Books with author Ron Sharrow

When his best friend is arrested for the murder of a notorious gangster, gentleman adventurer John Granville is determined to hunt down the real killer. It’s 1899. To save his friend, Granville must dive into the seedy side of the city—the burlesque halls, gambling joints, and opium dens that line reeking mudflats. He finds allies along the way, including Emily Turner, the emancipated daughter of a very Victorian father. But with a fortune in Klondike gold and Chinese silk at stake, no-one is safe. Set on the Northwest Coast during the Klondike Era—when Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco were gateways for Klondike gold and Chinese silk, The Silk Train Murder features strong characters and a well-researched and lively story. Finalist for the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel

It’s 1899, and when his best friend is arrested for the murder of a notorious gangster, gentleman adventurer John Granville is determined to hunt down the real killer. To save his friend, Granville must dive into the seedy side of the city—the burlesque halls, gambling joints, and opium dens that line reeking mudflats. He finds allies along the way, including Emily Turner, the emancipated daughter of a very Victorian father. But with a fortune in Klondike gold and Chinese silk at stake, no-one is safe.Set on the Northwest Coast during the Klondike Era—when Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco were gateways for Klondike gold and Chinese silk, The Silk Train Murder features strong characters and a well-researched and lively story.Finalist for the Arthur Ellis First Novel Award

Sniffers, the cat who was adopted at a local animal rescue shelter by Logan. When Logan goes off to school, Sniffers jumps out the window to go on an incredible journey to find him. He is helped along the way by a group of colorful characters. Ginger, a rainbow-colored squirrel. Sparkle, the pink dog who sparkles and leaves glitter paw prints. Mayor Max, the town's canine mayor who knows everything with his psychic abilities. Mr. Peppalitas the superhero cat who can fly.

Lexieville, Arkansas, can hardly be called a real town. It's nothing but a jumble of unpainted shotgun shacks squatting at the end of a muddy, rutted road. To Pertrisha "Pert" Lexie, that road is like a sign, a warning that there's no welcome for outsiders who might venture into Lexieville, and little chance of her getting out.Pert's mother, Truly, had dreams once upon a time, but now they're worn threadbare as a hand-me-down quilt. Pert's brother, Jobe, a high-school dropout, appears to be trapped in Lexieville, too. Only Pert is still determined to shake the dust of Lexieville off her feet and put on a new life like a bright, fresh coat of paint.With only a few self-defense classes, an occasional helping hand from a county welfare worker, and her own fierce dreams to aid her, Pert fights to overcome the suffocating fatalism of generations and to fend off the violent advances of a bitter uncle.

"Amid gritty free verse, Darrow interweaves beautifully crafted forms such as the villanelle, sestina and pantoum, whose intricate patterns suit Sissy's mournful voice." — Publishers WeeklyFor sixteen-year-old Sissy and her brother Boy, trash is a reminder of one too many sorry foster placements they've endured, a way of life they can't wait to escape. Now on the run in search of their big sister Raynell, ironically they are forced to rely on their trash-picking skills for sustenance and shelter. Reunited at last with Raynell in St. Louis, Boy and Sissy shed their old identities, reinvent themselves as graffiti artists, and splash their new names on city bridges and walls. But one night's expedition goes horribly wrong, and Sissy looks again to trash, this time as the beginning of something artful and beautiful.

Long before Mary Shelley created her Gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein, she told other tales - spine-tingling fireside tales of lost loves and drowned sailors. She also shared true stories of a girl endlessly drawn to her mother's grave, and of a girl whose father had forgotten all he once held dear. Sharon Darrow has skilfully spun fiction from fact to recreate the details of a particularly critical time in Mary Wolllstonecraft Shelley's life - when she was fourteen and sent away to live with another family, the Baxters. Masterfully matched by Angela Barrett's exquisite, atmospheric illustrations, this is a rich tapestry of stories within stories - those told, those written and more extraordinary, those lived.

Lexieville, Arkansas, can hardly be called a real town. It's nothing but a jumble of unpainted shotgun shacks squatting at the end of a muddy, rutted road. To Pertrisha "Pert" Lexie, that road is like a sign, a warning that there's no welcome for outsiders who might venture into Lexieville, and little chance of her getting out.Pert's mother, Truly, had dreams once upon a time, but now they're worn threadbare as a hand-me-down quilt. Pert's brother, Jobe, a high-school dropout, appears to be trapped in Lexieville, too. Only Pert is still determined to shake the dust of Lexieville off her feet and put on a new life like a bright, fresh coat of paint.With only a few self-defense classes, an occasional helping hand from a county welfare worker, and her own fierce dreams to aid her, Pert fights to overcome the suffocating fatalism of generations and to fend off the violent advances of a bitter uncle.

Silk Trains. Fan dancers. Opium Dens More dangerous than chasing Klondike gold At the turn of the last century, sleek liners carried a fortune in silk from the Orient to Vancouver. The costly material, insured by the day, was rushed to New York in specially designed silk trains, which became the target of every crook across the continent. Down on his luck gentleman John Lansdowne Granville washes up in Vancouver, hungry and broke. Running from his past, afraid of his future. Until he his best friend's arrest for murder. Granville's desperate hunt to find the real killer before they hang his friend takes him to the seedy side of the city; to burlesque halls, gambling joints and down along Dupont Street--two blocks of brothels and opium dens along the reeking mudflats. Along the way he finds companionship in odd places and an ally--and more--in Emily Turner, the emancipated daughter of a very Victorian father.

Two teen siblings run from foster life — and find new expression as graffiti artists — in a stark but hopeful poetic novel.For sixteen-year-old Sissy and her brother Boy, trash is a reminder of one too many sorry foster placements they've endured, a way of life they can't wait to escape. Now on the run in search of their big sister Raynell, ironically they are forced to rely on their trash-picking skills for sustenance and shelter. Reunited at last with Raynell in St. Louis, Boy and Sissy shed their old identities, reinvent themselves as graffiti artists, and splash their new names on city bridges and walls. But one night's expedition goes horribly wrong, and Sissy looks again to trash, this time as the beginning of something artful and beautiful.

The perfect book to read to children or give as a gift. Sniffers, the cat who was adopted at a local animal rescue shelter by Logan. When Logan goes off to school, Sniffers jumps out the window to go on an incredible journey to find him. He is helped along the way by a group of colorful characters. Ginger, a rainbow-colored squirrel. Sparkle, the pink dog who sparkles and leaves glitter paw prints wherever she goes. Mayor Max, the town's canine mayor who makes the world a better place by conveying unconditional love and doing as many good deeds for others as possible. Mr. Peppalitas is the amazing superhero cat who can fly.