TOP o’ the WORLD is a tale of ONCE UPON A TIME….. This is a child’s fantasy / fairy tale of Maida who visited the Wishing Pole at the North Pole, despite some very wise men with bald heads and long white beards who say there isn’t a Wishing Post at all! This is one of those gems of the children’s literary world that for some unfathomable reason never became a best seller. Not only does it have a cracking story-line it also has six exquisitely crafted full page colour plates but also 20 BnW vignettes to help young readers visualise the story as it progresses. In this book you will read about how Maida, who loves ice-cream, met the “Man with the Growly Voice”, who was an arctic explorer who told her a whole lot of interesting things about his journeys and voyages AND about the wishing post. The last thing she remembered, he was telling her about the time he met Father Christmas at the North Pole – and then she woke up in bed with a desire to find the Wishing Post and Father Christmas. Then he room was flooded with a bright eerie light. So, she went to the window and saw the Man with the Growly Voice who came to her and said, “I’ve come to take you to the Wishing Post.” What happened next you may ask? Well you’ll just have to download this book and find out for yourself. ============ KEYWORDS/TAGS: Top o the World, Maida, Aunt Mary, Man with the Growly Voice, North Pole, Polar Bear, Santa Claus, afraid, airship, alone, Arctic, Arcturia, Aurora Borealis, beautiful, bedtime story, believe, Billy, Candy, children, children’s story, climate, Disconsolate, Eskimos, explorer, fable, Fairy tale, fantasy, Folklore, Forbidden, happy, ice-cream, Illusia, Inuit, journey, Jack Frost, Jack-in-the-Box, Kankakee, Kokomo, Lover, Nortern Lights, poor, scream, Snow, story, three, two, Walrus, White Queen, window, Wishing, wonderful, young

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, A Checklist, 1700-1974, Volume one of Two, contains an Author Index, Title Index, Series Index, Awards Index, and the Ace and Belmont Doubles Index.

Ursula K. Le Guin discusses her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry?both her process and her philosophy?with all the wisdom, profundity, and rigor we expect from one of the great writers of the last century. When the New York Times referred to Ursula K. Le Guin as America’s greatest writer of science fiction, they just might have undersold her legacy. It’s hard to look at her vast body of work?novels and stories across multiple genres, poems, translations, essays, speeches, and criticism?and see anything but one of our greatest writers, period. In a series of interviews with David Naimon (Between the Covers), Le Guin discusses craft, aesthetics, and philosophy in her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction respectively. The discussions provide ample advice and guidance for writers of every level, but also give Le Guin a chance to to sound off on some of her favorite subjects: the genre wars, the patriarchy, the natural world, and what, in her opinion, makes for great writing. With excerpts from her own books and those that she looked to for inspiration, this volume is a treat for Le Guin’s longtime readers, a perfect introduction for those first approaching her writing, and a tribute to her incredible life and work.

In this extraordinary debut novel with its deft nod to Dickensian heroes and rogues, Mira Bartók tells the story of Arthur, a shy, fox-like foundling with only one ear and a desperate desire to belong, as he seeks his destiny. Have you been unexpectedly burdened by a recently orphaned or unclaimed creature? Worry not! We have just the solution for you! Welcome to the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an institution run by evil Miss Carbunkle, a cunning villainess who believes her terrified young charges exist only to serve and suffer. Part animal and part human, the groundlings toil in classroom and factory, forbidden to enjoy anything regular children have, most particularly singing and music. For the Wonderling, an innocent-hearted, one-eared, fox-like eleven-year-old with only a number rather than a proper name — a 13 etched on a medallion around his neck — it is the only home he has ever known. But unexpected courage leads him to acquire the loyalty of a young bird groundling named Trinket, who gives the Home’s loneliest inhabitant two incredible gifts: a real name — Arthur, like the good king in the old stories — and a best friend. Using Trinket’s ingenious invention, the pair escape over the wall and embark on an adventure that will take them out into the wider world and ultimately down the path of sweet Arthur’s true destiny. Richly imagined, with shimmering language, steampunk motifs, and gripping, magical plot twists, this high adventure fantasy is the debut novel of award-winning memoirist Mira Bartók and has already been put into development for a major motion picture.