Pär Lagerkvist

With Pilgrim at Sea the author has completed his tetralogy (set of 4 books) searching for God--journeying to the Holy Land but we never get there, we are always at sea. In this tale, Giovanni, the priest, insults the pious travelers and advises Tobias to embrace insecurity as the only sure thing because the sea does not concern itself with right and wrong, sin or guilt. You learn to accept yourself from the sea--his existentialist sermon. There is a shipwreck and plundering, etc.

A parable on divine love, the stories of the wandering Jew and an outcast priestess of Delphi.

Set in a time when Italian towns feuded over the outcome of the last feud, this novel centers on a social outcast, the court dwarf Piccoline. From his special vantage point Piccoline comments on the court's prurience and on politcal intrigue as the town is gripped by a siege.

This book presents three short stories in graphic novel format involving the blurred line between fantasy and reality, including an office assistant who falls for an e-mail scam, and a young knight whose life is not what it seems. Meet Duncan. Charming and brave, he's the Princess's favorite -- and he's on his way to winning the throne. But lately, the walls of reality in Duncan's kingdom are wearing a little thin. Meet Gran'pa Greenbax. Nothing seems to satisfy this greedy old frog's longing for a pool full of gold -- until, one day, a mysterious smile appears in the sky. Has his chance at happiness come at last? Meet Janet. Her nine-to-five life takes a turn for the romantic when she learns in an email from a mysterious Nigerian prince that she has been chosen to liberate his family's vast fortune. All he needs is her banking information. In three very different stories, master storytellers Gene Yang and Derek Kirk Kim pit fantasy against reality, for good or for ill. Subtle, surprising, and entirely entertaining, The Eternal Smile delves into our dreams, and the unexpected places they lead. - Publisher.

It's a powerful combination of the world's best literature and superior reading and skills instruction. "Prentice Hall Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes" helps students grasp the power and beauty that lies within the written word, while the program's research-based reading approach ensures that no child is left behind.

9-10th grade