Books with author John D. Burns

Seventeen years ago, on November 25, 2005, John Burns', The Many Adventures of Pengey Penguin was published. It won the Family Choice Award, USA Best Book Award and was also honored with a special commendation from the Teacher's Choice Awards. It went on to become a very popular book that has now become rare. It is be difficult to find used as families tend to save it in their libraries. It somehow inherited the subtitle, "A Bedtime Story For The Soul."The Many Adventures of Pengey Penguin is the story of a very small orphan that loved the woman who saved him from starvation and his trials as he searches the world to find her. With the help of Lionel, an extremely large Macaw who as always been a lazybones, Pengey finds a willing spirit who will help him immeasurably, someone who he will become entwined with as the two save each others lives time and time again.How all this unfolds is John Burns' story. It is a story of the magic of friendship, travel through unknown territories, the struggle for survival and life lessons learned along the way.The twenty-one black-and-white drawings by James Coles have the charm, and life and appeal that speak to children. They still help tell this tall tale, this marvelous story by John Burns and they still enchant new generations of readers, without hesitation.

“A thrilling tale of abduction and escape in North Korea....highly entertaining." —The Washington PostA propulsive and ambitious thriller about a woman trying to rescue her twin sister from captivity in North Korea, and the North Korean citizens with whom she forms an unlikely allianceStar of the North opens in 1998, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twelve years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her--including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime. Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads. In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed. As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax.

Peter’s just a normal teenager living a normal life — until his father suddenly dies and his world is turned upside down. Already teetering on the brink of despair, Peter goes over the edge when he accidentally discovers that he was adopted. Feeling betrayed, overwhelmed, and confused, Peter runs away from home and goes underground, living with other street children in a squat ruled by the creepy yet charismatic Dekman. The constant panhandling soon bores him, and Peter finds himself blacking out, escaping to a strange subconscious world he calls Runnerland. As the pressures on the street and in the squat mount, the borders between Runnerland and the real world begin to blur, forcing Peter to make some hard choices and seek answers to the questions he's been avoiding. But can he escape Dekman's cult-like gang? And if so, where will he go? Cautionary without being demeaning, Runnerland portrays life on the street with chilling accuracy.

“A thrilling tale of abduction and escape in North Korea....highly entertaining." —The Washington PostA propulsive and ambitious thriller about a woman trying to rescue her twin sister from captivity in North Korea, and the North Korean citizens with whom she forms an unlikely allianceStar of the North opens in 1998, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twelve years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her--including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime. Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads. In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed. As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax.