When the boys from the cul-de-sac convince their parents they're old enough for a camp-out all by themselves, none of them realize that they will take part in a wonderful adventure--the kind of adventure they won't be able to tell anyone...until they're grown.
VANILLA PLAIN & SHY (Young Adult/Middle-Grade):
Kaitlin Thomas's best friend Melinda Vest is beautiful, with skin the color of coffee ice cream. Tall for eleven, she walks with her shoulders thrown back like she owns the world. Vanilla, plain, and shy, Kait doesn't have enough self-confidence to walk down the aisle in her own mother's wedding until pesky Izzy Bean taunts her into signing up at Star Modeling with Mel. After modeling lessons, Kait has more poise and a new look Izzy says is cool, but when she wins a Dream Wedding for her mom and Victor Margola, she's still petrified to learn it will take place in the mall. Then, just as she's walking on-stage beside adorable, mod Nelly, her stepsister-to-be, the master of ceremonies announces the wedding is being televised! When Kaitlin Thomas finally overcomes her shyness, she's forced to do it in front of the whole world.
SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE (Young Adult Romance):
Tripp Andrews is the first boy Keely's been attracted to since her boyfriend Mark was killed drag racing, but why is he moving in with Mark's mother? Tripp has a second chance at life, thanks to a new heart, but what would Keely say if she knew it was Mark's?
CAMP CHEER (Young Adult Horror):
Stacy Knight looked forward to her week at Camp Cheer, a cheerleading camp set deep in the woods. But instead of white cabins and green lawns, the camp is dark and eerie, and when Miss Helena starts shouting out rules, she sounds like a prison guard. "You" make the decisions and as Stacy stumbles into danger, it's up to you--the reader--to lead her to safety.
MALE WANTED
(Romantic Comedy Novel)
When Taylor Gayle advertises in The Town Crier for a male to date, Max Stuart misprints her ad to indicate she's looking for a "sadomasochistic male to mate" and includes her address. To atone for his mistakes, Max becomes her live-in protector. Now, who's going to protect this high school librarian from the unbelievably sexy newspaper editor? And who's going to save Max from this feisty Plain Jane's charms?
BRAIN MAN (Children's Middle-Grade):
Randy O'Rourke wants the robot he built to be as "Super Colossal" as those at Future World, an amusement park where robots do all the work. Brain doesn't disappoint him. He does Randy's homework and chores--plus some things he wasn't programmed to do.
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BABY FOR SALE (Children's Book):
Kids on Greenwillow Lane learn about trash, treasures, and trading, with Megan Whitney learning the most important lesson of all. A "block yard sale" is fun for kids, as well as a learning experience, and when a baby is for sale, it adds to the excitement.
While the other children on this cul-de-sac discover one another's treasures, Megan tries to sell her little brother. Max wants to buy him, but his brother Alex says their mom doesn't want any more kids. Meanwhile, the baby disappears. It seems Jon has been sold, or kidnapped. Will Megan try to get him back?
DOUBLE TROUBLE DITTO BOX (Children's Book):
Randy O'Rourke invents a "Ditto Box," a machine that copies whatever he puts inside. When he wants a ball glove like his friend Jake's, he puts in the glove, and Zap--a duplicate for himself.
NO RAIN, NO RAINBOWS (Young Adult Anthology):
Without rain, there would be no rainbows, that glorious magic of light on water droplets; and without challenges, there would be no triumphs. Laugh, love, and cry with eight girls in their teens. Slip into their lives and experience the ups and downs. Between the ages of twelve and twenty, we're so eager to learn about people and life, we can't absorb all we want to know fast enough.
Bullies tease, embarrass, and threaten others. Some kids are afraid to go to school because a bully calls them names,
takes their money, and hits or trips them. If you live in a neighborhood with kids who pick fights, you might not want to play outside or walk to a friend’s house. Bullies don’t have friends. They have followers—kids who try to act tough but are really scared to say “no” to the bully’s threats.
This book invites you to join the Banish Bullies Brigade. Banish means “get rid of.” Brigade means “a team.” If you and your friends form a team to get rid of bullies, wouldn’t life be better for the students and teachers in your school?
FINDING MR. ROMANTIC:
Celeste Harte wished for a fairy tale romance, and Prince Charming turned out to be a cheating toad. Wiser now, she wished on this year's birthday candles she'd find a man who would turn her life into a sizzling romance novel. Does such a man exist? Dangerously sexy Nick Dennis offers to turn Cee's life around, and even though she knows he could turn it upside down, can she say no to this perfect stranger?
B-FORCE:
B-FORCE is a newly released comic book featuring a superhero and super-heroine who are on a mission to stop bullying. Several states are requiring that schools have anti-bullying programs in place by the fall of 2005, and more are expected to pass legislation soon. The message this book brings is... "Down with bullying. Don't be a blustering, browbeating person who makes a habit of acting cruel by intimidating others through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior. And don't put up with others who do."
Bullying is rampant, and in today's society, such acts have become dangerous and sometimes life threatening. B-FORCE helps students identify various forms of bullying, suggests ways victims can deal with it, and offers ways for bullies to deal with the anger or fear that prompts them to strike out.
The creators of this cutting-edge book for middle and high school students are Betty Jo Schuler, a former elementary teacher, and Susan Scott, a high school art teacher. BULLY BRIGADE, their picture book for elementary schools was released last fall. A Teacher's Guide & Activity Kit is available for each of these books.
GRACIE'S HOLIDAY HERO
Merett Bradmoore walked into Gracie Singleton's life her freshman year of high school and changed Christmas forever. Fifteen years later, Gracie is determined to return the gift of hope to her disenchanted hero. Dreams can come true, and do, in this heartwarming reunion romance.
LOVE IN A SMALL TOWN:
Small towns and sunny people are hard to leave behind. Sam Champion doesn't realize how much Lily Madison's brightened his life until he walks away.
Sam, a math professor, arrives in tiny Browning, Illinois, eager to sell his mother's childhood home and return to Arizona for his appointment to department head. But when his red-haired neighbor, Lily, sets her house on fire, and he invites her to move in with him, everything changes.
WINNING CHANCE:
Lori Hayes never takes a risk, but when someone enters her in a TV show contest and she wins a Dream Date with gorgeous hunk, Chance Dawson, sparks fly. Chance, who leaves nothing to chance, has a life plan, and a house is the next step, then a wife. Lori, who’s just starting to live it up, doesn’t want to settle down in a Dream Home. Alternate first prize, a pair of sports cars, is her choice and will be easier to divide. The only thing hotter than the friction between these two opposites is the spark of attraction that bursts into flames.
