In Thailand, Oy was called by her own name, but in her first school in America, the teacher renames her Olivia. Everything else is different too. The other girls leave her out of their games, and a boy named Frankie teases her. Then Liliandra, a popular girl in the class, sees a photo of Oy in her Thai dancing dress and offers to let Oy into her club if she brings the dress to school. Oy knows that would be a betrayal of her family's traditions, but she wants so much to belong. At home, fingering the pink silk of her dress, Oy makes a decision. "Marsden hits the issues of this age group squarely and truthfully." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Marsden writes with keen observation and finesse about the social dynamics of the classroom and with simplicity reveals the layers of emotion experienced by Oy." - Booklist (starred review) "A simple story about the painstaking effort of trying to fit in." - School Library Journal
Sarah Simpson's Rules for Living: 1. Don't lie. 2. Don't trust anybody but cats. 3. Don't expect happy endings. 4. Drink skim milk. 5. Avoid blondes. Sarah Simpson loves to make lists. She has lists of the things she doesn't like about her father's new (blond tennis instructor) wife, things she doesn't like about her mother's new (nerdy, zebra-shirt-wearing) boyfriend, and reasons why life is just plain unfair. Through the school play, new friendships, and adjusted relationships, Sarah begins to realize that change might not be such a horrible thing after all - and that families come in all shapes and sizes. Is it time for a REVISED Rules for Living?
Estrella deMadrigal thought she knew herself: daughter, granddaughter, sister, dearest friend, beloved. She is Star in the Night Sky, Truth in the Darkness. But truth is rare and precious in this cruel and unforgiving century in Spain, when Jews who refused conversion to Christianity risked everything - love, life, family, faith. Then: A startling discovery shakes Estrella's world to the core. And yet, it is something small and sweet that sets it aflame. A kiss. A kiss from someone she is forbidden to love. As a new girl emerges from the cocoon of secrets in which she has been shrouded, passion burns and friendship crumbles - and betrayal unleashes a monstrous evil from the very deepest part of the earth. Estrella crosses over to a place she never thought she could be; she is someone she never could have imagined. Remember the story she is about to tell you.
Taemon has always known he's a bit different. But in the walled city of Deliverance, where everyone possesses a form of telekinesis known as psi, being different is dangerous. Being different can get you labeled a freakling. Or worse, see you banished to the Powerless Colony, where even the simplest tasks, like getting dressed or turning on the lights, must be done by hand. Taemon has learned to blend in, to pretend he's just like everyone else in Deliverance. To pretend that he can't send his mind wandering into objects and see exactly how they work. But Taemon's brother, Yens, suspects the truth, and he'll stop at nothing - even murder - to expose Taemon's secret. In this thrilling dystopian novel from newcomer Lana Krumwiede, Taemon must choose between accepting his life among the freaklings or fighting for the destiny he's never wanted - and all that comes with it.
Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker.
At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school.
The film Stuck By Lightning is set to be released by Tribeca Film later this year and features Colfer's own original screenplay. Colfer also stars in the film alongside Allison Janney, Christina Hendricks, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Hyland, and Polly Bergen.
Tough because of Mama's addiction to drugs and alcohol. Tough because Daddy is away with the army fighting in Iraq. Tough because it looks like there is no way out once you're living in a homeless shelter in a North Carolina ghetto neighborhood. And tough because Joseph is enrolled at yet another new school where he doesn't know anyone and has to keep what is going on in his life a secret. Joseph struggles to keep Mama clean and to hold their broken family together while trying to make new friends and join the school tennis team. Can a boy who's only fifteen years old win his daily battle to survive?
Meet Taylor McNamara. She's twelve. She's a city girl. But her parents have just moved her onto a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere. She's trying to get into the spirit of farming, but things aren't going very well. Meet the farm animals: 40 chickens, 20 sheep, 10 ducks, and 4 goats, one of which can pee on his own head. Taylor's job is to collect eggs every morning, which she can only do using an umbrella to catch the chicken poop. Meet the principal and kids in Taylor's new school: Taylor inadvertently breaks rules such as "A skirt must be a full one inch longer than your fingertips." Kids tease her about her ugly barn boots and the chicken poop in her hair, yet they admire her pluck. Taylor struggles to adapt to her new life, but finds it hard to adjust to the farm's daily surprises, especially those that prove to be embarrassing at school. With the help of her friend Megan, Taylor embarks on a nearly disastrous plan to move her family back to the city. But one lonely night, in the barn, Taylor discovers that farming isn't all bad.
Ivy and Tristan have both moved on-Tristan to the other side of the afterlife, and Ivy with sweet, dependable Will. But when another serious car accident injures Ivy to the point of near death, she meets up with Tristan at the place of "in between," and their bittersweet reunion culminates in one breathtaking kiss. Unbeknownst to both Ivy and Tristan, it was that one heart-stopping kiss that brought Ivy back to life-and angels are prohibited from meddling in matters of life and death. Now fallen from heaven for saving the girl he loves, Tristan is in the body of a stranger, and he must find his way to Ivy once more....
Have fun with Olivia...
dressing up
singing songs
building sand castles
napping (maybe)
dancing
painting on walls
and -- whew! --
going to sleep at last.
Olivia is back! She has decided to form a band: a one-pig band, to be exact. And, as we all know, Olivia is certainly capable of making enough noise to sound like an entire orchestra . . .
Featuring gatefold flaps, fireworks, experiments with lipstick an a very cross mummy, the fourth Olivia book is simply and hilariously told and gorgeously rendered - sure to delight Olivia fans of all ages!!
Olivia is getting into the Christmas spirit. There are presents to wrap, ornaments to hang on the tree, snowpigs to build... But what mischief and mayhem will she get up to this time?
This delightfully told and beautifully illustrated new Olivia story belongs under everyone's Christmas tree this year!
Olivia remembers her trip to the circus very well. The performers were off sick, so she had to do everything. She...
Rode on a unicycle
jumped on a trampoline
juggled five balls!
tamed lions
and flew through the air.
Step into the ring with Olivia, where the lights are dim, the colour soft and a little girl's imagination is the main attraction.
