Books with author John Manders

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 6,000 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China — each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor’s army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. On his death in 210 BC, he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi’an. In 1974 local farmers found the first of the Terracotta warriors. But most of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.

In the years A.D. 434-454, the fate of Europe hung upon the actions of one man: Attila, king of the Huns. The decaying Roman Empire still stood astride the Western World, but it was threatened by a new force, the much-feared barbarian hordes. Attila was the one-man wrecking ball that helped put the final boot into Rome’s decaying splendor. Today, Attila remains the most enduring bogeyman in history, his name a byword for barbarism, savagery, and violence. Masterful storyteller John Man brings to life this marauding figure of the battlefield. His descriptions of the Huns’ grotesque techniques of impaling enemies and unruly family members will leave you with curled toes and crossed legs. Packed with many new insights, Attila is a riveting work of historical scholarship that reads like an adventure story.

In Venice in the 1890s, a café owner takes in a stray cat she names Nini. This is against her better judgment, for the café is modest, and she has nothing to spare. But in no time at all, the cat becomes a celebrity, charming all sorts of important visitors, including Giuseppe Verdi and the pope himself. In the end, Nini’s resonant purr and the comfort it brings to a little girl produce a small miracle. Featuring humorous illustrations with a vintage feel, this inspiring story about a real cat assures us that acts of kindness can be rewarded in unexpected ways. Includes an author’s note.

There can beonly three inthe Freaky Joe ClubThose are the rules, set down by Freaky Joe himself in the big red book, slightly chewed on one corner and wrapped in a locked bicycle chain. The newest chapter of the Freaky Joe Club consists of Conor, Timmy, and Jack, and their mission is to solve crimes and fight evil in Ship's Cove, Texas -- if they can only convince anyone that there "is" evil in Ship's Cove.The members of the Freaky Joe Club are back in school, but somehting strange is going on at the Edith R. Hammerrocker Elementary School. Why does the new principal hate the school's nickname? What is a Hammerrocker Hamster anyway? And what are those strange, brown creatures doing in the gym? For that matter, who was Edith R. Hammerrocker? And most of all...WHO IS FREAKY JOE?

There can be only three in the Freaky Joe ClubThose are the rules, set down by Freaky Joe himself in the big red book, slightly chewed on one corner and wrapped in a locked bicycle chain. The newest chapter of the Freaky Joe Club consists of Conor, Timmy, and Jack, and their mission is to solve crimes and fight evil in Ship's Cove, Texas -- if they can only convince anyone that there is evil in Ship's Cove.When bicycles start disappearing all over Ship's Cove, the Freaky Joe Club has its first case. Why would anyone steal a bunch of bicycles? How can a crime buster be taken seriously if he has to ride a pink Magical Baby Katie bicycle? And most of all, ...WHO IS FREAKY JOE?