It's off to ancient Greece for a split-your-side funny take on the politics of junior-high popularity. In ancient Greece lived a little girl called Medusa Jones. Medusa was a Gorgon, but apart from that, pretty normal. So she has snakes for hair instead of gorgeous blond ringlets like Cassandra. So her best friend is half horse. Is that any reason for the popular kids to be SO mean? Medusa's sure the school camping trip is going to be a nightmare. But a rock fall puts the popular kids in peril, and Medusa's the only one who can help. Will she be a hero -- or is her monster side finally going to come out? It's Freaks versus Heroes, brought to life by Ross Collins's hilarious illustrations!

In the Greek mythological pantheon, the Gorgon Medusa stands a head above all others in her power to terrify. This book gives readers a close-up look at this snake-haired horror. Starting with details about Medusa's history, physical features, and supernatural powers, the text continues with a retelling of the classic myth of Perseus. It then takes a look at some of Medusa's other manifestations in classic art and literature as well as her role in modern pop culture. From fable to film, sculpture to song, the Gorgon continues to work her ancient magic on modern audiences.

One of Greek mythology’s most notorious monsters, Medusa, was so horrible that looking at her turned people to stone. But she wasn’t always hideous. Medusa was born the beautiful daughter of two gods. A victim of Poseidon’s whim, she incurred the wrath of the goddess Athena, who punished her by turning her into a monster. Then Athena doomed her to die at the hands of the hero Perseus. Even though Medusa is a minor character in the Greek stories, she has captured people’s imaginations for thousands of years. On the surface her story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of vanity and pride. Looking closer, the story reveals intriguing glimpses into ancient Greek culture and the role women played in society.

British author Diana Wynne Jones has been writing speculative fiction for children for more than thirty years. A clear influence on more recent writers such as J. K. Rowling, her humorous and exciting stories of wizard's academies, dragons, and griffins-many published for children but read by all ages-are also complexly structured and thought provoking critiques of the fantasy tradition. This is the first serious study of Jones's work, written by a renowned science fiction critic and historian. In addition to providing an overview of Jones's work, Farah Mendlesohn also examines Jones's important critiques of the fantastic tradition's ideas about childhood and adolescence. This book will be of interest to Jones's many admirers and to those who study fantasy and children's literature.

Diana Wynne Jones: An Exciting and Exacting Wisdom is a collection of scholarly essays examining the work of British author Diana Wynne Jones, whose prolific contributions to speculative fiction span the past thirty years. A contemporary of such well known fantastic authors as Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, Jones is also a clear influence on more recent writers such as J. K. Rowling. Her humorous and exciting stories, many published for children but read by all ages, are also complexly structured and thought provoking. These essays - written by academics and independent scholars from Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia - present a wide variety of approaches to and ideas about Jones's work. This book will be of interest to Jones's many admirers and to those who study or appreciate speculative fiction and children's literature.

We live in a world of talk. Yet Race Sounds argues that we need to listen more—not just hear things, but actively listen—particularly in relation to how we engage race, gender, and class differences. Forging new ideas about the relationship between race and sound, Furlonge explores how black artists—including well-known figures such as writers Ralph Ellison and Zora Neale Hurston, and singers Bettye LaVette and Aretha Franklin, among others—imagine listening. Drawing from a multimedia archive, Furlonge examines how many of the texts call on readers to “listen in print.” In the process, she gives us a new way to read and interpret these canonical, aurally inflected texts, and demonstrates how listening allows us to engage with the sonic lives of difference as readers, thinkers, and citizens. Intervening in discourses of African American and black feminist literatures, where sound and voice dominate, Furlonge shifts our attention to listening as an aural strategy of cultural, social, and civic engagement that not only enlivens how we read, write, and critique texts, but also informs how we might be more effective audiences for each other and against injustice in our midst. The result is a fascinating examination that brings new insights to African American literature and art, American literature, democratic philosophy, and sound studies.

Following on the success of her first book The Bully in the Book and in the Classroom, C. J. Bott has written this sequel to help those who work with children and young adults become familiar with books that address the problem of bullying. More Bullies in More Books presents over 350 annotated titles, from picture books to high school books, dealing with bullying. Chapters address specific bullying behaviors or problems: name calling, putdowns, and gossip; being new and different; body image; cliques, groups, and gangs; 'isms;' homophobia; cyberspace; and violence. Each chapter begins with an introduction that describes the harassment seen most often in each grade level and contains relevant books at all reading levels. Every entry features an in-depth summary, activities, and quotes from the book for students to discuss. An important resource about a real and harmful problem, this book will be of interest to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, and parents.

In this timesaving resource, Reid makes reading aloud to children and teens easy by selecting titles in high-interest topics and providing context to spotlight great passages.

This book is a collection of Home School Brews bestselling social science series. It covers grades 1 to 6. Each book may also be purchased separately.