A captivating memoir about tutoring for Manhattan’s elite, revealing how a life of extreme wealth both helps and harms the children of the one percent. Ben orders daily room service while living in a five-star hotel. Olivia collects luxury brand sneakers worn by celebrities. Dakota jets off to Rome when she needs to avoid drama at school. Welcome to the inner circle of New York’s richest families, where academia is an obsession, wealth does nothing to soothe status anxiety and parents will try just about anything to gain a competitive edge in the college admissions rat race. When Blythe Grossberg first started as a tutor and learning specialist, she had no idea what awaited her inside the high-end apartments of Fifth Avenue. Children are expected to be as efficient and driven as CEOs, starting their days with 5:00 a.m. squash practice and ending them with late-night tutoring sessions. Meanwhile, their powerful parents will do anything to secure one of the precious few spots at the Ivy Leagues, whatever the cost to them or their kids. Through stories of the children she tutors that are both funny and shocking, Grossberg shows us the privileged world of America’s wealthiest families and the systems in place that help them stay on top.

In this captivating coming-of-age story, a once underpaid teacher is swept into the glittering world of Manhattan private schools--where shopping sprees are endless and morality is optional. "You're making how much an hour" "Two hundred dollars." "Do you ride in on a pony" All she wants to do is teach. For Anna Taggert, an earnest Ivy League graduate, pursuing her passion as a teacher means engaging young hearts and minds. She longs to be in a place where she can be her best self, and give that best to her students. Turns out it isn't that easy. Landing a job at an elite private school in Manhattan, Anna finds her dreams of chalk boards and lesson plans replaced with board families, learning specialists, and benefit-planning mothers. Not to mention the grim realities of her small paycheck. And then comes the realization that the papers she grades are not the work of her students, but of their high-priced, college-educated tutors. After uncovering this underground economy where a teacher can make the same hourly rate as a Manhattan attorney, Anna herself is seduced by lucrative offers -- one after another. Teacher by day, tutor by night, she starts to sample the good life her students enjoy: binges at Barneys, dinners at the Waverly Inn, and a new address on Madison Avenue. Until, that is, the truth sets in.

“dee mcquesten brings to life the phrase ‘It takes a village…’ From dee’s early childhood on, the villagers in her life instilled in her the capacity for resilience. The concept of resiliency, attributed to early 20th Century thinker Walter Lippmann, is the capacity for personal growth, for recalibration, and for principled improvisation in the face of new circumstances. dee’s story is this definition expressed in her own life of obstacles overcome, and in a life dedicated to making our village a better place, from the Elwha River Dam Project, to our historic market; but most importantly for the children abused, traumatized and abandoned by the rest of our society.” ~ Christopher Staeheli, M.D., Child Psychiatrist “I’ve always known that dee was a tremendously strong person with unrelenting empathy for children enduring trauma and toxic stress. Now I understand where that came from. She is a model of how to turn childhood trauma into lasting resilience. dee’s experience will bring hope to others and inspire them to give back to their communities. Read this book to be inspired by an amazing woman.” ~ Kaaren Andrews: Washington Director, Center for High School Success; Principal for 9 years of the Academy for traumatized and marginalized teens in Seattle’s Columbia City. “dee’s life exemplifies the saying “ Do not hide one’s light under a bushel.” She was born with a light that years of abuse could not diminish. dee’s story, with her vivid memory of details, including her ‘Norman Rockwell style’ formative years, years of abuse mentally and physically and final happiness, gives us courage to use our talents and become the persons we were meant to be. Her intelligence and creativity, boosted by her sense of spiritual need, have helped her to find many ways to care for others. For the past 38 years, dee has worked and struggled to provide for her son and done so with humility and humor. The amount of personal and communal good work she has done at the same time is truly astounding. We cheer for her when she finds happiness with a man who is equally kind and generous. ~ Pam Schell, Co-founder of two successful theater companies, Seattle’s Intiman Theatre and Whidbey Island’s WICA (Whidbey Island Center for the Arts); formerly Seattle’s “First Lady”, as wife of Seattle Mayor Paul Schell)

Kids driving you nuts? Don't hide in the closet with a box full of cookies. TEACH Your Children How to Behave! Have you ever wondered how teachers can get a class of 20 to 30 little ones to sit still, listen carefully and follow directions while you sometimes struggle to manage with only two or three? It's not magic. The truth is teachers spend years in the classroom learning strategies that get kids to listen—strategies that will work for you too! In “TEACH Your Children How to Behave,” you'll learn how to: * Set reasonable expectations for your children's unique ages, personalities and ability levels. * Prevent your children's bad behavior BEFORE it starts. * Choose consequences that really work! * Respond to 25 of the most common behavior problems parents deal with today—problems including arguing, hitting, lying, attitude problems, whining and more! * Teach your child how to make better choices in the future, so you aren't repeating yourself again and again. Your children want to behave; they just don't always know how. You have to teach them. And it's a lot easier than you might think. Say goodbye to endless arguments and constant power struggles. TEACH your children how to behave and enjoy spending time as a family once again! This book will show you how.

Here's a magnificent way to pass on the priceless memories of a lifetime! Grandmother's Book is an exquisite keepsake journal for her precious remembrances about family history, traditions, recipes, photographs, and more. Hand-lettered throughout in graceful calligraphy, this beautiful book includes dozens of prompts for grandmother's brief journal entries. From the details of her childhood to her wedding day, from her school classes to outstanding world events in her time, grandmother's memories will create a unite record for her family to cherish. To add elegance, well-chosen poems and quotations grace the pages, along with fourteen fullcolor illustrations of intimate family moments by Norman Rockwell, Mary Cassatt, Grandma Moses, Winslow Homer, and others. A fascinating memory book for grandmothers, this keepsake journal is sure to be treasured by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Infantus urbanus (defn.): Young mammal raised in city environment. Infantus urbanus love nights at the opera, modern architecture, and fine cuisine. Difficult to spot at night due to their penchant for black clothing. See also URBAN BABIES.

It is an undeniable truth: Parents Need to Eat Too! Food and parenting writer Debbie Koenig addresses the dilemma faced by so many parents coping with the demands of a new baby by offering simple, healthy, and delicious recipes for moms and dads who are too sleep-deprived, too frazzled, or simply too busy to cook nutritious meals for themselves. From dinners that can be eaten with one hand (while you hold baby in the other) to slow cooker culinary masterpieces and full courses to prepare while baby naps, Parents Need to Eat Too is filled with tasty, easy-to-make recipes, helpful kitchen tips, and real solutions to the problems faced by hungry parents. Parents Need to Eat Too has been named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2012 by Leite’s Culinaria, whose Editor-in-Chief Renee Schettler Rossi called it the “What to Expect After You’re Expecting” and said that the book “savvily and sassily helps you extend the efficiency of any time spent in the kitchen.” A must-read for new parents!