Creative Coding in Python

It's time to snuggle down for a bedtime story with Elmer! In this chunky shaped board book, Elmer helps Baby Elephant find his lost teddy just in time for bed. Everybody needs their own special teddy bear at bedtime... have you got yours?A perfect introduction to the classicElmer and the Lost Teddystory for the very youngest readers, with an abridged text of the best-loved tale.

A series of chunky board books featuring things that go and sliding counters!Discover five different cars in this series of interactive board books with easy-to-use moving parts – a car, a sports car, a racecar, a four-wheel drive and a taxi!Learn vehicle vocabulary with simple first words, clear diagrams and helpful text prompts to encourage discussion. Then trace 5 types of transport around 5 different tracks with a moving counter on every spread and the cover. The perfect book for children who love racecars – and being in the driving seat!Other titles in the series include: Farm, Building Site and Trucks

Once teeming with plants and animals, our ocean is no longer in good shape. It's warming up and becoming a dumping ground for plastic rubbish. But it doesn't have to be that way! There are all sorts of clever things that we can do to make life in the ocean healthy again.

** Adapted into the Oscar-nominated film adaptation, An Cailin Ciuin / The Quiet Girl **From the author of the Booker-shortlisted Small Things Like These, a heartbreaking, haunting story of childhood, loss and love by one of Ireland's most acclaimed writers. 'A real jewel.' Irish Independent'A small miracle.' Sunday Times'A thing of finely honed beauty.' Guardian'Thrilling.' Richard Ford'As good as Chekhov.' David MitchellIt is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm, not knowing when she will return home.In the strangers' house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. But in a house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers how fragile her idyll is.

Sparkling new branding for The Worst Witch - the original magical boarding school series!The second hilarious adventure in the Worst Witch series.'I wonder,' said Miss Cackle, 'if there is any hope for you in this Academy, Mildred.'It's the Summer Term at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches and disaster-prone, trainee witch Mildred Hubble is in deep trouble again - all because of the new girl Enid Nightshade, who isn't nearly as sweet and innocent as she looks...

Ten fierce animals battle it out in this exciting bind-up featuring five books in this action-packed animal series!Which dangerous animals would win in a fight? Find out in this awesome bind-up of five books in the popular Who Would Win? series. The collection features a range of mammals, sea creatures, reptiles, and birds to satisfy all kinds of animal fans, including Falcon vs. Hawk, Hyena vs. Honey Badger, Komodo Dragon vs. King Cobra, Tarantula vs. Scorpion, and Whale vs. Giant Squid.Kids will learn about each animal's anatomy, behavior, and more alongside photos, charts, illustrations, and amazing facts.

Look up! From the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of the Hat trilogy comes a new deadpan gem. Turtle really likes standing in his favourite spot. He likes it so much that he asks his friend Armadillo to come over and stand in it, too.But now that Armadillo is standing in that spot, he has a bad feeling about it... A hilarious meditation on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions, and that funny feeling you get that there's something off somewhere, but you just can't put your finger on it. Merging broad visual suspense with wry wit and existential silliness, celebrated picture-book creator Jon Klassen gives us a wholly original comedy for the ages.

A beautiful and sensitive exploration of grief, loss and hope from Karl James Mountford, in his much-awaited author-illustrator debut. One day, Fox is drawn to something in the forest - it's something small, something silent, perhaps forgotten. It's a bird, as still as can be.Fox is confused, upset and angry - is the bird broken? But then a little moth comes along. Kind and wise and comforting, Moth shares a gentle philosophy: the story of the circles in the sky. Told with huge sensitivity and style, this story of grief and hope feels like a folk tale for modern times.

From a #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a sizzling, sweepingly romantic story filled with dangerous secrets, evil twins, and powerful magic. Now in paperback!One sister.Two sinful princes.Infinite deception with a side of revenge . . . Welcome to Hell.After selling her soul to become Queen of the Wicked, Emilia travels to the Seven Circles with the enigmatic Prince of Wrath, where she's introduced to a seductive world of vice.She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria . . . even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world . . or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature? Emilia will be tested in ever

In this tenth Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry enters a wintry contest!It's winter in Brewster and Henry Heckelbeck is ready for fun! Snowball fights, building snow friends, and drinking lots of hot chocolatewhat's not to love? But when Max sets up a winter wonderland contest, Henry finds that fun in the snow can be no fun. Can he put the win in winter with the help of a little magic? With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Henry Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

The bestselling Cupcake Diaries series is now available in graphic novel format! In this adaptation of the second book, new girl Mia tries to find her place at the Cupcake Club's school.When Mia arrives at her new school, her goal is to be open to and friendly with everyone, but everyone at Park Street School fits into a clique. When the Popular Girls Club takes an interest in Mia's awesome fashion style and wants to recruit her, Mia must decide between them and her great new Cupcake Club friends. It's like choosing between her divorced mom and dad and her old house and new house. Is it always going to be Mia in the middle, or can she mix it up? Fun, bright, full-color graphic panels tell the story with the same humor and heart as the original novel.

In The Chinese Idea of a University: Phoenix Reborn, Rui Yang conceptualizes the cultural foundations of modern university development in Chinese societies. Instead of focusing on the uniqueness of the societies, this book aims to prove that one educational purpose could be fulfilled via many paths, and that most of the characteristics the university could be found in other institutions of higher learning. Citing the practices of four selected Chinese societies, Yang opposes the existence of an impassable chasm between Chinese and Western ideas of a university and argues that it is possible to combine Chinese and Western ideas of a university. Also, this book is one of the first in English to theorize the Chinese idea of a university. It links the historical events to the present, in a context of an enormous impact of Western academic models and institutions, from the beginning of modern universities in Chinese societies to the contemporary period.

繼《Winter in Sokcho》，作者又一探討認同與歸屬之作。韓裔人口聚集的日暮里，Claire的外祖父母守著一間傳統柏青哥。兩人拒絕和她以日語溝通，卻也對「回韓國看看」的提議反應冷淡。藉Claire視角，探詢離散者的故里他鄉、家族間的疏離，及語言與身分的連結。From the author of Winter in Sokcho, Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature.The days are beginning to draw in. The sky is dark by seven in the evening. I lie on the floor and gaze out of the window. Women’s calves, men’s shoes, heels trodden down by the weight of bodies borne for too long. It is summer in Tokyo. Claire finds herself dividing her time between tutoring ten-year-old Mieko, in an apartment in an abandoned hotel, and lying on the floor at her grandparents: daydreaming, playing Tetris and listening to the sounds from the street above. The heat rises; the days slip by.The plan is for Claire to visit Korea with her grandparents. They fled the civil war there over fifty years ago, along with thousands of others, and haven’t been back since. When they first arrived in Japan, they opened Shiny, a pachinko parlour. Shiny is

A brand new 'Who's in Your Book?' story from bestselling children's book author Tom Fletcher. OH, LOOK! A bear has wandered into your book!And - what's that noise? He's yawning! He looks like he's ready for bed. Can you help him drift off to sleep?This warm, gentle adventure combines interactive fun with a night-time routine to help little ones wind down before they go to bed.Who's in Your Book?Interactive adventures for big imaginationsAlso in this series:There's a Monster in Your Book: makes reading interactive and funThere's a Dragon in Your Book: explores empathy and responsibilityThere's an Alien in Your Book: explores acceptance and inclusionThere's an Elf in Your Book: explores following instructions and good/bad behaviourThere's a Superhero in Your Book: explores the power of kindnessThere's a Witch in Your Book: makes tidying up funThere's a Unicorn in Your Book: explores soothing your worries through sharing them

Brave knights, fire-breathing dragons, and underwear -- every kid's favorite things in one paperback picture book illustrated by #1 New York Times bestselling artist Pete Oswald!Cole's wish comes true when he becomes an Assistant Knight to Sir Percival, his favorite Knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Cole learns how to ride a horse, swing a sword, cheer for Sir Percival when he goes to battle, and bandage his boo-boos when the battle is over. Cole loves practicing every skill a Knight-in-Training must master and he is determined to be granted knighthood.Sir Percival is a great knight in every way, except for one thing: He is terrified that an Underwear Dragon will come and destroy the kingdom. But when the unthinkable happens, Cole is the only knight left standing (and just an assistant knight at that!) Cole must use all of his newly acquired skills to battle the fearsome dragon and avoid a catastrophe. Luckily, an unfortunate underwear mishap changes everything and Cole triumphs in

A picture book biography celebrating the life and work of disability rights activist and icon Judith Heumann, highlighting one of her landmark achievements--leading the historic 504 Sit-in in 1977 From a very young age, Judy Heumann heard the word NO. When she wanted to attend public school, the principal said, "NO." When she wanted her teaching license, the New York Board of Education said, "NO." Judy and people with disabilities everywhere were tired of hearing "NO." In the 1970s an important disability rights law, Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was waiting to be signed. Judy and other disability rights activists fought for "YES!" They held a sit-in until Section 504 was signed into law. Section 504 laid the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was established thanks in large part to the ongoing work of Judy and her community. Along with a personal reflection from Judy herself, this picture book biography captures the impact and influence of one o

From Geisel Award-winning author Greg Pizzoli comes a hilarious and mouth-watering history of pizza.Do YOU like PIZZA? Because right now, somewhere in the world, someone is eating it. Did you know that in the United States we eat 350 slices of pizza every second? Or that in Sweden they serve pizza with bananas and peanuts? All over the world, people love pizza―but where did it come from? And who made the first pizza?Join award-winning author and illustrator Greg Pizzoli as he travels through time and around the globe to discover the mouth-watering history of pizza. Bursting with color, flavor, and fun facts, Pizza!: A Slice of History reveals the delicious story of the world's best food.

From the multi-award winning author of The Bridge (BBC) and Marcella (Netflix, ITV) comes a blockbuster new thriller… A DEAD WOLFA DRUG DEAL GONE WRONGA LETHAL FEMALE ASSASSINHannah Wester, a detective in the remote northern Swedish town of Haparanda, finds herself on the precipice of chaos.When human remains are found in the stomach of a dead wolf, Hannah knows that this summer won’t be like any other. The remains are soon linked to a bloody drug deal that went down just across the border in Finland. But how did the victim end up in the woods outside Haparanda? And where have the drugs and money gone?Hannah and her colleagues are soon caught up in an increasingly complex investigation. But time is scarce and they aren’t the only ones looking.When the secretive and deadly Katja shows up, unexpected and brutal events start to pile up. In just a few days, life in the border town is turned upside down. Not least for Hannah, who is finally forced to confront her own past.

The third title in the laugh-out-loud series of picture books starring Bad Apple, a truly terrible piece of fruit. It's Granny Smith's birthday party and all the apples are invited. There's face painting, a pinata, a pile of presents and one of Snake's finest cakes...Bad Apple can't wait to spoil the fun! But it looks like this party pooper's luck might have run out. Pineapple has had enough of Apple's bad behaviour and is ready to teach him a lesson. In the third instalment of Huw Lewis Jones's hilarious series of picture books, a truly terrible piece of fruit is once more wreaking havoc far beyond the rim of the fruit bowl.Illustrated in a deadpan, painterly style by Ben Sanders, Party Pooper will entertain the entire family.

You’d better not tickle the elephant... because it might just trumpet if you do! Little children will love pressing the touchyfeely patches to hear the animal sounds in this irresistible novelty book. As well as the elephant, there’s a wildebeest, a vulture and a jackal to tickle, before they all get noisy in a musical finale guaranteed to get everyone dancing.

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2023ONE OF THE THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 2023The first book in the ‘criminally good’ Crookhaven series, the secret school where students are taught to do wrong, so that one day, they can put the world to rights.“So this is really a school for criminals.” It was meant as a question, though it came out more as an accusation.“We are so much more than that,” Caspian said, sitting in a plush leather chair and gesturing for Gabriel to sit in a similar one across the table. “We are a home for the forgotten, a sanctuary for the lost and … yes, a training ground for the greatest crooks of the future.”13-year-old Gabriel is a brilliant pickpocket, a skill which he uses to keep his often empty belly not quite so empty. And then one day, he’s caught.But instead of being arrested, he is invited by the mysterious Caspian Crook to attend Crookhaven – a school for thieves. At Crookhaven, students are trained in lock-picking, forgery

I slide my hand into the crook of your arm, as you open your big brolly wide. We both can stay dry when the spring showers fall, if we dash through the drops, side by side... As spring turns to summer, and autumn turns to winter, we follow a little boy and his grandmother as they take delight in everything the changing seasons have to offer - from jumping in puddles, to tasting sweet ice lollies, to nestling under blankets on a cold, snowy night.But no matter the weather, whatever they do, their joy is in being together, in the small - but momentous - adventures that they share. With vivid illustrations and read-aloud words, this is a tender celebration of grandparent love from the duo behind the bestselling and acclaimed Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin.

Explore the big outdoors in these action-packed animal board books with sliders on every page.Published in collaboration with the National Trust, this series of board books will inspire a love of nature in even the littlest of animal lovers. With vibrant artwork printed on white board, robust easy-to-use mechanisms for tiny hands and a rhyming text with friendly animal facts, these are the perfect books to captivate curious little explorers time and time again.In this first woodland book, there are shy deer to find hiding in the trees, a noisy woodpecker pecking on a tree trunk, moles digging holes and many more woodland creatures to bring to life with the moving parts.Other titles in the series include: Countryside, Seaside and River

《Agent Moose》三度出擊！大洪水襲捲森林，從搶銀行到綁架，各種不為人知的犯罪陰謀也隨著大水一起流入森林。麋鹿偵探和他的貓頭鷹夥伴順著水流，尋找蛛絲馬跡，爆笑破解神秘案件。A daring criminal is making waves in the Big Forest! It’s up to Agent Moose and Owlfred to save the day in this third hilarious graphic novel chapter book from the author of My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish.Agent Moose and not-quite-so-special Agent Owlfred are back and better than ever!Strange flash floods are making waves (and headlines) all over the Big Forest! Someone is pulling off particularly confounding capers and, between the flooding and the heists, Big Forest is in big trouble. When Madame HQ is nabbed right out of a very wet Woodland HQ, Agent Moose and Owlfred must wade through clues to get her back and stop the mystery criminal making a big splash in Big Forest!Can they find this fiendish villian before Big Forest floats away?

From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Nikola Tesla, the scientist and inventor whose groundbreaking inventions we continue to use today. Since he was a young boy growing up in the Austrian Empire, Nikola was fascinated by science and numbers. His teachers knew he had a brilliant mind, but Nikola's irregular routines and fondness for playing cards meant that he was kicked out of school before he could finish his exams.However, after working for a spell at the Budapest Telephone Exchange, where he made several clever innovations to their electrical systems, he managed to get a job with Edison Machine Works in New York, U.S.A. In the United States, Tesla's inquisitive nature and ingenious mind spurred him on to keep exploring electricity, and he came up with several groundbreaking inventions during this time, including breakthroughs in alternating current and wireless remote controls. By the end of his life, the

Now in paperback for the first time, featuring all new covers, the Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians middle-grade series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. Alcatraz Smedry is up against a whole army of Evil Librarians in this next adventure, with only his friend Bastille, a few pairs of glasses, and an unlimited supply of exploding teddy bears to help him. This time, even Alcatraz's extraordinary talent for breaking things may not be enough to defeat the army of Evil Librarians and their giant librarian robots. The Shattered Lens is the fourth book in this action-packed fantasy series for young readers.

The Strange Academy kids go out for a night on the town in New Orleans! Some of the students decide to take a tour of a famous NOLA graveyard…and you know how stories about teens in graveyards usually go! But Emily takes a very different field trip of her own ― and the secret origin of Zoe Laveau is revealed! Then, nothing can prepare you for a glimpse of the future of the Strange Academy…and the entire Marvel Universe. You won’t believe your eyes! But one thing is for sure ― whether in the present or the future, school life doesn’t get any easier for the students of the mystic arts!COLLECTING: Strange Academy (2020) 13-18

Dr. Victor's assistant at the science museum may -- or may not -- be Frankenstein's monster in this funny and spooky series from Graphix Chapters.The Bailey School Kids take a field trip to a science museum, where they meet Dr. Victor and his hulking assistant, Frank. Secrets lurk behind every door in the spooky old museum. What's Dr. Victor doing in his hidden lab? And could Frank be Frankenstein's monster -- even though he loves to plant flowers?Graphix Chapters are ideal books for beginning and newly independent readers. With approachable page counts, easy-to-follow paneling, and artwork that supports text comprehension, these engaging stories with unforgettable characters help children become lifelong readers.Get drawn into reading with Graphix Chapters!

The thrilling third book in Chris Colfer's #1 New York Times bestselling A Tale of Magic... series As the doors were pushed, flames and magma spewed out from between the cracks, offering glimpses into the world of fire and chaos beyond them. Brystal Evergreen is running out of time. It has been almost one year since she made a deal with Death to find and destroy the Immortal in exchange for her life. But she still hasn't found a single clue about who or where the Immortal is. To make matters worse, something dark and malignant has risen from deep within the earth, threatening life as we know it. To stop this new evil, the fairies and witches must work with all the kingdoms and territories, including the Righteous Brotherhood and their Army of the Dead. But is the threat more familiar than they expected? And why is a secretive group of Sorcerers convinced that Xanthous Hayfield is connected to it? Sorcery, magic, and science collide in this thrilling third book in the Tale of Magic... s

A Tale of Magic (Book 1-3)This #1 New York Times bestseller is the first book in a new series set in Chris Colfer's Land of Stories universe, perfect for both new and longtime fans!When Brystal Evergreen stumbles across a secret section of the library, she discovers a book that introduces her to a world beyond her imagination and learns the impossible: She is a fairy capable of magic! But in the oppressive Southern Kingdom, women are forbidden from reading and magic is outlawed, so Brystal is swiftly convicted of her crimes and sent to the miserable Bootstrap Correctional Facility.But with the help of the mysterious Madame Weatherberry, Brystal is whisked away and enrolled in an academy of magic! Adventure comes with a price, however, and when Madame Weatherberry is called away to attend to an important problem she doesn't return.Do Brystal and her classmates have what it takes to stop a sinister plot that risks the fate of the world, and magic, forever?Fall in love with an all-new ser

Frontiers of Memory in the Asia-Pacific explores the making and consumption of conflict-related heritage throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Contributing to a growing literature on ‘difficult heritage’, this collection advances our understanding of how places of pain, shame, oppression, and trauma have been appropriated and refashioned as ‘heritage’ in a number of societies in contemporary East and Southeast Asia and Oceania. The authors analyse how the repackaging of difficult pasts as heritage can serve either to reinforce borders, transcend them, or even achieve both simultaneously, depending on the political agendas that inform the heritage-making process. They also examine the ways in which these processes respond to colonialism, decolonization, and nationalism. The volume shows how efforts to preserve various sites of ‘difficult heritage’ can involve the construction of new borders in the mind between what is commemorated and what is often deliberately obscured or forgotten. Take

A behind-the-scenes tour of the magnificent Royal Opera House in London, thirty minutes before curtain up, led by Figaro the cat.It’s opening night of The Nutcracker, and the performers at the Royal Opera House in London are busy getting ready to step out onto the stage. Meanwhile, Figaro – the opera house’s resident cat – is poised to take readers on a behind-the-scenes tour to meet the many people working to make tonight’s performance a resounding success.This backstage tour of the Royal Opera House takes readers from department to department to discover what’s involved in putting on a performance such as The Nutcracker. Featuring examples from key works of opera and ballet, highlights of the tour include trying on the Mad Hatter’s wig from Alice in Wonderland; practising for a fighting scene from Romeo and Juliet; putting the finishing touches on the Sugar Plum Fairy’s tutu; learning to ‘play dead’; and creating explosions on stage.Including an introduction to a classical orchestra,

Perfect for fans Dog Man and The InvestGators, the laugh-out-loud adventures continue in the second book of this graphic novel series when the cats of Kitty Quest face off against an army of ludicrous sea monsters!The islands of Pawdor are in peril once again! Ferocious sea monsters have been spotted on shore, and the townsfolk are in a complete panic. Luckily, there’s a new guild of heroes known as Kitty Quest that’s ready to protect the land. So what if Woolfrik and Perigold are its only members (besides their mentor who’s a ghost), and it’s just their second week on the job? They may be all that stands in the way of an invasion!But how are these two amateur heroes supposed to stop a whole army of tentacled beasts? It may just take some quick thinking, a whole lot of luck, and a little help from the most unexpected of places. In order to save all of kitty-kind, Woolfrik and Perigold are going to have to learn to work together and prove that two heads are better than one.

你說出的每一句話， 都在創造你的人生。史上獲獎最多的設計公司IDEO執行董事親授「最強創意溝通術」！ 讓你成為老闆的心腹、客戶的寵兒、茶水間的風雲人物！【GAS口語魅力培訓R 創辦人、廣播主持人、銘傳大學傳播學院助理教授】王介安 【威煦軟體開發公司(Wishing-Soft)總經理】吳育宏 【聲音訓練專家】周震宇 【人性銷售、領導專家】梁櫰之 強力推薦！頂尖人士都在用的7C溝通策略投入（COMMITMENT）：不執著於自己的想法，避免深陷成見之中。 創造性傾聽（CREATIVE LISTENING）：傾聽別人說話，尊重不同觀點。 明晰（CLARITY）：把話說得更準確，找出共同的價值觀。 情境（CONTEXT）：對話的場所能決定成敗，並賦予溝通活力和生命力。 規範（CONSTRAINTS）：成功的談話，從來不該是聲音最大的佔上風。 改變（CHANGE）：每一個表情，每一次笑聲，都是溝通訊號的變化。 創造（CREATE）：把可行的想法轉變為明確的行動，讓點子成為現實。說話可以自在隨興， 溝通不能沒有目的， 一場交流的成功或失敗， 全看你如何「創造」。每個人都會說話，但卻不是每個人都擅長「對話」。理想的對話可以跟人交心、消弭對立，失敗的對話則會造成衝突、橫生誤解。面對來自不同背景、抱持不同立場的人們，既然找不到共通點，又該如何溝通呢？「創造」就對了！企業權威溝通設計師弗雷．達斯特，針對每個人生活中會碰到的溝通問題，研發出一套實用有效的「7C溝通策略」，傳授你如何在溝通中妥善運用創意，讓艱困難行的溝通變得流暢無礙，就連一般人在談話中最怕遇到的尷尬沉默，也可以有效善用，緩解談話的焦慮和壓力，避免產生溝通危機。《創造對話》是人際溝通的集大成之作，更是商業談判的必備聖經。不論是說話常常踩雷的你、團隊溝通不良進度延宕的你，還是期望能擺脫猶疑、讓自己決策更精準的你，都可以透過「創造溝通」，打破內心的桎梏，活出更理想的人生。

Zed and Addison may seem like an unlikely couple. After all, she's a cheerleader and he's a zombie. But when zombies are invited to attend Seabrook High, their worlds collide, and they have an immediate connection.This World of Reading Level 2 bindup follows their story from the beginning. Relive the best moments of the films like when Addison won a spot on Seabrook High's award-winning cheer squad, when Zed became the first zombie to take the field with the Seabrook football team, or that time a pack of werewolves arrived in town in search of their treasured moonstone.World of Reading Level 2 readers offer young fans an appropriate level of reading difficulty and include a list of vocabulary words included in each story.Complete your Disney Channel collection with these other fan favorites:World of Reading Descendants 3 Stronger TogetherWorld of Reading: Phineas and Ferb: Another Grand AdventureGabby Duran Adventures in Alien BabysittingBig City Greens: Blood MoonThe Owl House: Witche

An inspiring and poetic story about reading, libraries, and overcoming social anxiety to find self-acceptance.I gather the books in my arms, and give them a hug. "Welcome back," I whisper.Nicky is a shy little girl who feels most at home in the safe space of her school library, and when the library closes for a week, she is forced to face her social anxiety. But when she meets a group of unique, diverse, inspiring women at the diner where her mother works, Nicky realizes that being different doesn’t have to mean being alone, and that there’s a place for everyone.Book lovers of all ages will find inspiration in this beautiful, poetic love letter to reading - and how it helps us find empathy and connections with the world around us.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!I wish I'd had these books as a kid. Hilarious! -- Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog ManThey may look like Bad Guys, but these wannabe heroes are doing good deeds... whether you like it or not in this New York Times bestselling illustrated series.The next installment in the sidesplitting chapter book series!

Alison is newly married, barely twenty and struggling to find her place in the world. A chance encounter with an older artist upturns her life and she forsakes convention and her working-class roots for the thrumming art scene of London in the late seventies.As the thrill of bohemian romance leads inevitably to disappointment, Alison begins to find her own path - through art, friendship and love.A visually stunning and beautifully written debut graphic novel of love, life and art.

For this special issue on “New Generation Women's Fiction from Taiwan,” we have specially invited Professor Lee Kuei Yun of the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature at Taiwan's Tsing Hua University to be guest editor and take responsibility for the selections. Because of space limitations it has been possible only to select twelve short stories by eleven woman writers. These writers were all born in the 1970s or later and their works were published in the year 2000 or later. Thus, they represent a period of social change in twenty-first century Taiwan and the spirit of the new generation. The introduction that we asked Professor Lee to provide is entitled “Trauma, esire, Contemporary Women's Voices.” Aside from giving a brief account of the eleven writers and their works, Professor Lee sketches “a number of writerly qualities that become perceptible… [that] represent the internal trauma, female consciousness, physical lust, cat-uman metaphors, and everyday life, etc.” In her introdu

The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR (the ‘NSL’) promises to be the most important legal development in Hong Kong since the advent of the Basic Law. Many wondered in the aftermath of the NSL how the foundations of Hong Kong’s system might be changed and in what way the freedoms valued by Hong Kong may be affected. Supporters view the law as essential for the preservation of public order and the national security of China and to support the fundamental well-being of “One Country, Two Systems”, an arrangement that has been in place since the return of Hong Kong to China. Critics fear an adverse impact on the spirit of “One Country, Two Systems”.From a discussion initiated by the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, this collection of essays brings together leading experts on Hong Kong and Chinese law to offer an exploratory study of the NSL and its impact on the legal system and the principle of the rule of law in Hong Kong