Showing results by narrator "Ramon de Ocampo" in All Categories

December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the boys get a front-row view of the huge battleships and the sparkling water. Yes, World War II is raging in Europe and in Asia, but the US isn't involved in the war, and the boys are free to dream about becoming comic book creators. They've even invented a superhero of their own, in the style of Batman, Superman, Captain America, and other stars of the Golden Age of Comics. December 7th, 1941: Everything explodes.

Machado de Assis’ classic novel, the precursor of Latin American fiction, is finally rendered as a stunningly relevant work for 21st-century audiences. In eloquent, contemporary prose, Costa and Patterson breathe new life into the dynamic character of Brás Cubas and reveal the vivid, tempestuous Rio de Janeiro of his time. The recently deceased Cubas narrates his life story, admitting glibly: “I am not so much a writer who has died, as a dead man who has decided to write.” 

As a 10-year-old orphan, all Wick ever wanted was money, power, and well, what else was there? Enough is never enough. His father's death left him only with a glass amulet, his trusty spade, and two level one skills. Six months in the backwater city of Outlast, Wick has finally decided to make his move for a brighter future. It may cost him the beating of his life, but he lives by the Sprawler's Code: The strong live long, but the bold get the gold. Follow Wick on the beginning of his new life as he explores new powers and manipulates anyone foolish enough to get in his way.

There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible. It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady's new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side. But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don't howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full. Or do they?

In his gripping and provocative debut, anthropologist Jason De Leon sheds light on one of the most pressing political issues of our time - the human consequences of US immigration policy. The Land of Open Graves reveals the suffering and deaths that occur daily in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona as thousands of undocumented migrants attempt to cross the border from Mexico into the US.   

 People functioning at the highest level are what the authors call 10x leaders. Research on these leaders consistently brought up five major strengths. This book teaches readers to become a 10x leader using these five key areas, the SHARP framework. 

What would have happened if the Animorphs had never existed? If Jake and the others had taken the long way home from the mall that night, instead of cutting through the abandoned construction site? If they'd never met Elfangor. Never rescued Ax. Never heard of the Yeerks.... Jake's finally weakened. After one particularly grisly battle, the Drode hits him when he's down and offers the Animorphs' leader an escape from the terrifying pressure. He'll take Jake back to the mall and reverse the decision that started the Animorphs. It's an offer Jake's too tired to refuse.

Mario is spending winter break with his neighbors, Todd and Jewel, on their family vacation to Vermont. He is excited to see snow for the first time and meet his friend's beloved grandparents. But Todd and Jewel's grandparents turn out to be a little odd. They love telling tall tales of goblins, elves, and trolls. When Mario spots a blur of green fur in the garden, he wonders if the stories could be real. He's determined to find out more, but the truth might be more dangerous than fiction.

All this is topped off by a mysterious golden tower that appeared overnight, drawing adventurers from far and wide. Still recovering from the events of Transposition and struggling with his nature, Matt sets out to rescue his best friend from the clutches of the mysterious organization that kidnapped him. He’ll need every trick in the Rogue’s playbook to stay ahead of the game, using infiltration, cunning, and his unique Ordinator ability to outthink and outmaneuver stronger and better-connected foes.

Almost nothing could be as bad as finding out your mother is Visser One, the most powerful leader of the Yeerk invasion of Earth. But it happened to Marco. And even though he's been handling it pretty well, he knew there'd come a time when he'd have to face her again, knowing that the Yeerk in her brain has taken his mother away. So when Marco and the other Animorphs discover that Visser One is overseeing a secret underwater project, they know they have to check it out. But Marco's not sure if this is a battle he'll be able to fight.

When it first gets announced, the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto; miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor, how his friends all seem to shrug him off, and how his father committed suicide in their one-bedroom apartment. Then Thomas shows up. The love Aaron discovers may cost him what's left of his life. But since Aaron can't suddenly stop being gay, Leteo may be the only way out.

Mike Hagen, an American nicknamed "Crybaby", became one of those chosen to be given an augmented reality interface. However, his favorite game was an MMA fighter - possibly, for the reason that he'd never fought in real life, and the interface adapted itself to him.

With doctrinally sound, practical teaching, Slaying Dragons shows how the demonic realm fits into orthodox thoughts on salvation, redemption, and kingdom life. Daniel Kolenda demystifies spiritual warfare to shine light on what the enemy is doing in listeners’ lives and what they can do to slay every dragon they encounter. It also contains real-world examples of encounters with spiritual darkness, demonstrating examples of how "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, NIV).

The blue box Elfangor used to create the Animorphs has been found by a kid named David. David has no idea what he has - or what it can do. But Marco does. And when he sees David with it, he knows the Animorphs have to get that box. At any cost. But what should have been a simple plan ends up going horribly wrong, leaving David is on the run with the Animorphs. Now they have only two choices: Turn David over to the Yeerks, or make him an Animorph.

Obscure documents, Korean-language books, and in-depth interviews with tae kwon do pioneers tell the tale of the origin of the most popular martial art. In 1938, tae kwon do began at the end of a poker game in a tiny village in a remote corner of what is now North Korea by Choi Hong-Hi, who began the martial art, and his nemesis, Kim Un-Yong, who developed the Olympic style and became one of the most powerful, controversial men in sports. The story follows Choi from the 1938 poker game where he fought for his life, through high-class geisha houses where the art was named, and into the Vietnam War where the martial art evolved into a killing art. The techniques cut across all realms – from the late 1960s when tae kwon do trained Korean CIA agents kidnapped people in the United States and Europe to the 1970s when Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and other Hollywood stars mastered the art’s new kicks. Tae kwon do is also a martial art for the 21st century, one of merciless techniques, indomitable men, and justice pumped on steroids.

Contains books 1 and 2 of The Game of Gods series. The Beginning, book 1: The gods have gotten bored, and humanity is the answer. Charles earns the ultimate surprise one morning when he awakens to discover the world has ended, or rather the gods of old were bored and decided to redesign how it worked. Only Charles gets cursed by the gods. The Death of Champions, book 2: The gods have begun to change Earth, leaving humanity confused and desperate. Charles and Alli have managed to survive the first week of the apocalypse; unfortunately for them, it isn't over yet.

Aramar Thorne and Makasa Flintwill have borne their fair share of troubles. Ever since Aram's father entrusted him with an enchanted compass, Aram and Makasa have traveled the extraordinary lands of Azeroth, seeking out the shards of a legendary weapon: the Diamond Blade. The truth behind the weapon and the terrible doom it seeks to prevent, seems to have been lost at sea with Captain Greydon Thorne. But not all secrets are meant to stay buried. 

Nearly a decade ago, iconic magician Violet Volk performed her greatest trick yet: vanishing mid-act. Though she hasn’t been seen since, her hold on the public imagination is stronger than ever. While Violet sought out the spotlight, her sister Sasha always had to be the responsible one, taking over their mother’s hair salon and building a quiet life for her beloved daughter, Quinn. But Sasha can never seem to escape her sister’s orbit or her memories of their unresolved, tumultuous relationship.  

An energizing case for hope about the climate comes from Rebecca Solnit, called “the voice of the resistance” by the New York Times, and climate activist Thelma Young Lutunatabua, along with a chorus of voices calling on us to rise to the moment. Not Too Late is the book for anyone who is despondent, defeatist, or unsure about climate change and seeking answers. As the contributors to this volume make clear, the future will be decided by whether we act in the present—and we must act to counter institutional inertia, fossil fuel interests, and political obduracy. T

When Marco runs into his old friend Erek, he doesn't think too much of it. He's got more important things to do, like helping to save the world. But then Marco finds out Erek's been hanging with some of the kids at the Sharing, and he starts to think that something just a little weird is going on. So Marco, Jake, and Ax decide to morph and check old Erek out. Just to see if he's been infested with a Yeerk. The good news is that Erek's not a human-Controller. The bad news is that Erek's not even human.