Books with author John Torres

Four friends live on the same street, go to the same middle school, and even spend time on the same ball fields. Their friendship comes with the normal expected trappings: small jealousies, crushes, rivalries and lots and lots of fun. But there is something else they soon discover. They share the same blessing, the same curse. They can recognize monsters hiding behind normal faces. As they learn that each possess a special gift—sight, smell, hearing, and the ability to go undetected—they realize a neighbor, a teacher at their school is actually a monster of unspeakable terror bent on creating an army of slaves to do his bidding. Worse, the group has little time to convince anyone of what they see. But who would ever believe them?The Monster Club works against the clock to save their sleepy, beachside town and rid it of this monster once and for all. Someone might get hurt, but there is no time to be afraid.

To this day, the relationship between Hernn Corts and his translator La Malinche remains confusing. Was Corts a double-crossing murderer or a heroic conqueror? Was La Malinche, an enslaved woman from Aztec royalty, an intelligent woman doing what was necessary to stay alive or the betrayer of her people? The history books have not been kind to her. However you view this pair, one thing is clear: their stories cannot be told without linking their biographies. As your readers will find out, there is little doubt that their pairing forever changed Mexico and the Americas.

Like most interplanetary incidents, it started with a misunderstanding about sandwiches. Then it just gets crazy. Jump into this fast, riotous space-romp and join Captain Seijin, Engineer Poxner and their crewmates as they search the galaxy for a new home planet. That is, unless the bloodthirsty Crocodiles catch up to them. There will be purple monsters, dungeons, cotton candy and other perilous encounters. Omeek learns magic swords are best left alone (but he doesn't). Kiku fearlessly battles a crocodile (spoiler: rocks had to be involved). Poxner will also learn that being a hero involves a lot of falling down, (and not a small amount of screaming) unfortunately. There's a massive chase-fight into an asteroid field where the chickens are massively outnumbered by the dreaded crocodiles. Just how much excitement can you throw at a chicken in space?If you miss the humor of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, and just feel you want more of that wit and adventure, this book is for you. Or if you wished David Barry would make more funny nonfiction. Or if you just want a good funny book, this one's definitely for you.

On December 26, 2004, a monster tsunami struck several countries around the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed; whole towns were washed away. In this gripping account, learned through face-to-face interviews with survivors, veteran reporter John Torres tells the story of that disaster and of the horrors it caused. In age-appropriate prose, he also describes the remarkable way in which the world responded. For the survivors, there is hope, even in the wake of one of the worst natural disasters in history.

It's a robot invasion! Today, Chirp and his friends Squawk and Tweet are playing at being secret agents on a top-secret mission — they must shut down an evil robot factory!Unfortunately for secret agents Chirp, Squawk, and Tweet, the factory is filled with dangerous traps! Somehow they must find the control room and stop the evil robots once and for all. With some fancy robot dance moves and the pushing of many buttons, will the three friends manage to save the day?The Chirp books invite readers into a world of imagination where Chirp, Squawk, and Tweet work together to solve problems, using everyday objects and their limitless imaginations. Inspired by Chirp Magazine, the Chirp books are designed to encourage learning through imaginative play and will open up the world to preschoolers, one awesome adventure at a time.LEVELINGGrade Range: Pre-K–3Fountas & Pinnell: JReading Recovery: 17Lexile: 690LCOMMON CORERF.1.1,1a,3,3f,3g,4,4aW.1.1,2,3,5,7,8SL.1.1,1b,1c,2,3,4,5,6RL.1.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9L.1.5b,5c,5d,6L.1.1,1b,1d,2,2a,2b,4,4a,4c,5