Books with author Douglas Reeman

This second book in the Art Encounters series centers on Paul Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe, and recreates the world the artist found in Tahiti when he painted the picture in 1892.This action-packed South Sea adventure is about a young sailor, Joe Sloan, and his mission to avenge the death of his friend, Robert. Joe searches for Robert's girlfriend, a Tahitian girl named Tehane, to deliver the sad news personally. He doesn't have to go far before fate reunites him with his friend's killer, the Marquesan warrior, Gun, and his evil master, a man known as the White Wolf. As Joe navigates the unknown territory of Tahiti and its people, he finds an unlikely ally in French artist Paul Gauguin. In the course of the story, readers are introduced to Gauguin and his work, the artist's relationships with the Tahitian natives, and his artistic temperament.

John Brown is either brilliant...or insane. And Theodore is on his side.When Theodore Worth’s parents hide the abolitionist John Brown overnight, Theodore is impressed by the man’s courage. Brown wants to free the slaves—by any means necessary—and in 1857 this makes him a wanted man. Two years later, Theodore runs away to join Brown and his men at Harper’s Ferry. Brown has a daring plan that, if it works, could end slavery. And if it doesn’t, it may kill them all.“This historically accurate, richly detailed novel perfectly captures Theodore’s angst as he stands on the verge of manhood, yearning to act.” —School Library Journal

"Gideon’s War: A Tale of the Rough Riders" is a classic tale of a young boy forced to grow up fast in a war he has no business waging. As Gideon puts it:"The war with Spain. The war for Cuban independence. It seems like such a little thing. It lasted one short summer. We won every battle, and were home for harvesting. It cost us exactly 365 deaths in combat."We fought it with an army that was mostly boys who’d never given a thought to war until it was upon us. Then we leapt to arms, though our arms were outdated and worn. We marched to two-steps and Civil War camp songs. Then we came home, most of us with our single-shot rifles still unfired, our antique sabres bright and unused."A dog-and-pony show, most of it. That’s the myth. And as Chance Vavasour once said, ‘A myth is something that is true whether it ever happened or not.’"

Funny and smart with all the angst and sass of adolescence and a colorful cast of characters, this is a refreshing contemporary coming-of-age YA about one Greek-American girl's odyssey home. Sixteen-year-old Elektra Kamenides is well on her way to becoming a proper southern belle in the small Mississippi college town she calls home. That is, until her mother decides to uproot her and her kid sister Thalia and start over in California. They leave behind Elektra's father--a professor and leading expert on Greek mythology, and Elektra can't understand why. For her, life is tragedy, and all signs point to her family being cursed. Their journey ends in Guadalupe Slough, a community of old Chicano families and oddball drifters sandwiched between San José and the southern shores of San Francisco Bay. The houseboat that her mother has bought, sight unseen, is really just an ancient trailer parked on a barge and sunk into a mudflat. What would Odysseus do? Elektra asks herself. Determined to get back to Mississippi at all costs, she'll beg, lie, and steal to get there. But things are not always what they seem, and home is wherever you decide to make it.

Reason to Write: Student Handbook Dear Reader: This book will help you become a better writer. Each chapter has some important information that will help you build your writing skills. We'll talk about the rules of good writing and the different kinds of writing, such as letters, essays, stories, poems, research papers, and journal writing. By the time you have completed all of the worksheets in this book, you will be a confident writer, able to tackle any school writing assignment. Why is writing so important? Writing helps you in every subject in school, including reading, math, science, social studies, and anything that requires thinking. Writing helps you understand what you read. Writing helps you learn. And writing allows you to play an important role in society, even before you can vote! This book is full of ideas to help you build your writing skills, whether you are an experienced writer or just starting to learn about writing. If you don't like to write, this book will show you how to write better (and then maybe you won't dislike it so much). If you enjoy writing, this book offers dozens of ideas and activities to help you become an even better writer. Ready? Let's get started! Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D. FREE WRITING TOOLS ONLINE! Visit www.reasontowrite.com for brainstorming and organizational tools, writing tips, evaluation guides, and more.

Everyone who looks at "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boits," the grand-scale painting by John Singer Sargent that hangs in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, is drawn into its mysteries. Who are these four girls, dressed in prim pinafores? Why is the composition so far off balance? Why are two of the girls cloaked so completely in shadows that their “portraits” are little more than ghostly ciphers? Author Douglas Rees explores the complexities of this masterpiece with a psychological thriller that lets Sargent himself tell the story behind the canvas. When one of the girls scratches the words “HELP US” on a scrap of drawing paper, Sargent realizes that he alone has the power to save them. Will the great portraitist paint the girls as they appear—or will he show the reality of their dark, mysterious lives?

I wanted the role of Juliet more than anything. I studied hard. I gave a great reading for it—even with Bobby checking me out the whole time. I deserved the part.I didn't get it. So I decided to level the playing field, though I actually might have leveled the whole play. You see, since there aren't any Success in Getting to Be Juliet in Your High School Play spells, I thought I'd cast the next best—a Fame spell. Good idea, right?Yeah. Instead of bringing me a little fame, it brought me someone a little famous. Shakespeare. Well, Edmund Shakespeare. William's younger brother.Good thing he's sweet and enthusiastic about helping me with the play...and—ahem—maybe a little bit hot. But he's from the past. Way past. Cars amaze him—cars! And cell phones? Ugh.Still, there's something about him that's making my eyes go star-crossed....

• A page-turner about growing up and facing hidden fears• Sargent, an American painter, is a favorite in schools • Featured painting is located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston—great field trip tie-in!Everyone who looks at The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, the grand-scale painting by John Singer Sargent that hangs in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, is drawn into its mysteries. Who are these four girls, dressed in prim pinafores? Why is the composition so far off balance? Why are two of the girls cloaked so completely in shadows that their “portraits” are little more than ghostly ciphers? Author Douglas Rees explores the complexities of this masterpiece with a psychological thriller that lets Sargent himself tell the story behind the canvas. When one of the girls scratches the words “HELP US” on a scrap of drawing paper, Sargent realizes that he alone has the power to save them. Will the great portraitist paint the girls as they appear—or will he show the reality of their dark, mysterious lives?

A Junior Library Guild Selection"A haunting, deeply affecting book. Set on the island of Tahiti, this story of artist Paul Gauguin and the young man he immortalized in his paintings reads like a tropical breeze—easy and relaxed at first feel, but hinting at dangerous storms brewing ahead. Highly recommended."—Brent Hartinger, author of The Order of the Poison Oak and The Last Chance TexacoThis second book in the new Art Encounters series centers on Paul Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe, and recreates the world the artist found in Tahiti when he painted the picture in 1892.This action-packed South Sea adventure is about a young sailor, Joe Sloan, and his mission to avenge the death of his friend, Robert. Joe searches for Robert's girlfriend, a Tahitian girl named Tehane, to deliver the sad news personally. He doesn't have to go far before fate reunites him with his friend's killer, the Marquesan warrior, Gun, and his evil master, a man known as the White Wolf. As Joe navigates the unknown territory of Tahiti and its people, he finds an unlikely ally in French artist Paul Gauguin. In the course of the story, readers are introduced to Gauguin and his work, the artist's relationships with the Tahitian natives, and his artistic temperament. Paul Gauguin in TahitiPaul Gauguin spent his life searching for paradise, a propensity that must have been set during his vagabond youth spent sailing around the world. He became a painter relatively late in life, with encouragement from Pissarro, Cézanne, and other impressionists.Ever the outsider, Gauguin left France and sailed for Tahiti in 1891 to escape debt and ruin, as well as "everything that is artificial and conventional." But to his deep disappointment, Tahiti was not the tropical paradise he had imagined. It had been thoroughly westernized.Nonetheless, he settled in Papeete and created some of his finest paintings. He had not found the simplicity of primitive life, so he painted it in such works as Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe.Except for one visit to France, he remained in the South Pacific for the rest of his life.• For readers 12 and up• The second book in the new Art Encounters series• Gauguin is frequently studied in elementary school because of the importance of his art to the post-impressionist period• The story is based around Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe (Pushkin Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia)

In the satiric and funny sequel to the witty Vampire High, Cody's hopes for a great sophomore year at Vlad Dracul are dashed when his train wreck of a cousin, Turk Stone, moves in and messes with his life. Turk's a brilliant teen artist and goth with a sky-high ego . Her attitude infuriates the vampire (jenti) students, especially the dark, brooding Gregor. But something changes in Turk when she stumbles on the abandoned nineteenth-century mill in the forgotten district of Crossfield and immediately claims it as her new arts center project. Though Cody resents his cousin at first, he has his own reasons for helping make Turk's dream come true. But Crossfield has many secrets, and a mysterious vampire army called the Mercians will do anything to make sure they stay hidden. And when he takes on the Mercians, everything Cody has learned about courage and determination his freshman year at Vampire High will be tested.

It doesn’t take long for Cody Elliot to realize that his new high school is a little different. The other students are supernaturally strong, don’t like the sunlight, and are always placing orders at the local blood bank. When his new friend shows him his fangs, Cody doesn’t need any more clues—these kids are vampires! As Cody struggles to fit into this secretive community, he disrupts centuries of human-vampire segregation, with some serious—and some seriously funny—consequences.In sharp, humorous, and insightful prose, Douglas Rees creates a world of vampires where the real issue for humans is not the fear of being bitten, but the need to get along.From the Hardcover edition.