Books with author Richard O. Smith

Believing their stolen camping gear to be hidden inside an old abandoned mine, Scott, Jason and Jill reluctantly enter the dark hole in the mountain. Just yards inside the tunnel, the three teens discover much more than they ever bargained for. The old mine shaft becomes a terrifying link to a magical, mystical city. As the three begin a desperate struggle to get back home, they find that the golden city of Topia holds both treasure and terror. A strange world inhabited by Snags, Garps and Dittles and three powerful Queens - two very good, but one very evil.

Adventures in Vacuumville – a series of bug-based escapades written by Stephen Richard Smith.In our universe, the infinity of space stretches out beyond imagining. Galaxies upon galaxies pepper voids like golf balls on limitless greens. Somewhere in this incalculable vastness exists our sun and its solar-system. The third planet nearest that sun is Earth. As seen from space, the blue areas are seas and the brown and green areas are land. On that ground, rivers, mountains, cities and towns thread and dot the landscape. In these towns are neighbourhoods where people work and sleep and eat and play. They live in houses with walls and windows and doors designed to shut out the big universe so that each person can create their own little world with TVs, sofas, refrigerators, carpets, ornaments, family photos, toy boxes, closets…and vacuum cleaners.In one of those closets, inside an ordinary vacuum cleaner, exists an extraordinary world, a microcosm of our own world, inhabited by tiny, living breathing, working, playing, squabbling and loving bugs and microbes. MILLIE, MITE and LOUSE are but three of them.Their home, to us humans, is tiny. Their neighbourhood is, to us, also unimaginably, insignificantly small. Their town (Vacuumville) is too microscopic for even our sharpest eyes to perceive and their Capital (Dustbag City), could only be detected (by us) with specialised equipment – which humans would never employ as we would never guess, even in our maddest daydream, that such a microscopic civilisation could exist, let alone endure.Nevertheless, it does.Adventure’s in Vacuumville is a series of stories limited only by the variety of detritus it is possible to suck into a vacuum cleaner. Each day, at around lunchtime when humans often vacuum their garbage-laden carpets, new and exciting objects land in Vacuumville. These objects form the catalyst for the narrative, the premise for adventure - each text based upon around MILLIE, MITE and LOUSE’S interaction with said objects.In this fourth text, a holiday is planned, packed for and embarked upon. However, as a reader of these adventures will now have realised, the start of these adventures seldom close relation to the conclusion. How a holiday turns into a ‘circus’ is for the reader to discover and enjoy.These warm stories of friendship, loyalties, conflicts and solutions are deliberately not dumbed-down in terms of their language – the vocabulary is ambitious. Currently, particularly in schools with accelerated reading schemes, advanced young readers are often left with little option but to read material in which the content is designed, thematically and emotionally, for an older readership. Adventures in Vacuumville aims to provide material for the younger advanced reader to enjoy, devoid of the themes which often prevail in texts aimed toward the chronologically developing reader of 12+ years (where ‘Reading Age’ and ‘Chronological Age’ match). Adventures in Vacuumville is aimed at higher ability readers of between 7 and 12 years of age with an advanced reading age, but, refreshingly for those young readers, the texts contain no teen themes, no young adult related content and no language which might contain content which pre-pubescent readers might find baffling or embarrassing.As a final note, I also have trialled these texts with some older children and they seemed to enjoy them too.Stephen Richard Smith. Cert Ed. B.Sc. MA.

These fun, fact-filled books are perfect for young researchers. The history, geography, and people of each state are covered in these books. The text is enhanced with maps, photos, and graphs. Timelines and fast-facts sections reinforce the text. The detailed and well-written books are ideal for both research and entertainment.Easy-to-read text with bright, full color photographs brings Indiana to young students. Presented in a simple, easily understandable, "scrapbook" format, kids will truly enjoy opening this travelogue-like book. This 48-page book is filled with current state facts and statistical data. Important historical information segues to up-to-date details on cities, economics, geography, and climate. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

A special stone hidden in a quiet cove in Cornwall more than 200 years ago, is the object of a desperate search by two opposing factions. When Harry and his school friends discover a code whilst holidaying in the cove, they assume it will lead them to hidden treasure. But dark forces, with seemingly supernatural powers, are working against them. The teenagers soon find themselves caught up in a deadly battle, and will be lucky to escape with their lives, let alone get their hands on the treasure.

Just outside the village of Springly lies Farmer Jenks’ farm, and in his field stands a scarecrow by the name of Tuffy. Along with straw and rags, the stuffing from an old teddy bear had been used to make the scarecrow. Tuffy’s eyes had once been the teddy bear’s big glass eyes, so Tuffy had been named after the teddy bear and left in the field to scare the birds away from Farmer Jenks’ cornfield. So there he stood, propped up with the aid of a post in the ground.

There was a mouse, not an ordinary mouse but an extraordinary mouse,as you will soon see. One day Mouse was on his way to get some blackberries that grew in the hedgerows for his dinner, when all of a sudden a shadow came overhim that grew larger and larger. It was no ordinary shadow as there was a particular shape to it and one that Mouse certainly didn’t want to see. It was the shape of wings ... owl wings ... and Mouse knew that he was about to be dinner for Owl as blackberries were to be dinner for him.

Synopsis Adventures in Vacuumville – a series of bug-based escapades written by Stephen Richard Smith.In our universe, the infinity of space stretches out beyond imagining. Galaxies upon galaxies pepper voids like golf balls on limitless greens. Somewhere in this incalculable vastness exists our sun and its solar-system. The third planet nearest that sun is Earth. As seen from space, the blue areas are seas and the brown and green areas are land. On that ground, rivers, mountains, cities and towns thread and dot the landscape. In these towns are neighbourhoods where people work and sleep and eat and play. They live in houses with walls and windows and doors designed to shut out the big universe so that each person can create their own little world with TVs, sofas, refrigerators, carpets, ornaments, family photos, toy boxes, closets…and vacuum cleaners.In one of those closets, inside an ordinary vacuum cleaner, exists an extraordinary world, a microcosm of our own world, inhabited by tiny, living breathing, working, playing, squabbling and loving bugs and microbes. MILLIE, MITE and LOUSE are but three of them.Their home, to us humans, is tiny. Their neighbourhood is, to us, also unimaginably, insignificantly small. Their town (Vacuumville) is too microscopic for even our sharpest eyes to perceive and their Capital (Dustbag City), could only be detected (by us) with specialised equipment – which humans would never employ as we would never guess, even in our maddest daydream, that such a microscopic civilisation could exist, let alone endure.Nevertheless, it does.Adventure’s in Vacuumville is a series of stories limited only by the variety of detritus it is possible to suck into a vacuum cleaner. Each day, at around lunchtime when humans often vacuum their garbage-laden carpets, new and exciting objects land in Vacuumville. These objects form the catalyst for the narrative, the premise for adventure - each text based upon around MILLIE, MITE and LOUSE’S interaction with said objects.In this second text, the bugs, who have been conditioned from birth (sorry, hatching) to fear and avoid spiders, come across Norris – an encounter they’re neither defensively prepared for nor emotionally equipped to deal with. However, Norris is not what they expect, turning their prejudices upside down and inside out. A moral to the story…perhaps?These warm stories of friendship, loyalties, conflicts and solutions are deliberately not dumbed-down in terms of their language – the vocabulary is ambitious. Currently, particularly in schools with accelerated reading schemes, advanced young readers are often left with little option but to read material in which the content is designed, thematically and emotionally, for an older readership. Adventures in Vacuumville aims to provide material for the younger advanced reader to enjoy, devoid of the themes which often prevail in texts aimed toward the chronologically developing reader of 12+ years (where ‘Reading Age’ and ‘Chronological Age’ match). Adventures in Vacuumville is aimed at higher ability readers of between 7 and 12 years of age with an advanced reading age, but, refreshingly for those young readers, the texts contain no teen themes, no young adult related content and no language which might contain content which pre-pubescent readers might find baffling or embarrassing.As a final note, I also have trialled these texts with some older children and they seemed to enjoy them too.Stephen Richard Smith. Cert Ed. B.Sc. MA.

‘Teddy Bear’ is his name – his first and second name…his real name. He lives in woods near London’s Regent’s Park until one day, he decides to visit relatives. Cross-country journeys for bears in cities are never straightforward, however, and soon, his travels take an unexpected turn (or two, or three).These tales of innocence and misadventure (of which, this is the first) seek to emulate the feel of classic ‘bear’ tales of old when, no matter how well planned and well intentioned the bear, distraction and the possibilities of exploration are always around the next corner.This is the second in the series, the follow-up to ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’. In this text, the ‘travel’ element only reaches as far as under the bed where Teddy’s attention is drawn to a new character, in need of assistance – a new friendship ensues.Written in rhythmic rhyming couplets, these mini-stories are simple in construction and theme. No great meaning to uncover here – just read and enjoy.Stephen Richard Smith. Cert Ed, B.Sc.

‘Teddy Bear’ is his name – his first and second name…his real name. He lives in woods near London’s Regent’s Park until one day (covered in the first text of the series), he decides to visit relatives. Cross-country journeys for bears in cities are never straightforward, however, and soon, his travels take an unexpected turn (or two, or three).These tales of innocence and misadventure (of which, this is the first) seek to emulate the feel of classic ‘bear’ tales of old when, no matter how well planned and well intentioned the bear, distraction and the possibilities of exploration are always around the next corner.This is the third book in the series. In this text, Teddy visits the zoo to see his cousin, Grizzly Bear, only to find him in despair at his imminent (and unexpected) departure. Thankfully, Teddy is on-hand to tackle the apparently thoughtless management. – But, as it turns-out, there is no need as things, as often is the case with these tales, are not quite what they seem.Written in rhythmic rhyming couplets, these mini-stories are simple in construction and theme. No great meaning to uncover here – just read and enjoy.Stephen Richard Smith. Cert Ed, B.Sc.

The Bill of Rights series examines the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, spelling out the rights that all Americans enjoy, but few truly understand. In a relevant and accessible way, the series explores the Constitution’s amendment process and reveal how amendments—once adopted—become woven into the fabric of daily living in America. Includes historical and current events examples.This volume of the series explains how amendments are proposed and adopted to the US Constitution.