Discover the magic—and the science—behind fall leaves with this companion to the celebrated Raindrops Roll and Best in Snow. With gorgeous photo illustrations, award-winning author April Pulley Sayre explores the transformation trees undergo in fall. The book takes readers through the leaves’ initial change from green to red, yellow, and orange, the shedding of the leaves, and the leaves crumbling as winter approaches. Extensive back matter explains the science behind this process to the youngest of budding scientists.
Selected as the winners of Random House’s national contest, a stunning collection of essays ranging from comic to poignant, personal to political, by the brightest young writers you haven’t heard of . . . yet. Here, for the first time, current twentysomethings come together on their own terms, in their own words, and begin to define this remarkably diverse and self-aware generation. Tackling an array of subjects–career, family, sex, religion, technology, art–they form a vibrant, unified community while simultaneously proving that there is no typical twentysomething experience. In this collection, a young father works the late-night shift at Wendy’s, learning the finer points of status, teamwork, and french fries. An artist’s nude model explains why she’s happy to be viewed as an object. An international relief worker wrestles with his choices as he starts to resent the very people who need his help the most. A devout follower of Joan Didion explains what New York means to her. And a young army engineer spends his time in Kuwait futilely trying to grow a mustache like his dad’s. With grace, wit, humor, and urgency, these writers invite us into their lives and into their heads. Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers is a rich, provocative read as well as a bold statement from a generation just now coming into its own, including these essays “California” by Jess Lacher “The Waltz” by Mary Beth Ellis “The Mustache Race” by Bronson Lemer “Sex and the Sickbed” by Jennifer Glaser “Tricycle” by Rachel Kempf “Prime-Time You” by John Fischer “Backlash” by Shahnaz Habib “Think Outside the Box but Stay Inside the Grid” by Emma Black “Finding the Beat” by Eli James “You Shall Go out with Joy and be Led Forth with Peace” by Kyle Minor “The Idiot’s Guide to Your Palm” by Colleen Kinder “Sheer Dominance” by Christopher Poling “Live Nude Girl” by Kathleen Rooney “An Evening in April” by Radhiyah Ayobami “Cliché Rape Story” by Marisa McCarthy “Rock my Network” by Theodora Stites “Goodbye to All That” by Eula Biss “All the Right Answers” by Brendan Park “Why I Had To Leave” by Luke Mullins “In-Between Places” by Mary Kate Frank “A Red Spoon for the Nameless” by Burlee Vang “My Little Comma” by Elrena Evans “Fight Me” by Miellyn Fitzwater “The Secret Lives of My Parents” by Kate McGovern “My Roaring Twenties” by Lauren Monroe “In, From the Outside” by Katherine Dykstra “The Mysteries of Life . . . Revealed!” by Travis Sentell “So You Say You Want a Revolution” by J. W. Young “Working at Wendy’s” by Joey Franklin Praise for Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers “Being in your twenties is weird. The world tells you you’re a grown-up, but damn if you feel like one. With 29 sharply observant and well-written snapshots of life between the ages of 19 and 30, Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers couldn’t have captured this more perfectly.”–Nylon “You’ll devour this compilation of essays by funny, smart, insightful young writers in just a few hours.”–Jane Magazine “If we are still looking for a voice for this generation, I’d nominate this eclectic choir instead.”–Orlando Sentinel
“A brisk and informative look at Major League Soccer’s first twenty years . . . West gives MLS fans a worthy chronicle.” (Booklist). In 1988, FIFA decreed that the 1994 World Cup would be played in the United States – with the condition that the U.S. would start a new professional league. The North American Soccer League had failed just four years prior, and the prospects of launching a new league for Americans, who didn’t share the rest of the world’s love for soccer, were both exciting and daunting. The United States of Soccer is the engaging history of Major League Soccer’s bootstrap origins prior to its 1996 launch, its near-demise in the early 2000s, and its surprising resilience and growth as it won recognition from soccer fans around the world. The book also explores the origin of MLS’s superfans who set the tone within MLS stadiums and defining what it is to be a North American soccer fan. Phil West chronicles those fans’ voices – intermingled with league officials, former players and coaches, journalists, and newspaper accounts – to detail MLS’s remarkable journey.
Nalvana feels like all of her friends have some type of superpower. But when her mom shows Nalvana that she is unique and special, she realizes that her superpower was right in front of her all along.
Packed with superheroes, supervillains, and epic showdowns between good and evil, The Unforgettable Logan Foster from debut author Shawn Peters shows that sometimes being a hero is just about being yourself. Logan Foster has pretty much given up on the idea of ever being adopted. It could have something to with his awkward manner, his photographic memory, or his affection for reciting curious facts, but whatever the cause, Logan and his “PP’s” (prospective parents) have never clicked. Then everything changes when Gil and Margie arrive. Although they aren’t exactly perfect themselves—Gil has the punniest sense of humor and Margie’s cooking would have anyone running for the hills—they genuinely seem to care. But it doesn’t take Logan long to notice some very odd things about them. They are out at all hours, they never seem to eat, and there’s a part of the house that is protected by some pretty elaborate security. No matter what Logan could have imagined, nothing prepared him for the truth: His PP’s are actually superheroes, and they’re being hunted down by dastardly forces. Logan’s found himself caught in the middle in a massive battle and the very fate of the world may hang in the balance. Will Logan be able to find a way to save the day and his new family? 2024 Illinois Bluestem Reader's Choice Award Nominee
Some killers are born. Others are made. As a rookie tabloid reporter, Jenna Sinclair made a tragic mistake when she outed Denny Dennison, the illegitimate son of an executed serial killer. So she hid behind her marriage and motherhood. Now, decades later, betrayed by her husband and resented by her teenage daughter, Jenna decides to resurrect her career—and returns to the city she loves. When her former lover is brutally assaulted outside Jenna’s NYC apartment building, Jenna suspects that Denny has inherited his father’s psychopath gene and is out for revenge. She knows she must track him down before he can harm his next target, her daughter. Meanwhile, her estranged husband, Zack, fears that her investigative reporting skills will unearth his own devastating secret he’d kept buried in the past. From New York City to the remote North Fork of Long Island and the murky waters surrounding it, Jenna rushes to uncover the terrible truth about a psychopath and realizes her own investigation may save or destroy her family.
When Luke's annoying older brother became a superhero instead of him, Luke thought he couldn't get any more disgruntled-- until his friend Lara became a superhero, too. Now Luke's feeling totally left out; even his best friend gets mad at him when Luke's attempts at crime-solving without superpowers go terribly awry. So when Luke discovers an alien plot to overthrow the world, he's got nobody to turn to who'll listen...nobody but his sworn enemy. In this hilarious sequel to My Brother is a Superhero, Luke will have to put on his big-boy Daredevil underpants and find out what heroes and villains are truly made of.
Rediscover the superpower that makes good things happen, from the professor behind Yale School of Management's most popular class “The new rules of persuasion for a better world.”—Charles Duhigg, author of the bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better You were born influential. But then you were taught to suppress that power, to follow the rules, to wait your turn, to not make waves. Award-winning Yale professor Zoe Chance will show you how to rediscover the superpower that brings great ideas to life. Influence doesn’t work the way you think because you don’t think the way you think. Move past common misconceptions—such as the idea that asking for more will make people dislike you—and understand why your go-to negotiation strategies are probably making you less influential. Discover the one thing that influences behavior more than anything else. Learn to cultivate charisma, negotiate comfortably and creatively, and spot manipulators before it’s too late. Along the way, you’ll meet alligators, skydivers, a mind reader in a gorilla costume, Jennifer Lawrence, Genghis Khan, and the man who saved the world by saying no. Influence Is Your Superpower will teach you how to transform your life, your organization, and perhaps even the course of history. It’s an ethical approach to influence that will make life better for everyone, starting with you.
An interactive book that provides simple tasks to help kids develop resilience, persistence, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-esteem. Help the kids in your care discover not only their new superpowers, but an ability to give new challenges a go and to keep on trying! Included: Discussion Questions and extra ideas to boost kids' confidence.
