It is 1983 and Vanessa Martin, a thirteen-year-old African American girl in Newark's public housing, dreams of following in the footsteps of the first black Miss America, Vanessa Williams; but with a dysfunctional family (mother in jail, father withdrawn, drunken grandfather, gay cousin) the odds are against her--until a new teacher at school organizes a beauty pageant and encourages Vanessa to enter.

Abby, her two friends Robin and Frankie, and the annoying Penny, are in their treehouse arguing about what to do for their special school project when a tornado appears out of nowhere, scoops up the treehouse, and transports them all to the land of Oz, where they are soon confronted by Wicked Witch of the East (who is very much alive, and rather angry), and must save a story that is going completely sideways--all because of the evil Gluck.

"Help your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about Taylor Swift, the Grammy Award-winning and multiplatinum artist. Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for preschoolers!"--Amazon.

Kira helps out at an animal sanctuary in Australia

Seventh-grader Hercules Beal has to figure out how to fulfill his teacher's assignment of performing the Twelve Labors of Hercules in real life, and discovers important things about friendship, community, and himself along the way. "Herc Beal knows who he's named after - a mythical hero - but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical...