The Sea Flower centers on two down-and-out orphans, a persnickety cat, an eccentric fisherman, and the hurricane that brings them together. Marney Lessard and Liz Bigelow separately fled from trouble only to find themselves adrift on the same luxury houseboat. When they run aground on a nearly deserted Maine island, Arvid Small comes to their rescue. Stout and friendly, the island's one seasonal resident attempts to change their fortunes with the help of some friends who are as ge...

Spoonhandle, Ruth Moore's second novel, spent 14 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List and was made into the movie Deep Waters. Spoonhandle is about Maine, brilliantly authentic, but the story told is universal, as old as time as it deals with the struggle between love and meanness of spirit, between human dignity and greed.

Ruth Moore is back with another story of small-town life on the coast of Maine. This time her writing follows several members of the Ellises, the well-respected and independent family that originally settled in Candlemas Bay. Jen Ellis is forced to play hostess to summer borders in order to pay off her late husband's debts. Her son Jeb must choose between his schooling and his devotion to the family fishing trade. For Candace Ellis, Jen's sister-in-law, a house full of summer-people could ...

Three generations after Chin Island was inhabited by a bustling community of laborers, only a few families remain. A feud begins on Christmas Day, troubling the remaining inhabitants as they gossip and fan the flames of conflict. Two warring factions collide as the kindly Elbridge Gilman attempts to stop them along with his quick-tempered partner, Liseo MacGimsey. Readers will enjoy Ruth Moore's excellent descriptions of gales, dashing waves, and New England cooking. Speak to the Wind...

Originally published in 1960, The Walk Down Main Street explores what happens when a river town in Maine goes mad over its school basketball team. Ruth Moore covers basketball thrills, coming of age, and the reality of small town inhabitants along with her usual razor-sharp wit and honest depictions of daily life. Readers will be able to recognize their own neighbors, coaches, parents, and friends in this tale.

Nearly two decades after her debut novel, Ruth Moore writes a saltier tale of Downeast life in Second Growth (1962). Rife with violent deaths, natural disasters, and even attempted blackmail, the town of Hillville has seen better days. Even the land is exhausted and has given what it can. Residents can no longer fish, farm, or manufacture to earn a good living, so they pick up seasonal work and otherwise rely on government support. When an illegitimate child is born and subsequent...

Bestselling author Ruth Moore (1903-1989) not only wrote some of Maine's greatest novels, but was also a talented poet who published three books of poetry and wrote ballads that have become an ingrained part of pop culture along the coast. Her "The Night Charlie Tended Weir" is frequently performed in theaters and at clambakes. Folksinger Gordon Bok recorded an album based on her ballads. Cold as a Dog and Other Stories is a collection of work from a career that stretches for deca...

The Weir, written in 1943, takes place on a small island fishing village in the years before World War II, set against a backdrop of handwork and struggle. Ruth Moore, one of the great regional novelists of the twentieth century, brilliantly and authentically captures not only the specific characteristics of coastal Maine, but chronicles universal human drama as the two primary families feud, gossip, and struggle all while being battered by the relentless tides of change sweeping ...

This schools' edition of Mark Haddon's multi-award-winning novel adapted for the stage of the National Theatre by Simon Stephens is perfect for Key Stages 3 and 4. Featuring the play script from the Modern Plays edition but with the language adjusted for school use*, this edition includes a wealth of classroom activities for the English and drama classrooms.Christopher, fifteen years old, stands beside Mrs Shears's dead dog. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minut...

With growing numbers of children living in poverty and standardized tests becoming increasingly important, theres never been a better time for a volume of essays on the value of play in mental and emotional development.Mary Ruth Moore and Constance Sabo-Risley honor and build upon the work of Joe L. Frost, the father of play advocacy, in this essential resource for educators, parents, and anyone concerned about the future of our children.The essays examine play in America f...

What happens when two teen-aged girls decide to cross the vast country of Canada by horseback? Cross Country for Two tracks the unexpected adventures and romance that Brenda and Robbie encounter as they make their way from Nova Scotia to the Pacific Ocean.You will feel the excitement of what happens when people step out of their comfort zone as the girls face several challenges along the roads. You will grow to love the heroines, as well as their horses, as you see how they perseve...

Nominated for ten UK book awards, Theresa Breslin's hit novel tells of how two young boys - one Rangers fan, one Celtic fan - are drawn into a secret pact to help a young asylum seeker in a city divided by prejudice. Now adapted for the stage by Martin Travers, the play has already been produced to great acclaim at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre.Graham and Joe just want to play football and be selected for the new city team, but a violent attack on Kyoul, an asylum seeker, changes ever...