Drawer is that a novel with what seems like a case of attention-deficit disorder, a novel of bits and bytes, can move with such steadiness and grace towards its very satisfying resolution. As a novel, it is daring and deep. Bravo." • Review - The Toronto Star "...a powerful, sophisticated book..."

Thorfinn the Viking is found guilty of murder in Beware the Vikings. He is sent abroad as an outlaw. He says goodbye to his son Snorri, and sets sail with his band of loyal men. But things do not work out as he plans These highly motivating, action-packed visual texts will excite young readers. TreeTops Graphic Novels offer a different kind of reading challenge to engage 7-11 year olds. These historically-themed stories contain links to real events and non-fiction pages to give context and purpose to reading. The thought-provoking topics make these stories ideal for encouraging discussion and drama. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.

In a new book for readers ages 9 and up, author David Boe offers an exciting first-hand account of finding a pirate's treasure while spending a year abroad studying at a French University. Along the way, we meet a number of historical figures, both real and imagined. A curious blend of fact and fiction, this unusual and exciting story has captivated both kids and adults.From the author himself, here's the story of how the book came about:Last year I had an unusual inspiration for Christmas gift to my two young nieces (aged six and eight) who live near me here Portland, Oregon. I as at a Goodwill store, where someone had ingeniously placed large quantities of costume jewelry into glass containers (such a vase or a small goldfish aquarium) sealed with plastic wrap to offer for sale.I immediately wanted to give a set of jewels to my nieces for Christmas, figuring that to the eyes of a six or eight year old girl, the bounty of jewels would look like a King's ransom. This, in turn inspired an origin story for the treasure. Rather than give each girl a whole "aquarium" full of jewels, bracelets, rings and earrings, etc, I bought two very nice fancy crystal goblets (unmatched, of course) that were also abundantly available at Goodwill. These would make excellent containers for the jewels. I took the jewels home and sterilized them in a solution of rubbing alcohol, removing anything that was obviously too modern to fit my story (such a a Portland Trailblazer charm bracelet) and wrapped up the presents for the girls. Just as I'd hoped, my nieces were completely enchanted to receive such a treasure. For me, however, the best was yet to come, as I had another surprise up my sleeve.In telling the story of how I found the jewels, I made certain that there were two particular dates that figured prominently: August 3 and August 26. These happen to be the birthdays of my two nieces.The story starts in France more than thirty years ago. I meet an elderly man who tells me a fantastic tale with an unusual clue that he himself has tried to solve for virtually his entire life. He passes the clue on to me to solve, and through some very good luck and a couple of coincidences, I actually do find an amazing treasure that dates all the way back to the 12th century!Back in the present day, on that Christmas, after the girls opened their presents, they both begged to hear how I had found such an amazing treasure. They sat on my lap and listened in rapt attention, eager to hear every word. The best part of the story for me was when I got to the part where I revealed the dates. I said, "The day I met Monsieur Roger was a day I will never forget. It was August 3rd, 1981.”At that, my niece Anne got a very strange look on her face, and half whispered in a truly awestruck voice: "That's my birthday!" Later, near the end of my story, on the day I actually find the treasure, the tension builds from moment to moment as I work feverishly in a dark forest, digging by flashlight long after dark. When I open the treasure chest for the very first time, I pause to look at my watch to reveal that it is now past midnight, on August 26th. At that point, my other niece, Marie, gasped and said, "Why, that's MY birthday!" And the two little girls squealed in delight at the amazing coincidence. Their delight and their personal attachment to the story was the best present I could receive.After I finished telling the story, both girls begged me to write it down. I promised that I would, and the original publication date was August 3, 2013, the date of Anne's 9th birthday; a special birthday present.All of the characters and places in the book are based on real people and places. (The magnificent library of Poitiers is actually based on a library located in the US.) There is one character who also represents the famous skull and crossbones figure of the Jolly Roger found on pirate flags. Can you figure out who it is?

Fifteen-year-old MacKenzie Kuper finds relief from his troubled relationship with his stepfather via the Internet. "MacKid", as he calls himself, meets "2Cool" in cyberspace, and the two quickly become good friends. Unfortunately, events from the past and the present propel the boys into their own life-and-death situations. Told through a series of interviews, reports, letters, memos and cyberchat.

The famous writer Christopher Marlowe does secret work as the Queen's spy in The Hidden Message. But when the young actor Jasper Kyd decides to take revenge against his boss, William Shakespeare, things get complicated and dangerous... These highly motivating, action-packed visual texts will excite young readers. TreeTops Graphic Novels offer a different kind of reading challenge to engage 7-11 year olds. These historically-themed stories contain links to real events and non-fiction pages to give context and purpose to reading. The thought-provoking topics make these stories ideal for encouraging discussion and drama. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. The books are finely levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book.

When Wordsworth Doyle and Jessica Redd explore the old abandoned Chamberlain mansion, they don't expect to find someone still living there. But there is - a ghost! Sebastian, the ghost of a nine-year-old boy, is bound to the mansion by a magic spell and he desperately needs their help. But Sebastian isn't the only one with a serious problem. Jess' friend, Angelina, a young emigrant from Nicaragua, is worried about her father who is being held in his country for his outspoken views on the government. There is one key which will solve everyone's problems, but Wordsy and Jess will have to face something very dangerous if they want to find it. Especially recommended for boys and girls from ages 9 through 12.