Long ago, on a remote Irish island simple folks went about their lives unaware that mysterious Mermaids were all around them. These magical mermaids and mermen could even dance on the shore under the full moon. It was on this island that a freckle faced little girl's love for the sea changed her destiny and made her a legend.

Winnie Finn raises earthworms, which help her neighbors win prizes at the county fair. Includes instructions on making a worm farm.

Born as a Germanic tongue with the arrival in Britain of the Anglo-Saxons in the early medieval period, heavily influenced by Norman French from the 11th century, and finally emerging as modern English from the late Middle Ages, the English language has grown to become the linguistic equivalent of a superpower, and is now sometimes described as the world's lingua franca. Worldwide some 380 million people speak English as a first language and some 600 million as a second language. A staggering one billion people are believed to be learning it. English is the premier international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945. It is considered by many good judges to be well on the way to becoming the world's first universal language. Author Philip Gooden tells the story of the English language in all its richness and variety. From the intriguing origins and changing definitions of common words such as 'OK', 'beserk', 'curfew', 'cabal' and 'pow-wow', to the massive transformations wrought in the vocabulary and structure of the language by Anglo-Saxon and Norman conquest, through to the literary triumphs of Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales and the works of Shakespeare. The Story of English is a fascinating tale of linguistic, social and cultural transformation, and one that is accessibly and authoritatively told by an author in perfect command of his material.

It was in a mist the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the gods of Dana, or as some called them, the Men of Dea, came through the air and the high air to Ireland.It was from the north they came; and in the place they came from they had four cities, where they fought their battle for learning: great Falias, and shining Gorias, and Finias, and rich Murias that lay to the south. And in those cities they had four wise men to teach their young men skill and knowledge and perfect wisdom: Senias in Murias; and Arias, the fair-haired poet, in Finias; and Urias of the noble nature in Gorias; and Morias in Falias itself. And they brought from those four cities their four treasures: a Stone of Virtue from Falias, that was called the Lia Fail, the Stone of Destiny; and from Gorias they brought a Sword; and from Finias a Spear of Victory; and from Murias the fourth treasure, the Cauldron that no company ever went away from unsatisfied.

Young Finnegan Story loves his friends, his run-down old lake house and his simple life. His wild, free life consists of rough games and the pursuit of the girls of the Ayr Cnoc Valley. He will be pressured soon, though, to take his place as the young heir to the Lairdship of the Story Clan. His grandfather plots his betrothal and seeks to use him as a tool to quell the hot-blooded and war-like neighboring clans. He resists the schemes of his grandfather with growing desperation as he falls in love and the coming clash between the Celtic clans and the great-grandson of a murdered king becomes evident. When the Old Ones reappear after centuries of silence, he must choose- his simple life or standing up for his Clan, his friends and the girl he has come to love.

Finn's Pregnant Bride On vacation in Greece, passion blazed between Catherine and property tycoon Finn Delaney. When they reunited in Ireland, neither was expecting the heat to be just as intense. But Finn was devastated to read a kiss-and-tell article about their encounters in Catherine's magazine soon after she left. Now nothing she says can convince him to listen to her and give their relationship a chance. Until she tells him "I'm pregnant…." The Paternity Claim Isabella's first love affair ended in disaster. Pregnant and alone, she flees to England—to the only man she trusts enough to help her, Paulo Dantas. Paulo is unprepared for the compelling changes in Isabella since he last saw her. He feels honor-bound to help his family friend, and claiming paternity of her child is the only way. But being a father is a lifetime responsibility. And Isabella's father expects Paulo and Isabella to marry….

Ernest Hemingway, himself one of the giants of American literature, believed this book to be the novel that ‘all modern American literature comes from.’ This is a massive claim when considering the contribution Americans have made in this form throughout the 20th century. Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Faulkner, Pearl Buck, Joseph Heller, Philip Roth, Saul Bellow – and the list of significant contributors to 20th century literature could go on and on. So what made this book so important and powerful in the development of the modern US novel? Firstly it tackled difficult and relevant issues of its time, in fact of any time. Racism, slavery, abuse, the plight of children are all woven into the fabric of the story. The story raises issues of morality and individual conscience in a natural and not preachy context and presents the dilemmas in situations that most would appreciate and relate to – whether they agreed with the implied conclusions or not. It made the reader think and not just follow the plot. And the voices of the novel and especially the narrator, Huck himself, are authentic, ordinary characters; not literary creations spouting intricate prose but real people speaking a language that readers understood (however offensive some of it might appear today). Add to this Twain’s inimitable style and mordant sense of humour and invention and the sum of the parts becomes a very significant and meaningful whole. The book has sparked controversy ever since publication for being both racist and crude on one hand but also too pro-black and anti-Southern on the other. It has been banned from libraries and school curricula – and subsequently restored; then often banned again depending on the prevailing political and social climate. It continues to cause controversy for both its language and views; but it is a novel that was deliberately written to question the conventional, the establishment view and to pose questions like whether institutionalised practices should just be accepted or sometimes be opposed, even at personal risk or cost? These questions are still relevant today; perhaps more relevant, some might say. The conclusions of the novel might be Mark Twain’s own views but if they can help to stimulate thinking and debate on crucial issues of the day then this is a piece of work that is still worth reading and reflecting on.

Evaluates fiction and nonfiction books featuring girls and women in positive roles, ranking each entry by reading level.