Books with author Deborah Alcock

The Eastern sun was near its setting. Everywhere beneath its beams stretched out a vast, dreary campaign—pale yellowish brown—with low rolling hills, bare of vegetation. There was scarcely anything upon which the eye of man could rest with interest or satisfaction, except one little clump of plane trees, beside which a party of travellers had spread their tents. They had spent the day in repose, for they intended to spend the night in travelling; since, although summer was past and autumn had come, the heat was still great. The tent in the centre of the little encampment was occupied by an Englishman and his son, to whom all the rest were but guides, or servants, or guards. The Syrians, the Arabs, and the Turkish zaptiehs who filled these offices were resting from their labours, having tethered their horses under the trees. It was about time for them to be stirring now, to attend to the animals, to make the coffee, and to do other needful things in preparation for the journey. But they were used to wait for a signal from their master for the time being—Mr. Grayson, or Grayson Effendi, as they generally called him. Pending this, they saw no reason to shorten their repose, though a few of them sat up, yawned, and began to take out their tobacco pouches, and to employ themselves in making cigarettes. Presently, from the Effendi's own tent, a slight boyish form emerged, and trod softly through the rest. "Hohannes Effendi"—so the Turks and Arabs called him, as a kind of working equivalent for "Master John"—was a bright, fair-faced, blue-eyed English lad in his sixteenth year. He was dressed in a well-worn suit of white drill, and his head protected by a kind of helmet, with flaps to cover the cheeks and neck, since the glare reflected from the ground was almost as trying as the scorching heat above. Once beyond the encampment, he quickened his pace, and, fast and straight as an arrow flies, dashed on over the little hills due eastwards. For there, the Arabs had told him, "a bow shot off," "two stones' throw," "the length a man might ride while he said his 'La ilaha ill Allah!'"—ran the great river. Waking some two hours before from the profound sleep of boyhood, he had not been able to close his eyes again for the longing that came over him to look upon it. For this was "that ancient river," last of the mystic Four that watered the flowers of Eden, witness of ruined civilizations, survivor of dead empires, the old historic Euphrates. Not that all this was present to the mind of young John Grayson; but he had caught from his father, whose constant companion he was, a reflected interest in "places where things happened," which was transfigured by the glamour of a young imagination. On and on he went, for the wide, featureless, monotonous landscape deceived his eye, and the river was really much farther than he thought. He got amongst tall reeds, which sometimes hindered his view, though often he could see over them well enough—if there had been anything to see, except more reeds, mixed with a little rank grass—more low hills, and over all a cloudless, purple sky. The one point of relief was the dark spot in the distance, that meant, as he knew, the trees from which he had started. He thought two or three times of turning back, not from weariness, and certainly not from fear, except the fear that his father might wonder what had become of him. But, being a young Englishman, he did not choose to be beaten, and so he went on.

After years of planning, marine biologists Dom Marlin and Jake Sturgeon set off to explore Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean — the deepest ocean trench in the world in DK Adventures: Terrors of the Deep. Join them from pre-launch checks in the submersible Orion, to their encounters with great white sharks, big red jellyfish, a dumbo octopus and more, to the end of their journey, all while supported on the surface by a crew on the ship Andromeda. Discover what life is like 6,000 fathoms deep, plus learn about the history of submersibles, facts about megalodons, what coral reefs are made of, what zooplankton eat and more in DK Adventures: Terrors of the Deep. DK Adventures are an innovative mix of narrative and nonfiction for kids ages 8-11 featuring engaging, action-packed stories that help kids build their skills in vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and critical thinking while developing a love of reading. With diaries, recipes, poetry, instructions, graphics, or songs, the genre spreads in each DK Adventures title enhance the story and reinforce curriculum learning, while the expansive range of entertaining nonfiction subjects will appeal to boys and girls everywhere. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations with engaging, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge. With DK Readers, children will learn to read — and read to learn! Learn all about the Emperor penguins as they take care of their young and brave the elements.

A moving and heartbreaking story set during the Hamidian massacres (1894-1896). The story follows the journey of a young man who, having lost his father to malaria during their travels in the Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire, must now navigate his way in a dangerous world. What unfolds is a story of tragedy, faith and the extremes of the human spirit.Order By Far Euphrates now!

Dive, dive, dive! Travel beneath the ocean's surface and learn all about the amazing world of submarines in this Level 1 DK Reader. Submarines and Submersibles follows a team of scientists down to the ocean's depths in a vivid introduction to the world of underwater craft. Packed with full-color photographs, lively illustrations, and engaging, age-appropriate stories to introduce young children to a life-long love of reading. These amazing stories are guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills. Perfect for reading together!

All aboard with Train Travel! This Level 1 DK Reader traces the developments of steam engines, from the earliest trains to today's speedy vehicles. With short sentences and simple vocabulary, as well as strong visual clues, DK Readers: Train Travel is perfect for children just beginning to learn to read.Level 1 DK Readers are read-together stories for children just beginning to learn to read. These stories use short simple sentences, simple vocabulary, word repetition, and large type to facilitate learning. Strong visual clues, together with special picture dictionary boxes, are also used to help children with new words in these lively stories featuring characters and topics that are familiar to young children.DK Readers are packed with full-color photographs, lively illustrations, and engaging, age-appropriate stories to introduce young children to the natural world and encourage a life-long love of reading. The amazing stories are guaranteed to capture a child's interest while developing reading skills and general knowledge.

Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations with engaging, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge. With DK Readers, children will learn to read — and read to learn! March, build, swarm! Learn all about the wonderful world of ants and their complex colonies!

Something strange is happening to Evie, a girl already troubled by the mysterious deaths of her parents. Other worlds exist after all, and many are under the control of Agathe, the ruthless leader of OPOL. Evie discovers she is a naquant, a natural quantum traveller able to transport across the net to undo actions that have disrupted the natural order. She has no real idea what she is doing, or even where she is most of the time. But if monstrous apparitions, mind control and prolonged terror are anything to go by, she’s had enough already. Life is never that simple though, not with Agathe around. She wants Evie's energy and will stop at nothing to get it, aided by her menacing accomplice Emil. Can Evie evade capture and restore the flow of life?