Books with author Virginia Leishman

One of the icons of modernism, Virginia Woolf is credited alongside James Joyce for redefining the novel and challenging the limitations of the form. Published in 1927, To the Lighthouse helped establish Woolf among the 20th centurys most important and influential writers. At their second home on the Isle of Skye, the Ramsay family surrounds itself with friends and colleagues. They contend with World War I, family deaths, and hardships both spoken and unspoken. All the while, the lighthouse looms in the distance. Six-year-old James asks his father to take him there, but many years will pass before the voyage begins. Woolf was deeply interested in her characters' inner thoughts and feelings, and because of this, To the Lighthouse emerges as an unforgettable, introspective masterpiece.

"The MOORCHILD by Eloise McGraw, Narrated by Virginia Leishman --- A Newbery Honor Boos." "Moql's mother is Folk, one of those tiny fairies who live hiddden from mere mortals. Her father is human, through, so she cannot make herself invisible---a necessity for playing pranks and stealing food from the townspeople. Her carefree way of life abruptly ends when the Folk decide that she will be a changeling, traded for a human baby whom they can enslave. Banished from the life she loves, Moqul, now known as Saaski, must learn to fit in with the people around her. Haunted by snatches of her fading memories and tormented for being different, Moql ultimately finds herself in danger. What can she possibly do to save herself and repay the human parents who have so lovingly protected her? Although set against the backdrop of a charming medieval setting, this awardwinning book addresses the fear, sadness, and danger involved in being different---issues that are, sadly, still quite contemporary. "Unusual and absorbing ... With its convincing medieval setting and characters, this engrossing novel will be an excellent choice to read aloud." ---Booklist, starred review [from back of case]

Grade 2-5. On a sweltering summer afternoon, Sally's Nana cuts her a chain of paper dolls. They draw the features of the first doll, but the set is stolen by a bird when they go inside for lemonade. Thus begins an odyssey that only a consummate storyteller such as Mahy could spin. The first paper sister, Alpha, is a free spirit, an adventurer who welcomes the changes in life. As the breeze lifts her over the city, she catches a glimpse of an enchanted island. As the intrepid sisters journey on, they are saved from a lawnmower's jaws, a bad-tempered porcelain pig, a towering rubbish fire, and, finally, an obscure life as a bookmark in a forgotten school text. Along the way, they meet a number of children who sense their magic in varying degrees. As these new characters draw or paint features for the remaining figures, each sister's unique personality, only sensed before, comes to brilliant light. The people who encounter the dolls are all affected in subtle ways. In a fitting conclusion, Olivia and her brother (who are, incidentally, Sally's children) find the dolls and take them to the sea, floating them in a toy boat. At last, the sisters are headed for the mysterious island. Mahy's multilayered tale pays loving tribute to the power of story and imagination. MacCarthy's illustrations are liberally peppered throughout the text, reflecting its light humor. Children who enjoyed Sylvia Waugh's The Mennyms (Greenwillow, 1994) will also be captivated by this engaging story.