You are cordially invited & Guest (And I Will Not be Afraid of Women) follows the exploits, trials, and frequent misadventures of Randall Fox, as he makes his way through the minefields of the dating scene. It's a comedy, mystery, drama, and romance all crammed together into one riotous story. The novel explores Randall's often-desperate search from "adulthood" to pre-pubescence and back, to capture that mythic beast called true love. Each chapter tells a separate, yet inter-related, tale that moves Randall sometimes closer, but more often farther from his intended goal of finding his ideal woman. He has to suffer the humiliation of watching his womanizing best friend get married, and he does not yet even have an "& Guest" to take to the wedding. All the while, Randall is forced to witness virtually all of his friends around him couple up, while he wonders if he has indeed become the last single man.

Jackson Namibia is a typical middle grade schooler who dreads not only his first day of school, but the "crime spree three". A group of rough and tough students he gave that name to last year. We follow along as Jackson enters a new school year and is faced with the scariest, most overwhelming task he has ever taken on, standing up for himself. But defending himself and his friends from bullies aren't his biggest obstacles, believing in himself is. We watch as he enters a competition that challenges more than his popularity, but the very impression Jackson has of himself. He meets some pretty big feelings as he realizes he already possess all of the qualities to overcome the very thing he is afraid to do. This heartwarming tale about courage in the face of anxiety, fear and doubt takes us on a wild ride as he flops between finding the courage to win the biggest contest he's ever been in or the chances of him just landing flat on his face. "Jackson Speaks is a captivating and appealing story about conquering difference. The powerful embedded strategies will support and transform the reader's self-doubt to self-confidence." - Gloriane R. Smith, Literacy Program Manager "Nickerson eloquently presents the reader with topics and events parent, students and educators encounter today, more than ever before in the educational setting. I am particularly impressed and thrilled about the importance placed on parents support of their child's emotional needs throughout the story. As a school counselor, I will certainly use this book to guide small group lessons with students; discussing themes such as bullying, having a growth mindset, positive self-estem and relevance in their lives." - Nichole Q. McCroskey, Med School Counselor Reading Age: 6 - 10 Grade Level: 1 - 4 580L

It’s my last year in primary school and I’m taking part in my school’s first Tween Idol contest! I got myself a Twitter Account to gain supporters. I’m furious that my arch enemy, Michael, is doing the same. Oh man, he’s everywhere—Facebook, IM, YouTube, you name it. But what he doesn’t realise is how popular I am. My secret weapon? My sister WPI (Whiny, Pesky and Irritating) and her two-girl band. She’s so popular these days it’s good to be her big brother. I’m kind of sad that my best friend, Alvin, is also running against me in the contest, but hey, may the best man win. Psst…I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Leonora Brace Scelfo was born and raised in Pacific Palisades, California. She loves spicy tuna hand-rolls with avocado, Marc Jacobs, Nora Ephron, Woody Allen, Larry David, Gary Shandling, Albert Brooks, and Howard Stern. She is basically like a Jewish lady - in her late 70's. Yoga Fan Girl, is her first book. Oh, and she was the cheerleader in the bathroom in the first "Scream" film. Her scene was 30 seconds.

An entertaining collection of new short plays specially commissioned for young people, this book is a great resource for schools, colleges and youth theatres. With contemporary themes and a wide variety of roles, this collection enables young people to engage with serious topics while enjoying all the fun of performance. Contents: LOL: LAUGHING OUT LOUD, CRYING INSIDE This is a play about bullying and bystanding – exploring the complex new world of cyber-bullying and internet trolling. 'With the tragic consequences of cyberbullying being seen regularly in the media it is important that students are educated about the impact of their actions and the law surrounding this crime... LOL is a script I will return to again and again.' -Year 10 teacher ROCKETFUEL A forum-theatre play about peer pressure, making responsible choices about drinking and looking after your friends. 'Every child in my class was so absorbed in the play. You seem to have really hit the message home to them. A fantastic starting point for the rest of the year’s PSHE curriculum.' - Year 8 Teacher THREE SHOES A play which explores children working on stage and screen in the past and present, taking in the backstage life of a choirboy at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, a pantomime babe in Victorian England, and a pair of young film stars in the glare of the media today. NOAH A colossal storm is brewing and the great flood is coming. Yet only one man and his family are doing anything to prepare. The rain starts to fall, the Ark’s doors close and an extraordinary journey must begin. 'a terrific re-imagining of the biblical story. Rachel Barnett’s writing is immediate, intelligent, bold, quirky, consistently surprising and compelling for young people.' -Youth Theatre Director, Chichester Festival Theatre Reviews: 'It’s never easy to find inclusive, meaty plays suitable for youth theatres or schools so this contribution from well-established children’s playwright Rachel Barnett is very welcome. Rocketfuel is a nicely balanced piece about risk taking and boundaries commissioned for gap year students to perform in secondary schools.' - Susan Elkin, The Stage 'Rachel Barnett’s excellent play texts give voice to the concerns of young people, exploring options for dealing with the pressures of teenage life. Her production of Noah, which was performed by our Youth Theatre in 2012, was a gem of a show and makes you wonder why schools are still performing musicals and pantos when there is new writing of this standard out there.' - Jonathan Church, former Artistic Director, Chichester Festival Theatre About the Author Rachel's plays have been performed in the UK and internationally, including in London at the Hampstead Theatre, the Royal Court, the Arcola Theatre, and Polka Theatre, also at Chichester Festival Theatre, the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone, Manhattan Theatre Source in New York, Live Girls in Seattle, and Auroville in India. She has a wide range of interests which inform her writing. Projects to date have included original work, adaptations, translations, theatre for young audiences, and dramaturgy of collaborative devised work. A sought-after workshop leader, Rachel shares her time between writing, producing, teaching and arts project management.

Lexi, Keira, Meg and Roxy – four names otherwise known as the inner circle. In west pacific preparatory school, and even in the private school surrounding it, every body knows their name, and every body knows that they are at the top of the social ranking. It has always been this way for as long as any one can remember..well, at least from the beginning of seventh grade. So when the second semester of freshman year rolled around, no body expected anything to change in their social infrastructure. But then, innocent newbie Taryn Rose paterkate makes an entrance at their school. And it seems like she doesn't know much about their social hierarchy, and she doesn't seem like someone who could want to shake p the whole carefully arranged system. So is it just a coincidence that, right around the time of her arrival, things start to change? As the end of freshman year rolled around, each girl learns very import lesson – and every one finds out that nothing, no matter how structured, will ever stay the same forever. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Wonderfully written by a young teenage girl, “Brandsetters” is a brilliant book that looks into the lives of the Inner Circle girls. For all you young and aspiring fashionistas & trendsetters out there, this book is a great read and plus, it tells a more important value of friendship and love. An infinite amount of cheers to Natasha Alessandra for writing this outstanding novel that teenagers will relate to.” — Jessica Nevina “Meet the Inner Circle” is a well written novel about the strong frienships girls form throughout their schooling lives. The particular girls the story focuses on and their friendship seem almost unbreakable, until a ‘new girl in town’ arrives. Will The Inner Circle ever be the same? Or will things change permanently? Bravo! To Natasha for creating such a brilliant novel teenagers will understand and relate to. A great read for teenage girls.” — Kate Farrell

A collection of celebrated mini-comics from the early and mid-'90s by Tom Hart, creator of Hutch Owen and director of the Sequential Artists Workshop. Includes the classic self-published mini-comics Love Looks Left, The Angry Criminal, Maria, New Hat, Mañana, Heike, and more. Tom Hart is a cartoonist and the executive director of the Sequential Artists Workshop, a school and arts organization in Gainesville, Florida. He is the creator of the Hutch Owen series of graphic novels and books, and has been nominated for all the major comic book industry awards.