What is a pen pal? That's the questions that Christina Riley wondered in her sixth grade math class. Christina is excited about having a pen pal. She is excited about having to write a pen pal and who her pen pal would be. Would she be nice, would she be mean, or would she be a he? Pen pals can be from anywhere in the world. Christina wanted her pen pal to be from New York since she wanted to visit there someday. Christina would have a lot to talk about with her pen pal. Like what is her favorite color, what's her favorite food, and what is her hobbies. Most pen pals never meet. But would Christina get to meet her pen pal? Would she get to know what her pen pal look like? Christina is excited to have a pen pal as a friend. Christina also loved to write. She loved to meet new people as well. Christina's best friend, Alyssa, is excited about her pen pal assignment as well. Both the girls are. When Christina told Mrs. Smith what state she wanted her pen pal to be from, she couldn't wait to find out who her pen pal would be. So who would Christina's pen pal be? And would she write Christina back, or would Christina not get a response?

A #1 Bestseller in Australia and Book Sense 76 Pick Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else. But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter... A #1 bestseller in Australia, this fabulous debut is a funny, touching, revealing story written entirely in the form of letters, messages, postcards—and bizarre missives from imaginary organizations like The Cold Hard Truth Association. Feeling Sorry for Celia captures, with rare acuity, female friendship and the bonding and parting that occurs as we grow. Jaclyn Moriarty's hilariously candid novel shows that the roller coaster ride of being a teenager is every bit as fun as we remember—and every bit as harrowing.

By the year 2000 more than 350 Internet agencies were plying the email-order marriage trade, and the business of matching up mostly Western men with women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America had become an example of globalization writ large. This provocative work opens a window onto the complex motivations and experiences of the people behind the stereotypes and misconceptions that have exploded along with the practice of transnational courtship and marriage. Combining extensive Internet ethnography and face-to-face fieldwork, Romance on a Global Stage looks at the intimate realities of Filipinas, Chinese women, and U.S. men corresponding in hopes of finding a suitable marriage partner. Through the experiences of those engaged in pen pal relationships—their stories of love, romance, migration, and long-distance dating—this book conveys the richness and dignity of women's and men's choices without reducing these correspondents to calculating opportunists or naive romantics. Attentive to the structural, cultural, and personal factors that prompt women and men to seek marriage partners abroad, Romance on a Global Stage questions the dichotomies so frequently drawn between structure and agency, and between global and local levels of analysis.

Go off the clock with Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar as she bakes one-bowl treats, grills with skills, and embraces simple, nostalgic—and often savory—recipes made from supermarket ingredients. For anyone addicted to crack pie®, compost cookies®, and cake truffles, here are their savory counterparts—such as Kimcheezits with Blue Cheese Dip, Burnt Honey–Butter Kale with Sesame Seeds, and Choose Your Own Adventure Chorizo Burgers—along with enough make-at-home sweets to satisfy a cookie-a-day habit. Join Christina and friends as they cook their way through “weaknights,” sleepovers, and late-night snack attacks to make mind-blowingly delicious meals with whatever is in the pantry.

God is on the move - taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to a group of people who desperately need Him. Prison is a mission field that is ripe for harvest and too often forgotten. God's Word tells us to visit the prisoner; some of us do that through letters of hope. In this book, you or your church will find everything you need to know about being a Christian pen pal to prisoners. You will read touching stories like the one Kathi tells of her pen pal who told her that he "slept on a bed of prayers (our letters under his mattress) and that's what got him through prison life". CPP outreach matches around 100 inmates a month with a volunteer pen pal, still there are about two thousand waiting and praying, over a year in most cases, to hear from someone. Learn how you can minister to someone in need of a Christian mentor, and make a difference for our Father's Kingdom.

The New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment... Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter. There were only ten letters, and fifty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives. In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends—and better people—through their long-distance exchange. Their story will inspire you to look beyond your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.