It`s raining here, how is it there? I hope the universe delivers my prayers to you, I hope they jump over barriers to get to you, I hope they cross the oceans to reach you, I hope they finally bring me back to you.

Miss Pretty Please (HC) By: P. E. Fischetti While celebrating her fifteenth birthday, Annie Finelli, a girl ahead of her age in smarts, talent, and maturity, again meets Russell Santucci, mid-twenties, talented pianist already amidst a mid-life crisis, and the attraction is near instantaneous. After just two short conversations, love blossoms—but can it be true, with such a startling age difference between them? Learning to trust their feelings are only half the battle; good thing they have supportive families. Miss Pretty Please is the last novel of a trilogy involving the Finellis and the Santuccis in upper class, suburban Maryland. Each of the books involves a story of athletic greatness and emotional growth within two supportive but unusually connected families.

Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi’s tender and honest middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval with kind hearts, big dreams, and all the right questions. Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal. The cook’s daughter, Sakina, still hasn’t told her parents that she’ll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family’s kitchen? Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most. This relatable and empathetic story about two friends coming to understand each other will resonate with readers who loved Other Words for Home and Front Desk.

Kids know the Bible is important: after all, it contains God's message of love for all other people, and the magnificent universe he created. But where does a young person start learning what's between the covers of this big book? What kind of things will help a child get the most out of the history, stories, and teachings it contains? This one of a kind NRSV edition is the answer. It gives 8- to 12-year-old readers that are beginning serious Scripture study a resource that's packed with helpful information, but which won't overwhelm them. It contains the complete New Revised Standard Version text, including the Apocrypha, plus a wealth of extra features that will deepen their understanding of the Word of God. - Presentation page for personalizing the Bible as a gift - Clear, 8-point type - Black letter text - Book introductions - 16 full color charts and illustrations - "Hide it in Your Heart" memorization verses - "Bible People You Should Know" in-text cameos of key personalities - Old & New Testament parables and miracles - The Passion in Parallel and Prophecy - Parables and Miracles of the Bible - Illustrated Bible dictionary - 8-page color map section