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9780152051242 Trade Paperback
0152051244
$7.95
300pages
Available
Trim Size:
5 x 7
Copyright Year:
2004
Territory:
US, C, I
Ages: 12 years and up |
Read an Excerpt
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Synopsis |
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Scattered among poor, desolate farms, the clans of the Uplands possess gifts. Wondrous gifts: the ability--with a glance, a gesture, a word--to summon animals, bring forth fire, move the land. Fearsome gifts: They can twist a limb, chain a mind, inflict a wasting illness. The Uplanders live in constant fear that one family might unleash its gift against another. Two young people, friends since childhood, decide not to use their gifts. One, a girl, refuses to bring animals to their death in the hunt. The other, a boy, wears a blindfold lest his eyes and his anger kill.
In this beautifully crafted story, Ursula K. Le Guin writes of the proud cruelty of power, of how hard it is to grow up, and of how much harder still it is to find, in the world's darkness, gifts of light.
Includes a reader's guide and a sample chapter from the companion title Voices.
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Praise |
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"Gifts, in the context of Le Guin's newest, inspire fear more often than gratitude. But this book is a gift in the purest sense, as the renowned fantasist's admirers have waited 14 years since the release of Tehanu for another full-length young adult novel. . . . While intriguing as a coming-of-age allegory, Orrec's story is also rich in the earthy magic and intelligent plot twists that made the Earthsea novels classics." Booklist, 8/01/04 (starred review)
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"Le Guin's fantasy, a brilliant exploration of the power and responsibility of gifts, begins as 16-year-old narrator Orrec reflects upon recent events. . . . This provocative novel may well prompt teens to examine their own talents, and to ask whether they simply accept those 'gifts' assigned to them by others or whether the 'gifts' are their true passions." -Publishers Weekly 7/19/04 (starred review)
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Biography |
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URSULA K. LE GUIN is the author of more than three dozen books. She was awarded a Newbery Honor for the second volume of the Earthsea Cycle, The Tombs of Atuan, and among her many other distinctions are the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a National Book Award, and five Nebula Awards. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Awards |
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| Margaret A. Edwards Award • Author Award |
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General Subjects |
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Juvenile Fiction- Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic
Juvenile Fiction- Social Situations/Prejudice & Racism
Juvenile Fiction- General
Juvenile Fiction- Social Situations/Adolescence
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Curriculum Themes |
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| Fantasy |
Social Situations- Friendship
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Social Situations- Prejudice & Racism
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| Social Situations: Feelings & Emotions |
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Rights Details |
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Harcourt Paperbacksis an imprint of Harcourt Children's Books
A Division ofHarcourt Trade Publishers
A
Harcourt Education Company
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