Pines and Plains Libraries

Imagine growing up among wolves, being friends with a panther and a bear, and hunting the most fearsome animal in the wild-the man-killing tiger Shere Khan. These are the stories of Mowgli ""the frog,"" a man-cub raised by wolves, and his journey to adulthood with the help of Baloo the bear, and Bagheera the black panther. The Jungle Book is collections of short stories. Each story begins with a few lines of poetry. The best known of these jungle...

3 Days to Live: A CIA-agent bride is on her European honeymoon when she and her husband are poisoned—leaving her seventy-two hours to take revenge (with Duane Swierczynski). Women and Children First: When a deal goes bad on a tech executive in Washington, DC, he turns an order to kill his family into a chance to relive his military glory days (with Bill Schweigart). The Housekeepers: A Los Angeles doctor trusts her two housekeepers, but when...

Dick, Jane, Sally, Mother, and Father are not the only family having fun. This time, meet Mike, twin sisters Pam and Penny, and their parents. Two families mean twice the laughs and twice the fun. Beginning readers will love the way each chapter is an individual story, and parents and educators will appreciate the way this format encourages young readers' progression.

Young working-class Paul dreams of escaping his dreary existence in turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh. Paul gets his chance by stealing some money and running off to glamorous New York City. Once there, Paul experiences everything he ever dreamed of, from a luxurious hotel suite to his first taste of champagne. However, when reality finally comes crashing down around him, Paul realizes the desperate course he must now take.

Nebraska in the 1880's is bleak, lonely, and far from what the Wild West is purported to be. But for a naive Swedish immigrant, the frontier parlor of the blue hotel represent the quintessential western fantasy. No one can convince the Swede that his dime-store notions about the West are foolish. He sees murderous intentions all around him and in his terror he turns everybody against him; the story inevitably ends in tragedy. However, who is responsible?...

Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears: A tall tale sets off a chain of mishaps in the jungle. Will the jungle creatures ever get the story straight? A story, a story: Once, all the stories in the world belonged to Nyanme, the Sky God. He kept them in a box beside his throne. But Ananse, the Spider Man, wanted them, and caught three sly creatures to get them. Who's in Rabbit's house?: Rabbit has a problem: someone is inside her house and won't let her...

Contains more stories of Mowgli, now an older and wiser young man still living in the jungle with his friends Bagheera, Akela, Baloo, and Kaa.