Six young Army pilots and green officers, all between 20 and 21 years old, arrive in Vietnam where they each become men, highly skilled pilots, and proficient officers within a few months. None of them will be the same after their first combat tour in Vietnam. All of them will bear the scars of war for life, either physically or mentally or both. All will be strengthened spiritually and none will ever be the same. Some will soon be dead and most will be injured or wounded within the next 12 months. One will become an amputee and all will suffer from varying degrees of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the rest of their lives. All will become beloved brothers and all will honor their families, friends, and this great nation with their dedication, sacrifice, courage, and love of family, country, and God!

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The True Confessions of a Suicide Survivor
Fighting seven years of crippling depression in a chaotic dysfunctional family, Kerri can’t imagine living another day without hope. She decides to end it all….!
In the wake of a failed suicide attempt, she is terrifyingly “imprisoned” in a Mental Health Hospital where blood on the ward is a daily occurrence. Finally being released, she lives under the threat of being returned unless she follows the rules. This new reality is very lonely as she is ostracized at school for what she has attempted to do and failed at. After all, no-one wants to talk to a freak!
In a bid to re-unite the family, her parents take her to sunny Florida for an amazing Disney World experience where she meets Trevor, the boy of her dreams. Then, she discovers, to her dismay — he lives an ocean away from her!
Quickly falling in love, a long distance relationship ensues. In a time when email and texting does not exist can Kerri and Trevor keep their relationship going? Can Kerri re-build her life and get back to a new “normal”?
“Out of the Darkness and Into the Light” is Kerri’s shocking, heartbreaking and sometimes funny account of self-discovery, acceptance, strength and love, sure to resonate in the hearts of all who read it.

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FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it’s no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as “”The Great One.”” Born in Brantford, Ontario, on January 26, 1961, in a nation obsessed with the sport, he threw himself into the game practically from the time he first laced up a pair of skates. When he retired from the NHL in 1999, he had led several teams to Stanley Cup victories, competed in the Olympics, and changed the way hockey was played forever. Known for his love for family and as a truly decent human being, Wayne Gretzky is revealed as more than a sports legend in this easy-to-read biography.

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From the Foreword by Marian Wright Edelman

Africa’s Child is an unforgettable and searingly personal book….In the face of repeated obstacles and injustices, Nhambu continued to analyze the world around her with wit and a sharp sense of humor. Above all, as a very young child she decided one day that even if there was no other person in the world who loved and wanted her, she was going to love and care for herself—and that decision changed the course of her life.

Africa’s Child is the story of a mixed-race girl growing up in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa. Raised in an orphanage with no knowledge of her origins or family, she endured abandonment, hardships, severe illnesses, and bullying. Her experiences as a child and teenager included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, social stigma, and racial discrimination.
Yet Nhambu tells her inspiring story with warmth and humor. Her questioning mind probes the African tribal realities and multi-cultural complexities that impacted her life both at the orphanage and schools run by German nuns as well as at an African high school with American nuns.
Nhambu not only survived her childhood but triumphed. Her faith and resilience, along with a belief in learning and her tenacious pursuit of an education, sustained her through many challenges. Dance, especially African tribal dance, became the way she healed and nourished her spirit.
Through the love and commitment of an American teacher she met in Africa, Nhambu was able to pursue her dream of education and a new life for herself. The first book in her three-part memoir ends as she is leaving Africa for university studies in America on a full scholarship.
Maria Nhambu is the creator of Aerobics With Soul®, a fitness workout based on African dance.

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Truman Capote’s boyhood Christmas memoir rereleased in a beautiful new package, which includes a CD with the audio version of the text.

     The classic story of Truman Capote’s childhood Christmas ritual is more endearing than ever in this newly redesigned package.

     In celebration of A Christmas Memory‘s enduring appeal, this repackaged edition retains Beth Peck’s evocative watercolors and an audio CD narration by the venerable Celeste Holm (originator of the Ado Annie role in the 1943 Broadway hit “Oklahoma!” and an Academy Award-winning actress). Originally published in 1956, this is the story from Capote’s childhood of lovingly making fruitcakes from scratch at Christmas-time with his elderly cousin, and has stood the test of time to become known as an American holiday classic. In its new size, it’s perfect for reading alone or reading aloud, or following along while listening to the audio version.

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When Knut was born, the first polar bear cub at the Berlin Zoo in more than thirty years, he was no bigger than a snowball and unable to care for himself. His mother, a rescued East German circus bear, didn’t know how to take care of Knut and rejected him. Knut would have died if it weren’t for Thomas Dorflein, a zookeeper who nurtured Knut, feeding him, sleeping with him, and giving him the love and attention Knut needed to thrive. But Thomas wasn’t the only one who adopted Knut. The adorable little polar bear captured the world’s attention, and now Knut is loved around the globe.

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When Ella Miriam made the terrifying decision to leave the Soviet Union for Israel on a search for freedom and to escape generations of haunting, painful memories, she never expected to suffer the devastating loss that would lead her, through a succession of unlikely occurrences, to America. Chasing Freedom is a compelling and intensely personal account of Ella’s journey from bondage to freedom, a story of love, struggles, wars, death, birth and triumphs through generations of her family. Ella’s quest for freedom continued as she, through a series of improbable and miraculous events, realized her goal of emigrating to the U.S.A., where she discovered that even in the greatest nation in the world, freedom can be elusive.

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This book is not a biography of Alexis Sanchez. Rather, it seeks to celebrate the excitement, passion, and enjoyment of the game of football that Alexis Sanchez brings to the sport. The signing of Alexis Sanchez to the best football team in the world, FC Barcelona, was just such a moment. In his final season with Barcelona, Sanchez scored 21 goals and made 10 assists. In the 2014 World Cup, he scored 2 goals for Chile. There is no doubt that Arsenal Football Club has signed one of the most exciting young players in the game today. He plays the “Beautiful Game” as well as any player. In that sense, it is worth holding Alexis “Electric” Sanchez, the marvelous Chilean football player, in our collective memory of , “The Beautiful Game”…

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Emma Marques is “Emma the Brave.” Emma was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor, and she is notorious with her doctors for being a “Warrior Princess” during her extensive treatment regimen. Emma can go through radiation treatments, sometimes close to two hours long, without needing any anesthesia.

Emma truly is as brave as brave can be, and she wants to tell her story and be an inspiration to children who are facing similar situations.

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Growing up in a family of storytellers, Janis Thomas Cramer spent Sunday dinners with the Thomas clan in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she heard family lore begging to be retold–stories of the Depression, of six sons fighting in World War II, and of a tornado’s destroying three family homes. She lived fantastic stories of her own as well, with two brothers and an army of cousins and friends from two-roomed Riverside School. In the early Sixties, she endured teenage angst with other Baby Boomers crowding into Alice Robertson Junior High School during the New Math, the Race for Space, and the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge.
“Come along with Sweetiepie in the Rocket 88. Meet some real Okie characters from the last century. Scratch your head. Laugh out loud. Shed a tear. Be a kid again.” ~~Bill Lehmann, author of An Okie from “Muskogee Recalls Growing up in the Dirty 30s.”

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A ten-year-old girl relates her experiences as she and her pony train and prepare for riding competitions.

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This collection of stories from more than fifty individuals presents the unsent letters, trials by fire, and heart-songs of wounded spirits begging to be heard. Traci Leigh Taylor listened.

Four years of interviews and correspondence with LGBTQ people across the United States and around the globe is captured in first-person accounts that lift hearts and rend souls.

Voices from the Rainbow delves into the world of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer–where the human struggle for love and acceptance is the common denominator. This book offers a path to understanding, acceptance, and healing. It is a call to love.

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Written specifically to challenge readers with the powerful lives of Christians who have profoundly shaped history, these books answer today’s call for positive role models and for opportunities to see how God works through the lives of those who follow Him. These exciting true stories inspire readers as they witness the amazing lives of these heroes unfold.

Books 6-10 Gift Set includes:

Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold
William Carey: Obliged to Go
George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans
Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose
Mary Slessor: Forward into Calabar

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Acclaimed songwriter Ellis Paul brings the inspirational words from his songs to the pages of a new picture book! Based on his award-winning family album of the same name, The Hero in You introduces kids to thirteen real-life American heroes. From Chief Joseph to Rosa Parks, their remarkable, heroic lives motivate and encourage us to aim high and try our best. Also included is a special edition CD of The Hero in You with 14 songs and exclusive introductory tracks from Ellis Paul. Readers can listen along to the lyrical book text, then read additional facts about the heroes on each spread.

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Sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreakingly sad, this book documents the journey of a small boy, dreaming of becoming a pilot, to a man who flew jet aircraft in many parts of the world. His journey took many turns along the way, but this young boy grew into a man, never losing sight of his dream, even as the reality of life interfered, interrupted and delayed reaching the goal. Travel along as the young man serves his country in the US Air Force, marries and starts a family, and finally begins to pursue his dream, finding success in a manner familiar to many who believe in dedication and hard work. The adventures and misadventures along the way are told in a clear, down to earth manner, and ends with encouragement for a person who dreams of a particular goal in their life, to never give up the quest.

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Short Skirts and Shorter Stories: Musings on Life, Love and Lust by Lisa Rene’ DeBenedictis Emmy-nominated screenwriter and producer Lisa Rene’ DeBenedictis pieces together a scrapbook of memories from a life less ordinary after severe concussions and multiple falls in this uplifting, debut collection of sometimes humorous, deeply moving short stories and poems.

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The Last 18 is a story of a mother and her two sons, and the bonds between a family that cannot be broken, no matter the ailment. It explores the question: What would you do if you had two months left with a loved one? Do you make their final days comfortable, normal, routine? Act like nothing was different or wrong, like so many request? Or do you attempt the fantastic, the amazing, the miraculous?
When Janis Lammey’s two youngest sons—Jay and Brian—are still in high school, she is diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s a late diagnosis. In two months, Janis Lammey is going to die. She will never see her sons graduate from college, she will not cry at their weddings, she will not cradle her grandchildren. But there is one thing that she can still do, and that’s watch her boys play golf. Jay and Brian have a freakish knack for the game. College prospects
are on the horizon. It’s only a matter of time before the Tour comes calling. But time is no longer a luxury they have.
They set out to do what their mother had wanted to see ever since they first
picked up a club: play professional golf. With the help of a college coach,
the boys receive an exemption into a tournament where their mother’s dream of seeing them play on Tour can be realized. And so they play, with their mother close-by, the last 18 holes of golf she
will ever see.

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The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father’s desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.

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U.S. women’s history for everyone! Explore the history you never learned in school. Experience the everyday struggles, delights, and courage of America’s women from the Revolutionary War to the present in a format that all readers can enjoy. Dabble in history at a glance, or immerse yourself in comprehensive study. Read it for pleasure, or use it in the classroom. Historian Sally Roesch Wagner says, This is the book I’ve been waiting for. Full of rich and well-researched detail, it is a breathtaking swoop of everything from popular culture to suffrage, distilling complex material down to easy to understand information, and full of engagingly good anecdotes. The feel and taste and smell of the time come alive and the attention to accuracy is exemplary. Most importantly, it is not the typical narrow-focused history of white women of means, but the multifaceted story of the diversity of histories that speaks to all women of the United States. A joy to read!

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Now in paperback, the true story of Marcenia Lyle, an African American girl who grew up to become “Toni Stone,” the first woman to play for a professional baseball team

One day in the 1930s, Marcenia and the boys she plays ball with learn that Gabby Street, a famous baseball manager, is scouting children for a baseball summer camp sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals. Eager to earn a spot, Marcenia plays her best, but is discouraged when Mr. Street tells her there are no girls in his camp. Convinced that baseball is her destiny, Marcenia won’t give up, ultimately proving her skill and passion to Mr. Street and her dubious parents.

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A biography of the African American scientist who overcame tremendous hardship, received a college education, and made important discoveries in the field of agriculture.

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The award-winning author of Ben Franklin’s Almanac and Our Eleanor has created an enthralling joint biography of our greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, and his complex wife—a scrapbook history that uses photographs, letters, engravings, and even cartoons, along with a fascinating text, to form an enthralling museum on the page. The Lincolns received four starred reviews and won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Non-Fiction, making this the perfect addition to any collection.

Here are the extraordinary lives of Abraham and Mary, from their disparate childhoods and tumultuous courtship, through the agony of the Civil War, to the loss of three of their children, and finally their own tragic deaths. Readers can find Mary’s recipe for Abraham’s favorite cake—and bake it themselves; hear what Abraham looked like as a toddler; see a photo of the Lincolns’ dog; discover that the Lincoln children kept goats at the White House; see the Emancipation Proclamation written in Lincoln’ s own hand. Perfect for reluctant readers as well as history lovers, The Lincolns provides a living breathing portrait of a man, a woman, and a country.

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Vaughn L. McKoy’s autobiography, Playing Up: One Man’s Rise from Public Housing To Public Service Through Mentorship, recounts the life and struggles of a young African American male, born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, a depressed and impoverished community. Vaughn works his way to Rutgers University on a football scholarship, and after graduating presses on to become a successful attorney, civil servant and business leader. Vaughn acknowledges and makes clear to readers the critical role that effective mentors can play in the lives of today’s youth.

Throughout the autobiography, you will discover a number of recurring themes that are pivotal in Vaughn’s life and successes: “playing up,” loyalty, education, commitment, love, and family. Each of these themes should be openly discussed including how they guide Vaughn’s development and his ability to overcome many obstacles. In particular, the theme of “playing up” is one that permeates almost all stages of Vaughn’s life, hence the title of the book. Exploring the various ways in which Vaughn chooses to “play up” will help readers gain a clear understanding of the common sacrifices and challenges often necessary to persevere and to surmount great challenges. By sharing his successes, failures, and development of some key relationships, Vaughn takes the reader on his very honest and reflective journey, using personal journal entries and time capsules to provide historical context.

This book, Playing up: Coaches’ Playbook and Teaching Resources, is an effective interdisciplinary resource for teachers, coaches and youth workers that prompts critical thinking and problem solving, including mini-writing lessons to help students improve their writing skills while reading the book. The Playbook can be scaffolded to meet varying skill levels and contains diverse question types, including true/false, multiple choice and short answer.

For each chapter of Playing Up, you will find these resources in the Playbook, which can be adapted based upon the target audience:

A. Chapter Summary
B. Questions, Class/Group Discussion, Essay Prompts
For middle school students, these may be discussed as a class.
For high school students, these may either be discussed as a class or assigned as short-answer essay prompts.
For college students, these may be assigned as essay prompts.
C. Class/Group Activities
D. Web Sites of Relevance
E. Chapter Quiz
For each chapter, there are 12 multiple choice, 10 true or false, and 2 to 4 short-answer response questions for middle to high school students.
Writing Techniques
For each chapter, there is 1 writing technique, instruction and practice that corresponds to writing techniques employed in the book Playing UP.

Playing Up and its companion Playbook are unique in that they both start before Vaughn attends middle school, more definitively engaging its middle-school and high-school audiences, and continues past his university years to professional and civic successes where he diligently works to help youth and young professionals reach their potential. Playing Up and the Playbook provide a true-to-life compass that readers can follow to “play up” in their own lives.

Let the journey begin.

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Before 1918, the Boston Red Sox were unstoppable. They won World Series after World Series, thanks in part to their charismatic pitcher-slugger Babe Ruth. But some people on the Red Sox felt the Babe was more trouble than he was worth, and he was traded away to one of the worst teams in baseball, the New York Yankees. From then on, the Yankees became a golden team. And the Red Sox? For over 80 years, they just couldn’t win another World Series. Then, in 2004, along came a scruffy, scrappy Red Sox team. Could they break Babe Ruth’s curse and win it all?

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Before Texas was Texas, it was a lot of things to a lot of different people. Comanche, Choctaw, French, Spanish, Mexican and more laid claim to Texas soil as their own, and no one wanted to share. The fights and alliances that arose out of the colonization of Texas shaped the state’s future. Find out all about the beginning of the state and the colonists who helped pave the way for the Texas we now know. Saddle up with Betsy and George Christian for an interactive, fun chapter in Texas history for kids that challenges them to ask questions about the history they’re told and the world in which they live.

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B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet takes readers on a journey into one of the most important chapters of our nation’s past. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest, most divisive events to take place in America’s history, and most certainly ever on American soil. For four years our young country’s sense of self and citizenry was shaken to the core as North and South battled each other. B is for Battle Cry brings to life historic battles (Antietam and Gettysburg), renowned leaders (Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee), inventions (ironclad ship and Gatling gun), and inspiring events and documents (the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation). From the first shot fired at Fort Sumter to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, B is for Battle Cry brings this nation-defining time period to vivid life.Patricia Bauer believes that stories bring history alive. She uses poetry, music, picture books, costumes, and literature to engage her middle school students in the study of American history. B is for Battle Cry is Pat’s first children’s book. She lives in Minneapolis with her artist husband, David Geister. David Geister’s deep appreciation for the drama of American history and the desire to tell those stories is what inspires his artwork. He is a popular visitor at schools with his costumed portrayals of historic characters. He lives in Minneapolis with his author wife, Patricia Bauer. This is David’s fifth book with Sleeping Bear.

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“What good shall I do today?”
How Ben Franklin answered that question — through his work as a writer, printer, statesman, and inventor — forever established him as one of America’s greatest figures. On one day in 1729 he published the first edition of the Pennsylvania Gazette; on another day he changed the Declaration of Independence by adding the famous words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident”; and it was all in a day’s work when he planted the first willow trees in America.
Modeled on his own Poor Richard’s Almanack, this unique scrapbook captures Franklin’s countless accomplishments. Biography and anecdote, cartoon and etching mesh to create a fascinating portrait of this most fascinating man. Anyone interested in the birth of American democracy…or curious about the rise of the U.S. postal system…or wondering how paper money came to be…or wanting to know how Ben Franklin was part of it all, is sure to pore over Ben Franklin’s Almanac.

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Learn all about WWE Superstar, Kofi Kingston. Kofi Kingston is one of WWE’s most popular Superstars. Discover the ins and outs of his rise to prominence, his biggest rivalries and alliances, his finishing moves, nicknames, signature taunts, and managers!

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“My name is Jwan. This is the true story of my family and many others who suffered in Northern Iraq.
“Hope to the Last Breath is dedicated to my family, who suffered so much and never gave up in the most difficult situations, and to all the families of Northern Iraq who suffered when our peaceful existence was stolen from us.
“In 1991 the war between Iraq and Iran had been over for several years but we continued to suffer the consequences. We had not known peace for almost a decade and when the fighting ended the people were celebrating in the streets. But just when we believed that peace and tranquility were back, the conflict re-erupted, this time within Iraq as the central government sought to reestablish its control over the North. The poison gas bombing of Halabja marked the beginning of dangerous times in Northern Iraq and launched a million people on a desperate flight through the mountains, traveling on foot with few supplies, hoping to reach the Turkish border. A great many died along the way and great suffering awaited us when hundreds of thousands were left stranded without resources on a muddy field on the Turkish border. But we never gave up on our dream to escape the chaos in our home country and find our way to America.
“My family’s story has many chapters. We tried again and again to escape the brutality of our home country and secure for ourselves a life of peace and contentment. Our story is one of endurance, of physical bravery, of danger and death, of great suffering, and survival. Sometimes we had to be reckless with our health and safety. I hope none of you will ever face the trials we did, but if such times ever come to you, I want you to know that in the end it was all worth it.”
May God always be with you. ~ Jwan Al Brwe
JWAN AL BRWE was born in Duhok, Northern Iraq in a Christian Chaldean family. The Chaldeans are an ancient people of Mesopotamia dating back thousands of years before the time of Christ. To this day their language is Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.

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