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What Momma Left Me
Renée Watson - 2010
Despite the difficulties of a new school, a new church, and a new neighborhood, Serenity gains strength from the family around her, the new friends she finds, and her own careful optimism. Debut author Renée Watson's talent shines in this powerful and ultimately uplifting novel.
Grerks, Squirms & Water Greeps
Kes Gray - 2005
When Petronella Morton puts an ad in the local newspaper for "MONSTER-SITTING AFTER SCHOOL AND WEEKEND:S," little does she know that her phone will begin to ring...AND RING AND RING AND RING! Nelly soon discovers that there are families of monsters living secretly all over the Montelimar Estate! Whether it's trying to keep Slop the Squurm entertained, walking the Grerks' pedigree gog, Glug, or solving a bank robbery with the help of three little Water Greeps, Nelly's always got her hands full! Join her at three different addresses, for three monstrously different monster-sitting adventures!
Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More
Dustin Hansen - 2016
Find out about the fast and furious growth and evolution of video games (including how they are quickly taking over the world!) by looking at some of the most popular, innovative, and influential games ever, from Pong, the very first arcade game ever, to modern hits like Uncharted.Learn about the creators and inspiration (Mario was named after Nintendo's landlord after he barged into a staff meeting demanding rent), discover historical trivia and Easter eggs (The developers of Halo 2 drank over 24,000 gallons of soda while making the game), and explore the innovations that make each game special (The ghosts in Pac-Man are the first example of AI in a video game).Whether you consider yourself a hard-core gamer or are just curious to see what everyone is talking about, Game On! is the book for you!
Age Happens: Garfield Hits the Big 4-0
Jim Davis - 2018
Even Broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda gets into the act by composing the book’s foreword. This commemorative collection of birthday comic strips—plus a ton of other festive fun—is a gift for Garfield fans of all ages!
The Spirit Window
Joyce Sweeney - 1998
Miranda is shocked by energetic Grandma Lila, and something awakens in her as she discovers the wildlife of the marsh her grandmother so fiercely protects.Miranda captures nature's magic with her camera. She also captures Adam's heart. Part Cherokee, Adam cares for Lila's land and shares her love for wild creatures. When a sudden turn of events brings confusion and grief to Miranda's family; it raises disturbing questions about Adam. Is he all he seems to be? And what secrets account for the fury that torments Miranda's father? For the first time, Miranda the perfect daughter must take a stand. But doing so is painful as Miranda turns the camera on her own life and past.
Call Down The Hawk 8 chapter sampler
Maggie Stiefvater
8 chapter sample of Call Down the Hawk released by Scholastic on June 3rd in advance of the full novel's publication in November: https://www.scribd.com/document/41236...
XL
Scott Brown - 2019
By his sixteenth birthday, Will is resigned, bitterly, to being tiny forever. His only comfort is his best friend and stepbrother, Drew (6'3"), and their pal Monica (5'10"), the girl Will's secretly pined for since fifth grade. With them, he feels whole; everyone else sees him as a half man. But when Will stumbles onto Drew and Monica kissing, he realizes he's on his own.That's when he starts to grow. And grow fast. Astonishingly fast.For the first time in his life, Will is happy with his height, and with himself. He can barely keep up with the new possibilities that are opening up to him: sports come naturally, girls are throwing themselves his way. But as his growth spurt shows no signs of slowing, it starts to affect his relationships with Drew and Monica, the people who've meant the most to him. Now Will has to figure out what to do with himself--and all of this new "himself" he never expected to have.
Touchdown Pass
Clair Bee - 1948
Now, today's youth can follow the adventures of Chip Hilton, the sports-loving hero who will capture their hearts and direct them toward developing solid character, lasting values, and keen athletic skills.
Of River and Raynn - The Catalyst
Rebecca Ethington - 2014
I couldn’t even remember my name. I was tagged, labeled and doomed to cycle through state care for the next twelve years; moving from one family to another. They all rejected me as the dreams began to come, the memories began to return, and things around me began to explode.Now my mind is full of a world of shadows, things that my heart pleads with me to be true, that I hope are only fantasy. That the disturbing past I see is not mine.When I sleep I hear whispers of magic, and of evil queens, and a world that exists alongside our own. Things that could never be. But, there is one thing I know to be true. That there was a boy who was torn from me. A boy that I know means more to me than a brother, or than a lover. But what he is to me, I am not sure. I hear him cry for me in my dreams, I hear people call him The Catalyst.I know I need to find him.I wouldn’t have tried, if I would have known that finding River, would have made all my dreams turn into a haunting reality.
Camp Crush
Tammy Andresen - 2018
I’d been going there since I was ten but this year, I’m a counselor and it’s my chance to finally win over my dream guy, Alex. Unfortunately, his best friend, Drew McCabe, keeps getting in the way. He’s the snarky guitar loner who’d teased me at every opportunity last summer. But this year Drew’s being weirdly nice and I know he is up to something. Because people don’t change like that overnight, do they? Nope, they don’t. And I know that for sure he’s still teasing me when he pretends to be Alex and steals my first kiss. The fact that the kiss was amazing is even more infuriating. Chloe is so adorable she makes my teeth ache. And I used think that was a pain to be avoided but more and more I am wondering if there’s a different way to cure an ache. When she looks at me with those big blue eyes, I can’t help but wonder if kissing her is the perfect balm. When I go for it, I manage to ruin everything.
How to be a Genius
John Woodward - 2009
You can study the different functions, areas, and states of the brain, and at each stage, there are cool games, quizzes, puzzles, brain teasers, and more! The activities show readers how their brains can work even better, making this a challenging, informative, and practical book; the only one of its kind on the market.
Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D
David Kushner - 2017
Like the game itself, the narrative casts the reader into the adventure from a first person point of view, taking on the roles of the different characters in the story. Gygax was the son of immigrants who grew up in Lake Geneva, WI, in the 1950s. An imaginative misfit, he escaped into a virtual world based on science fiction novels, military history and strategic games like chess. In the mid-1970s, he co-created the wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons game. Starting out in the basement of his home, he was soon struggling to keep up with the demand. Gygax was a purist, in the sense that he was adamant that players use their imaginations and that the rules of the game remain flexible. A creative mind with no real knowledge of business, he made some strategic errors and had a falling out with the game's co-creator, his close friend and partner, David Arneson. By the late 1970s the game had become so popular among kids that parents started to worry -- so much so that a mom's group was formed to alert parents to the dangers of role play and fantasy. The backlash only fueled the fires of the young fans who continued to play the game, escaping into imaginary worlds. Before long, D&D conventions were set up around the country and the game inspired everything from movies to the first video games. With D&D, Gygax created the kind of role playing fantasy that would fuel the multibillion dollar video game industry, and become a foundation of contemporary geek culture.
If Not Us
Mark Smith - 2021
On still nights, the thrum of the turbines echoed down the valley and melded with the sound of the ocean until you couldn’t tell them apart.Hesse lives a small coastal town, where a coalmine and power station are a part of the scenery, and a part of the ever-growing problem of climate change. His mum is a member of a local environmental group campaigning to close the mine and shut down the power station. It’s a no-brainer, of course, but Hesse is more interested in surfing—and in Fenna, the new exchange student from the Netherlands.But when someone seems to be trying to derail the campaign, and his friends’ families face losing their jobs, Hesse begins to realise that things are complex.Even though he’s reluctant to step into the spotlight, with Fenna’s encouragement he decides it’s time to make a stand. Because some things are too important to leave to everyone else. And even one small, nervous voice can make a difference.When Hesse agrees to speak at a protest meeting he has no idea of the storm he is about to unleash.If Not Us is Mark Smith’s first standalone YA novel following his hugely successful Winter trilogy. It’s another great story with an engaging and relatable protagonist, as well as an impassioned plea for climate-change action that will inspire and empower readers of all ages.
Tetris: The Games People Play
Box Brown - 2016
Simple yet addictive, Tetris delivers an irresistible, unending puzzle that has players hooked. Play it long enough and you’ll see those brightly colored geometric shapes everywhere. You’ll see them in your dreams.Alexey Pajitnov had big ideas about games. In 1984, he created Tetris in his spare time while developing software for the Soviet government. Once Tetris emerged from behind the Iron Curtain, it was an instant hit. Nintendo, Atari, Sega―game developers big and small all wanted Tetris. A bidding war was sparked, followed by clandestine trips to Moscow, backroom deals, innumerable miscommunications, and outright theft.In this graphic novel, New York Times–bestselling author Box Brown untangles this complex history and delves deep into the role games play in art, culture, and commerce. For the first time and in unparalleled detail, Tetris: The Games People Play tells the true story of the world’s most popular video game.
(Un)arranged Marriage
Bali Rai - 2001
Set partly in the UK and partly in the Punjab region of India, this is a fresh, bitingly perceptive and totally up-to-the minute look at one young man's fight to free himself from family expectations and to be himself, free to dance to his own tune.