Jack Strong Takes A Stand

Tired of being forced to participate in sports and take extra lessons and tutoring to become well-rounded in anticipation of college, middle-schooler Jack Strong stages a sit-in on his couch until his parents ease up. Illustrations.

Tired of being forced to participate in sports, take extra lessons and receive tutoring to become well-rounded in preparation for college, middle schooler Jack Strong stages a sit-in on his couch until his parents ease up.

Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block...for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the bestselling Funny in Farsi. California Library Association’s John and Patricia Beatty Award Winner Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Grades 6–8) New York Historical Society’s New Americans Book Prize Winner Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature, Honorable Mention Booklist 50 Best Middle Grade Novels of the 21st Century

"When his weekly allowance just isn't cutting it anymore, lovable slacker Charlie Joe devises ways to make more money--and fast"--

When a text goes wrong, Katie Friedman learns the hard way that sometimes you need to disconnect to connect. Here are a few things you need to know about Katie Friedman: 1. Katie is swearing off phones for life! (No, seriously. She just sent the wrong text to the wrong person!) 2. She wants to break up with her boyfriend. (Until, that is, he surprises her with front row tickets to her favorite band, Plain Jane. Now what!?) 3. She wants to be a rock star (It's true. She has a band and everything.) 4. Her best friend is Charlie Joe Jackson. (Yeah, you know the guy.)5. And most importantly, Katie's been offered the deal of a lifetime—get ten of her friends to give up their phones for one week and everyone can have backstage passes to Plain Jane. (A whole week!? Is that even possible?)

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he'll go to get out of reading a book. Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he's managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he's in middle school, avoiding reading isn't as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he's tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.

The hilarious, final installment of the illustrated Charlie Joe Jackson series. As graduation day approaches, Charlie Joe is starting to realize being a kid isn't so bad after all.

10th Anniversary Hardcover Edition with new Afterword and additional notes by the author. This edition features classic essays related to the text, including Violence is Golden and No Man's Land.

At 6'4" and 375 pounds, Jack Garcia looked the part of a mobster, and he played his part so perfectly that his Mafia bosses never suspected he was an undercover agent for the FBI. 'Big Jack Falcone', as he was known inside La Cosa Nostra, learned all the inside dirt about the Gambino organized crime syndicate and its illegal activities - from extortion and loan-sharking to assault and murder. The result was a string of busts and a quarter of a million dollar contract put out on his life. A fascinating inside look at the struggle between law enforcement and organized crime, MAKING JACK FALCONE sheds new light on two organizational cultures that continue to exert an unparalled grip on our imagination.