Books with author Elizabeth Wenk

Twenty-five years in the making, a first novel that has already been compared to The Sun Also Rises and The Last Tycoon, Cheat and Charmer is certain to be one of the most admired literary debuts of the season. Written by Pulitzer Prize—winning biographer Elizabeth Frank, Cheat and Charmer is a masterful and richly detailed work of fiction–a Tolstoyan novel of marriage, sisterhood, art, politics, compromise, and betrayal set in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London of the 1950s.Dinah Lasker grew up in the shadow of her sister, Veevi, a stunning beauty and emerging star who enchanted both the Hollywood set and its imported New York literati. But Veevi’s home was also a hotbed of political activity, owing to her marriage to Stefan Ventura, a Bulgarian filmmaker and high-profile Communist. At the end of the 1930s, when things go badly for him in Hollywood, Ventura and Veevi flee to Paris and into the lengthening shadows of Hitler and fascism.Cut to 1951, when Dinah is subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which threatens to ruin her husband, Jake, and derail his successful career as a Hollywood writer, producer, and director unless she cooperates. Can Dinah live with herself if she names Veevi–whom she both loves and loathes–in order to save her husband and preserve her idyllic married life? The choices Dinah makes set in motion an unforgettable chain of events. Like Anna Karenina, Dinah must face the consequences of her choices and her needs.Written with elegance and style, Cheat and Charmer grippingly dramatizes the interior lives of Dinah, Veevi, Jake, and their social circle. Spanning decades and following complex characters on their impassioned pursuits through America and Europe, this is a novel of grand scope, about love and deception, idealism and accommodation, the lies we live, and the truths we cannot avoid.

This is the sixth in the series of Ella and Tom, who are brother and sister. Ella is 4 years old and Tom is 3 years old. This series of books follows their adventures and experiences as they live their lives, much like many children today. You can use these books to talk to your own children about what Ella and Tom have encountered and how they reacted to the different situations they have found themselves in. In Ella and Tom visit Ireland, they find out what it is like to go on holiday to the Emerald Isle. They eat Irish food and stay in a camp site. Learn from Ella and Tom and give your children the confidence to enjoy their first holiday away from home in a strange land, rather than fearing it.

A Mouse in the House is a loveable tale about three little tails, constantly thinking with their bellies but always following their hearts.Slow Pete, the old and wise rat, leads Big Ralph, the large and brave rat, and Du Moe, the small but courageous mouse, through all sorts of adventures.But living in Mr. Newman’s house isn’t all fun and games. When a robbery leaves Mr. Newman tied up and stranded, the three little friends come to his rescue and prove to him that rodents aren’t really all that bad.Whether it’s Slow Pete making a pair of glasses for Du Moe, or Big Ralph taunting humans to entertain his friends, A Mouse in the House is a story about companionship, bravery, perseverance, and teaches that sometimes, big fun comes from small heroes.

Think of the sky! Delia gave Momma's hands a shake. "Think of the sky in Ethiopia! What will it be like to fly in Africa?" This New York Times bestseller is a story of survival, subterfuge, espionage and identity. Rhoda and Delia are American stunt pilots who perform daring aerobatics to appreciative audiences. But while the sight of two girls wingwalking - one white, one black - is a welcome novelty in some parts of the USA, it's an anathema in others. Rhoda and Delia dream of living in a world where neither gender nor ethnicity determines their life. When Delia is killed in a tragic accident, Rhoda is determined to make that dream come true. She moves to Ethiopia with her daughter, Em, and Delia's son, Teo. Em and Teo have adapted to scratching a living in a strange land, and feel at home here; but their parents' legacy of flight and the ability to pilot a plane places them in an elite circle of people watched carefully by the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, who dreams of creating an air force for his fledgling nation. As Italy prepares for its invasion of Ethiopia, Em and Teo find themselves inextricably entangled in the crisis - and they are called on to help. Elizabeth Wein is a leading voice in young adult historical fiction. Her novel Rose Under Fire was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Costa Award 2014. Fans of The Book Thief and Carmen Reid's Cross My Heart will love this. Look out for Elizabeth's other books Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. Elizabeth Wein was born in New York, and grew up in England, Jamaica and Pennsylvania. She is married with two children and now lives in Perth, Scotland. Elizabeth is a member of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots. She was awarded the Scottish Aero Club's Watson Cup

Stella is ugly, flies a broomstick and can wield a magic wand. In these respects she is just like the other witch girls in Wartville. But, unlike the other witch girls, Stella does not enjoy turning toads into slime or setting the elves’ forest home on fire. She would rather help a bear cub escape from its cage than cook it in a stew. It’s only a matter of time before she finds herself in serious trouble.Stella’s fate is linked with the fate of two human children, Mitchell and Sarah, who don’t even believe in witches. That is, they didn’t believe in witches until they found themselves whisked out of their own world and into a completely different one, into the land of Wystovia.Mitchell and Sarah soon find themselves running from an evil wizard who thinks nothing of enslaving dwarves in the mountain mines, turning giants to stone, and terrorising innocent merchildren that his eagles catch frolicking in the sea. Mitchell and Sarah will need a lot of luck and the help of friends to survive.

The book The New York Times called "a fiendishly plotted mind game of a novel" is now available in paperback! Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during the Second World War. One is a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat; one is a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly, and before long they are devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors.

A fast-paced fantasy adventure that turns children onto the fun of Shakespeare. Twelve-year-old Lindsey is in for the adventure of her life when she jets off to visit a rich old aunt on the tropical Isle of Elsinore. Populated by exotic animals, quirky robots, and spry, poetry-loving oldsters, Elsinore seems like a topsy-turvy paradise until the mysterious Jedgar starts threatening the island. As Lindsey and her pals band together to unlock the mystery, all clues point to Shakespeare who turns out to be-or not to be-the key. Scientists predict that life expectancy will take a leap within the next thirty years. What will society be like? Elsinore provides a humorous peek by setting the story in a high-tech, multi-ethnic, golden age community. Thrust into this thriving, close-knit world is Lindsey, a sympathetic heroine. Both gutsy and insecure, she's a typical child that youngsters easily relate to, and her quest for inner balance reflects the universal childhood experience. As she confronts external and internal conflicts, she gains a level of introspection and maturity-and also learns a lot of Shakespeare. The magical whale-shaped island of Elsinore adds to the fun as the children travel-by blimp, helicopter, and hot-air balloon-in search of clues. Between earthquakes, floods and wild animals, travel on foot turns dangerous, and Lindsey and her friends are forced to explore from a bird's eye view. The chase to outwit a dreaded enemy leads them into Arden Forest, the forbidden Pink Zone, and beyond Elsinore to the Jedgar's Inferno, a volcanic island gone berserk. The book contains a map of Elisinore Island and other illustrations.

This is the seventh in the series of Ella and Tom, who are brother and sister. Ella is 4 years old and Tom is 3 years old. This series of books follows their adventures and experiences as they live their lives, much like many children today. You can use these books to talk to your own children about what Ella and Tom have encountered and how they reacted to the different situations they have found themselves in. In Ella and Tom’s Christmas, we find out what it is like for them to experience all the fun of the Holiday Season. They visit Father Christmas, decorate the Christmas tree, make Christmas food, take part in their Christmas concerts and buy presents.Learn from Ella and Tom and give your children the confidence to enjoy their Christmas holidays.

This is the fifth in the series of Ella and Tom, who are brother and sister. Ella is 4 years old and Tom is 3 years old. This series of books follows their adventures and experiences as they live their lives, much like many children today. You can use these books to talk to your own children about what Ella and Tom have encountered and how they reacted to the different situations they have found themselves in. In Ella and Tom visit Spain, they find out what it is like to go on holiday to the Iberian Peninsula. But first they experience their first airport with all its noise and activity and flying. When they arrive in Spain they have fun eating Spanish food and staying in a hotel close to the beach with a large swimming pool. They also visit a white mountain village and enjoy the festivals taking place. Learn from Ella and Tom and give your children the confidence to enjoy their first holiday away from home in a strange land, rather than fearing it.