What happens if you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night? How do you trick the most insufferable boy in the village? What would you do on your birthday if you were a lobster? Find out in this short story collection. Chucklers is a collection of books that make reading a pleasure.

A lost magical lobster sock, a range of emotions, and a kind cat are what you'll find inthis fun, colorful picture book that is bound to inspire conversations.The story begins with an older woman who loves to knit and her magical ball ofbright red yarn. She knits her granddaughter Emily a pair of enchanted lobster socksand mails them to her. Quite the opposite from one another, Sebastian sock is apessimist, and Lola sock is an optimist-still, the pair are very best friends. On theday that Emily takes them to the laundromat to be cleaned, they meet Bubbles thecat. But what started out as a good day becomes a terrible day when Lola falls out ofthe basket on the way home and becomes a missing sock. Emily and Sebastian aredevastated-will they ever find their magical sock friend?- The Children's Book Review (www.thechildrensbookreview.com)

This collection of short stories explores the sometimes poignant, sometimes startlingly dramatic moments in the different lives of each of their central characters. They are set against the finely drawn backdrops either of rural England, urban Italy or a remote Greek Island.

A BookPage Best Book of 2020, Young Adult Thirteen Short Stories from Bold New YA Voices & Writing Advice from YA Icons Created by New York Times bestselling authors Emily X. R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma, Foreshadow is so much more than a short story collection. A trove of unforgettable fiction makes up the beating heart of this book, and the accompanying essays offer an ode to young adult literature, as well as practical advice to writers. Featured in print for the first time, the thirteen stories anthologized here were originally released via the buzzed-about online platform Foreshadow. Ranging from contemporary romance to mind-bending fantasy, the Foreshadow stories showcase underrepresented voices and highlight the beauty and power of YA fiction. Each piece is selected and introduced by a YA luminary, among them Gayle Forman, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jason Reynolds, and Sabaa Tahir. What makes these memorable stories tick? What sparked them? How do authors build a world or refine a voice or weave in that deliciously creepy atmosphere to bring their writing to the next level? Addressing these questions and many more are essays and discussions on craft and process by Nova Ren Suma and Emily X. R. Pan. This unique compilation reveals and celebrates the magic of reading and writing for young adults.

A choose-your-own-ending tale of a distinguished lobster and a fateful dinner party When invited to a fancy dinner party, Lenny brings thoughtful gifts for the hosts and enthusiasm for whatever's in store. But when he's greeted with a pot of boiling water and lobster bibs, Lenny [and readers] must quickly decide: should he stay or go? This laugh-out-loud text by bestselling author Michael Buckley and his 10-year-old son Finn is stunningly accompanied by illustrations that demonstrate Catherine Meurisse's flare for the dramatic. Ages 4-7

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING JACK REACHER SERIES THAT INSPIRED TWO MAJOR MOTION PICTURES AND THE STREAMING SERIES REACHER The ultimate Jack Reacher experience: a thrilling new novella and eleven previously published stories, together for the first time in one pulse-pounding collection from Lee Child. No Middle Name begins with “Too Much Time,” a brand-new work of short fiction that finds Reacher in a hollowed-out town in Maine, where he witnesses a random bag-snatching but sees much more than a simple crime. “Small Wars” takes readers back to 1989, when Reacher is an MP assigned to solve the brutal murder of a young officer found along an isolated forest road in Georgia—and whose killer may be hiding in plain sight. In “Not a Drill,” Reacher tries to take some downtime, but a pleasant hike in Maine turns into a walk on the wild side—and perhaps something far more sinister. “High Heat” time-hops to 1977, when Reacher is a teenager in sweltering New York City during a sudden blackout that awakens the dark side of the city that never sleeps. Okinawa is the setting of “Second Son,” which reveals the pivotal moment when young Reacher’s sharp “lizard brain” becomes just as important as his muscle. In “Deep Down,” Reacher tracks down a spy by matching wits with four formidable females—three of whom are clean, but the fourth may prove fatal. Rounding out the collection are “Guy Walks into a Bar,” “James Penney’s New Identity,” “Everyone Talks,” “The Picture of the Lonely Diner,” “Maybe They Have a Tradition,” and “No Room at the Motel.” No suitcase. No destination. No middle name. No matter how far Reacher travels off the beaten path, trouble always finds him. Feel bad for trouble. Praise for No Middle Name “Captivating . . . classic [Lee] Child . . . This volume demonstrates what his fans already know: he’s a born storyteller and an astute observer.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Lee Child, like his creation, always knows exactly what he’s doing—and he does it well. Time in his company is never wasted.”—Evening Standard