A quirky look at the everyday quips moms tell their children, Sew Buttons On Your Underwear is a delightful romp through one girl's experience growing up in Chicago. Cathy Sue Carpenter chronicles her mother's wit and wisdom with a smart, contemporary point of view. This wonderful collection of motherly antidotes is whimsically illustrated by Janet Arvia. And adorned with personal photos from a memorable era. Sew Buttons On Your Underwear is a nostalgic look the `70's before the internet and video games influenced children. Every page is another nugget of insight as only a mother could deliver. No mater where you grew up, there was a mother who softly uttered. "Sew Buttons On Your Underwear."

Peggy Trojan was there on the Home Front, an eight to twelve year old girl from northwest Wisconsin as “the world was burning” (“Winter Hill 1943”) thousands of miles away. We see through her eyes as she witnesses “the heroes at home” (“Home Front”), the rationing and the tragedy of neighbors switching the Blue Star for the Gold Star in the window. These are poems of great tenderness and simplicity, powerfully remembered… “the girls played house and the boys played war” (“Playtime”). —Bruce Dethlefsen Wisconsin Poet Laureate (2011-2012) author of Small Talk, Little Eagle Press Peggy Trojan's poetry is straightforward and focused, yet lyrical and poignant. Through clean images and sharp details, she takes us to a time when war was a daily reality. This book is both a poetic and historical treasure. —Jan Chronister Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College author of Target Practice, Parallel Press What a pleasure this collection is! Clear-eyed and perceptive, these narrative poems in Homefront by Peggy Trojan tell the story of a child in small Midwestern town during World WWII: the music, the girls playing jacks, the buttons on underwear, the ration books, the small town general store, and “for the first time/ questioning if man was kind.” It’s a chronicle of the war effort, and readers will be delighted with the sharp images of growing up, the privations and pleasures, the interesting portraits of people, and the news dispatches of the war and Holocaust seen through the eyes of a child. Every poem is necessary to this collection, and each captures a time and a place, returning to us the stories and strengths of our parents and grandparents. She paints with words, and her language is both plain-spoken and beautiful and full of pathos. These poems are lit with love. —Sheila Packa Duluth Poet Laureate 2010-2012 author of Night Train Red Dust, Cloud Birds, and Echo & Lightning

In trying to reunite with her mother who left 10 years ago to find fame in Hollywood, 14-year-old Winston discovers the many meanings of family and finds friendship in an unexpected place in this coming-of-age novel from the acclaimed author of "Waiting."

Honeywell dumped 2365 barrels in Lake Superior amid strict security. The contents of those barrels has been a strict secret ever since. NOT ANYMORE!! Famous Superior detective Alphonse "Dave" Davecki gets to the bottom of why there's plutonium and dead bodies in those barrels.

This haunting story of a son’s quest to understand the mystery of his father’s death is “searing and unforgettable…memoir writing at its best” (San Francisco Chronicle)—a “powerfully affecting” (O, The Oprah Magazine) portrait of a family and its legacy of secrets. “Family? Secrets? Sometimes I think they are the same thing.” So writes Michael Hainey in this unforgettable story of a son’s search to discover the decades-old truth about his father’s mysterious death. Hainey was a boy of six when his father, a bright and shining star in the glamorous, hard-living world of 1960s Chicago newspapers, died under mysterious circumstances. His tragic absence left behind not only a young widow and two small sons but questions about family and truth that would obsess Michael for decades. Years later, Michael undertakes a risky journey to uncover the true story about what happened to his father. Prodding reluctant relatives and working through a network of his father’s old colleagues, Michael begins to reconcile the father he lost with the one he comes to know. At the heart of his quest is his mother, a woman of courage and tenacity—and a steely determination to press on with her life. A universal story of love and loss and the resilience of family in the face of hardship, After Visiting Friends is the account of a son who goes searching for his father, and in the journey discovers new love and admiration for his mother.

In the chaos of fifth grade--recess, bullies, little sisters, new kids, loud kids, whistles, bikes, and burps--Quinn figures out just what it takes to be mighty

In the sequel to The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School by award-winning author Candace Fleming, Mr. Jupiter's rambunctious students are fifth graders now . . . and they rule the school! Bernadette Braggadoccio stirs things up when her investigative reporting for the school's TV station reveals some scandalous stuff. But . . . don't believe everything you hear. For their last year at Aesop, the fifth graders are hoping for the coolest class pet—a unicorn or at least a giant squid. Imagine their disappointment when they get guinea pigs. But . . . appearances can be deceiving. Here's a chapter book with all the fun and mayhem of Louis Sachar's classic Sideways Stories from Wayside School. Whether you knew Mr. Jupiter's class back in fourth grade or are new to Aesop Elementary, you'll be chomping at the bit to join these fabled fifth graders for the zaniest school year ever.