A genius scientist has been kidnapped, and Mortensen is given a special assignment: deliver the ransom to the Santa Fe Jail. But the kidnappers are time travelers, so nothing is as simple as it seems. Before Mortensen sets foot in Santa Fe, he is drugged by a mysterious woman. He awakens to find himself packed inside a cargo plane that is about to nose dive into the jungles of Tanzania. Can Mortensen survive long enough to track down a clue that will lead him to the missing scientist?

According to legend, the Red Ruby is cursed! And as luck would have it, it's Mortensen's job to deliver the stolen gem to its rightful place in history. But he's not the only one with plans for the blood-red bauble. A gun moll, a fortune teller, an aristocrat, a gangster, and two henchmen are hot on his trail! With help from his new friend—an absentminded librarian named Kate—Mortensen tracks down the Red Ruby in the last place he wanted to find it . . . onboard the Titanic! Will the ruby's curse take Mortensen with it to the bottom of the sea?

These are mysteries with historical and cultural content. Mortensen is a fun and good-natured hero who trots the globe and travels throughout history. Educational back matter offers the readers more information on the topics covered.When a book collector shows Mortensen an illuminated manuscript from 1512 with a drawing of an airplane in it, he knows he has a mystery to unravel. He travels back in time and sneaks into a Scottish castle looking for clues. He is discovered and thrown in a dungeon, but he escapes with the help of a wise scribe and a mute witch. But he's still no closer to solving the mystery. How did the airplane arrive in 1512? And why does the witch have a secret collection of books, dating from 1212 to 1929?

In a political and economic climate in which school performance is made public, performance tables and inspectors' reports can only tell a partial story. This is a unique book. It tells the story of one school seen through the eyes of a pupil, a parent, a teacher, a headteacher and a critical friend. The story is a compelling journey through the process of school improvement; theories of school effectiveness and school improvement are progressively clarified. This book is based on a well-known and well-documented research project that represents eighteen European countries, which clearly sets it in a European Policy context. It includes a wealth of practical tools for raising standards for teachers and school managers to refer to, and guidance on how to use them. This eagerly awaited follow-up to Schools Must Speak for Themselves by John MacBeath (RoutledgeFalmer 1999) is a vital and useful source of good ideas, challenging insights and practical strategies for real schools.

According to legend, the Red Ruby is cursed! And as luck would have it, it's Mortensen's job to deliver the stolen gem to its rightful place in history. But he's not the only one with plans for the blood-red bauble. A gun moll, a fortune teller, an aristocrat, a gangster, and two henchmen are hot on his trail! With help from his new friend—an absentminded librarian named Kate—Mortensen tracks down the Red Ruby in the last place he wanted to find it . . . onboard the Titanic! Will the ruby's curse take Mortensen with it to the bottom of the sea?

In the sleepy village of Brasov, nestled in a region of Romania better known as Transylvania, seven villagers have been found with fang marks on their necks. Mortensen isn't the superstitious sort, but he heads back to 1891 to find some answers. A trail of stolen antiques, including a priceless mummy sarcophagus, leads him a hundred years later to Prague where a young tourist has suffered a similar attack. This looks like the work of a time-traveling vampire! And Mortensen thinks he's out for more than just blood.

In the sleepy village of Brasov, nestled in a region of Romania better known as Transylvania, seven villagers have been found with fang marks on their necks. Mortensen isn't the superstitious sort, but he heads back to 1891 to find some answers. A trail of stolen antiques, including a priceless mummy sarcophagus, leads him a hundred years later to Prague where a young tourist has suffered a similar attack. This looks like the work of a time-traveling vampire! And Mortensen thinks he's out for more than just blood.

On a dark and stormy night, a book collector shows Mortensen the prize of his collection: an illuminated manuscript from 1512. When Mortensen sees a painting of an airplane on one of its pages, he knows he has a mystery to unravel. With a zap from his time gun, he travels back to medieval Scotland to look for clues. A wise scribe and a mute witch help him on his adventure, but neither of them can answer his question: how did an airplane crash land in the Middle Ages?

In a political and economic climate in which school performance is made public, performance tables and inspectors' reports can only tell a partial story. This is a unique book. It tells the story of one school seen through the eyes of a pupil, a parent, a teacher, a headteacher and a critical friend. The story is a compelling journey through the process of school improvement; theories of school effectiveness and school improvement are progressively clarified. This book is based on a well-known and well-documented research project that represents eighteen European countries, which clearly sets it in a European Policy context. It includes a wealth of practical tools for raising standards for teachers and school managers to refer to, and guidance on how to use them. This eagerly awaited follow-up to Schools Must Speak for Themselves by John MacBeath (RoutledgeFalmer 1999) is a vital and useful source of good ideas, challenging insights and practical strategies for real schools.

In a political and economic climate in which school performance is made public, performance tables and inspectors' reports can only tell a partial story.This is a unique book. It tells the story of one school seen through the eyes of a pupil, a parent, a teacher, a headteacher and a critical friend. The story is a compelling journey through the process of school improvement; theories of school effectiveness and school improvement are progressively clarified.This book is based on a well-known and well-documented research project that represents eighteen European countries, which clearly sets it in a European Policy context. It includes a wealth of practical tools for raising standards for teachers and school managers to refer to, and guidance on how to use them.This eagerly awaited follow-up to Schools Must Speak for Themselves by John MacBeath (RoutledgeFalmer 1999) is a vital and useful source of good ideas, challenging insights and practical strategies for real schools.