Books with author Michael Ford

As a boy, Henry Friston dreamed of traveling the world. He thought he was signing up for a lifetime of adventure when he joined the Royal Navy. But when World War I begins, it launches the world, and Henry, into turmoil. While facing enemy fire at Gallipoli, Henry discovers the strength he needs to survive in an unexpected source: a tortoise. And so begins the friendship of a lifetime. Based on true events, and with charming illustrations, this story of war, courage, and friendship will win the hearts of readers.

Award-winning author Michael Pickford brings us a delightful new series about a teen lawyer with Holmes-like powers of observation. Samuel Hickson moved from Chicago to Tennessee to attend college. He sought a new roommate because he couldn’t bear to live another week with a bunch of rowdy party animals. Samuel’s neighbor introduced him to a strange young man named Zeblon Jack. Zeblon was a child prodigy who by the age of eighteen had completed law school and passed the bar. He was also a loose cannon with no qualms about breaking the law to bring out the truth. On their first meeting, Zeblon recited the details of Samuel’s morning with precise accuracy by merely taking note of a few minor details about Samuel’s appearance. Samuel learned about the murder of his Hebrew professor. The police arrested one of his good friends for the murder. Zeblon got involved and led straight-laced Samuel into risky and exciting adventures as they worked together to solve the crime. THE CASE OF THE DEATH BOOK is a fun and challenging mystery for all ages!

Dekker isn’t happy that he and his little sister, Riley, are stuck in Button Hill with their weird old great-aunt Primrose. When he discovers an old clock in the cellar, made entirely of bones and with a skull for a face, he doesn’t think much about it. But when Riley goes missing, a strange boy named Cobb appears in Button Hill. He tells Dekker that Button Hill sits on the border between Nightside and Dayside—and that Riley is in Nightside and may never return. In order to save her, Dekker must follow her into the darkness and sacrifice something he thought he couldn’t live without.

A sequel has never been this good...at being bad! In this highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling How to Be a Supervillain, Victor Spoil must save the world from an evil scheme to enslave the superheroes and villains--to his parents' utter disappointment.Victor Spoil hates the Junior Super Academy. It makes him cranky--and his parents couldn't be prouder, because supervillains aren't meant to be nice. Until Victor confesses he wants to leave and become a librarian. The horror!But when superheroes and villains--including his parents--start disappearing, only a dedicated do-gooder like Victor can track them down. He discovers that the supers are being captured to square off against aliens in gladiator-like shows. And unlike the scripted fights that the supers usually sign up for, these battles are to the death!Victor and his fellow super students must join together and harness their super powers to battle this dastardly mega-villain. But to be a hero, Victor finally has to embrace his inner villain. Will he be able to stoop that low?

After taming the school's biggest bully, Nick, Molly and Karl expect to bask in Safety Patrol glory. But without a bully to set straight, all they're left with is helping sixth graders cross the hall and reminding everyone that Jell-o meat stains. Enter new kid Simone, who becomes fast friends with Molly but gets on Nick's nerves when she makes light of his quest to find Emily, the mysterious middle school protector who may or may not be real. In an effort to prove he's right, Nick tries to flush Emily out, only to bring the wrath of a new Zero Tolerance policy down on Emily Dickinson Middle School. Nick's in way over his head (he's not that tall in the first place) and risks expulsion if he can't restore his good name. Since Nick is an expert at making wrong moves, he could be in big trouble. Because if there's one thing worse than being the shortest seventh grader in the history of the world, it'shaving to go through it twice. Praise for The Odd Squad: Bully Bait "Funny and sweet with a steely centre."—Neil Gaiman, New York Times best-selling author of Coraline and the Newbery Award-winning The Graveyard Book "An important message, humorously delivered, that will appeal to Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans." — Kirkus Reviews

There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time-and the inspiration-to open up new doors leading to unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all. The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one.. Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's. With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.

The First Rule of Torching: Cleanse with fire. Josh is by far the best zombie Torcher around—at least, he is in his virtual-reality zombie-hunting game. Josh has quickly risen through the player ranks, relying on the skill, cunning, and agility of a real Torcher.The Second Rule of Torching: Save all humans.But luckily for Josh, zombies exist only in the virtual world. The real zombie war is now more than fifteen years in the past, and the battle to defeat the deadly epidemic that devastated his family—and millions of others—is the stuff of history lessons.The Third Rule of Torching: You can't bring them back.Charlie is the top-ranked player in the game. Since all the players are shrouded in anonymity, Josh never expects Charlie to be a girl—and he never expects the offer she makes him: to join the underground gaming league that takes the virtual-reality game off the screen and into the streets. Josh is thrilled. But the more involved he gets, the more he realizes that not everything is what it seems. Real blood is spilling, members of the team are disappearing, and the zombies in the game are acting strange. And then there's the matter of a mysterious drug called Z. . . .