Get a sneak peek inside four of the coolest chapter book series around in this special ebook sampler! Meet the zany characters of My Weird School #1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy by Dan Gutman; travel the world with Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #1: The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Jeff Brown; laugh out loud with Roscoe Riley Rules #1: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate; and discover the magic with Fairy Blossoms #1: Daisy and the Magic Lesson by Suzanne Williams.

    This might be his dad’s last chance to coach. And his teammates need a quarterback that can lead them to the championships. But as Ben watches the heavy toll ALS takes on his dad’s body, he begins to question if this should be his final season after all.

    

    Sure, his room's big enough, and he doesn't have to share a bathroom with his older sister... but he just can't shake the feeling that the previous owner hasn't moved out yet! But, being a fan of horror comic books, Peter actually starts to think it's cool living in a haunted house. Not only that, the ghost actually starts to like Peter! But... does it like Peter too much? So much that it wants to keep him trapped in the house... forever?!If you like Goosebumps or a light take on Tales from the Crypt, you'll love The Boy Who Cried Ghost! From the writer of My Best Friend Is a Secret Agent, this middle grade chapter book is a scary-fun mystery full of chills and thrills for any reader - children, tweens, teens... and beyond! This funny haunted house horror story is the first in the Ghost Town Mystery series, so if you like it, there's more to come!(Don't forget to look for the surprise after Chapter 1!)

    Svetlana Grimm has recently discovered she’s a vampire. The clues are all there: she can eat only red foods, has to sleep under the bed because of her heightened sensitivity to light and noise, and can read others’ thoughts. But this new discovery is making her transition from home-schooling to attending sixth grade at Sunny Hill Middle School that much more difficult. After all, what can she possibly have in common with those jellybean-eaters in her class? She prefers to watch them from afar in her hidden lair atop the Oak of Doom in her backyard. But things get more interesting when Svetlana’s cruel yet beautiful science teacher, Ms. Larch, reads her thoughts. Svetlana is excited to have found another of her kind—until her new neighbor, The Bone Lady, fills her in on Ms. Larch's true identity and her own. What happens when your sixth-grade science teacher might also be your immortal enemy?

    As the new clubhouse attendant for the Aberdeen IronBirds, a Minor League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, Larson assumed he’d entered a familiar world. He thought wrong. He quickly discovered the bizarre rituals of life in the Minors: fights between players, teammates quitting in the middle of the games, doomed relationships, and a negligent parent organization. All the while, Larson, fresh out of college, harbored a secret wish. Despite the team’s struggles and his own lack of baseball talent, he yearned to join the exclusive fraternity of professional ballplayers.   Instead, Larson fell deeper into his madcap venture as the scheming clubbie. He moved into the clubhouse equipment closet, his headquarters to swing deals involving memorabilia, booze, and loads of cash. By his second season, Larson had transformed into a deceptive, dip-spitting veteran, now fully part of a system that exploited players he considered friends. Like most Minor Leaguers, the gravitational pull of baseball was still too strong for Larson—even if chasing his private dream might cost him his girlfriend, his future, and, ultimately, his love of the game. That is, until an unlikely shot at a championship gives Larson and the IronBirds one final swing at redemption.Clubbie is a hilarious behind-the-scenes tale of two seasons in the mysterious world of Minor League Baseball. With cinematic detail and a colorful cast of characters, Larson spins an unforgettable true story for baseball fans and nonfans alike. An unflinching look at the harsh experience of professional sports, Clubbie will be a touchstone in baseball literature for years to come.

    

    Will Oakley, landlord and host, with his two daughters, beautiful Myrtle, and the repellent Harriet, waited to receive his guests. Along with the usual farmers, merchants and the "quality", there were others who fitted into none of these categories. Like the handsome foreigner with the scarred face, and the fat man who appeared to be gloating over some malicious secret of his own...

    Theysearched for, found, and photographed the lifeless bodiesof their client’s victims and then kept it secret. They didso in the face of unendurable pressure from theauthorities and the victims’ families, who suspected thelawyers knew more than they were saying.When the American public eventually learned of thelawyers’ actions, they were horrified, outraged, andvengeful. People could not fathom how two attorneys—fathers of teenage girls themselves—and supposedofficers of the law, could conduct themselves in amanner seemingly beyond any concept of humanity.Today, this landmark legal case is studied and analyzedin law schools worldwide.These events have been indelibly marked in Tracy’s mindsince he was eight years old; in fact, he was present atthe scene of New York state’s largest manhunt after thekiller broke into Tracy’s father’s hunting camp in theAdirondack Mountains. In Sworn to Silence, Tracyweaves together a true crime narrative that should rankwith some of the most compelling American crime storiesof modern times. He does so while taking you—thereader—on a page-turning journey back to the early1970s, unveiling an American serial killer most peoplehave never heard of.

    Widely regarded as a masterpiece of 19th century stories for children. Includes four black and white illustrations by Maria L. Kirk. Suitable for ages 8 and up.

    Uncle Shelby's Abz Book

    Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy adventure film, based on J. K. Rowling's novel of the same name. The film is the fourth installment in the Harry Potter film series, although 1492 Pictures decided to leave the series. The film was directed by Mike Newell and produced by David Heyman. The screenplay was penned by Steve Kloves. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. The film is set during the trio's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A highly dangerous competition, the Triwizard Tournament, is being held at Hogwarts with only one student from each of the three competing schools selected to take part, but mystery occurs when the Goblet of Fire chooses Harry Potter as a fourth competitor. Filming began in early 2004 and the scenes of Hogwarts took place at the Leavesden Film Studios.

    Greasebeam, B.Sc. (Serpentology), F.R.Aud., to serve up this compendium of dragon lore and sheer inventive nonsense. Expanding on a dozen illustrations from his calendar Dragons Draaks & Beasties, Base fabricates a trio of correspondents?a Viking, a Chinese silk trader and a Prussian explorer?whose letters chronicle their discoveries of dragons in various continents. The resulting web of yarns that Base spins is nothing short of hilarious ("Hope the looting and pillaging went well," writes Bjorn of Bromme in a letter to Olaf the Grim, for instance). Illustrations showcase the kind of intricate detail for which Base is so well known, and he bolsters his dragon art with a deadpan running commentary set in a border at the bottom of each page. "Dagbar defunctus est" notes one caption in a fit of understatement, as the accompanying cartoon depicts the demise of one of Bjorn's companions. There's much to enjoy here, and much to propel readers to seek out every last drop of humor. All ages. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

    This is a snapshot of Houdini's life, centering on one of his most famous jumps. As Houdini prepares for a death-defying leap into the icy Charles River in Boston, biographer Jason Lutes and artist Nick Bertozzi reveal Houdini's life and influence: from the anti-Semitism Houdini fought all his life, to the adulation of the American public; from his hounding by the press, to his loving relationship with his wife Bess; from his egoism to his insecurity; from his public persona -- to the secret behind his most amazing trick! And it's all in graphic form, so it's fresh, original, and unlike anything previously published about this most fascinating of American showmen.

    It's the last straw for everyone when Ray and his friends Prem and Tyrone are permanently suspended. But they know what they want, more than most, perhaps. Their headmaster decides to give them a second chance, a chance to live their dream of forming a rap group. Through a specialized social program, the boys are taught the business of the music industry, what it takes to record an album, and how to lay down a track. Within weeks they have become the Positive Negatives, and within a few months they have signed a record deal and are on their way to the top. But their dream soon becomes a nightmare as violence escalates around them. Suddenly, not only their careers but their very lives are at stake. The Positive Negatives are determined to prove that you don't need to be a gangster to be a great rapper.