Join in with Alaina, and her imagination, as she anticipates and prepares for her role as a kindergartner thanking an audience at an elementary school play. With the guileless wonder, the innocence, of a little girl, Alaina is profoundly changed by the performance. As she falls in love with the art of live theater, her enthusiasm lands her centerstage. "But when I opened my mouth, the right words didn't come out. I was too excited to say that little speech. It wasn't good enough for that great play, so..."

Joy packaged up in a picture book, ready for readers to enjoy again and again. With the guileless wonder and innocence of a little girl, Alaina is profoundly changed by the performance. As she falls in love with the art of live theater, her enthusiasm lands her center stage. "But when I opened my mouth, the right words didn't come out. I was too excited to say that little speech. It wasn't good enough for that great play, so..."

(Applause Books). The Applause Best Plays Yearbook was started by Burns Mantle in 1919 and has appeared every year since then, becoming the standard reference book for American Theater. This volume features synposes and excerpts for the ten best plays of the 1991-1992 season, including: Conversations With My Father * Crazy for You * Dancing at Lughnasa * The Extra Man * Fires in the Mirror * Lips Together, Teeth Apart * Mad Forest * Marvin's Room * Sight Unseen * Two Trains Running. This value-packed volume also includes Al Hirschfeld's complete gallery of the theater season as well as essays and statistics about the season around the United States, the Off-Off-Broadway season, the various awards, and more. Also includes lots of photos from the productions.

He has nothing to live for. She must try to save him… if she can survive. After the murder of the one he loves, Titus struggles every day to find the will to live. Macy, an SR44ian Healer, has worked relentlessly to help Titus move on with his life, but has been met with severe ingratitude. To the surprise of them both, the two bond and eventually become lovers. However, it is understood that Titus’ dead mate will always have his heart. When Macy falls into the torturous hands of their mortal enemy, she finds strength she never imagined. Titus realizes just how desperately he needs Macy in his life … and he’ll stop at absolutely nothing to get her back. But can the dead kill the love of the living? **This book was formerly titled Titus and was part of the Six Saviors series, which is now the Forgotten Alien Warriors**

Platinum-award winning country music star Scotty McCreery shares his journey from North Carolina to American Idol and the top of the country music charts. American Idol was just a simple singing competition that seemed fun to audition for. Who knew what kind of doors it might open for a sixteen-year-old from Garner, North Carolina? Go Big or Go Home is the story of a kid with country songs in his soul. Daring to enter the limelight at a young age, Scotty found himself embraced by the nation, and even overseas, as he competed on season 10 of American Idol. In Go Big or Go Home, Scotty shares his journey from his North Carolina roots to winning America's most popular singing competition and launching the musical career he had always dreamed of. Along the way, Scotty teaches us: What it means to have an uncompromising faith The power of dreaming big The importance of embracing your God-given talents Join Scotty as he shares a glimpse of where he came from and the impact his faith, family, and friends have had on a humble guy who keeps asking, "Why me?" Praise for Go Big or Go Home: "Revealing, touching, and often humorous, Go Big or Go Home takes fans behind the scenes of Scotty McCreery's journey so far and pulls back the curtain on American Idol and the music industry while McCreery navigates the tricky waters of instant fame with grace, insight, and, above all, gratitude for the gifts he has been given." --Melinda Newman, music journalist "Being an artist takes you out of your comfort zone and thrusts you into the world. Some of what you experience you are prepared for and some of it you aren't. To quote the country music prophet Aaron Tippin, 'You've got to stand for somethin' or you'll fall for anything.' Scotty McCreery stands for something. You hear it in his voice. You see it in his actions. And you feel it in his songs. This book outlines the wild ride he's been on being thrust into the world." --Josh Turner, Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum-selling MCA recording artist and bestselling author

Author and educator Jason McKenna describes how teaching STEM education in his elementary school changed his classroom and his life, improving his students’ and his own approaches to problem solving, collaboration, and general motivation to learn. Offering examples, tried and tested classroom projects, and collaborative strategies, this innovative resource opens up STEM education in K–6 classrooms in exciting and expansive new ways. K–6 educators will: Understand the benefits and importance of STEM in elementary schools Build resiliency and curiosity in students Discover a variety of classroom instruction strategies to approach STEM assessment Read vignettes discussing STEM implementation across grade levels Use new strategies to engage and motivate student learning through voice and choice Contents: Part 1: Start STEM Early Chapter 1: Inspiring Students With STEM Narratives Chapter 2: Teaching STEM in Elementary School Part 2: Discover STEM Learning Principles Chapter 3: Focusing on Authentic Engagement, Choice, and Collaboration Chapter 4: Creating Risk Takers Part 3: Explore STEM Pedagogy Chapter 5: Exploring STEM Teaching and Guided Discovery Learning Chapter 6: Making Assessment Student Centered in Elementary STEM Classrooms Chapter 7: Exploring STEM and Creativity Chapter 8: Bringing It All Together Epilogue References and Resources Index

Austin’s famed South by Southwest is far more than a festival celebrating indie music. It’s also a big networking party that sparks the imagination of hip, creative types and galvanizes countless pilgrimages to the city. Festivals like SXSW are a lot of fun, but for city halls, media corporations, cultural institutions, and community groups, they’re also a vital part of a complex growth strategy. In Music/City, Jonathan R. Wynn immerses us in the world of festivals, giving readers a unique perspective on contemporary urban and cultural life. Wynn tracks the history of festivals in Newport, Nashville, and Austin, taking readers on-site to consider different festival agendas and styles of organization. It’s all here: from the musician looking to build her career to the mayor who wants to exploit a local cultural scene, from a resident’s frustration over corporate branding of his city to the music executive hoping to sell records. Music/City offers a sharp perspective on cities and cultural institutions in action and analyzes how governments mobilize massive organizational resources to become promotional machines. Wynn’s analysis culminates with an impassioned argument for temporary events, claiming that when done right, temporary occasions like festivals can serve as responsive, flexible, and adaptable products attuned to local places and communities.