Real Friendships

An honest and humorous take on the connection between self-acceptance and community, I'll Be There (and Let's Make Friendship Bracelets) is a how-to for practicing time-tested skills to establish quality friendships and navigate their ups and downs. From the supermom team that brought you I'll Be There (but I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants) comes a compulsively listenable and highly interactive map for girlhood and friendship with a clear message: life in our crazy and chaotic "plugged-in" world is more fulfilling surrounded by real-life friends.

Not every friendship can be the real deal, but for Gabe and Oliver, that’s never been a question. Until now. Things still feel the same on the surface—they’re even making a comic about their friendship—but lately Oliver’s acting like he might be hiding something. And then there’s Reuben, the new boy who just moved to town. He doesn’t talk—not ever. The other kids say mean things and call him names behind his back. Gabe knows it isn’t right—but he and Oliver stay quiet, or worse, laugh along with the others just to keep from standing out.

What do you do when your imaginary friend goes away? Did you dream up the entire friendship? Maybe... But you miss her laugh, her comfort, and her silly mischief. It all feels so real... you couldn't have just imagined those things, right?

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a boy and a girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning; Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again. But they don't. This is a story of two people who do not belong in each other's lives, and who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives.

How can God let bad things happen? Sophie's baby sister, Hope, is born with Down syndrome, and the Flakes dis her over an annoying new girl. Even her research as medical expert Dr. Devon Downing won't fix things, but Sophie learns love is at work even when she can't see it.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There'd be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. Now 16, Justine doesn't feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what's personal and what's public aren't always clear.

Marigold Johnson can’t wait to attend a special program at her family’s business, Flexx Unlimited, for teens who love fashion. But Mari quickly realizes that she’s out of place compared to the three other trainees—and one girl, Kara, seems to hate her on sight. As tension builds and the stakes at the program get higher, Mari uncovers exactly why Kara’s been so spiteful. She also discovers some hard truths about herself and her family.

Eleven-year-old Macy Weaver knows relationships are complicated. Fresh off her latest friendship breakup, she’s spent most of her summer break on her own. So when Macy’s mother decides to go back to college three states away, Macy jumps on the chance to move—anything for a fresh start. But Macy’s new home isn’t exactly what she expected. Her mother’s never around and her dad’s always working. Lonelier than ever, Macy sets her sights on finding a new best friend.

Uni the Unicorn visits her best friend in the real world. Now, everyone will know that unicorns exist, and that Uni is real after all. But when the little girl introduces Uni to her family and friends, they can't see the unicorn. Then, with the power of believing and Uni's magic horn, one little boy begins to see something. And then all the kids begin to believe in magic.

Liebe Männer, die ihr so breitbeinig und mit Scheuklappen durchs Leben lauft: Ja! Ich muss Euch enttäuschen. Mir geht es in diesem Hörbüchlein nicht darum, unser Geschlecht auf ein Podest zu heben, während das andere auf dem Boden vor uns kniet, um uns anzuhimmeln. Mir geht es nicht darum, der allgemeinen Männerschaft einen noch besseren Stand in der Gesellschaft zu verschaffen und Propaganda dafür zu betreiben, dass wir noch mehr Macht bekommen und noch mehr zu sagen kriegen, weder gesellschaftlich noch in den eigenen vier Wänden. Davon haben wir zu lange zu viel genossen.