For Other Professionals
Featured books by
Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper's work weaves rich language and contemporary concerns with fantasy, history, and traditional literature to create compelling, timeless novels for a wide range of readers. Meet memorable characters, feel the terror of wartime or anxiety near evil, and laugh with a mischievous creature — all within the pages of books by this Newbery-winning author.
When the Volnick family accidentally brings a Boggart home to Toronto from Scotland, the results are tumultuous and very funny. It's up to Jess and Emily to figure out how to return the rascally spirit. The family meets the Boggart again on another visit to Scotland with similar outrageous results (which include a renowned water creature) in The Boggart & the Monster. Both books are steeped in the magic and traditions of the region in which they are set.
Until it strikes uncomfortably close to home, three English boys are fascinated by the war and the bombing of their city, London. Derek and his friends come to understand true fear and the meaning of war in this realistic novel that explores themes of friendship, fear, and retaliation.
Nat Field finds friendship and relief from the loss of his parents when acting and is thrilled when chosen to go to England to perform in the new Globe Theater. Instead, he is transported back in time to perform in the original and meet William Shakespeare. Past and present come alive for contemporary readers in this riveting look at the connections between time and place.
Boy is transported to the Land of Story when the Magician's Saint George puppet disappears. There Boy meets well known characters from traditional tales, demonstrates great bravery, and gains a real name. Gentle humor and familiar characters are hallmarks of this fantasy for younger readers.
While on holiday, the Drew children Barney, Simon, and Jane find a map in a hidden room in the Cornwall house, involving them and their great uncle, Merry, in a struggle between good and evil steeped in Arthurian legend. The first in the Dark is Rising sequence, the entire series exudes a strong sense of place and traditional tales. (The sequence continues with The Dark is Rising followed by Greenwitch, The Grey King, and concludes with Silver on the Tree.
While on vacation in an English village by the sea, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, the protagonists of Over Sea, Under Stone, begin a quest to retrieve a relic from King Arthur’s time. Different characters join their quest through The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, and the Newbery Award winning The Grey King, until the Drew children, Will Stanton, and Bran Davies defeat the forces of the Dark in the exciting conclusion of the series, Silver on the Tree.
Huw's family's good fortune changes for the better when the silver cow falls in love with music from Huw's harp; it changes again, however, because of his father's interminable greed. The Welsh countryside comes to life in soft, evocative watercolor illustration and a rhythmic retelling of a traditional tale.
Eleven year old Molly is homesick when her family moves to Connecticut from London. But a book entitled The Life of Nelson connects Molly to her home and to 11-year old Sam, a boy pressed into service in the English navy as an aide to Admiral Nelson during war. Told in two distinct voices, past and present gradually come together bringing both into clear focus.
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