Ruby's mum is sick . . . or is she? It's very upsetting when your parents don't tell you what's going on. And Ruby's not the only one who's upset. Yasmin gets a nasty shock when someone sends her an anonymous email. Fortunately Holly Helvellyn, Goth teen idol and generally Miss Amazing (except for that miserable boyfriend she now drags around), is on hand to cheer Ruby up, but even she doesn't have the answers to everything. The truth will out eventually, though . . .
Ruby Rogers is about to turn ten. She wants to be a gangster when she grows up. She also wants nothing more than a tree house for her birthday. Problem is, there aren't any trees in her garden, and her family laugh off the idea. Ruby's furious, but then life takes a turn for the better when, through her best friend Yasmin, she meets Holly Helvellyn, a super-cool Gothic girl who's friends with Yasmin's older sister. It turns out Holly rather fancies Ruby's older brother Joe - the brooding artist in the sixth-form who has a strange habit of talking in newspaper headlines. One day Holly asks Ruby to steal something from Joe's bedroom for a joke, setting off a chain of events that culminate in some very unexpected but pleasant surprises . . .
Ruby is pressurised by Yasmin into having a Midsummer sleepover at her house - but will her parents agree to it? And where will they all sleep? And if she can't invite everyone, who's in and who's out? It'd have be kept a huge secret . . . What a nightmare! Ruby digs herself into ever deeper holes as she tries to keep everyone happy. Will she manage to pull it off with friendships and family relationships intact?
Bunco night seems like a safe bet until someone finds a dead body in the bathtub. With her friends in shock and topping the local detective’s suspect list, Viola Roberts decides it’s time once again to take matters into her own hands. With her usual snark and disregard for the rules, Viola investigates everything from a cupcake eating contest to the sordid affairs of the deceased’s husband. All while fending off her mother’s matchmaking attempts. She’s pretty sure she knows whodunit, but with her bunco ladies being targeted by a killer, Viola may have to decide between being right, or ending up dead. --- KEYWORDS: Sam Cheever, AFC Bookens, Jodi Vaugh, murder mystery, Zara Keane, cozy murder mystery series, Connie Shelton, cozy murder mystery, whodunnit, cozy murder mystery books, Fiona Grace, cozy murder, cozy murder mysteries, animal cozy mystery, animal cozy, cozy romance mystery, Maddie Day, free mystery, Bree Baker, Kate Collins, Ellie Alexander, Ellery Adams, Abby Collette, mystery and suspense, Penny Reid, Anne R. Tan, Diana Orgain, detective stories, Harper Lin, mystery humor, Sara Rosett, mystery romance books clean, CeeCee James, mystery romance suspense, mystery suspense murder, mystery with women, mystery women books, Patti Larsen, Joanne Fluke, Jenn McKinlay, MC Beaton, Jana DeLeon, Eva Gates, London Lovett, Bree Baker, Fiona Grace, Kirsten Weiss, Dale Mayer, Agatha Ball, Gemma Halliday, Bunco, Bunko
The first of its kind, this volume unpacks the cultural construction of transnational adoption and migration by examining a sample of recent children’s books that address the subject. Of all European countries, Spain is the nation where immigration and transnational adoption have increased most steeply from the early 1990s onward. Origin Narratives: The Stories We Tell Children About Immigration and International Adoption sheds light on the way contemporary Spanish society and its institutions re-define national identity and the framework of cultural, political and ethnic values, by looking at how these ideas are being transmitted to younger generations negotiating a more heterogeneous environment. This study collates representations of diversity, migration, and (colonial) otherness in the texts, as well as their reception by the adult mediators, through reviews, paratexts, and opinions collected from interviews and participant observation. In this new work, author Macarena Garcia Gonzalez argues that many of the texts at the wider societal discourse of multiculturalism, which have been warped into a pedagogical synthesis, underwrite the very racism they seek to combat. Comparing transnational adoption with discourses about immigration works as a new approach to the question of multiculturalism and makes a valuable contribution to an array of disciplines.
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography The definitive biography of Clarence Darrow, the brilliant, idiosyncratic lawyer who defended John Scopes in the “Monkey Trial” and gave voice to the populist masses at the turn of the twentieth century, thus changing American law forever. Amidst the tumult of the industrial age and the progressive era, Clarence Darrow became America’s greatest defense attorney, successfully championing poor workers, blacks, and social and political outcasts, against big business, fundamentalist religion, Jim Crow, and the US government. His courtroom style—a mixture of passion, improvisation, charm, and tactical genius—won miraculous reprieves for men doomed to hang. In Farrell’s hands, Darrow is a Byronic figure, a renegade whose commitment to liberty led him to heroic courtroom battles and legal trickery alike.
Since its release in 1971, Don McLean's song "American Pie" has become an indelible part of U.S. culture. It has sparked countless debates about the references within the lyrics; been celebrated as a chronicle of American life from the late 1950s through the early 1970s; and has become iconic itself as it has been remade, parodied, and referenced within numerous texts and forums. This volume offers a set of new essays that focus on the cultural and historical significance of the song. Representing a variety of perspectives and fields of study, the essays address such topics as historical and literary interpretations of the song's lyrics, its musical qualities, the commentary the song offers on rock and roll history, the continuing significance of the song, and the ways in which the song has been used by various writers and artists. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Empathize, and become a manager who can effectively influence each of your employee’s attitudes, behavior, level of motivation, and professional growth “How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated? is an imperative book for leaders in all fields. In order to motivate, you must be able to comprehend and connect on a personal level.” —TOM DASCHLE, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader “George Langelett brings clarity to elements of management that we cherish at Markel. He explores the ‘soft’ topic of empathy-based management in ways that are highly accessible to managers who are compelled by ‘hard’ logic. He describes the scientific underpinnings of why empathetic management is successful, and he gives clear steps for how managers can develop such a style.” —ALAN I. KIRSHNER, Chairman/CEO Markel Corporation “I think this is an excellent book. Most books on motivation are either so heavy on theory and research that practicing managers may not know how to apply what’s in the book or else rely so heavily on anecdotes and personal experiences to the point where validity suffers. This book, though, gets it just right: it is based on sound theory and research but offers truly usable applications and advice.” —DR. RICKY GRIFFIN, Department Head and Distinguished Professor of Management, Blocker Chair in Business, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University
