"This is the revised text of a work first published as Countdown under the pseudonym Michelle Maddox by Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc., in 2008"--Title page verso.

Told in letters, poems, text messages, news stories, and comics--a series of documents Nora collects for the Wolf Creek Community Time Capsule Project--Breakout is a thrilling story that will leave readers thinking about who's really welcome in the places we call home. Nora Tucker is looking forward to summer vacation in Wolf Creek--two months of swimming, popsicles, and brushing up on her journalism skills for the school paper. But when two inmates break out of the town's maximum security prison, everything changes. Doors are locked, helicopters fly over the woods, and police patrol the school grounds. Everyone is on edge, and fear brings out the worst in some people Nora has known her whole life. Even if the inmates are caught, she worries that home might never feel the same. A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year

Discovering a magical pencil that imparts answers to her questions, Ava and her best friend, Sophie, learn the pencil's rules and become increasingly reliant on its replies until it reveals a scary truth about Ava's family. By the award-winning author of the Marty McGuire series.

"MY SCHOOL STARTS in one week so—I have SEVEN DAYS to go. Mom says be patient, do not worry. But I can't wait! I'm in a hurry!"In this delightful book a little girl counts off the days by naming what she'll do in kindergarten. "I'll be ready, I'll be smart. I will get a running start. I'll say thank you, I'll say please. I will say my ABCs!" And deciding what to wear and what to take are all part of her preparation for that exciting first day. With bouncy read-aloud rhyme, bright, fun illustrations, and hidden objects to find on each page, Kindergarten Countdown gets children off on the right foot.

#3 in the Countdown modern-day military adventure series. Welcome to the Philippines outback. It's a true garden spot, if you happen to like drug running, bush-bound revolutionary movements, Balkanized tribal warfare, illegal weapons trading, and kidnapping for fun and profit. It's hostage rescue time once again for Terry Welch's special operations company. But this is turning out to be one of those missions. Starting with no clue as to the hostage's whereabouts topped off by Welch and his crew having to endure a rifle company of hated competitors supposedly sent along for reinforcement. Part of the territory for Welch. But then an attack on both companies' home bases leaves families and friends under threat of death and any available support scurrying to defend. Worse, advance team members sent to reconnoiter have been taken hostage as well. No help, no backup, team members in the soup. Welch knows there's only one solution: do whatever it takes. This is H Hour. And the fight is on. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

As a young boy waits for his father to come home from a trip, his family creates rituals to stay connexted and to make the separation easier.

"In recent years, due to the rise of 'The Three-Body Problem' and the waves of enthusiasm generated by American sci-fi blockbusters in China, the science fiction genre has gradually gained popularity among more and more people. Additionally, advancements in genetics, the internet, 3D technology, AI, and deep space exploration have greatly contributed to the development of science fiction. With the rise of science fiction, a group of authors born in the 1980s and 1990s, including Zhang Ran, Ah Que, Suo He Fu, Xie Xiaodong, Captain, and many other emerging writers, have embarked on the path of sci-fi creation and achieved remarkable success. This book mainly features the works of this new generation of science fiction authors. It includes both imaginative explorations of interstellar civilizations and predictions of technological advancements, making it a spectacular showcase of new talents, new works, and new ideas in sci-fi literature!"