Showing results by author "John Holt" in All Categories

The classic guide to teaching children at home for a new generation of homeschooling parents In 2019, there were more than two million children being homeschooled. That number doubled during the pandemic and is now likely to continue increasing as more parents worry that school might not be the...

This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and parents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn...

That old door had been standing there for many years. Just a solid timber door and a frame. Just a door...an ordinary door....

Have you ever noticed that things aren't always what they seem? Life will always throw you a curved ball when you least expect it. We see only what we expect to see, and sometimes we could be in for a big surprise. And I sure got a surprise I can tell you, in spades. A surprise that lead to blackmail and murder. That's when I really got...Trouble in Mind.

Across the bottom of the screen the ticker tape announced in large black letters 'Governor Reynolds Murdered'. Apparently his body had been discovered earlier that morning, lying in his garage. He had been shot twice. One shot to the upper chest, the other hitting his shoulder. 'Police believe that the weapon used was a 38 revolver,' the reporter said. Kendall froze. Anthony Shaw had also been killed by a 38 calibre bullet. Kendall was not quite sure of what it all meant. What connection was there between Anthony Shaw, and the State Governor, and the business mogul, Ian Duncan. And what about Senator Mackenzie? Where did he fit in? And who or what was Latimer?

“Mr. Kendall, in the past few months there have been a number of doctors who have mysteriously disappeared, or whose deaths were either alleged to be accidents, or were suicides, or they were actually murdered.” Kendall made a mental note to find out about these "other doctors". “A number of doctors you said. How many are we talking about?” Mrs. Eaton thought for a few moments. “To my knowledge there have been at least eight cases in the past six months. There may be a whole lot more that I know nothing about.”

The name's Daniels, Jack Daniels - just like the whiskey you know. I'm a private detective. And I can't help butting my nose into other people's business. It's what I do. You get used to it. It becomes a way of life almost. After a while it comes natural to you, automatic, like breathing, or eating, although not quite as enjoyable. It's a habit that I just can't break. I just can't help it. But sometimes it can lead you into trouble....

Business is slow, and Kendall is persuaded to take a short holiday. Mollie takes on a missing person case, without his knowledge. He won’t be too happy about it, but what can go wrong? The missing person winds up dead, and Mollie is missing, and no one knows where she is. Is there a connection with a bank robbery and a murder a few weeks earlier … Does it add up to Murder Times Two?

First published in the mid 1960s, How Children Fail began an education reform movement that continues today. In his 1982 edition, John Holt added new insights into how children investigate the world, into the perennial problems of classroom learning, grading, testing, and into the role of the...

El Caso Marinski comenzó como otro aburrido y mundano caso sobre un marido desaparecido. Okey, se trataba de un marido rico desaparecido pero, sin embargo, solo se trataba de un marido desaparecido. Aunque pronto se manifestó como una trama de robo, secuestro, chantaje y asesinato. Pero, ¿existió el secuestro realmente? ¿Y quién chantajeaba a quién? ¿Quién llevó a cabo el robo? ¿Quién cometió los asesinatos? ¿En quién podías confiar? ¿A quién podías creerle? ¿Acaso alguien decía la verdad?

It was that door, that solitary door. The door was somehow connected to an event that had occurred one hundred years ago. Somehow it was a portal to another time and place. And that made it worrying, frightening even. Was it even possible for someone, anyone, to exist in two time periods at the same time?

Fritz Marschall knew that neither he, nor his friend, should really have been there. They, like many others before them, had been attracted to the lake by the many rumors that had been circulating. He thought of the endless stories there had been, of treasures sunken in or buried around the lake. He recalled the stories of the lake being used to develop torpedoes and rockets during the war. Looking out across the dark water, he wondered what secrets were hidden beneath the surface.

The Marinski Affair began as a dull, mundane case involving a missing husband. Okay, so he was a rich missing husband, but he was nonetheless, still only a missing husband. The case soon developed into one involving robbery, kidnapping, blackmail, and murder. But was there really a kidnapping? All is not as it seems. Tom Kendall, private detective, had the task of solving the mystery. He was usually pretty good at solving puzzles, but this one was different, somehow. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any of the pieces. It was just that none of the pieces seemed to fit together.

Whittaker passed the drinks over. “Anyway, it seems that he’s got himself into a bit of bother,” he continued. “A very serious bit of bother.” “Bother?” repeated Kendall. Whittaker heaved a sigh. “Yes you know,” he replied. “Trouble.” Kendall nodded. “Oh trouble, I get you,” he said. “So what sort of bother are we talking about?” Whittaker took another drink. “Well it’s a case of murder I’m afraid.”

Has notado que las cosas no son siempre como parecen? La vida siempre te lanza una pelota en curva cuando menos lo esperas. Sólo vemos lo que esperamos ver, y a veces podemos tener una gran sorpresa. Yo sí tuve una gran sorpresa, te lo aseguro y con creces. Una sorpresa que condujo a chantaje y muerte. Allí es cuando tuve....problemas en mente.

I'm not a gambling man. I mean, life's one big gamble, ain't it? The odds are stacked against you; you just can't win. You know there are some people who will do anything to make sure that they win, even if it means eliminating anyone or anything that stands in their way. They only bet on a sure thing...a Dead Certainty.

“It was meant to be play acting,” said Whittaker. “But when someone is shot dead, on the stage in front of an audience, then it becomes an act of murder.”

When two valuable oil paintings are missing, Kendall is asked to investigate on behalf of the insurance company. Reluctantly, he accepts the job. Then, a body is discovered, and then another. “So what do you think?” asked Mollie. “What do I think?” Kendall repeated. “Well with two people dead, I think someone has been practicing the art of murder.”

Tom Kendall had been with the 32nd Precinct, New York Police Department, for just under 10 years. But now he wanted a change. Now he wanted to start his own private detective agency. He had grand ideas. He wasn’t interested in just any old case. Oh no, he would handle only the big-time cases, the expensive ones. He would be able to take his pick, the ones that he wanted, where the stakes were high and so were the rewards. He knew exactly the kind of case that he wanted. Anything else would not do, and it would just be turned down flat.

‘To make a killing in the City’ is a phrase often used within the financial world, to indicate making a large profit on investments, or through dealings on the stock market--the bigger the profit, the bigger the killing. However, Tom Kendall, a private detective, on vacation in London, has a different kind of killing in mind when he hears about the death of one of his fellow passengers who traveled with him on the plane from Miami. It was suicide apparently, a simple overdose of prescribed tablets. Kendall immediately offers his help to Scotland Yard. He is shocked when he is told his services will not be required. They can manage perfectly well without him, thank you.