This is a story about a little boy who always felt like an outsider. Whether he was at school or at home he never felt like he belonged. His favorite time was at home under the tree in the backyard reading his books. He feels like he belongs when he reads his books. His books make him feel less lonely. This all changed when one day a boy named Preston came to Jack's school. Preston stood out in his new school because he looked different than all the other kids. He is biracial, and the kids in this new school do not look like him. To make matters worse, Preston is much taller than all the other kids. He is the size of some of the teachers. And because of his looks and large size, he intimidates the other kids in school. They are scared of him. So they run away from him and call him Giant. Jack feels sorry for Preston, and even though he is painfully shy, he wants to be Preston's friend. This story is about how a kind act helps a boy overcome his own shyness to become a friend to someone in need, and in turn finds his place to fit in.

This is a story about a little boy who always felt like an outsider. Whether he was at school or at home he never felt like he belonged. His favorite time was at home under the tree in the backyard reading his books. He feels like he belongs when he reads his books. His books make him feel less lonely. This all changed when one day a boy named Preston came to Jack's school. Preston stood out in his new school because he looked different than all the other kids. He is biracial, and the kids in this new school do not look like him. To make matters worse, Preston is much taller than all the other kids. He is the size of some of the teachers. And because of his looks and large size, he intimidates the other kids in school. They are scared of him. So they run away from him and call him Giant. Jack feels sorry for Preston, and even though he is painfully shy, he wants to be Preston's friend. This story is about how a kind act helps a boy overcome his own shyness to become a friend to someone in need, and in turn finds his place to fit in.

All over the world, there are tales of giant creatures that hide from human contact. Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids: Fact or Fiction? presents evidence for the existence of several of these amazing animals, including the Sucuriju, a 50-foot-long snake from South America; the bloodthirsty Chupacabra, or "Goat Sucker," from Puerto Rico; the fierce lizard Megalania, Australia's gigantic cousin of the Komodo dragon; the thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial from Tasmania; the Thunderbird, a monstrous, child-snatching bird of prey from the United States; the Kongamato and Ropen, prehistoric flying reptiles from Africa and New Guinea; and the Ri, a mermaid-like creature inhabiting the waters of a tropical island paradise in the Pacific Ocean. The book allows readers to draw their own conclusions about the existence of these hidden giant creatures.

The inside story of the Super Bowl champion 1986 Giants, the extraordinary friendships that resulted--and stunning revelations about the hardships they faced, based on new interviews with Bill Parcells, Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, and Bill Belichick. The 1986 New York Giants are legendary. A championship team coached by Bill Parcells and his wunderkind assistant Bill Belichick, featuring future Hall of Famers and All-Pros like Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Mark Bavaro, and Harry Carson. They were dominant on the field and formed a unique and lasting bond off of it. More than thirty years later, it's the friendships that have proved more important--a matter of life and death. In Once a Giant, bestselling football writer Gary Myers tells the story of that team and what became of it. Gridiron glory eventually faded; chronic pain, addiction, and in some cases crimes have followed. Many football players face these harsh realities, but the Giants have confronted and survived them together. With unprecedented access, Myers dives into such issues as Mark Bavaro's battle with injuries, the breakup and reconciliation of Parcells and Belichick, and Lawrence Taylor's struggles with sobriety. He creates a never-before-seen portrait of the team's run to the title, and their even more challenging fight to live after it ended.

Tim Burton is one of the most inventive filmmakers in the world. From his early work as an animator for Disney studios to his distinctive takes on iconic characters like Batman and Alice in Wonderland, Burton’s skewed vision of the world has informed all of his films. Imbuing his films with a comically dark tone, Burton provides a twisted slant on conventional storytelling. In The Tim Burton Encyclopedia, Samuel J. Umland looks at all aspects of this idiosyncratic storyteller’s films, which frequently display childlike wonder and a macabre humor. Entries in this volume focus on Burton’s artistic inspirations as well as creative personnel behind the camera, including writers, cinematographers, costume designers, art directors, and other collaborators, notably his frequent composer Danny Elfman. Recurring actors are also represented, such as Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jack Nicholson, and, of course, Johnny Depp. Film entries include all of his features such as Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish, and Dark Shadows. Each entry is followed by a bibliography of published sources, both in print and online. Featuring entries focused on every stage of Burton’s career—including early animated shorts like Frankenweenie and his work as a producer—this volume provides indispensable information about one of the most distinctive filmmakers of the past three decades. Comprehensive and entertaining, The Tim Burton Encyclopedia will appeal to scholars, researchers, and fans of this singular director’s work.

"Should appeal to all rugged individualists who dream of escape to the forest."—The New York Times Book Review Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods—all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that changes his life forever. “An extraordinary book . . . It will be read year after year.” —The Horn Book

In 1922 Petey, who has cerebral palsy, is misdiagnosed as an idiot and institutionalized; 60 years later, still in the institution, he befriends a boy and shares with him the joy of life. An ALA Best Book For Young Adults for 1999.