Books with author Elizabeth King

Beth Manning’s sister, Janna, is perfect. At least that’s how it seems to Beth. More than anything, Beth wishes for something to make herself as special as Janna. Then, after her fourteenth birthday, Beth gets her wish in a terrible way: She develops leukemia, cancer of the blood. Beth’s disease takes its toll on her family, especially Janna. Suddenly Janna isn’t acting like the perfect older sister anymore. Then at Hope House, a place for kids with serious illnesses, Beth meets Eliot, a cancer survivor who understands the fear of pain and sickness. With Eliot’s support, Beth is able to show Janna, her parents, and herself that perfection isn’t nearly as important as love.

Inspire your child's free drawing time... and then, get ready to watch them surprise you!What is it about creating scratch art that makes kids so happy? Is it the repetitive motion of the stylus, the pleasing scratching sound it makes, or the thrill they get when the artwork underneath is revealed? This Zen-inspired book helps kids relax and unwind while creating a turtle card, magical mandala, cityscapes, and more. Kids will find 10 different designs that show through on the black paper when they scratch the surface, plus lots of ideas for drawing and making scratch paper. There's always a big reveal and surprises galore when children start drawing with the stylus that's included. Get ready to see kids make their mark with this colorful book!

“The Good Chinese Daughter: Growing up in China and in America,” is an inspiring memoir of a successful woman, mother and author, looking for unconditional love from her mother who almost “aborted” her. After her mother divorced her first husband, she kept reminding her daughter that she might not have been born. Elizabeth, born in Shanghai, was traumatized as a child as she watched the cruelty and brutality of the Imperial Japanese army in Manila, The Philippines. It was there she learned to deal with the fact that the man she called “Dad” was her stepfather. Her mother, a socialite, spent little time with her daughter who was reared by her beloved amah, Ah Woo. Elizabeth, the “good” Chinese daughter - obedient, loyal and gracious, true to her Chinese tradition and Catholic upbringing - dreamed of closer relationship with her mother and stepfather. Caught between two worlds - her Chinese upbringing and adjusting to life in the U.S. when the family moved to California, she searched for her true self and personal identity in the shadow of her strong-willed, dominant mother. In spite of the inevitable tensions that marked the relationship, she served as her mother’s right hand, helping to raise her five younger siblings and to manage the household. All of us search, at one time or another in our lives, for the assurance of love and acceptance from loved ones, whether parents, spouse, children or friends. As Elizabeth raised her own family in the U.S. which includes two sons and their spouses, seven grandchildren and a husband of great renown in the field of bioengineering, she kept looking for the something that was “missing” in her life. Finally she found it in Christian Meditation - the peace that serves to bridge the gap between her mother and herself and other relationships in her life. During her Mom’s waning years, they came to something of a reconciliation. Elizabeth found peace and a deeper integration of her life experiences through contemplative prayer - a form of communion with the transcendent taking place in total silence and stillness.

In gorgeous full-color photos, King takes us to a joyous, once-in-a-lifetime event -- the quinceanera. It is the celebration of a Latina's 15th birthday, a coming-of-age ritual in which a community welcomes its newest adult member with a church service, a feast, & dancing. The tradition, which is rooted in Aztec & Mexican custom, is growing in popularity in the U.S. With a lavish dress, an honor court of friends, a big cake, & a night filled with music, the quinceanera is a fairy-tale moment. But it is a solemn event, too. At a special Mass before the party, the young woman reaffirms her faith & reflects on its importance in her adult life. The history, significance, & fun of the quinceanera are warmly recounted in this lovely book. Illustrations.

Kindergarten Memory Book is a book about the first day of school to read on the last day of school. Work on it with your Kindergartener now, and then give it as a special gift on his or her very last day of high school. This is the perfect preschool graduation gift from Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, or friends!There are questions for adults:* Tell your Kindergartener about a time when you were really proud of him or her.* What do you think your Kindergartener might be when he or she grows up?* What makes your Kindergartener laugh?And there are questions for kids:* What do you want to be when you grow up?* What was your favorite thing we did this summer?* How do you feel about going back to school tomorrow?The Kindergarten Memory Book is a fun activity to do together before Kindergarten, and a special gift to give your High School Senior.

Moscow, 1958: sixteen-year-old ballerina Svetlana’s dreams come true when she is invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet, but not is all as it seems. Now Svetlana is caught between the sinister worlds of very powerful people in the regime and the KGB, and the other world—one she was trying to escape through dance, the gift she’s been afraid of her entire life. The Bolshoi Saga: Svetlana is the third and final book in the series that is described as a feminist take on The Godfather, set in the world of Russian ballet.The year is 1958, and sixteen-year-old Svetlana is stuck in a Moscow orphanage designated for the unwanted children of Stalin’s enemies. Ballet is her obsession and salvation, her only hope at shedding a tainted family past. When she is invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet—the crown jewel of Russian culture and the pride of the Soviet Union—her dreams appear to have been realized. But she quickly learns that nobody’s past or secrets are safe.The dreaded KGB knows about the mysterious trances Sveta has suffered, inexplicable episodes that seem to offer glimpses of the past. Some very powerful people believe Sveta is capable of serving the regime as more than a ballerina, and they wish to recruit her to spy on the West as part of the nascent Soviet psychic warfare program. If she is to erase the sins of her family, if she is to dance on the world stage for the Motherland—if she is to survive—she has no choice but to explore her other gift.The story of teenage Svetlana, matriarch of three generations of ballerinas, is both the end and the beginning of the Bolshoi Saga. This title, and the debut, Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy and its follow up, Hider, Seeker, Secret, Keeper can all be read as stand-alone novels, although reading all three will provide a deeper understanding of the often thrilling—and surprisingly dangerous—world of the Dukovskaya ballerinas.

The dreamhunting began as a beautiful thing, when Tziga Hame discovered that he could enter the Place and share the dreams he found there with other people. But Tziga Hame has disappeared and Laura, his daughter, knows that the art of projecting dreams has turned sour. On St. Lazarus's Eve, when elite citizens gather at the Rainbow Opera to experience the sweet dream of Homecoming, Laura, determined to show them the truth, plunges them into the nightmare used to control the convict workers. The event marks the first blow in the battle for control of the Place, the source of dreams. Then, when Laura's cousin, Rose, uncovers evidence that the government has been building a secret rail line deep into the Place, Laura follows it to find out what lies at its end. As she struggles to counter the government's sinister plans, a deeper mystery surfaces, a puzzle only Laura can unravel, a puzzle having to do with the very nature of the Place. What is the Place, after all? And what does it want from her?Inventive and richly imagined, Elizabeth Knox's Dreamquake, dramatic conclusion to the Dreamhunter Duet, will satisfy readers – whether or not they've read Book One."It is like nothing else I've ever read." -- Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga

The Bolshoi Saga: LanaLana Dukovskaya is an up and coming talent at the Bolshoi Ballet, where her mother, Marina, also danced until her career came to a mysterious end. On the eve of an international tour, Lana’s best friend and chief rival is brutally attacked, making Lana both the substitute soloist and the prime suspect.Once in New York, Lana meets Georgi Levshik, a powerful Russian émigré who claims to know the truth about her mother’s past. Lana is wary, torn between curiosity and distrust. But when another young dancer is struck down just hours before her debut, Lana knows she is in danger. On the run, Lana puts her trust in Levshik’s alluring bodyguard, Roma. Together they must uncover the truth about a blood feud involving three generations of Dukovskaya dancers.

A timely YA thriller—part John Le Carré and part The Americans—about a Bolshoi ballerina trapped by family secrets and a legacy of espionage.The Bolshoi Saga: MarinaMarina is born into privilege. A talented young dancer with Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet at the height of the Cold War, she seems destined to follow in the footsteps of her mother Svetlana, a Soviet Artist of the People. But when Svetlana disappears without explanation, Marina and her father have to get out. Fast. They defect to America, hoping they’ve escaped Russia’s secret police, hoping they can make a fresh start in New York. Instead they discover the web of intrigue around Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach is as tangled as the one they left behind.