"This spellbinding fantasy weaves the tantalizing tale of a young woman's struggle against her supernatural twin. But when the mystical island of Clouds End comes under attack by the invading forces of a mad emperor, the pair must forge an uneasy alliance to defend their home. "Stewart's beautifully lucid, poetic prose makes for a narrative of commanding power and enchantment that echoes the best of Le Guin and Tolkein." -- Booklist"--

Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find something lasting when everything feels so fleeting. Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know to climb the trees of Brooklyn. But now Cora is a middle schooler, a big sister, and homeless. Her mother is trying to hold the family together after her father's death, and Cora must look after her sister, Adare, who's just different, their mother insists. Quick to smile, Adare hates wearing shoes, rarely speaks, and appears untroubled by the question Cora can't help but ask: How will she find a place to call home? After their room at the shelter is ransacked, Cora's mother looks to an old friend for help, and Cora finally finds what she has been looking for: Ailanthus altissima, the "tree of heaven," which can grow in even the worst conditions. It sets her on a path to discover a deeper truth about where she really belongs. Just Under the Clouds will take root in your heart and blossom long after you've turned the last page. "[A] heartbreaking yet hopeful story of a family searching for a place to belong." --Publishers Weekly "[A] thought provoking debut about the meaning of home and the importance of family."--Horn Book Magazine

ISABEL DALHOUSIE - Book 9 Nothing captures the charm of Edinburgh like the bestselling Isabel Dalhousie series of novels featuring the insatiably curious philosopher and woman detective. Whether investigating a case or a problem of philosophy, the indefatigable Isabel Dalhousie, one of fiction’s most richly developed amateur detectives, is always ready to pursue the answers to all of life’s questions, large and small. In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s endearing Isabel Dalhousie series, the Edinburgh philosopher and amateur sleuth answers an unexpected appeal from a wealthy Scottish collector who has been robbed of a valuable painting. One afternoon over coffee at Cat’s delicatessen, a friend of Isabel’s shares a call for help from Duncan Munrowe. Crafty thieves have stolen a prized painting from his collection, a work by the celebrated French artist Nicolas Poussin that was earmarked for donation to the Scottish National Gallery. Munrowe has been approached by the thieves and hopes that Isabel will assist him in recovering the painting. Never one to refuse an appeal, she agrees, and discovers that the thieves may be closer to the owner than he ever would have expected. Against the backdrop of this intriguing case, Isabel copes with life’s issues, large and small. She and Jamie have begun to suspect that their three-year-old son, Charlie, might be a budding mathematical genius. What should be done about it? Then there is the question of whether Isabel should help a young couple who want to move in together—against the wishes of the girl’s parents. The boyfriend is hoping Isabel might intercede. As she wrestles with these problems, Isabel finds herself tested as a parent, a philosopher and a friend. But, as always, she manages to use the right combination of good sense, quick wits and a kind heart to come to the right solution, proving once again why Isabel Dalhousie has become one of Alexander McCall Smith’s most beloved characters. This ebook edition includes a Reading Group Guide

In her extraordinary novels Into the Wilderness and Dawn on a Distant Shore, award-winning writer Sara Donati deftly captured the vast, untamed wilderness of late-eighteenth-century New York and the trials and triumphs of the Bonner family. Now Donati takes on a new and often overlooked chapter in our nation’s past--and in the life of the spirited Bonners--as their oldest daughter, the brave and beautiful Hannah, comes of age with a challenge that will change her forever. Masterfully told, this passionate story is a moving tribute to a resilient, adventurous family and a people poised at the brink of a new century. It is the spring of 1802, and the village of Paradise is still reeling from the typhoid epidemic of the previous summer. Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have lost their two-year-old son, Hannah’s half brother Robbie, but they struggle on as always: the men in the forests, the twins Lily and Daniel in Elizabeth’s school, and Hannah as a doctor in training, apprenticed to Richard Todd. Hannah is descended from healers on both sides--one Scots grandmother and one Mohawk--and her reputation as a skilled healer in her own right is growing. After a long night spent attending to a birth, Elizabeth and Hannah encounter an escaped slave hiding on the mountain. She calls herself Selah Voyager, and she is looking for Curiosity Freeman--a former slave herself, one of the village’s wisest women and Elizabeth’s closest friend. The Bonners take Selah, desperately ill, to Lake in the Clouds to care for her, and with that simple act they are drawn into the secret life that Curiosity and Galileo Freeman and their grown children have been leading for almost ten years. The Bonners will do what they must to protect the Freemans, just as Hannah will protect her patient, who presents more than one kind of challenge. For a bounty hunter is afoot--Hannah’s childhood friend and first love, Liam Kirby. While Elizabeth and Nathaniel undertake a treacherous journey through the endless forests to bring Selah to safety in the north, Hannah embarks on a very different journey to New-York City, with two goals: to learn the secrets of vaccination against smallpox, a disease that threatens Paradise, and to find out what she can about Liam’s immediate past and what caused him to change so drastically from the boy she once loved. The obstacles she faces as a woman and a Mohawk make her confront questions long avoided about her place in the world. Those questions follow her back to Paradise, where she finds that the medical miracle she brings with her will not cure prejudice or superstition, nor can it solve the problem of slavery. No sooner have the Bonners begun to rebound from their losses--old and new--than they find themselves confronted by more than one old enemy in a battle that will test the strength of their love for one another. Hannah faces the decision she has always dreaded: will she make a life for herself in a white world, or among her mother’s people?

This book provides an in-depth examination of recent research advances in cloud-edge-end computing, covering theory, technologies, architectures, methods, applications, and future research directions. It aims to present state-of-the-art models and optimization methods for fusing and integrating clouds, edges, and devices. Cloud-edge-end computing provides users with low-latency, high-reliability, and cost-effective services through the fusion and integration of clouds, edges, and devices. As a result, it is now widely used in various application scenarios. The book introduces the background and fundamental concepts of clouds, edges, and devices, and details the evolution, concepts, enabling technologies, architectures, and implementations of cloud-edge-end computing. It also examines different types of cloud-edge-end orchestrated systems and applications and discusses advanced performance modeling approaches, as well as the latest research on offloading and scheduling policies. It also covers resource management methods for optimizing application performance on cloud-edge-end orchestrated systems. The intended readers of this book are researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and engineers interested in cloud computing, edge computing, and the Internet of Things. The knowledge of this book will enrich our readers to be at the forefront of cloud-edge-end computing.

Sensitive, thought-provoking and sometimes haunting, poems in this collection often have a misty, fragrant and dream-like quality. They present a charming journey through the years the author had spent in the pristine environs of the Himalayas amongst pine trees and clouds at Mussoorie; as well as the subsequent years negotiating the harsh concrete maze of New Delhi. The elegant words written in the hills evoke a sense of innocence and freshness that comes from living close to nature. The collection winds itself towards more hostile terrain depicting a world where the realm of emotions is of little consequence. Yet, there is an underlying hope, a sense of optimism and a feeling of positivity that binds the poetry.The verses transport you to a special moment in time and place evoking a range of emotions and strike an indelible chord.

A novella set in post–climate disaster Alberta; a woman infected with a mysterious parasite must choose whether to pursue a rare opportunity far from home or stay and help rebuild her community The world is nothing like it once was: climate disasters have wracked the continent, causing food shortages, ending industry, and leaving little behind. Then came Cad, mysterious mind-altering fungi that invade the bodies of the now scattered citizenry. Reid, a young woman who carries this parasite, has been given a chance to get away — to move to one of the last remnants of pre-disaster society — but she can’t bring herself to abandon her mother and the community that relies on her. When she’s offered a coveted place on a dangerous and profitable mission, she jumps at the opportunity to set her family up for life, but how can Reid ask people to put their trust in her when she can’t even trust her own mind? With keen insight and biting prose, Premee Mohamed delivers a deeply personal tale in this post-apocalyptic hopepunk novella that reflects on the meaning of community and asks what we owe to those who have lifted us up.

This book shows the conference proceedings of CloudComp 2009 held in Munich, Germany, in October 2009.

Common Core Science 4 Today: Daily Skill Practice provides the perfect standards-based activities for each day of the week. Reinforce science topics and the math and language arts Common Core State Standards all year long in only 10 minutes a day! Weeks are separated by science topic so they may be completed in the order that best complements your science curriculum. Review essential skills during a four-day period and assess on the fifth day for easy progress monitoring. Common Core Science 4 Today series for kindergarten through fifth grade covers 40 weeks of science topics with engaging, cross-curricular activities. Common Core Science 4 Today includes a Common Core Standards Alignment Matrix, and shows the standards covered on the assessment for the week for easy planning and documentation. Common Core Science 4 Today will make integrating science practice into daily classroom instruction a breeze!