The Trouble With Gumballs

A CLASSIC OF WESTERN NARRATIVE NON-FICTION This portrait of a gumball entrepreneur's life in 1950s America is a slice or retail business history and a funny freelance memoir all rolled into one. When James Nelson decides to move his family out West to California in 1952, he takes the leap into entrepreneurship by buying a slew of gumball machines. The ad guaranteed quick profits and easy money, but comic frustrations were what he got. Savvy modern readers will laugh at Nelson's charming naivete while millennial freelancers will identify with his determination to keep on after endless setbacks. The gumball machine is an iconic symbol of 1950s Americana, and while the story chronicles Nelson's foibles with gumball entrepreneurship, it's the funny characters he meets along the way that are the true stars of this funny memoir. His larger-than-life descriptions of the characters of San Francisco and Sonoma county paint historic California as a fun scene-even for a man who makes his living one grubby penny at a time. A fun read for fans of humorous travel writing, Sonoma County or San Francisco narratives, or anyone wanting to get an insider view of start-up from the days before Silicon Valley.

Tragi-comic adventures of a young man and his wife when they try to run a vending machine route.

After a magician casts a spell that turns Elmore into a place of danger and misadventures, it is up to Wizard Darwin, Knight Anais, and Jester Gumball to rescue the citizens of Elmore from being stuck in the Middle Ages forever.

A hilarious look at the odd, unlikely, and happy couples who live in Elmore. From the ever-arguing Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, to star-crossed Alan and Carmen, to “meant to be” Gumball and Penny, Elmore has its share of “strange but true” and “match made in heaven” couples. And this humorous book will give fans of the show a look at the past, present, and possible future of those couples, as well as insights into the relationships from the couples themselves. From the Non-traditional book edition.

A comprehensive introduction to statistics that teaches the fundamentals with real-life scenarios, and covers histograms, quartiles, probability, Bayes' theorem, predictions, approximations, random samples, and related topics.

This is a comedic story about Abbo, a dog who had very unique taste. She loved to eat garbage, never letting anything go to waste... Until one day Abbo becomes sick, and she must find a way to raise money to make her better! A hilarious rhyming read for silly kids! A great book for reluctant readers. Based on a slightly true story.

Become a Java wizard with this popular programming guide Consider Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies your indispensable guide to learning how to program in one of the most popular programming languages—Java! Java is an invaluable language to master, as it's widely used for application development, including Android, desktop, and server-side applications. Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies is written specifically for newbies to programming. The book starts with an overview of computer programming and builds from there; it explains the software you need, walks you through writing your own programs, and introduces you to a few of the more-complex aspects of programming in Java. It also includes step-by-step examples you can try on your own (and email the author if you need help). As you work through the book, you'll get smart about these Java features: Object-oriented programming (OOP), a Java mainstay IntelliJ IDEA, an integrated development environment (IDE), that gives you one place to do all your programming, including debugging code Loops, branches, and collections Variables and operators Expressions, statements, and blocks Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies translates all this foreign programming and computer syntax into plain English, along with plenty of helpful examples and tips. Learning a new language—and coding is definitely its own language—should be a fun endeavor. With this book as your handy interpreter, you’ll be on your way to fluency, speaking the language of coders everywhere!

The magic gumball machine is back! "Life in the Gumball Machine - Vinnie and Gordy's Return" is the second chapter book from this two-book series for middle school readers. The action and adventure resume as three friends, Daisy, Michael, and Patrick team up with others in a race to return their two tiny gumball friends, Vinnie and Gordy, to their magic gumball world. It's not easy keeping two little gumball people safe in the dangerous world of humans, and the children run into many problems as they try to get them back home. Their journey takes a dark and dangerous turn as they are once again sucked back up and into that crazy, magic gumball machine. They can only hope to safely return Vinnie and Gordy and still escape with their lives.

Mr. and Mrs. Green, the alligator couple, compete in a guessing contest to win all of the gumballs in a giant gumball machine.

In Pursuit of the Speckled Gumball is a heartrending and hilarious recounting of the quest for recognition and acceptance by a young boy amid the chaos of alcoholism, abuse, and deceit. Henry, a gentle old Black man, takes the boy into his heart and with words inspires him to overcome the forces trying to destroy him. His father, a handsome philandered, is transformed into a demon by alcohol. The mother’s weakness allows abuse and violence to dominate the boy’s life. His sister, six years older, is assigned responsibility for his care at too early an age; her resentment explodes into rage. Finally he faces the obstacles initiated by a tyrannical school administrator. “ . . . I found Myers’ story telling as compelling as the hard fiction of Walter Mosley . . . and Barbara Hambly . .. And even equal to Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings . . . I laughed and I cried as he masterfully unfolded the twists and turns of his life. . . .” —Deborah Wright, Port Saint Joe, Florida. “I loved the book . . . . (In Pursuit of the Speckled Gumball) . . . reminded me of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes . . . . hooked me from the start . . . How profound that just a few simple words can keep a child going.” —Gwen Hewitt, Canton, Oklahoma. “Those of us who from time to time deal with troubled children particularly ought to read this book . . . a reading experience in which I could hardly wait to get back to . . .” —Briefcase, Book Notes, Oklahoma City “What a magnificent book it (In Pursuit of the Speckled Gumball) was. . . . “ —Kathryn Rager, Waco, Texas. . “I read the whole book before I put it down . . . loved it! . . .” —Linda Royal Bridges, Harrah, Oklahoma.