Gr 8 Up-In this gritty novel of World War II, 16-year-old Erik Brandt is forced to fight for the emaciated German army, and because of his knowledge of the Russian language, he is sent to the Russian front. The train trip that Erik and the other young men take is symbolic of their transition from child to man. These boys are sent to the front with only a few weeks of basic training and the directions to kill or be killed. After the first battle, Erik makes the life-altering decision to take the uniform of a dead Russian soldier and pretends to be Russian for most of his remaining time as a soldier, surviving serious wounds and finding the love of his life while he recuperates in a war hospital. There he pretends to have amnesia and takes the moniker "Soldier X." When the hospital is attacked, Erik and his girlfriend escape. After a harrowing journey filled with enemy encounters, they find a safe house in Czechoslovakia and eventually make their way to Berlin. The story is framed with a prologue and epilogue f

Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more thanassigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increasevocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? Andwhat is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas? The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed inrecent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids tocomplete such assignments—often without considering whether or notthey serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in thedark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyedhad ever taken a course specifically on homework duringtraining. The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is thatthere is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary schoolstudents achieve academic success and little evidence that it helpsolder students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll onAmerica’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, andexercise time they need for prop

The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine.The tragedy is that my story could have been his. Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year ofeach other. Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimoreneighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on streetcorners with their crews; both ran into trouble with the police.How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decoratedveteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the otherended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence? Wes Moore,the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer thisprofound question. In alternating narratives that take readers fromheart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, TheOther Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys tryingto find their way in a hostile world.

A chilling, fascinating, and nearly forgotten historicalfigure is resurrected in a riveting work that links the fascism ofthe last century with the terrorism of our own. Written with verveand extraordinary access to primary sources in several languages,Icon of Evil is the definitive account of the man who during WorldWar II was called “the führer of the Arab world” and whose uglylegacy lives on today. In 1921, the beneficiary of an appointment the British would liveto regret, Haj Amin al-Husseini became the mufti of Jerusalem, themost eminent and influential Islamic leader in the Middle East. Foryears, al-Husseini fomented violence in the region against the Jewshe loathed and wished to destroy. Forced out in 1937, he eventuallyfound his way to the country whose legions he desperately wished tojoin: Nazi Germany. Here, with new and disturbing details, David G. Dalin and John F.Rothmann show how al-Husseini ingratiated himself with his hero,Adolf Hitler, becoming, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, an

In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, justa black and perfect silence. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke todiscover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as theirfamily members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile hadcrashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many weredead or dying—among them his own mother and sister. Those whoremained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feetabove sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help.They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches,and then the devastating news that the search for them had beencalled off. As time passed and Nando’s thoughts turned increasingly to hisfather, who he knew must be consumed with grief, Nando resolvedthat he must get home or die trying. He would challenge the Andes,even though he was certain the effort would kill him, tellinghimself that even if he failed he would die that much closer to hi

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Dorm Dorm life offers you a great chance to meet new people and trynew things. But leaving the comforts of home for the first time toenter the roommate-having, small-room-sharing,possibly-coed-bathroom-using world of the dorms can be overwhelmingand intimidating. The College Dorm Survival Guide offers expert advice and theinside scoop on: ? Choosing the right residence hall for you ? Getting along with your roommate (and handling conflict) ? Bathroom, laundry, and dining hall survival ? Dealing with stress, depression, and safety issues From avoiding the dreaded Freshman 15 to decorating your space,this informative and funny guide gives experts' advice oneverything you need to know to enjoy dorm living to thefullest.

“Ben Macintyre’s rollicking, spellbinding Agent Zigzag blends the spy-versus- spy machinations of John le Carré with the high farce of EvelynWaugh.” —William Grimes, The New York Times A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A Washington Post Best Book of 2007 One of the Top 10 Best Books of 2007 ( EntertainmentWeekly ) New York Times Best of the Year Round-Up New York Times Editors’ Choice Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and aphilanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agentsBritain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty;inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, hisspymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended andthe other began. Based on recently declassified files, AgentZigzag tells Chapman’s full story for the first time. It’s agripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thinand shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.

Mustang Designer tells the story of American wartime fighterdevelopment, including engines and armaments, as part of anationwide program of aircraft builders and fliers, focusing onEdgar Schmued, the designer of the Mustang. The P-51 Mustang iswidely regarded as the best propeller-driven fighter that everflew. What many might not realize is that the plane's developer wasa German migrant. This book tells of how Schmued created a weaponthat would ultimately prove lethal to the aspirations of those whohad seized control over his native land.

When Locke High School opened its doors in 1967, the residentsof Watts celebrated it as a sign of the changes promised by LosAngeles. But four decades later, first-year Teach for Americarecruits Rachelle, Phillip, Hrag, and Taylor are greeted by aschool that looks more like a prison, with bars, padlocks, andchains all over. With little training and experience, these four will be asked toproduce academic gains in students who are among the mostdisadvantaged in the country. Relentless Pursuit lays bare theexperiences of these four teachers to evaluate the strengths andpeculiarities of Teach for America and a social reality that hasbecome inescapable.

UPDATED, WITH NEW MATERIAL BY THE AUTHOR"WOMEN WHO RUN WITHTHE WOLVES isn t just another book. It is a gift of profoundinsight, wisdom, and love. An oracle from one who knows."--AliceWalkerWithin every woman there lives a powerful force, filled withgood instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She isthe Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. Butshe is an endangered species. In WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES, Dr.Estés unfolds rich intercultural myths, fairy tales, and stories,many from her own family, in order to help women reconnect with thefierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature.Through the stories and commentaries in this remarkable book, weretrieve, examine, love, and understand the Wild Woman and hold heragainst our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine. Dr.Estés has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche.Fertile and life-giving, it is a psychology of women in the truestsense, a knowing of the soul."This volum