Books with author Robyn Collins

From the Award-winning Author of Spider Silk, Stone Fly, and Not Before Midnight Bitter's Run is a spirited and adventurous tale. Told in three parts, it portrays the realities and uncertainties of life on the Oregon Trail, of the war-weary men seeking or returning to a homestead in Oregon, and of the courageous women who rode with them.Following Lee's surrender of the Army of Virginia to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox, Captain John Bitter of Abiqua Creek, Oregon musters out of the 40th Missouri. A loner, Bitter plans a quick ride home over the Oregon Trail. The good Lord, however, has other plans for him.After a month on the Trail, two gun battles, a bruising fistfight to settle a blood feud, a new wife, and two adopted sons, Bitter tells Rockford, his big, mean, black horse, "This sure complicates the business of getting back to Oregon."Bitter now finds himself the leader of a mixed entourage going west: a black pioneer family earlier wagon trains shunned; an Irish rebel turned galvanized Yankee; a dispossessed Cherokee turned Cheyenne medicine man; the rescued sister of a Bannock chief; a white boy adopted by the Cheyenne; and a scout for the Union Army who is also one of the richest men in Oregon.If you like well-researched historical fiction that delivers entertainment as well as passion and suspense ... you'll love Bitter's Run.

When a platypus stops by the zoo one day, all the animals assume he wants to join their zoo, and he is swiftly taken through a rigorous interview process. But the platypus is far too bland for the chameleons, he's not nearly graceful enough for the flamingos, and his tricks will never impress the monkeys. After he leaves, the animals soon regret their behavior, but . . . what's this? The platypus has left something behind. Perhaps he didn't intend to join their zoo after all! This rhyming picture book, from the award-winning creator of There's a Bear on My Chair, combines comic misunderstanding with a heartfelt story about acceptance and belonging.

"The silliness should have little listeners asking for repeat readings." —Kirkus ReviewsAnteater is hungry, but he has completely forgotten what anteaters eat. Baffled, and with his tummy rumbling, he consults the other animals. Sloth is too busy, Toucan is clueless, and Crocodile has his own mouth full. Whatever will Anteater do? It isn't until the ants all run for their lives that Anteater remembers what he should be eating . . . and it’s not what you think! A delightfully silly tale that little ones will return to again and again.

Anteater is hungry, but he has completely forgotten what anteaters eat. Baffled, and with his tummy rumbling, he consults the other animals. Sloth is too busy, Toucan is clueless, and Crocodile has his own mouth full. Whatever will Anteater do? It isn't until the ants all run for their lives that Anteater remembers what he should be eating . . . and it’s not what you think! A delightfully silly tale that little ones will return to again and again.

This latest edition of the much-loved Bradford's offers even more. Available in a jacketed hardback with a clear text design and quality paper, this edition is durable and easy to use. Users will never again be short of answers to their crossword clues! A unique type of crossword dictionary having been compiled and crafted by a single author based on her over 58 years' experience of crossword solving. Every word in this dictionary has appeared as a solution to a real crossword clue. Previous readers have found this book an invaluable reference work for both cryptic and quick crosswords, and new users will be quickly converted!

Mom has just one thing to tell Harvey on Doodleday-no drawing allowed! But surely drawing one little fly can't hurt. Not until Harvey's fly comes to life and starts to wreck the kitchen, that is! What can Harvey draw that will catch it? A spider! But the spider proves to be even more trouble. Only one thing is capable of stopping Harvey's rampaging doodles... Mom!

As far as fourteen-year-old Bun knows, Mary Hare has always been his mother, and New South Wales has always been his home. But one day he returns home to find the woman who raised him lying gravely injured at the bottom of the stairs, where she finally reveals the truth. With her last breaths, Mary informs Bun that she is not his biological mother after all. Determined to find out who his real parents are, Bun puts his photographic memory to work and begins collecting and examining clues—ones that will lead him and his best friend, Katie, on an epic chase across the United States. Someone, however, wants to keep the truth from them, so the pair finds themselves pursued every step of the way.Guided by their intelligence and determination, Bun and Katie are able to decipher the few clues they have to work with: an American passport, a birth certificate, and a mysterious niello necklace with the inscription “MMA585.” After jetting across the ocean to New York, the evidence leads them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they find the possible fate of Bun’s real parents hidden in some newspaper archives. The articles also contain clues to the location of some of his other family members, but they won’t be able to get there without a fight. In the span of twenty-four hours, Bun narrowly escapes being shot, run over, and kidnapped, all by the powerful forces determined to keep his family secret under wraps.The pair’s thrilling American adventure turns into a race against their enemies, as they do anything they can to reach their cross-country destination while staying one step ahead of the people trying to harm them. Nothing is what it seems, and Bun and Katie have only each other to trust as they face life-threatening dangers at every turn. They will either make it to the West Coast in time for a happy family reunion, or powerful forces will keep the mystery of Bun’s parentage hidden for good. It will take plenty of intelligence, lots of bravery, and a little bit of luck if the friends are to reach their destination safely and solve the mystery of the niello necklace. A suspenseful tale geared toward children and young adults, The Niello Necklace Mystery is the first book of a new series about young Bun Hare, a protagonist with a photographic memory and a boundless curiosity for solving mysteries. In addition to unstoppable action and heart-pounding adventures that will appeal to its target audience, the Niello books also contain important messages about the power of friendship and perseverance. In the vein of The Hardy Boys or the works of Enid Blyton, Robyn Collins aims to write enjoyable mysteries for young readers that will keep them thinking and guessing from beginning to end.