Becoming Duchess Goldblatt

Summary

One of the New York Times' 20 Books to Read in 2020 "Unforgettable...Behind her brilliantly witty and uplifting message is a remarkable vulnerability and candor that reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles - and that we can, against all odds, get through them." (Lori Gottlieb, New York Times-best-selling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living. Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself, a bright light in the darkness of social media. Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace’s voice, her wit, her life-affirming love for all humanity, and the fun and friendship of the community that’s sprung up around her. @DuchessGoldblat (81-year-old literary icon, author of An Axe to Grind) brought people together in her name: in bookstores, museums, concerts, and coffee shops, and along the way, brought real friends home - foremost among them, Lyle Lovett. “The only way to be reliably sure that the hero gets the girl at the end of the story is to be both the hero and the girl yourself.” - Duchess Goldblatt Narrated by Gabra Zackman, with J. Smith Cameron, and Lyle Lovett

©2020 Anonymous (P)2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp

Summary

Audie Award Finalist, Children's Titles for Ages 8-12, 2014 Meet Bingo and J’miah, raccoon brothers on a mission to save Sugar Man Swamp in this tale from Newbery Honoree Kathi Appelt. Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The opportunity to serve the Sugar Man - the massive creature who delights in delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp - is an honor, and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts. 12-year-old Chap Brayburn is not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it. And help is surely needed, because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on the march, headed straight toward them all. The Scouts are ready. All they have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to wake that fellow up in a decade or four.... Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt presents a story of care and conservation, funny as all get out and ripe for reading aloud.

©2013 Kathi Appelt (P)2013 Simon & Schuster