When Luther Gilpin sells Professor Popkin's magical furniture polish to the townspeople of Coven Tree, strange and mysterious things start to happen.

Dan'l Pitt doesn't believe in magic until he comes up against Old Magda the witch.

In agreeing to make a deal with Dr. Dredd for the services of Bufu the Rainmaker, the drought-stricken town of Coven Tree enters into a devastating struggle with the forces of evil.

Mr. Merlin, a wizard disguised as a substitute teacher, magically transports two fifth graders to a fairyland where they must solve a riddle to find out who has stolen the seven dwarfs' bag of diamonds.

Two seventh-grade friends help a shape-changing policeman from the planet Rodinam as he tries to recapture an alien master criminal who can also change form. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Three spunky youngsters join forces with two lively ghosts to save a historic mansion from being destroyed by a crooked antique dealer.

If you try to identify the basic qualities of a child "most likely to succeed" as an adult, what words might first come to mind? Independent? Likable? Creative? Disciplined? According to Dr. Joanne Joseph, the essence of a productive and healthy personality is a positive and secure self-image and a solid set of resilient attitudes and behaviors. The Resilient Child: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World successfully integrates the latest information available about healthy cognitive development, self-esteem, and resilience to give parents and teachers practical suggestions for nurturing these qualities in children and adolescents. Dr. Joseph, an esteemed psychologist and child education consultant, skillfully shows how stories, television, nutrition, exercise, parental discipline style, and the child's individual characteristics each play a comprehensive role in the development of a child's self-esteem and resilience. With the author's clearly outlined strategies, parents and educators can guide children to be socially skillful, responsible, disciplined, good problem-solvers, and effective managers of the change and adversity inherent in today's world. Elaborating beyond what others have identified as the elements of a productive personality, Dr. Joseph uses a series of inspiring anecdotes and documented research to discuss the following: what experts do and do not know about the development of self-esteem; how parents and teachers can actively contribute to the natural development of a child's self-esteem; how to promote resilience in children through happy and difficult times; the kinds of characteristics that differentiate children from each other; how to liberate a child's inner strengths to build self-esteem and resilience; how literature and the media can teach resilient and productive values and behaviors; styles of parental discipline and their influence on the development of the child; and more.