Books with author Des Thompson

"Do you know how they make swords, Peter?" Ms. Val asked. "It takes a lot of heat and a lot of hammering. That's the only way to turn rocks into steel… The fire is hot and the hammer is heavy. Let it shape you into the young man I know you can be. Fight the loneliness and despair. Rise up and be a leader, Peter Pomperfield." Peter knew it was going to be a difficult year from the very moment he met his fifth grade teacher, Mr. Grendelsen. The many hours of after school detention and endless homework were only the beginning. Mr. Grendelsen's hatred for Peter caused him to lose his friends and the companionship of the elves and gnomes. But when Mr. Grendelsen holds the class hostage Peter must set aside his doubts and help the class survive. Once considered an outcast, Peter's classmates now look to him as their leader and the only person who can break the siege. Peter Pomperfield and the Siege of Fair Oak Elementary brilliantly mixes human emotion with legend and myth. Peter, Molly and all the beloved characters from Battle for Grandma's House return to help face crazy teachers, bitter forest gnomes, gypsies, ogres, wargs, hermits and a mysterious group called the Death Choosers. Readers of all ages will enjoy the way the Peter Pomperfield series combines elements of fantasy with the everyday world, creating a magical environment that is both familiar and unexpected. The adventure concludes by setting the stage for the next book, Peter Pomperfield and the War for Camp Willalacky.

THE NEXT GREAT FANTASY SERIESAN ADVENTURE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILYPeter Pomperfield thought he was going to have a boring summer when he and his sister, Molly, are sent to spend the summer at their grandmother's house. The children soon discover, however, that things are not what they seem and find themselves in the middle a feud between gnomes and elves. When evil basement trolls attack the housd, Peter and Molly must end their own feud and convince the elves and gnomes to fight together in the “Battle for Grandma’s House” (Book One).The Peter Pomperfield series continues with “Siege of Fair Oak Elementary” (Book Two) and “War for Camp Willalacky” (Book Three). A prequel novella entitled “Journey of a Couch Gnome” is also available.

he Dark Eve returns to the high seas and the notorious Captain Acantha struggles with how to move forward. After Acantha’s capture by the witch in Woodmor and the lives lost, she becomes consumed with a revengeful road. While working to recover, Acantha finds a fortuneteller who reveals the path she must travel. The soothsayer points to an ancient lost treasure, The Golden Catacombs, which hold the secrets of her past and future. During their journey the conjurer strikes again. Acantha is seize by the witch’s spell repeatedly through their travels throwing her back into the haunted past to thwart her progress. The obstacles seem overwhelming, especially with the dark power lurking uncontrollably inside and Acantha finds deciding who lives and dies hard to govern. Acantha discovers they are all trapped in a curse and until it is broken, she is an instrument, and her family is leverage.

A COMING OF AGE ADVENTURE THE SERIES GETS BIGGER AND BETTER After failing to stop Ms. Val from collecting the three ancient boxes, Peter must race to find the fourth. If he fails, the evil witch Norgana will return to consume the world in war. But the journey to Mount Massive will not be easy. Wargs, goblins and the Three-Fingered Cowboy stand in his way. With his friends by his side and a host of enemies before him, Peter Pomperfield embarks on a journey that will take him to the height of mountains and the depth of darkness. Along the way he must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice; the lives of his friends, the girl he loves or his own integrity. War for Camp Willalacky is the third book in the Peter Pomperfield Series and follows the events of Siege of Fair Oak.

This A-Z directory of sharks features 46 of the most astonishing marine creatures. Packed with information such as weight, size, reproduction, speed, number of teeth, and danger level to humans, the entries also include geographical distribution and beautiful photographs. Featuring the larger sharks, from the most enormous – the whale shark – to the most deadly – the great white, Sharks is packed with amazing statistics and shark facts.

Young Audim Basile hates life dominated by his cold, controlling father. But his dreams of fortune and adventure are turned upside down when he runs off to weigh anchor with the toughest, most barbaric band of pirates the criminal underworld has ever known. Together with their dark, mysterious female captain, Acantha – who’ll run her sword through anyone who looks at her the wrong way – Basile and his fellow swashbuckling bandits sail the globe, fighting hordes of terrifying supernatural creatures that would make even the hardiest buccaneer quake with fear. Together with his newfound crew mates, Basile must help with finding Acantha’s sister – who’s been missing for over a year – while being consumed with trying to solve the mystery of Acantha’s illusive past – before the evil Wraith King sends all of them to a premature watery grave. Will Basile survive the fiercest test of his young life? Will Acantha sacrifice her own ship and crew (including young Basile) just to save her sister? Will young Basile come to terms with the price of the high-seas way of life and fortune? In her stunning debut novel, T.K. Thompson launches readers on the most exhilarating ocean journey since Pirates of the Caribbean. Only time will tell if Acantha, Basile, and their hardy shipmates will live to tell this heart-stopping tale and fight another day.

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark delves into the economics and psychology of the contemporary art world – artists, dealers, auction houses, and wealthy collectors. If it’s true – as so often said – that 85 percent of new contemporary art is bad, why were record prices achieved at auction for works by 131 contemporary artists in 2006 alone, with astonishing new heights reached in 2007? The $12 Million Stuffed Shark explores money, lust, and the self-aggrandizement of possession in an attempt to determine what makes a particular work of art valuable while others are ignored. In the style of the bestselling Freakonomics, Thompson uses economic concepts to explain the unique practices employed, to great success, in the international contemporary art market. He discusses branding and marketing and how various strategies are tailored to a wealthy clientele, driving a "must-have" culture. Drawing on exclusive interviews with both past and present executives of auction houses and art dealerships, artists, and the buyers who move the market, Thompson launches the reader on a surprising journey of discovery.From the Hardcover edition.