Books with author Douglas Rees

When Desperate Evil Wicked Bob, a pirate, and his talking penguin, Captain Jack, come to live with Wilson and his parents, life suddenly gets more exciting. But the fun really begins when Captain Jack starts attending Very Elementary, a school as far from shipshape and Bristol fashion as a school could be. With a little bit of imagination and a lot of humor, Desperate Evil Wicked Bob turns mollymockery into mathematics, and young Wilson gets what every kid wants—a pirate for an uncle.

• 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.

The author of the New York Times bestselling America’s Most Wanted Recipes series reveals the secrets to winning over your kids’ tummies with their favorite restaurant meals made in the comfort of your own kitchen!More than a million home chefs have devoured Ron Douglas’s ingenious copycat recipes. From desserts to low-calorie and grilled meals, he’s proven how simple and cost-effective it is to prepare mouthwatering restaurant dishes at home. In America’s Most Wanted Recipes Kids’ Menu, he shares the ingredients to more than 100 of the most frequently ordered dishes from the country’s most popular children’s menus: Buca di Beppo’s Cheese Manicotti, PF Chang’s Crispy Honey Chicken, Applebee’s Kids’ Mini Hamburger, Chili’s Cinnamon Apples, Così’s Mississippi Mud Pie, Friendly’s Chicken Quesadillas, Panera Bread’s Mac and Cheese, Uno Chicago Grill’s Safari Nuggets, and much, much more. Face it, we all know the best way to make sure our kids are eating right is to prepare their food at home. Restaurant meals are traditionally high in calories, sodium, and fat. The dishes featured in Kids’ Menu were selected and designed to be served as occasional treats and as a fun way to get the family together in the kitchen, comparing the copycat version against the original. By making these dishes at home, parents will have the opportunity to make them healthier by substituting different ingredients and cooking methods. That’s what Kids’ Menu provides. Also included is a section on children’s nutrition and advice on how to balance the foods they love with ingredients that are good for them. Be the ultimate “sneaky chef.” Prepare the meals your family loves, knowing you’re giving them the nutrition they need. America’s Most Wanted Recipes Kids’ Menu will help you save money (no more drive-thru!) and calories, while you indulge in good food and quality time with the people you love around the dinner table.

As the grim years of the Second World War go by, the destruction of Allied shipping mounts. Out of the terrible loss of men and ships, the escort carrier is born. They were typically half the length and a third the displacement of larger fleet carriers. While they were slower, carried fewer planes, and were less well armed and armored, escort carriers were cheaper and could be built quickly, which was their principal advantage. At twenty-six, fighter pilot Tim Rowan, RNVR, is already a veteran of many campaigns. Now he joins the new, American-made escort (or "jeep") carrier HMS Growler, the flagship of a task force protecting Allied convoys sailing the Arctic route to supply Soviet Russia. The service in the Arctic is harrowing, and not all of Rowan's adversaries are German. In late 1944, Growler is transferred to the Indian Ocean and faces the Kamikaze, experiencing vicious onslaughts.

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.

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.From the Hardcover edition.

After the murder of his father, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Blackwood, Ross Blackwood finds himself assigned to the Far East, taking on rebels and illegal-arms dealers in Hong Kong and Malaysia. Along the way he meets another Blackwood, his cousin Steve, who has made a life for himself in the Corp, as an explosives expert. The two Blackwoods uphold the honor of their family and their chosen profession while negotiating the fallout of Britain's post-colonial politics.