DIVDIVWinner of Italy’s 2006 Premio Andersen Award: A young writer’s fantasy world becomes dangerously entangled with reality/divDIV Eleven-year-old Archie and his six-year-old brother, Oggie, are constantly going back and forth between their mother’s home and the apartment that their father shares with his girlfriend. To distract Oggie from the turbulence of endlessly bouncing from “Saturn” to “Jupiter” and back again, Archie invents a fantastic story about the Mysterious Mole People. When Oggie’s wallet is stolen by kids from a local gang, Archie tries to retrieve it and becomes increasingly ensnared in the gang’s dangerous activities. Even worse, he soon finds that his fictitious mole story is merging with the darkness of real life in a very frightening way./div/divDIV/div

At the age of twenty-six, Maarten Troost—who had been pushing the snooze button on the alarm clock of life by racking up useless graduate degrees and muddling through a series of temp jobs—decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to Tarawa, a remote South Pacific island in the Republic of Kiribati. He was restless and lacked direction, and the idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the earth was irresistibly romantic. He should have known better. The Sex Lives of Cannibals tells the hilarious story of what happens when Troost discovers that Tarawa is not the island paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles through relentless, stifling heat, a variety of deadly bacteria, polluted seas, toxic fish—all in a country where the only music to be heard for miles around is “La Macarena.” He and his stalwart girlfriend Sylvia spend the next two years battling incompetent government officials, alarmingly large critters, erratic electricity, and a paucity of food options (including the Great Beer Crisis); and contending with a bizarre cast of local characters, including “Half-Dead Fred” and the self-proclaimed Poet Laureate of Tarawa (a British drunkard who’s never written a poem in his life). With The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Maarten Troost has delivered one of the most original, rip-roaringly funny travelogues in years—one that will leave you thankful for staples of American civilization such as coffee, regular showers, and tabloid news, and that will provide the ultimate vicarious adventure.

Research-based, classroom-tested Teaches children skills for long-term success Fosters social skills, proactivity, perseverance, and more The 6 Success Factors for Children with Learning Disabilities Ready-to-Use Activities to Help Kids with Learning Disabilities Succeed in School and in Life From the acclaimed Frostig Center comes a valuable resource for teachers and parents of children with learning disabilities. Based on a 20-year study, Frostig research has revealed six attributes that lead to long-term success for individuals with LD. This book helps teachers identify and encourage the growth of characteristics that will help students thrive in the classroom, at home, and in social situations. The book offers an array of classroom-tested,engaging activities—complete with reproducible worksheets—that have been proven to foster the "success attributes" in children. The six attributes identified by the Frostig Center are: Self-awareness Proactivity Perseverance Goal setting Use of social support systems Emotional coping strategies Each of the book's activities contains a lesson plan with goals, materials, and procedures, including teaching instructions and reproducible student worksheets. The book is designed to be both flexible and easy-to-use. All activities can be modified to accommodate a variety of learners. Praise for The 6 Success Factors for Children with Learning Disabilities "Provides educators, parents, and other caregivers with pragmatic and measurable strategies to foster maturity and independence…The activities demonstrate that success is not amorphous and unattainable—rather, it can be achieved by adopting an established set of behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics. [This book] will be enormously useful as you prepare your students for their journey to adulthood." —From the foreword by Richard D. Lavoie, bestselling author, It's So Much Work to be Your Friend and The Motivation Breakthrough

In “this enchanting story about friendship,” two fourth grade girls discover a magical world hidden in one’s backyard (Publishers Weekly). No fourth grader trusts Sara-Kate Connolly. Her boots are dirty, her clothes are weird, and she’s so maladjusted that the school had to hold her back a grade. But Hillary is her next-door neighbor, and can’t say no when the unusual loner invites her over to play. In Sara-Kate’s overgrown backyard, Hillary will find proof of a world of magic—the kind that can only blossom between true friends. Among the rusted car parts and wild plants, a miniature village has sprung up. It has tiny houses made from string, sticks, and maple leaves; a well with a bottlecap for a bucket; and even a little playground with a Popsicle-stick Ferris wheel. But there’s absolutely no sign of who built this miniature world. To Sara-Kate, the answer is clear—only elves could be responsible for something so enchanted. As she and Hillary watch for their elusive new friends, they learn that friendship, like magic, springs up where you least expect it. This ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.

DIVAn ancient oak tree has seen glory and tragedy—but nothing quite as spectacular as the showdown that’s brewing /divDIV For nearly a thousand years, the Dimpole Oak has towered over this small East Coast town, witnessing the passage of history: duels and revolution, lovers’ trysts and traitors’ hangings, victory parades and midnight conspiracies. The farmer who owns the land beneath the tree likes to tell stories of the murders and witch trials that took place in its shade. Local children play on the oak’s great roots and dig for buried treasure. The townsfolk plan a Dimpole Oak Day to celebrate their landmark./divDIV /divDIVMeanwhile, far away in India, a swami has a holy vision of the oak, and begins a journey to find it. Back in Dimpole, two boys take inspiration from the blackguards and pirates of the old farmer’s tales, and challenge a local bully to a confrontation under the oak. As all these plots and plans converge, the mighty oak stands ready to witness another grand event./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVOn the unforgiving coast of Twill, a boy is sucked into a fantastic adventure /divDIV The country of Twill has a notoriously treacherous coastline: rough, rocky, and primed for shipwrecks and drownings. In the salt-scarred port town of Twickham, the locals are dependent on fishing. Everyone pitches in, devising new ways to catch fish and crabs without falling prey to the dangerous rocks and waves. Of all the fish that dart around their deadly shore, none is more prized than the lampfish, a glowing creature whose bones provide the hooks that sustain life on Twill. It takes a group of men to land a lampfish, but once in a lifetime, a hero comes along who can do it single-handed. And Eric wants to be the next champion./divDIV /divDIVEric, an orphan since infancy, has become mesmerized by the swirling Cantrip’s Spout—a deadly whirlpool where he has recently spotted a colossal lampfish. Trying to catch that glowing beast will take him on a magnificent journey into the sea and beyond, deep into the darkest parts of himself./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVIn a forgotten small town, one girl and a hundred cats are about to do something spectacular /divDIV Applesap is a small town smack dab in the middle of New York state, and beyond that geographical oddity, there isn’t much special about it. It has a dress shop, a run-down movie theater, and two old-fashioned drug stores: Jiggs’ and the Super Queen. But nobody goes to Jiggs’. The roof is leaky, the seats are sticky, and the flies have built a kingdom around the soda fountain. Worst of all are the cats—hundreds of strays who wander in off the street to make the store their home. Jiggs’ is a place for creatures who want to hide from the world, and so it is perfect for Melba./divDIV /divDIVA shy young girl who’s too timid to talk to other children, Melba makes Jiggs’ her home-away-from-home. As the old store nears bankruptcy, Melba comes up with a wild plan that will save the pharmacy, make Applesap famous, and change her life forever./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div