Ann Hulbert’s in-depth exploration of the lives of sixteen extraordinary children over the course of the past century casts new light on America’s current obsession with early achievement. The figures she profiles include math genius Norbert Wiener, founder of cybernetics; two girls whose fiction and poetry stirred debate in the 1920s; the movie superstar Shirley Temple; the African-American pianist and composer Philippa Schuyler; the chess champion Bobby Fischer; computer pioneers and “prodigious savants” with autism; and musical prodigies, present and past. Hulbert probes the changing roles of parents and teachers as well as of psychologists and a curious press. Above all, she delves into the feelings of the prodigies themselves, whose stories so intriguingly raise hopes about untapped human potential and questions about how best to nurture it.

When twenty-one-year-old Greg Bounder, a brash, wealthy college student, meets his one-time singing idol, Sally Testata, at a Scranton bar, he seizes the opportunity to create an exciting career for himself by managing her comeback. With the half-million dollar inheritance from his grandfather, Greg intends to restart the career of this forty-something, washed-up singer. But first, he must convince her, his conservative Philadelphia family, and all the doubters that he has what it takes to make it big before he blows through his inheritance. With the help of his gay brother, Marcus, a DJ in New York-and a lot of money-Greg orchestrates Sally's return. The result is a whirlwind year in New York as their hit single "Grind" climbs up the charts, but Greg soon finds that Sally might be more than he bargained for. While struggling to reap a return on his investment, Greg needs to figure out how to keep Sally clean and out of trouble, and keep her from grabbing the wrong kind of headlines.

This explosive expose examines the music industry from 1981 to the present, offering insights into the ways in which, despite the introduction of modern marketing techniques and corporate imaging, the music industry has remained, for the most part, a shell game played by hustlers. of photos.

Macy Misa is the biggest JONAS fan out there. She also happens to go to school with the boys, plus she's best friends with Stella, the band's stylist. But every time she's around Joe, Kevin, and Nick, her nerves take over! When Macy overhears Kevin saying that the band needs a backup singer for their next album, she eagerly volunteers. After a test run, however, Kevin realizes that Macy's singing isn't record material. Will Kevin risk hurting Macy's feelings and tell her the truth, or will he put his band on the line and let her sing?

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: The eighth book in the popular Sir Cumference series, SIR CUMFERENCE AND THE OFF-THE-CHARTS DESSERT introduces readers to different methods of collecting data. Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter are in a pickle. The castle cook is sick and the Harvest Faire is coming up—who will make the special dessert for this annual event? Two bakers in town, Pia of Chartres and Bart Graf, are up to the task. But after sampling Pia’s delicious pies and Bart’s scrumptious cookies, Sir Cumference and Lady Di just can’t choose! They come up with a solution: hold a contest and let the townspeople choose the dessert to be served at the faire. When Pia and Bart’s methods of tracking their votes fail, they each realize they need to come up with a better system. Pia places a colored candy around the edges of a pie dough and Bart stacks his cookie molds—each color candy or mold shape represents a different kind of pie or cookie. Thus, the pie chart and bar graph are born! But when the contest ends in a tie, Pia and Bart concoct a hybrid recipe that everyone enjoys.

Showering in gumboots. Bomb threats. Tables of turds. Welcome to the life of a nurse. Nurses are our number one unsung heroes. They're the ones in the trenches mopping up bodily fluids, holding hands, keeping things ticking, and always with a smile on their face. In Off the Charts, Australia's favourite straight-talking nurse and comedian Georgie Carroll lets you peek behind the curtains to see the inner workings of a hospital. Taking us ward to ward, limb to limb, stitch to stitch, Georgie does not hold back as she shows us the human fragility and fierceness she sees every day at work. This is a laugh-out-loud funny celebration of the big-hearted, no-b*llshit nurses who, sooner or later, play a huge role in all of our lives.

Join Sir Cumference and the gang for more wordplay, puns, and problem solving in the clever math adventure that introduces readers to charts and graphs through an annual bake-off. Sir Cumference and Lady Di need a baker to prepare a special dessert for the annual Harvest Faire. Two bakers compete to see whose dessert is most popular. When Pia of Chartres and Bart Graf have trouble keeping track of the votes their desserts receive, they each develop a better system. Pia places a colored candy around the edges of a pie dough (like a pie chart), and Bart stacks up cookie tins (making a 3D bar graph). When there's a tie, the two chefs cook up a hybrid dessert just in time for the Faire. Puns--both literal and visual--abound in this fun adventure story with beloved characters and a solid pedagogical foundation.