Child Esteem

While her mother, aerobics queen Kiki Sparks, spends the summer touring Europe, 15-year-old Colie Sparks is stuck in sleepy Colby, North Carolina. But she's not complaining. For one thing, her Aunt Mira is a sweet, laid-back eccentric; for another, no one knows that back home in Charlotte Colie is seen as a formerly-fat "golf-course slut," the school scapegoat. Then, by fate or by accident, Colie lands a waitressing job, where she meets Morgan and Isabel.

Evie is happiest when she is healing people, diagnosing symptoms and prescribing medications, with the help of her devoted friend Wormy. So when Wormy unexpectedly proposes to her, she kindly turns him down; she has far too much to do to be marrying anyone. And besides, she simply isn’t in love with him. But a certain meddling fairy named Lucinda has been listening in, and she doesn’t approve of Evie’s rejection. Suddenly, Evie finds herself transformed from a girl into a hideous, hungry ogre! Evie now has only 62 days to accept another proposal - or else be stuck as an ogre forever.

The town of Wirrawee is emerging from war, slowly, like a flower after a cold snap. Businesses are starting to reopen, the school has re-commenced classes, and local farmers are gradually repossessing their land. But it's not the same Australia as before the war. A new nation exists just a few miles away, a new border that separates Australia from its invaders. Or does it?

A great cold has seized the Beyond. The warmth of summer, the smell of sweet grass, and the great caribou migrations are distant memories. Now the wolves know only ice, dark, snow, and endless cold. The order that kept the wolf clans strong for thousands of years has broken down completely. The wolves have only one chance for survival. They must find their way to a new land, a land of warmth and summer. But the journey will take them over a frozen sea and through thousands of miles of perilous territory. Will the wolves trust young Faolan to lead them?

The best way to understand confidence is to see it in action. That’s why best-selling authors Katty Kay, Claire Shipman, and JillEllyn Riley have collected 30 true stories of real girls, pursuing their passions, struggling, and stumbling, but along the way figuring out how to build their own special brand of confidence. From Bali to Brazil, South Africa to Seattle, Australia to Afghanistan, these girls took risks, doubted themselves, and sometimes failed. But they also hung in there when things got hard.

Maud has grown up in a house made of gingerbread, wanting nothing more than to be a witch like Mother Agatha. But just like all of Agatha's gingerbread creations—from the magical house to the chocolate mousse squirrel—Maud will turn back into crumbs if anything ever happens to Agatha. This seems unthinkable…until Hansel and Gretel, a pair of witch hunters, push Agatha into the cottage's oven.

Sneaking out of prison isn't easy, unless you are a thief, or a wizard. Luckily, Conn is both! Trouble is, once he's out, where does he go? His home is a pile of rubble since he blew it up doing magic. His master, the wizard Nevery, is not happy with him. Worst of all, Conn's been exiled, and staying in the city will mean his death.

Tall. Short. Big. Small. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. They change as you get older. Making healthy choices, exercising, and getting enough sleep will help you be the best version of yourself. You only have one body, and it’s important to love the one you have.

What does it mean to be grumpy? Everyone feels grumpy sometimes. It's how you handle it that matters. Children will learn how to recognize their emotions and listen to examples of how to deal with them.

What does it mean to be angry? Anger may not make us feel good, but it's an emotion everybody has! Children will learn how to identify when they are angry and ways to manage their feelings.

Teaching other kids how to be funny is the toughest gig that Jamie Grimm has ever had, and with the highest stakes. If he fails, his school library will be shut down for good! With the fate of his school's library on his shoulders, Jamie has to dig deep to see if he has what it takes to succeed at his most difficult challenge yet.

Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, despite what the other residents of Coal Harbour believe. For all practical purposes, Primrose is an orphan, and there's no great clamoring of prospective adopters. After realizing the impracticality of continuing to pay Miss Perfidy (a mothball-scented elderly lady) an hourly wage to baby-sit her, the town council places her with Uncle Jack.

The tween years are an important time to learn and discover the world and shape who you will be in it. While these are exciting times, they can also be tricky. Preteens are dealing with big emotions and physical changes that they may not feel equipped to handle.

It's been almost a year since 18-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she's been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father's home, and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she's capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own.

She was a perfect baby, and she had a perfect name. Chrysanthemum. When she was old enough to appreciate it, Chrysanthemum loved her name. And then she started school. "I'm named after my grandmother," said Victoria. "You're named after a flower." Chrysanthemum wilted. Life at school didn't improve. In fact, it got worse. Then the students were introduced to their music teacher, Mrs. Twinkle. Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle. And suddenly, Chrysanthemum blossomed...

The determined Little Blue Engine is back, bringing inspiring and enlightening words of wisdom to graduates of all ages as they make the transition from one phase of life to the next. I Knew You Could! provides familiar comfort in changing times and will be treasured for years to come. Listeners will revisit the story again and again as they move forward along life's path. From "I think I can" to "I knew I could", The Little Engine that Could helps kids of all ages realize that anything is possible if you just put your mind to it!

Mina sabe lo que hace falta para aprobar con éxito su próximo examen de cinturón amarillo en Tae Kwon Do. Sin embargo, los problemas de un compañero le quitan la confianza y la tientan a abandonar.

Milly is incredibly excited to go to Unicorn School, a school that accepts only the best and the brightest. There’s only one problem: she isn’t a unicorn! She’s a donkey in a party hat. Milly first feels uncomfortable but eventually learns that she and the others at the school have more in common than it might have seemed.

When DeSean Mitchell makes an embarrassing mistake while showboating in the end zone, he ends up costing his football team the game. In the final play, he’s tackled and lies on the field in defeat. A teammate assumes he is hurt, and rather than face the shame of his mistake, DeSean fakes an injury. How long will DeSean let the deception go on?

Comedian Jamie Grimm can't help feeling like he's reached the top. But now he's taking his fame and fortune to international levels by competing in the upcoming world kid comic contest! Will Jamie prove that he's the funniest kid on earth—or does he stand (or sit!) to lose his crown?