Books with author John McDonald

Gabriel, Lydia, Alex, and Hollis are four totally different teenagers who were thrown together by accident. Or maybe they were destined to meet, for they all share something that unites them and drives them to act out in violence--anger. Gem is a girl whose path crosses theirs when she falls in love with Gabriel. Will her solid sense of self save Gabriel--or will he destroy her? These five voices combine to tell the chilling tale of what happens in a small town in New Jersey when teenage fury is unleashed. And these five voices also tell the painful truths about the roots of that violence. As gripping as today's headlines, this powerful novel probes troubling territory and seeks to make sense of what seems, on the surface, senseless.

War is threatening. The grey parrot with the bright red tail named Kasuku is flying as fast as he can to reach the village of Kiritiri and the hut of the powerful and aging warrior, Chief Pachunga. But if Kjaz-Barbaroi, an evil leader with designs on ruling Africa, gets to the hut first, it will be too late for all of them. Kasuku carries orders from Olugbala to tell the chief, who has been held prisoner for three rainy seasons, that he must raise an army to fight against Kjaz-Barbaroi and his contingent of Dark Creatures. Pachunga and the parrot narrowly escape the village, and with Kjaz-Barbaroi close behind, they face constant danger. Joined by Muriel Sniggins, the trio travels through the jungle, descend into a cave system inhabited by a long-lost race of people, and finally reach the savannah. As they journey, Pachunga's army continues to grow person by person, group by group. In the meantime, Kjaz-Barbaroi's army also gets larger and larger. Each day brings them closer and closer to the final battle. Pachunga wonders if his army will be large enough, strong enough, and brave enough to defeat the evil Kjaz-Barbaroi.

"McGee has become part of our national fabric."SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCERA lovely young girl steps in front of Travis McGee's headlights. McGee misses the girl but lands in ten feet of swamp water. As he's limping along the deserted road, someone in an old truck takes a few shots at him. And, when he goes to the local sheriff to complain, the intrepid Travis McGee finds himself arrested and charged with murder. And he can't help but ask himself, is this what they call southern hospitality...?

Hero of THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY is Travis McGee, a man of universal interest and independent means who lives on an old houseboat he won in a poker game. One evening a young woman shows up with a suitcase full of cash. McGee agrees to be bagman. She tells him what to do if she doesn't return. When she doesn't, McGee is left alone to deal with an intrigue that involves drugs, fear, passion, and death.

Gabriel, Lydia, Alex, and Hollis are four totally different teenagers who were thrown together by accident. Or maybe they were destined to meet, for they all share emotions that unite them—loneliness, frustration, and anger. Apart they are ordinary enough, unremarkable and not much noticed. Together, in the dark of night, they are drawn to violence like moths to a flame. Gem is a girl whose path crosses theirs when she falls in love with Gabriel. Will the whirlpool of destruction swallow her, too?

Deep Brain Stimulation or DBS for Essential Tremor, Parkinson's disease and Dystonia. Sound like science fiction? It's not! When Sister and Brother are told their Grandfather is having BRAIN SURGERY for Parkinson's disease, a Movement Disorder, they are at first shocked, then very frightened—and they have lots of questions. Although this book is written and illustrated for children, it is also an excellent primer for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders