Somewhere faraway in the universe, there is a place called the Candy Planet. There, a group of fairies live in love and happiness, having all kinds of fun, learning and practicing their magic, and having sports competitions. There is a lake on the Candy Planet called Love Pool, with water as blue as the sky and waves gently spreading on the peaceful surface. The lake’s surface often reflects rainbows, and lovely plants and animals are everywhere. The fairies of the Candy Planet sleep in the pool just like mermaids, and they can do all kinds of magic with their special powers. They have pets and grow flowers, and they can even travel to other places, such as various countries on Earth! This children’s story paints a picture of a wonderful, beautiful world where gentle fairies and animals live together in peace and harmony, free from all troubles and worries.

Dac Olson is CEO and Senior Vice President of factory space ship IPFTA / SBU Jobs. Its mission is exploration for commercial opportunities among the 400-odd worlds currently embraced by the conglomerate Corporation. The Jobs also carries freight, passengers, scientists, life support biologicals and whatever on its three-year transit through the Bubble, an empty void in space that allows for near-relativistic speeds. Until now, extraterrestrial life was usually little more than intelligent lichens with occasional sentient critters about as bright as a hamster. Now the Jobs stumbles upon a gigantic pristine undeniably genuine by gosh alien artifact sitting on its own artificial planet, the first indisputably authentic proof of non-human intelligence. It was here in the Bubble where it shouldnt be, couldnt be. Thats why they call it the Bubble. Dac had to check it out. The situation devolves from the initial euphoria over the find and the possibility of unimaginable riches for all hands, down to the mindless evil of the alien find and Dacs desperate efforts to avoid almost certain and complete destruction of the Jobs. Those well-intentioned efforts backfire at every turn.

Quick, easy, effective activities support standards and help students improve skills they need for success in testing.

Galaxy Zack has some “sweet” competition in this Easter-themed chapter book adventure! Zack and Drake venture to Gluco, the candy planet, for some Easter fun. Once there, the two friends decide to compete in activities, including an egg toss and a three-legged race. Zack remembers how he used to win all the Easter competitions on Earth, and he is determined to win them on Gluco, too. With the contest so close, Zack begins to wonder if he should cheat to ensure victory. Will Zack have to choose between playing fair or coming out on top? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Galaxy Zack chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Three “riveting” novels of space adventure set in a dystopian future from a Hugo and Nebula Award–nominated author and “brilliant” voice (David Feintuch). In the twenty-fifth century, sentient races are ruled by the League of Peoples. War has been eliminated and killing is forbidden, but insidious secrets are concealed in the dark corners of this would-be utopia, in these three action-packed novels. Expendable: Festina Ramos serves in the Explorer Corps—better known as the Expendable Crew Members—whose mission is to risk their lives on potentially hostile unexplored planets. When the Admiralty finally sends her on a suicide mission, Festina is determined to escape certain death, but the consequences of defiance are beyond what she ever imagined. Commitment Hour: When citizens of Tober Cove—one of few settlements left on Earth since interstellar travel became possible—turn twenty, they make a permanent decision affecting the rest of their lives. As Fullin reaches the age of commitment and considers the ramifications of his choice, the village is shaken by the arrival of a Spark Lord—a being charged by the League with maintaining order on Earth—who has the unusual request to observe the Commitment Day ceremony. Vigilant: Humans and Ooloms—a race of flying squirrel–like humanoids—share the planet Demoth. When Faye Smallwood was a teenager, a plague almost wiped out the Oolom population before her father developed a cure. As an adult, Faye wants to make a difference on Demoth and joins the Vigil, a watchdog group that can link into government data. When she uncovers a conspiracy around long-abandoned alien technology, her life is endangered and she finds an unexpected ally in an outcast admiral.

With a little help from their friends, Betty and Veronica put on a show illustrating just how different life was for teenagers "Then and Now", examining the conveniences teens take for granted in our modern society, and hopefully learning something in the process. Plus: Archie and the gang form a gift-wrapping service for the holidays in "It's a Wrap!"