Books with author Theodore Taylor

Available for the first time in a Yearling edition, the classic, inspiring story of a dog who triumphs against all odds, by the bestselling author of "The Cay," Helen adored her beautiful golden Labrador from the first moment he was placed in her arms, a squirming fat sausage of creamy yellow fur. As her best friend, Friar Tuck waited daily for Helen to come home from school and play. He guarded her through the long, scary hours of the dark night. Twice he even saved her life. Now it's Helen's turn. No one can say exactly when Tuck began to go blind. Probably the light began to fail for him long before the alarming day when he raced after some cats and crashed through the screen door, apparently never seeing it. But from that day on, Tuck's trouble--and how to cope with it--becomes the focus of Helen's life. Together they fight the chain that holds him and threatens to break his spirit, until Helen comes up with a solution so new, so daring, there's no way it can fail.

When Ben's parents go to Africa, they leave the fourteen-year-old in charge of the family's wild animal preserve. Everything seems to be running smoothly until one night when the silence is broken by the sound of peacocks screeching. When Ben leaves the house to investigate, he sees a terrifying sight: two lions shot dead from bullets sent straight to their hearts. Someone is out there, someone with a score to settle . . . and there's no telling who will be the next victim. Includes a reader's guide.

A Girl's Best Friend"No one can definitely say when Friar Tuck began to go blind. But the light probably began to fail for big Tuck long before any of us suspected it, and of course, being a dog, he couldn't very well talk about it. It didn't seem possible. Young, beautiful, so free-spirited, he had a long life ahead..."Helen adored Tuck from the first moment he was placed in her arms, a squirming fat sausage of creamy yellow fur. And very soon Tuck returned her love. He faithfully slept on the rug beside her bed, guarded her against strangers, and rejoiced in their long walks together. So when Tuck began to lose his sight, Helen fought to be his eyes. She wouldn't let his blindness end his life or even limit it. Instead, Helen thought up a unique solution to Tuck's trouble, one that would keep Tuck free, proud, and hers forever.

It is 1946, a year after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and World War II is over. But the U.S. government has decided that further tests of atomic bombs must be conducted. When Bikini Atoll is chosen for the testing site, the inhabitants of the tiny island are told they must relocate for just two years. But sixteen-year-old Sorry Rinamu believes the Americans are lying and that it will never be safe to return. He must find a way to stop the first bomb before it is dropped . . . even if it means risking his own destruction. Includes a reader's guide and an author's note.