Books with author Don Dennis

Possibly the most extensive and entertaining book about the Space Race yet published. Follows the evolution of space flight from the V2 rocket through to the first landing on the moon by Apollo 11. Now includes:Book One: First into Orbit and Book Two: First to the MoonDid you know that the US Government prevented Wernher von Braun from launching a satellite a year before Sputnik? Or that one of his engineers had a satellite hidden in the trunk of his car, just waiting for an opportunity? That mousetrap springs were used in the Vanguard rocket to save costs? What stopped Khrushchev's plan to put a man in orbit in 1958 and allow him to die there?At the end of WW2 the US Army captured the German V-2 rocket research centre at Peenemunde just weeks ahead of the Soviets. Within days they'd stripped the site and shipped train loads of rocket components to the United States. Their most valuable prize however, was Wernher von Braun, head of the German V-2 program, and his team of scientists. Along with thousands of vital documents, this group was flown to America to work in an Army research facility at El Paso, New Mexico.When Peenemunde was handed over to the Soviets as part of the allied post war agreement, they found the cupboard literally bare. It was up to Sergei Korolev, head designer for Soviet rocket research, to examine what was left and re-create the V-2's design. Leading a team of Soviet and captured German scientists, within a year they'd built a Russian version of the V-2, and the race for missile supremacy with the United States had begun.Book One - First Into Orbit - describes the competition between the USA and the Soviet Union up to the launch of Sputnik, Explorer and Vanguard. It also follows the careers of the men behind both nation's rocket research programs - Wernher von Braun and Sergei Korolev.Fear gripped America when the Soviets developed the A Bomb years ahead of predictions, making way for a climate of paranoia when senator McCarthy began his Communist witch-hunt and a civil defence program tried to convince the population that there was no need to be afraid of the "bomb". The somewhat tragic-comedy "Duck and Cover" campaign is described, along with links to the video productions used to educate the youth of the era.It took the launching of Sputnik 1 in October 1957, to shake the Americans out of their complacency, only for them to realize they'd been eclipsed by the Russians. Panic gripped the nation as Sputnik 1 orbited, and a month later Sputnik 2, containing the dog Laika, caused a public outcry. America, that bastion of freedom and supposed world leader in technology had been outclassed by "a nation of potato farmers".After the first attempt by the US to orbit their Vanguard satellite ended in an embarrassing explosion on the pad, von Braun was given the go ahead. In less than 90 days, his team orbited Explorer.Book Two - First to the Moon - takes you through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, and the Soviet, Vostok, Soyuz and Salyut programs, up to the landing on the moon by Apollo 11.This section includes radio transcripts from several of the Apollo missions including Apollo 11. It also reveals the desperate last minute attempts by the Soviets to upstage Apollo 11 with their N1 moon rocket and their Luna 15 robot probe.The Great Space Race covers one of the most exciting periods of world history, an era when the true spirit of adventure was alive in America and the world respected them for it.

Enter the heart of the sinister City... One year has passed since Roan, Alandra, and the children escaped from the Brothers. Now, in the haven they call Newlight, Alandra has begun traveling the Dreamfield with the children, exploring their potential. But when the children mysteriously fall into life-threatening comas, Roan and Lumpy set off to find a cure. The remedy may lie in the hands of Roan’s lost sister, Stowe. But Stowe, now the icon of the City, has become obsessed with her growing powers—powers that threaten to overwhelm and transform her into a destructive, vindictive force. Through the lens of a dramatic, futuristic saga, Freewalker continues the stunning look at loss and revenge that began with The Dirt Eaters. In this highly suspenseful second novel in The Longlight Legacy, author Dennis Foon displays once again his great originality and unstoppable imagination. Freewalker is powerful and fast paced, with unexpected twists that await the reader with every turn of the page.

One year has passed since Roan, Alandra, and the children escaped from the Brothers. Now, in the haven they call Newlight, Alandra has begun traveling the Dreamfield with the children, exploring their potential. But when the children mysteriously fall into life-threatening comas, Roan and Lumpy set off to find a cure. The remedy may lie in the hands of Roan’s lost sister, Stowe. But Stowe, now the icon of the City, has become obsessed with her growing powers – powers that threaten to overwhelm and transform her into a destructive, vindictive force.Through the lens of a dramatic, futuristic saga, FREEWALKER continues the stunning look at loss and revenge that began with THE DIRT EATERS.In this highly suspenseful second novel in The Longlight Legacy, author Dennis Foon displays once again his great originality and unstoppable imagination. FREEWALKER is powerful and fast paced, with unexpected twists that await the reader with every turn of the page.

Two years have passed since Roan fled the destruction of his village. He has survived the polluted wilds of the Devastation, escaped the lethal mind traps of the Dreamfield, and infiltrated the heart of the sinister City. Through it all, Roan has struggled to hold fast to Longlight’s legacy of peace. But now, an unimaginable evil looms and violence seems unavoidable.Darius, the Keeper of the City, is enraged by the escape of Roan’s sister Stowe. Despite the loss of his sacrificial prodigy, Darius’s malevolent reign continues to push the entire realm to the brink of destruction. As Roan and his trusted friend Lumpy struggle to unite disparate peoples in a war against the City, it becomes clear that any chance of victory must include Stowe. But is her battered psyche damaged beyond all hope?THE KEEPER'S SHADOW completes the engrossing saga of The Longlight Legacy, a powerful chronicle of how untold destruction can result from accommodating evil and the violence it spawns.

When Roan’s parents and the people of Longlight perish in a raid, Roan is filled with rage. Torn between his desire for revenge and the legacy of peace he has inherited, he is taken in by a sect of warriors. Here he learns he has exceptional talent as a fighter. But Roan is haunted by visions he can’t understand. When he commits his first act of violence, he flees in disgust into the most wasted lands of all, the Devastation.It is only when Roan meets the strange girl Alandra that he begins to understand his life’s purpose and why the village of Longlight was destroyed.

Enter the heart of the sinister City... One year has passed since Roan, Alandra, and the children escaped from the Brothers. Now, in the haven they call Newlight, Alandra has begun traveling the Dreamfield with the children, exploring their potential. But when the children mysteriously fall into life-threatening comas, Roan and Lumpy set off to find a cure. The remedy may lie in the hands of Roan’s lost sister, Stowe. But Stowe, now the icon of the City, has become obsessed with her growing powers—powers that threaten to overwhelm and transform her into a destructive, vindictive force. Through the lens of a dramatic, futuristic saga, Freewalker continues the stunning look at loss and revenge that began with The Dirt Eaters. In this highly suspenseful second novel in The Longlight Legacy, author Dennis Foon displays once again his great originality and unstoppable imagination. Freewalker is powerful and fast paced, with unexpected twists that await the reader with every turn of the page.

Four guys -- Tommy, Brad, Andy and Shane -- are all making their way through the jungle that is the last year of high school. Tommy, model student, is heading for the military to learn to fly fighter jets, something that will please his doting grandmother and free him once and for all from his abusive parasite of a mother. His best friend, Brad, is being scouted for Junior B, which will finally satisfy his ambitious hockey dad, whose relentless pressure has turned his son into the team enforcer. Andy is on the verge of making his acting breakthrough. He's got an agent, and he's got an audition for the role that could launch his career -- the Punk. All he needs is someone who can show him the moves, teach him the hard stare. He turns to Shane, the kid who is so scary that even the teachers are afraid of him.

A Canadian drama classic, these two plays—one dealing with racism, the other with alcoholism—explore some of the most pressing issues facing teenagers today.Skin introduces us to a group of Canadian teenagers who are coming of age in the late 1980s. Faced with racial discrimination, Phiroza, Jennifer, and Tuan must navigate the choppy waters of high school, each confronting his or her own set of challenges. Ranging from academic difficulties, to budding relationships, to the trials of adapting to a foreign language and culture, the three share their stories of struggle, survival, and defiance of negative expectations and racist attitudes.In Liars, Lenny is at the top of her class. Jace seemingly couldn’t care less. By all appearances these two classmates are polar opposites, but despite all their differences they are inexplicably drawn towards one another. When it is revealed that each has been trying to hide the same dark secret—that they share a home with an alcoholic parent—each decides to take action and confront the demon they call “Mom” or “Dad.”Dennis Foon was co-founder of Vancouver’s acclaimed Green Thumb Theatre and served as artistic director for twelve years. As a playwright, his body of plays continues to be produced internationally in numerous languages and he has received the British Theatre Award, two Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, the Jesse Richardson Career Achievement Award, and the International Arts for Young Audiences Award. In 2007 he was made a lifetime member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada for his “outstanding contribution to Canadian Playwriting and Theatre.” His play Kindness received the 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award. His newest play, Scar Tissue, premiered at the Arts Club Theatre. He’s won a Gemini, two WGC Awards, three Leos, and a Robert W. Wagner Award for his screenplays, which include Little Criminals, White Lies, Torso, and Terry. He is also the co-writer of Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity and A Shine of Rainbows, which won a Leo and received a Genie Nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. He wrote the screenplay for the feature Life Above All, Prix Fran?ois Chalais winner at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, 2011 Academy Award Shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, and a Leo winner for Best Screenplay. His novel Skud (Groundwood Books, 2003) received a BC Book Prize, and his sci-fi/fantasy trilogy, The Longlight Legacy, has been published in five languages.

When a mother discovered that her twelve-year-old autistic son has defied the rules of science and suddenly began to show signs that the simplest elements of life can help him to escape the clutches of autism; - she swiftly sent her conscience on a life-changing mission to bring his hidden dreams into reality. Conceptualized and written by renowned novelist Dennis E. Adonis; this book takes you on a 35-hour journey through the sorrows and unforeseen joys of twelve-year-old Joshua Haley and his mother Patricia Haley, as they unexpectedly succeeded in an autism-conquering quest that they didn’t realize that they were actually on, until the mission was actually over

Kip is addicted to the pure adrenaline rush that hits when the stakes are high and the bets are laid down. His gambling addiction uses up his money, his mother’s money—and then their real trouble begins.Dennis Foon’s believable portrait of a teen caught in a gambling addiction crackles with suspense and a foreboding sense of where Kip will land. Originally published in 2000, this highly acclaimed novel has been revised to reflect new technology and the rise of online gambling.

Skin introduces us to a group of Canadian teenagers who are coming of age in the late 1980s. Faced with racial discrimination, Phiroza, Jennifer, and Tuan must navigate the choppy waters of high school, each confronting his or her own set of challenges. Ranging from academic difficulties, to budding relationships, to the trials of adapting to a foreign language and culture, the three share their stories of struggle, survival, and defiance of negative expectations and racist attitudes. Lenny is at the top of her class. Jace seemingly couldn't care less. By all appearances these two classmates are polar opposites, but despite all their differences they are inexplicably drawn towards one another. When it is revealed that each has been trying to hide the same dark secret—that they share a home with an alcoholic parent—each decides to take action and confront the demon they call "Mom" or "Dad."