Books with author Rich Simmons

When high school sophomore Michael Bradbury disappears without a word, his friends Logan and Preston are worried. When he returns five days later with an enormous 1980s-era boombox, they are confused. When Michael shows them that the stereo is actually a time machine that plays Steppenwolf's classic tune before transporting them anytime, anywhere, their adventure begins.

When the peaceful kingdom of Fermicia is enslaved by a power-hungry renegade, its only hope lies in a band of unlikely heroes: two children whose musical abilities allow them to harness the power of Ragesong, and their shape-changing guides.Jake starts his first day of junior high completely oblivious to the fact that he has been chosen for something incredible. That same afternoon, he learns that he has been marked as one with the power to save an entire kingdom. Through the course of his journey, Jake discovers that his advanced musical abilities are peculiarly connected to a mysterious power known as Ragesong. Joined by a shy, young girl with similar musical talents and two Changelings that hold a fierce loyalty to their homeland and king, Jake must learn to harness this ability in order to survive the dangers of a hostile new world.

Callidora is an Atlantian noblewoman and member of an elite guard whose purpose is to keep Atlantis pure...until her life is turned upside down by the birth of a son. Phoibos, bullied and taunted by other kids, is sure of one thing: something is wrong with Atlantis. Impure, Atlantian-Human hybrids are ruining his city, and he'll stop at nothing to rectify that. Callidora is the only one who knows the truth of who her only son really is, and how dangerous he can be. Can anyone stop Phoibos before his need for purification brings Atlantis to the very brink of destruction?

From the Orient... With Love.A heart-warming love letter from Ray Simmons, an American professor and ESL teacher, to some of the best students he ever had, Yen-Shen is the furthest thing from an academic treatise on Folk Tales. It is not a paper comparing Western and Chinese Fairy Tales either. This little book is a lot less rigid and a lot more... intimate.It is the story of students sharing with a foreign teacher, one of the most beloved tales from their culture. People asking questions about why the teacher didn't say this or lecture about that are completely missing the point. This was a fun night out for Ray and his Chinese students. The point was not academics or lessons. It was to get the students to have fun and speak English in an environment outside the classroom.That night out would prove to be a magical one that would inspire Ray to write down this book to help give English teachers and others a glimpse of how wonderful teaching can be, with a handful of memorable pictures of some of these students sprinkled at the beginning of this book. It may be argued that some people will find this annoying and probably doesn't make sense from an economic viewpoint.But that's okay. This really isn't about the money. It was written out of love.If you want to get an idea of the possibilities of life as an ESL teacher living and working in a foreign country, particularly China, Yeh-Shen is the book you need to read!

When the peaceful kingdom of Fermicia is enslaved by a power-hungry renegade, its only hope lies in a band of unlikely heroes: two children whose musical abilities allow them to harness the power of Ragesong, and their shape-changing guides. Jake starts his first day of junior high completely oblivious to the fact that he has been chosen for something incredible. That same afternoon, he learns that he has been marked as one with the power to save an entire kingdom. Through the course of his journey, Jake discovers that his advanced musical abilities are peculiarly connected to a mysterious power known as Ragesong. Joined by a shy, young girl with similar musical talents and two Changelings that hold a fierce loyalty to their homeland and king, Jake must learn to harness this ability in order to survive the dangers of a hostile new world.

"...death is the ultimate soldier, the equalizer of nations. Death is the fate that keeps things swaying, never in the same direction but always in equal motion."Kale had never thought himself a hero, nor had he ever considered himself brave, but when faced with the decision between giving up his own life or the lives of those that he cared for he discovered just what type of man he really was. His decision set him on a path through the darkest parts of his world and the deepest mysteries within himself to find redemption. Set in the mythical world of Telekkar, Outcast: A Sand Runner's Fate is a story about Kale, a young messenger who finds himself thrown into the path of two warring nations. Outcast: A Sand Runner's Fate explores the inner struggle of a hero and how one decision can shape the fate of an entire world.

Callidora is an Atlantian noblewoman and member of an elite guard whose purpose is to keep Atlantis pure...until her life is turned upside down by the birth of a son. Phoibos, bullied and taunted by other kids, is sure of one thing: something is wrong with Atlantis. Impure, Atlantian-Human hybrids are ruining his city, and he'll stop at nothing to rectify that. Callidora is the only one who knows the truth of who her only son really is, and how dangerous he can be. Can anyone stop Phoibos before his need for purification brings Atlantis to the very brink of destruction?