Books with author Katherine Boo

In this long-awaited collection of short fiction by the author of Mariana and Our Lady of the Artichokes, beauty is continually and painfully present in all places--in a Thanksgiving dinner assembled by a widowed DMV worker being stalked by an irate customer; in a middle-aged Hollywood actress who captivates a young studio animator for decades; in the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy; and in a daughter's memories of the ethereal, melting ice sculptures made by a woman embroiled in an affair with a wealthy lawyer. Amid their complex, turbulent relationships in a chronic state of crisis, Katherine Vaz's wise and restless protagonists carry within them the seeds of a vanished, gracious world of urbane dinner parties and passionate affairs--a humane and cultured civilization whose flawed inhabitants are redeemed by their ability to blend the aesthetic imperative with the power to love.

Parent and teachers want children to grow up to be happy and self sufficient, but when we have children with special needs, sometimes it seems like the work becomes so much about putting in scaffolding that we forget to celibate the strengths that are already there. Of course it's important to understand our needs and challenges, but if what we do well needs to be acknowledged first and foremost in order for their to be any chance at success.

Waiting For a Ribbon is a story of hope and survival. Following several devastating and catastrophic events, Katherine attempted suicide, not once but twice. During her second attempt, a powerful near death experience saves her life. She is told that there is a purpose for her life. She makes a miraculous recovery and now devotes her life to promoting suicide prevention and awareness. She is an ardent advocate for fighting the stigma that surrounds the issue of suicide.

Nora is a Seer, and the Seers must die. Exiled from an advanced and secretive scientific society and her memories erased, Nora lives a mundane life with no idea that she’s a rare, genetically enhanced probability expert. When a pair of eccentric strangers show up at her door with wild claims about her past, Nora is skeptical—right up to the point when a pair of futuristic soldiers storm her home with guns drawn, making the warning clear: outside the protection of her society, she’s being hunted. In a rival society, Annabel is searching for a way to take back her power to rule from her brother. Killing Nora would finally level the battlefield between the societies, giving Annabel everything she'd need to regain her role, but her brother has a plan of his own. Ordering a dangerous, experimental procedure, he hopes to make Annabel a Seer giving him the upper hand in the war. Kept as little more than an asset at his disposal afterward, Annabel can trust no one, not even her old friend Jasper, her brother’s most-trusted adviser. With or without allies, she has a new mission now. She’s going to take her brother down. With the hunt closing in, Nora is forced to seek the help of a fiery outsider she can’t remember, but he certainly remembers her—and not fondly. Together, they'll have to fight against the full force of their society, which sees them as little more than weapons in their war. Will Nora be able to summon enough of the person she used to be to save herself and her society?

The conch is a symbol of the Caribbean. Conch meat is an important food and income source, and conch shells are sold as items of beauty throughout the world. Shelley the Conch presents the life story of a conch in word and picture. It is written with young children in mind, but the colorful artwork and interesting story will appeal to all ages. The story traces Shelley's life from her first days as a drifting baby the size of a pinpoint through to the hatching of her own offspring. In this work of creative nonfiction readers will learn some fascinating facts about the life of the conch as well as the habits of other marine animals with whom it has contact. Readers will also appreciate the importance of conserving this lovely marine resource. Author and illustrator Katherine Orr is a marine biologist who has spent hundreds of hours underwater studying conchs in their native habitats. Orr's paintings reflect her intimate knowledge of the conch and its world.

Bailey and her friends are back at school. First graders this year and a little nervous about what that may mean, but her teacher Mrs. Sharp seems nice upon first impressions. Then one of the kids at lunch mentions something a little odd about the teacher. Will Bailey and her friends have a fun year? Will they find a way to stop the one they have dubbed Fingernail Falcon? Don't miss out on the excitement! If you haven't read it yet, check out book #1 in this School is Scary series to see what unexpected surprises Kindergarten held for Bailey and the Halloween treats they never thought they would eat.A fun read for kids and parents alike as you see school dilemmas from the perspective of these imaginative friends and classmates. Like the original book of this series, there is a grain of truth to the Fingernails of First Grade from my personal experience that is spun into an interesting tale of friendship and teamwork in an unlikely situation.

Fiction. A humorous look at school from the viewpoint of little Bailey as she starts Kindergarten. It seems that parents don't notice the mean looks or scary faces of the teacher,Mrs. Bones, but Bailey and her new friends do. They had their guesses all along, but finally on Halloween the true nature of Mrs.Bones is revealed. This book is appropriate for ages 5 and up.

A sweet little girl asked me to write a story about a rose, a garden, and a fox. This is their tale.Princess Bethani has trouble behaving like a princess, but today she will do her very best because she has been invited to her very first garden party. Unfortunately, her idea of a garden party is not the same as that of the other girls. She seeks adventure in the maze where she finds everything you can imagine, except an exit. Will Bethani escape? Will her adventures teach her to act like a princess, after all?

It is London 1665, a year fraught with strange and unearthly events. Comets fly low in the sky while merchants clamor for war. Eleven year old Erasmus T. Muddiman attends St Paul’s School with his younger brother. He enjoys Latin but hates to create Latin verses, preferring the new sciences as seen at the Royal Society. He plays football with the lads in Paul’s Yard, shimmies up the drainpipe outside his bedchamber window and he saves his brother, Desiderius, from all sorts of scrapes. Soon, Erasmus cannot avoid the rumors of war. Men and boys are pressganged, taken to ships or the dockyards. Plague enters the city. As school fellows disappear, Erasmus and his family meet a terrible fate of survival. Who will live and who will die?ReviewBloody Good Stuff !!!! I found everything fitted admirably in place and the sequence wonderful.A work to be proud of, Kev Richardson, Historian