Books with author Joyce Richardson

Have you ever wondered how guns and bullet proof jackets were invented? From spears and arrows to experiments with rocket and lasers, from chain mail to kevlar and ceramic plates, It'll Never Work: Weapons and Warfare explores the history and development of weaponry, the successes and failures that have led to the weapons of modern warfare that we know today.Each title in this exciting, high-interest series looks at a different area of technology and engineering and reveals the pioneering ideas and scientific thinking that enabled its development, as well as exposing those that proved to be a dead end. Each spread examines a particular example in depth, bringing in other similar ideas where relevant, and revealing that experimentation and failure often pave the way to technology success. Beautifully designed and illustrated with infographic-style artwork, this series is an excellent technology resource for readers aged 9 and up.

Merlin and a group of his friends were at their middle school on the night of the Fall Festival. Ms. White, a long term substitute teacher, showed them a mirror and told them to look into a mirror and think about whatever they saw. The magical mirror gave the students a curse or blessing based on how they saw themselves in the mirror. Unfortunately, it was Halloween when they looked into the mirror and everyone was wearing costumes. If they saw themselves as shorter than their friends, they might start getting shorter each day. If they thought they looked strong, they grew stronger each day. Merlin was dressed as his hero, Merlin the Enchanter, and imagined that he could do magic as well. Unfortunately, a friend was not so lucky. He had to either help his friend and risk losing his powers, forget about her and keep the powers of the mirror. Unfortunately, he and his friends were not the only ones who looked at the mirror. Another group of students had also gained powers from the mirror. They felt no need to help the cursed friend and decided to stop Merlin and his friends from getting to the mirror.Will he risk losing his powers to help his friend? Can Merlin and his friends save the cursed friend or will they be stopped by the other students?

Joel Demetrius is quite looking forward to moving in with his new step-family, but as far as his sister Cassie's concerned, they're nothing but intruders. She doesn't want anything to do with Gerald and his two sons, and to make matters worse their new home is a derelict old house, neglected for decades. Joel thinks it's interesting. Cassie thinks it's a dump.But his sister isn't the only reason the house doesn't feel like a home. As fascinated as he is by the place, Joel has to admit there's something not quite right about it. Not only does he keep seeing things out of the corner of his eye, but his sleep is plagued by nightmares. He can't seem to stop dreaming about a terrified boy who keeps repeating the same fractured prayer:IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE, I PRAY THE LORD MY SOUL TO TAKE . . .As events in the house become harder and harder to explain, it seems that the line between nightmare and reality is getting steadily more blurred. And when the battle between Cassie and her step-brothers draws everyone deeper into the mystery, all four kids are forced to confront the question of just who the intruders really are.

When Marjorie went to live with her frosty maiden aunt, she couldn’t imagine the adventures she would have with dragons — good and bad — and all the strange creatures that live in a mysterious land beneath the Tarn. The spunky 9-year-old redhead forges an unlikely friendship with an insecure young boy named Rufus who lives with his crusty grandfather next door. When Jorie — for that is what she prefers to be called — finds a dusty ancient book about dragons, she learns four strange words that will send the two of them into a mysterious land beneath the Tarn, riddled with enchantment and danger. Hungry for adventure, the children take the plunge, quite literally, and find themselves in the magic land of Cabrynthius. Upon meeting the good dragon, the Great Grootmonya, Jorie and Rufus are given a quest to find the three Stones of Maalog — stones of enormous power — and return them to their rightful place in Cabrynthius. Their mission is neither easy nor safe, and is peppered with perils in the form of the evil black half-dragon who rules the shadowy side of the land. They have to deal with a wicked and greedy professor, the tragic daughter of the bad dragon, caves of fire, rocky mountainous climbs, and a deadly poisonous butterfly.Jorie must rely on her wits and courage to win the day? Can she do this? Can she find all three Stones? Can she save Rufus when disaster befalls him? Can she emerge victorious? She and Rufus have some hair-raising challenges, in which they learn valuable lessons about loyalty, bravery, and friendship.

Have you ever wondered how light and sound move? It's through waves! Readers will explore how our senses react to traveling light and sound waves, and they will also learn how humans have altered waves to do incredible things, such as building electric guitars and looking through telescopes into space. Accessible language and full-color icons, graphics, and pictograms make this the perfect introduction to scientific concepts, and it is a great solution for those who learn best by visualization.

This visually exciting book takes a unique look at our globe from the perspective of all the people on Earth. Using an innovative design, maps are populated by infographics, graphs, and icons to represent information and statistics about a subject in a very visual way. This aids readers in comparing and contrasting the same subjects in different parts of the world. Each spread explores one subject in-depth, such as how countries are governed around the globe, who has the highest obesity rates, how urbanization rates affect the environment, and how the life expectancy in a country is linked to its sanitation levels.