The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses


Peter Brannen - 2017
    In The Ends of the World, Peter Brannen dives into deep time, exploring Earth’s past dead ends, and in the process, offers us a glimpse of our possible future.Many scientists now believe that the climate shifts of the twenty-first century have analogs in these five extinctions. Using the visible clues these devastations have left behind in the fossil record, The Ends of the World takes us inside “scenes of the crime,” from South Africa to the New York Palisades, to tell the story of each extinction. Brannen examines the fossil record—which is rife with creatures like dragonflies the size of sea gulls and guillotine-mouthed fish—and introduces us to the researchers on the front lines who, using the forensic tools of modern science, are piecing together what really happened at the crime scenes of the Earth’s biggest whodunits.Part road trip, part history, and part cautionary tale, The Ends of the World takes us on a tour of the ways that our planet has clawed itself back from the grave, and casts our future in a completely new light.

Shackles From the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy


Michael Cottman - 2017
    This is more than just the story of one ship – it's the untold story of millions of people taken as captives to the New World. Told from the author's perspective, this book introduces young readers to the wonders of diving, detective work, and discovery, while shedding light on the history of slavery.

The Tyrannosaur Chronicles: The Biology of the Tyrant Dinosaurs


David Hone - 2016
    But despite the hype, Tyrannosaurus and the other tyrannosaurs are fascinating animals in their own right, and are among the best-studied of all dinosaurs.Tyrannosaurs started small, but over the course of 100 million years evolved into the giant carnivorous bone-crushers that continue to inspire awe in palaeontologists, screenplay writers, sci-fi novelists and the general public alike. Tyrannosaurus itself was truly impressive; it topped six tons, was more than 12m (40 feet) long, and had the largest head and most powerful bite of any land animal in history.The Tyrannosaur Chronicles tracks the rise of these dinosaurs, and presents the latest research into their biology, showing off more than just their impressive statistics - tyrannosaurs had feathers and fought and even ate each other. This book presents the science behind this research; it tells the story of the group through their anatomy, ecology and behaviour, exploring how they came to be the dominant terrestrial predators of the Mesozoic and, in more recent times, one of the great icons of biology.

Unwelcome: 50 Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time Visitors


Jonathan Malm - 2014
    Are you making your first-time guests feel welcome? Or are you driving them away—unintentionally—with bad signage, reserved seating, clunky communication and more? In this practical book, Jonathan Malm examines 50 ways churches make first-time visitors feel unwelcome. The transgressions range from insider lingo to awkward transitions, a cold congregation to the over-eager greeter. With all 50 church faux pas, Jonathan suggests ways to not only fix the problem, but also infuse excellence into the situation so churches can put their best foot forward with first-time guests. A few simple changes can help your church roll out the welcome mat for your guests.

Management Information Systems


Raymond McLeod Jr. - 1979
    Focusing on the role of managers within an organization, the volume emphasizes the development of computer-based Information Systems to support an organization's objectives and strategic plans. Focusing on the Systems Concepts, the Systems Approach is implemented throughout the text. The volume covers essential concepts such as using information technology to engage in electronic commerce, and information resources such as database management systems, information security, ethical implications of information technology and decision support systems with projects to challenge users at all levels of competence. For those involved in Management Information Systems.

Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel


Scott Beatty - 2002
    Based on the classic television series, this guide features in-depth profiles of Superman's friends and foes, annotated illustrations of key weapons and places, and Episode Panels to help place each character in specific story lines.

I Escaped the California Camp Fire: California's Deadliest Fire


Scott Peters - 2019
    Unaware of any danger, Troy and his kid sister dive into a huge junk-food-feast and watch movies until 2 am. When Troy's dog, Rascal, jerks him awake at 9 am, he's shocked to see that it's black as night outside. How can that be? Then he gets a bunch of panicked texts from his best friend.The first reads—i see flamesThe second—get out of townThe last—NOW!!!!!!Terror slingshots down Troy's spine. He sprints to the neighbor’s house, only to have Mrs. Jones tell him to stay put. Wildfires happen all the time. The firemen will come.But will they?He can see flames racing toward their homes.Unable to reach his parents, and with a kid sister, a dog, and a cat to protect, he knows he has to act. How can he get them all to safety? They'll never be able to outrun the fire on foot. He has to make a decision, fast.Does he have what it takes to escape?Set in Paradise, Butte County, California during the November 2018 wildfire natural disaster, this kids' inspirational book is based on witness accounts and hours of research. The Camp Fire was California's biggest forest fire, and the sixth biggest wildfire in American history.A study guide is available at: https://tinyurl.com/escaped-fireFor readers 9 and up.This is the 2nd book in the I Escaped Series about brave kids who face real world challenges and find ways to escape.If you like New York Times Bestseller Lauren Tarshis's I Survived Series, you'll love the I Escaped Series.Buy now

How to Talk to an Autistic Kid


Daniel Stefanski - 2011
    In this intimate yet practical book, author Daniel Stefanski, a fourteen-year-old boy with autism, helps readers understand why autistic kids act the way they do and offers specific suggestions on how to get along with them.While many "typical" kids know someone with autism, they sometimes misunderstand the behavior of autistic kids, which can seem antisocial or even offensive–even if the person with autism really wants to be friends. The result of this confusion is often painful for those with autism: bullying, teasing, excluding, or ignoring. How to Talk to an Autistic is an antidote. Written by an autistic kid for non-autistic kids, it provides personal stories, knowledgeable explanations, and supportive advice–all in Daniel's unique and charming voice and accompanied by lively illustrations.Always straightforward and often humorous, How to Talk to an Autistic Kid will give readers–kids and adults alike–the confidence and tools needed to befriend autistic kids. They'll also feel like they've made a friend already–Daniel.

The Story of Life: A First Book about Evolution


Catherine Barr - 2015
    Using bitesize text and beautifully bright illustrations this is the perfect book for budding scientists and those eager to learn more about our amazing planet.   Are you ready for an exciting and dramatic story about how life began and developed on Planet Earth? Packed full of fascinating facts and funny illustrations, this is the perfect introduction to life on earth for even the youngest of readers.   At first, nothing lived on Earth. It was a noisy, hot, scary place. Choking gas exploded from volcanoes and oceans of lava bubbled around the globe...Then in the deep, dark ocean, something amazing happened. Find out how the first living cell was created, and how the cells multiply and create jellyfish and worms, and then fish with bendy necks, which drag themselves out of the water into swampy forests.   Discover the story of the biggest creatures that have ever walked on land – the dinosaurs. Long after that, hairy creatures who have babies, not eggs, take over, stand on two legs and spread around the world, some of them living through cataclysmic events such as ice ages and volcanic eruptions.   Everyone living today is related to these survivors- including you! This is the perfect first book about evolution for young readers.

LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star


L.L. Cool J. - 2006
    Here he shares the secrets of his transformation in a uniquely creative, yet no-nonsense regimen—enlivened with humor and sheer force of personality—that will inspire readers to enjoy working out as never before, while building a body they never thought possible. The book offers four levels of fitness, from Bronze to Platinum, including:- a 4-week beginner's program that takes inches off the waist and boosts energy-a 5-week program for intermediates that increases strength while maintaining muscular and cardiovascular endurance- an advanced 9-week program that turns the body into a muscle-building and fat-burning machine—complete with 6-pack abs and as much energy as LL Cool J- the hardcore 3-week fat-torching program LL used for the "Control Myself" video—a new level in ripped-to-the-bone fitness and sex appeal- a special 4-week "Diamond" program for women seeking to shape up fast for summer or an upcoming event- meal plans and recipes that fuel workouts while burning fat with food

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom


Walter Álvarez - 1997
    It produced a cloud of roiling debris that blackened the sky for months as well as other geologic disasters--and triggered the demise of Tyrannosaurus rex. We know what happened largely because Walter Alvarez--synthesizing the findings of experts from a variety of scientific fields--has written a gripping story of the decades-long search for the cause of the dinosaurs' extinction. Painstakingly assembling clues from the Italian Apennines and the depths of the Pacific and presenting them with the excitement of a great novel, T. rex and the Crater of Doom is a book of undeniable importance and irresistible appeal by a major figure in contemporary science. " Engaging and witty. Read Alvarez for and excellent account of how scientists pose questions and seek to solve them." --Scientific American " First-rate...Alvarez provides the up-close tale of the comet or asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs." --San Francisco Chronicle

Dinosaurs Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution in Paleontology


Michael J. Benton - 2019
    New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the color of dinosaurs, the force of their bite, their top speeds, and even how they cared for their young.Remarkable new fossil discoveries—giant sauropod dinosaur skeletons in Patagonia, dinosaurs with feathers in China, and a tiny dinosaur tail in Burmese amber—remain the lifeblood of modern paleobiology. Thanks to advances in technologies and methods, however, there has been a recent revolution in the scope of new information gleaned from such fossil finds.In Dinosaurs Rediscovered, leading paleontologist Michael J. Benton gathers together all the latest paleontological evidence, tracing the transformation of dinosaur study from its roots in antiquated natural history to an indisputably scientific field. Among other things, the book explores how dinosaur remains are found and excavated, and especially how paleontologists read the details of dinosaurs’ lives from their fossils—their colors, their growth, and even whether we will ever be able to bring them back to life. Benton’s account shows that, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.

Loyalties: A Novel of World War II


Thomas Fleming - 1994
     In Berlin, Berthe von Hoffman dreams of an angel in the depths, embracing her husband's submarine – and remembers Kristallnacht, when Hitler declared all-out war on the Jews. The stench of evil in that memory draws her to the headquarters of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, enigmatic head of the German secret service – and guiding spirit of the Schwarze Kapelle, the circle of courageous men and women who comprise the secret dangerous resistance to Nazism. Aboard the USS Spencer Lewis off Iceland, Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Trumbull Talbot is denouncing President Franklin D. Roosevelt's unconstitutional undeclared war against Germany when a torpedo fired by Berthe's husband, Kapitanleutnant Ernst von Hoffmann, cut the destroyer in half. Out of this conjunction grows a tormented tangle of love and jealousy and patriotic deceit when the three meet in Spain after Pearl Harbor has catapulted American into the war. By that time, Talbot's criticism of the president has wrecked both his naval career and his marriage to Annie Richman, daughter of a congressman whose power depends on FDR's political wizardry. When Talbot returns from Spain to urge negotiations with Canaris and other leaders of the German resistance, Annie, now a powerful journalist, becomes a player in the struggle for the mind of the intransigent, mortally ill president. At its gripping climax, Loyalties draws everyone into an anguished confrontation with the limits of patriotism and God's baffling role in the middle of human destiny. From murderous contests between rival intelligence agencies in Spain to the labyrinthine political machinations in Washington, London, and Berlin to warfare beneath the North Atlantic, Loyalties is a dazzling mosaic of men and women caught in the crossfire of history – yet finding in the midst of destruction and chaos inexplicable glimpse of meaning and hope.

And the Soldiers Sang


J. Patrick Lewis - 2011
    So said Kaiser Wilhelm II to his German army in August 1914. But World War I would rage for more than 4 years, taking the lives of nearly 10 million soldiers. Some of the most unrelenting combat was waged along the infamous Western Front, where, for one unforgettable Christmas in 1914, enemies set guns aside and came together in friendship. And the Soldiers Sang, written by J. Patrick Lewis, recounts this unlikely truce through the perspective of a young soldier named Owen Davies, who travels from the green country of Wales to the muddy battlefields of Belgium.

The Lonely Christmas Tree


Shannon Glenn - 2011
    A lonely tree stands in an empty field on Christmas Eve. Will the Christmas star grant his only wish? Written for children, but enjoyed by all.  New for 2012: A fully illustrated version is now available.  Just search "The Lonely Christmas Tree (Illustrated)".