Omar wants a snake more than anything, but his mom is unenthusiastic to say the least. However, the family strikes a compromise: Omar can get a corn snake; but it must stay inside his room, where his mom will not have to set eyes on it. So when Arrow escapes, Omar has to keep it a secret. But with an inquisitive little sister and parents mindful of odd behavior, it's not easy.

On August 3, 1948, "Time" magazine editor Whittaker Chambers made a stunning allegation before the House Un-American Activities Committee: Alger Hiss, former high-ranking State Department official, had served with him in the Communist underground. Hiss's defense was the gripping story of its day, and the question of his guilt remains an enigma. This book provides fascinating insights into the case and into the American political life of the 1930s and 1940s. of photos.

An urgent, resounding call to protect 50 percent of the earth's land by 2050—thereby saving millions of its species—and a candid assessment of the health of our planet and our role in conserving it, from the award-winning author of The Experience of Place and veteran New Yorker staff writer. "An upbeat and engaging account of the remarkable progress being made to preserve vast wild spaces for animals to roam." —The Wall Street Journal Beginning in the vast North American Boreal Forest that stretches through Canada, and roving across the continent, from the Northern Sierra to Alabama's Paint Rock Forest, from the Appalachian Trail to a ranch in Mexico, Tony Hiss sets out on a journey to take stock of the "superorganism" that is the earth: its land, its elements, its plants and animals, its greatest threats--and what we can do to keep it, and ourselves, alive. Hiss not only invites us to understand the scope and gravity of the problems we face, but also makes the case for why protecting half the land is the way to fix those problems. He highlights the important work of the many groups already involved in this fight, such as the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and the global animal tracking project ICARUS. And he introduces us to the engineers, geologists, biologists, botanists, oceanographers, ecologists, and other "Half Earthers" like Hiss himself who are allied in their dedication to the unifying, essential cause of saving our own planet from ourselves. Tender, impassioned, curious, and above all else inspiring, Rescuing the Planet is a work that promises to make all of us better citizens of the earth.

Documents the lesser-known story of a high-level State Department official who in the late 1940s was charged with spying for the Soviet Union, arguing that the case was shaped by missed opportunities and poor judgments that also reflected period Soviet infiltration and American counter-intelligence analytic failures.

If only the bossy, beloved Agatha Raisin were as lucky at finding the right man as she is at catching killers in Beaton's "New York Times"-bestselling mystery series.

DK Readers: Snakes Slither and Hiss introduces young readers to some of the world's biggest, longest, and most dangerous snakes. Look out! Photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging, age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge. This pre-level 1 DK Reader is for children just beginning to learn to read.