The second chapter book in this fun, highly illustrated series about four dogs who learn that being yourself is much more fun than being Best in Show. From the bestselling author of Dragon Masters and the illustrator of Diary of a Pug! Welcome to Barksdale, where all the dogs strive for perfection. Every shopkeeper claims to be the “best groomer” or sell the “best biscuits.” And at Barksdale Academy, the pressure is on for one pup to be named Best in Show. Duke’s cousin Coco, a French bulldog from Paris, is visiting for the K-2 loyalty exam. During this exam, the Underdogs and their classmates will participate in a field day event against a rival school. Coco is cool, funny, and charming -- especially compared to the Underdogs. So when it comes time to choose teams, it’s no surprise she ends up on Team Awesome instead of with her cousin Duke and his friends. But during the K-2 exam, Coco can’t seem to get anything right! She trips during the six-legged race, and drops everything that’s thrown to her. If Barksdale loses the field day events, everyone -- including the Underdogs -- will fail their loyalty exam! Can the Underdogs come to Coco’s rescue -- and save their school’s reputation? With black-and-white illustrations on every page and hilarious antics throughout, this series is perfect for readers who are just starting to read chapter books on their own, or for anyone who loves a good underdog story!

Duke's cousin Coco, an elegant French bulldog from Paris, is coming to Barksdale Academy as an exchange student, and Duke is worried about what she will think about his often uncouth friends, the Underdogs; Coco joins Team Awesome for the K-2 exam where the Barksdale teams compete against a rival school, but it turns out that Coco has problems with the athletic events, and it is up to the Underdogs to rescue their school's reputation.

From the writer of the bestselling Dragon Masters series and the illustrator of the bestselling Diary of a Pug series comes a high-energy, illustrated chapter book series about four dogs who learn that being yourself is much more fun than being Best in Show. Welcome to the town of Barksdale, where the canine residents strive for perfection. Every shopkeeper claims to be the "best groomer" or sell the "best biscuits." And at Barksdale Academy, the pressure is on every year for one pup to be named Best in Show. Nova, Duke, Harley, and Peanut have never won Best in Show... which is okay with them! But they have to work together to pass their Agility Exam, because either the whole pack passes or the whole pack fails. Nova has convinced her pals to train, but on her practice course, Duke is afraid to climb the high ramp, Harley keeps chasing squirrels, and Peanut can't make it through the hoops. Nova's not doing much better -- she's so excited she keeps knocking the whole course over! Will the pups make the grade, or are they doomed to be Underdogs forever? With black-and-white illustrations on every page and hilarious antics throughout, this series is perfect for readers who are just starting to read chapter books on their own, or for anyone who loves a good underdog story!

New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica tackles football! Will Tyler may not be the biggest running back around, but no one can touch him when it comes to hitting the hole and finding the end zone. And no one can match his love of the game. When Will has a football in his hand, life can't touch him--his dad isn't so defeated, his town isn't so poor, and everyone has something to cheer for. All of which does him no good if the football season is canceled. With no funding for things like uniforms and a well-maintained playing field, with every other family moving to find jobs, there just isn't enough money or players for a season. It's up to Will to rally the town and give everyone a reason to believe . . .

An insider's view of China's under-the-radar, globally competitive innovators. Chinese innovators are making their mark globally. Not only do such giants as Alibaba and Huawei continue to thrive and grow through innovation, thousands of younger Chinese entrepreneurs are poised to enter the global marketplace. In this book, Mark Greeven, George Yip, and Wei Wei offer an insider's view of China's under-the-radar, globally competitive innovators. The authors, all experts on Chinese innovation, distinguish four types of innovators in China: pioneers, large companies that are globally known; hidden champions, midsize enterprises that are market leaders in their niches; underdogs, technology-driven ventures with significant intellectual property; and changemakers, newer firms characterized by digital disruption, exponential growth, and cross-industry innovations. They investigate what kinds of innovations these companies develop (product, process, or business model), their competitive strategies, and key drivers of innovation. They identify six typical ways Chinese entrepreneurs innovate, including swarm innovation (collectively pursuing opportunities) and rapid centralized decision making. Finally, they look at how Chinese innovators are going global, whether building R&D networks internationally or exporting disruptive business models. The book includes many examples of Chinese innovators and innovations, drawn from a range of companies—from pioneers to changemakers—including Alibaba, Haier, Hikvision, Malong Technology, Weihua Solar, Mobike, and Cheetah Mobile. Greeven, Yip, and Wei offer an essential guide to what makes China a heavyweight competitor in the global marketplace.

A fun and memorable read for parents and children alike, The Greatest Moments in Sports serves as the perfect introduction to the world of sports.

From the 2015 winner of the ALA William C. Morris Award comes a humorous chapter book series about a not-so-attractive cat and his well-dressed mouse friend. Ugly Cat is dying for a paleta, or ice pop, and his friend Pablo is determined to help him get one by scaring a little girl who is enjoying a coconut paleta in the park. Things go horribly wrong when, instead of being scared, the little girl picks Pablo up and declares that he would make a great snack for her pet snake. Oh and there's also the small problem that Ugly Cat may have inadvertently swallowed Pablo in all of the commotion! Ugly Cat and his impeccably dressed mouse friend, Pablo, are an unlikely and dynamic duo who will win young readers over with their ridiculously silly antics and their search for tasty treats.