When Esteban, a young Native American boy of just 12-years-old, presents himself to the captain of the Leviathan for the post of 'harpooner', he's the laughing stock of the whole crew. But when the captain finds out that Esteban is the son of Suzanna of the Tehuelches tribe, he decides to take him on... as ship's boy. Despite his lowly post, this is Esteban's chance to discover the sailor's life, with all its hardship and its happiness, and maybe even a chance to prove what he's made of!
Esteban has finally earned his stripes as ship's harpooner after having saved the crew from the wrath of a huge blue whale. But now their hunting ground is jeopardized by a steam boat that's just shown up in the area. Faster and better equipped with explosive harpoons, these more modern ships massacre hoards of whales to extract only the part that sells for the highest price. In a madcap plan to neutralize their unfair competition, the captain of Esteban's ship slips aboard the steamer to try and sabotage its engine. However, he's not as gifted a mechanic as he might think, and it's not long before the crew of the Leviathan have to haul anchor and set sail...
After being chased into the icebergs far south of the Tierra del Fuego by a rival whaler, the Leviathan and her crew find themselves stuck in freezing seas and unbearably harsh conditions. Unable to go any further on his beloved ship, the captain decides that their only chance of survival is to get all the crew into rowing boats and brave the treacherous seas. It's tough going, but they're tough men...
It's winter 1901. The crew of the Leviathan has ended up in the Ushuaia penal colony, accused not only of having sabotaged the governor's whaler, but also of acts of piracy resulting in the death of sailors. Needless to say, the upcoming trial will be rigged, and our whale-hunters may have to wait some time before they see the sea again. Esteban, who thankfully managed to escape imprisonment thanks to his uncle Tonto, vows to rescue his friends. He manages to get himself enrolled as a prison guard, but only for a short time. In eight days, he'll have to leave to complete his training at La Plata. So, he has 8 days to win the trust of the fearsome Sergeant La Paz, eight days of pandering to the general's wife, and eight days to plot his friends' escape...
Being a single dad is a full-time job, as Dad knows only too well! Especially with four headstrong daughters to whom obedience doesn't exactly come naturally... With bookish Pandora, emotional Ondine, mischievous Roxanne and, the latest addition, baby Bella, this unemployed actor has landed himself the role of a lifetime: looking after his family!
Life goes on for this... unusual family! Pandora (the eldest) is busy revising for her exams, teenage Ondine is getting ready for a hot date, young Roxanne is playing video games and baby Bella wants to be fed... and Dad would very much like it if they all just left him in peace! He might be unemployed, but this hapless actor is bringing up his four daughters single-handedly, and there's not a moment's respite!
Following their escape from the Ushuaia penal colony, the crew of the Levathian sails right into the eye of a huge sea storm and eventually ends up on the banks of a frozen land, populated by hostile natives. Only Esteban's negotiating skills prevent the desperate runaways from being exterminated. When the governor of Ushuaia turns up on board his heavily armed ship, Esteban and his companions soon realize that they have no choice but to face up to him. Their one saving grace is that they have the governor's wife as their hostage. Nonetheless, it's clearly not a fair fight, and the crew of the Levathian is forced to start taking desperate measures...
Once upon a time there was a peaceful kingdom where life was good. It was a little country forgotten by its powerful neighbors and their incessant wars. A lovely little piece of land where lived a great many people, and every day they enjoyed the bounties bestowed upon them by the earth and sky. Of course, there was a king, Alain and Adrien (his ugly sons who were nonetheless kind, helpful boys), a grumpy queen, Cécile (the bathroom-hogging princess), and Anne. Pretty little Anne. Anne, who sings to the rising sun; Anne, who lights up the king's nights; Anne, who speaks to the birds... Anne who opens a tavern where all these characters gather.
Following Captain Inferno's discovery of his whereabouts, Campbell and his two young daughters have been forced to flee their home and seek refuge on Bakalaoo Island, the leper colony. The slow pace of life in their new home gives Campbell plenty of time to reflect on his past, including his early encounters with enigmatic Nancy, the mother of his children, and his brother's vendetta against the formidable Captain Morgan, whose true identity remains a mystery. Meanwhile, Carapepino is up to no good again, and teenage Itaca is suffering her first heartbreak.
After his wife's brutal murder, Campbell, a pirate legend, gave up his life on the open seas to raise his two young daughters in peace. But, inevitably, his past eventually catches up with him in the form of Carapepino, a pretentious but clumsy pirate, desperately trying to win favour with the infamous Inferno. For his own sinister reasons, Inferno wants more than anything to get rid of Campbell and his offspring, once and for all. But Campbell and Inferno are bound to each other in ways that those around them would never have guessed...
No doubt about it, life in the Kingdom was good! The tiny territory had been at peace for years. Every day, folks gave thanks for their good fortune and praised their King who ruled over them with kindness... Until one day, when Princess Cecile discovers her father's dark secret, and the Kingdom's peaceful future is thrown into the balance. Their only hope is Anne, the cheery innkeeper; François, the lovelorn blacksmith; and one shell-shocked little bird. Will they manage to save the Kingdom from the nefarious characters lurking in the shadows?
When a 13-year-old orphan sets out to find his parents and ends up in prehistoric times, he realises he's got a lot of work to do: so many things haven't been invented yet, like fire, soap... and vowels! Not to mention all the terrifying creatures and knuckledragging cavemen he has to deal with!
One day, while visiting her family in the countryside, Marzi comes across a trail of ants, and decides to have a little fun, blocking their way with sticks and rocks. Is that what it's like to be God? In this second volume, we discover more about Marzi's fascinating life in 1980s Poland, torn between the daily stresses of near-war and even bigger questions like the existence and powers of God. Can He really see and know everything, even when she's all alone in her room, even when it's just a thought in her head? So many burning questions, with her First Communion right around the corner! Another absorbing series of stories about a little girl who loves life-even as she struggles to understand it.
"Before, there were trees and countryside. Man didn't intervene. Stalin decided to "rectify" that space, and now, instead of trees, there are concrete buildings, everywhere. Stalin had a factory built. Thanks to that, lots of people got jobs, like my dad."
Born in 1979, Marzi is a 7-year-old Polish girl who looks wide-eyed at the world around her: her parents, her family, her school friends and the crabby women at the grocery store who don't even smile for a fruit delivery. Marzi lives on a council estate in an industrial town, and is a cheerful, carefree, mischievous and perceptive little girl, bound to run into many adventures!
Itaca is sure that something bad has happened when Campbell never shows up to collect her and Genova from the bookstore in town. And her fears are not unfounded... it turns out that Campbell has been kidnapped for mysterious reasons somehow connected with his estranged villain of a brother, Inferno. The Campbell girls prove themselves worthy of their pirate heritage as they launch a rescue mission for their dad, with a little help from their trusty friends and allies.
The Kingdom is a tranquil little territory that has lived in peace with its neighbors for years. What better way to ensure lasting concord than to betroth the Kingdom's fair Princess Cecile to the prince of neighboring Arbedia? The two young royals eagerly await their first meeting, but their courtship is quickly imperiled by sabotaging sparrows, a bit of misguided witchcraft, and some unrealistic expectations. Will anyone be able to patch up the young fiancés' relationship before their squabble turns into a diplomatic catastrophe? Hurry over to Anne's tavern-as usual, that's where all the action is...
Marzena Sowa continues her endearing memoir recounting childhood behind the Iron Curtain in Poland. Even at the height of summer vacation deep in the countryside, the noise of urban unrest carries, bringing news of rations, strikes, and Solidarno´s´c. Amid a young girl's typical worries-the witch neighbor, the school nurse, her mother's angry temper-come the echoes of the strange and confusing world of adults.
The fall brings more than changing leaves as massive strikes in Marzi's little hometown help change the course of Polish history. She's proud of her dad, but can he come home now? Eight-year-old Marzi tries her best to keep up, but it can be hard when you keep outgrowing your shoes! With one foot in the adult world, where nothing is black and white, and one foot in the fantasies of childhood, where greyscale girls can dream in color, she puts her very own twist on everything she sees and hears. Lucky for us, she likes to tell stories.
Everybody's noticed that Campbell's been acting strangely. What they don't know is that his destiny on the high seas is catching up with him, despite his best intentions. Times are changing, and the golden age of piracy is threatened by a different kind of lawlessness; one driven by power and politics, conducted from high society drawing rooms. How far will Campbell have to go to defend the freedom that pirates stand for?
"What's going on? Where is my dad? Are we at war? The city is so quiet and dark that it seems hostile and it scares me." Marzi is a little girl like any other. She plays with dolls, gets lost in the woods, covets chewing gum and ballet lessons... Except that she's growing up the behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s, and the Soviet regime sometimes casts an unsettling shadow over her otherwise carefree childhood. But, somehow, she always manages to bounce back! Marzi's clear-eyed, playful storytelling continues in this third volume of coming-of-age tales from Communist Poland.
The communists are gone, but life is still full of challenges. Both for Poland, and for 12-year-old Marzi, the strong-willed kid finding her voice in a country undergoing radical changes. As the country faces new issues like drug abuse and AIDS, Marzi's piercing gaze notices fraying seams in her own community. "What ever happened to solidarity? If you want help, you'd better not be different." Marzi is a natural champion for being different: she can't stand the new capitalist shops, or how boy-crazy her friends are becoming. Will she find a place where she can just be herself?
The Kingdom is a tranquil little territory, as we all know by now, but a curious love triangle has cropped up to complicate things. François has been cooking up schemes to win Anne's heart, but now Candice is in madly love with him and Anne must deal with her mounting jealousy. Still, she isn't ready for marriage, despite the charming knucklehead's continued proposals and steel-flower offerings. Will Candice manage to step in and thwart the eternal courtship?
In a world where meat means survival, Frank can't seem to catch a break-or an animal. He just can't bring himself to kill a fellow creature. Just looking into a baby mammoth's big eyes is enough to turn him vegetarian. But while out looking for fruit to eat, he runs afoul of an old nemesis: the wily Leonard, who once stole his Swiss Army knife (and is still puzzling over it). Will Frank's new mammoth friend save him from Leonard's clutches? Will Leonard save them all from the common cold? And just why is their forbidden fruit forbidden?
Aaah, the Kingdom, that peaceful land where life is good. A place forgotten by its powerful neighbors and their incessant wars, where the subjects enjoy the bounties bestowed upon them by earth and sky. In short, a perfect nightmare if you happen to be an arms manufacturer. Who needs a battle-axe when the most vexatious enemy around is a talking songbird or catty rival? Master Marcel, proprietor of the local forge, may have found a way to increase demand for his weapons, but when his fear-mongering gets out of hand, it's up to Anne and François to save the day.