Social Life

To know your true calling - your dharma, as the yogis say - is perhaps the greatest desire within each of us. And yet, few can say we know our purpose with absolute certainty. Fortunately, there is a time-tested guide - an ancient map - for discovering and fulfilling your unique calling. In The Great Work of Your Life, Stephen Cope walks you through each step of the journey.

Hi there, I’m Hank. Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow I do. Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!) I try hard - I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a popsicle? When Hank hears that his class is putting on a play, he’s the only one who’s not excited. That’s because every time he tries to read the script, his brain swirls, and it feels like his head is filled with soggy oatmeal! Can Hank get his act together and get a part?

This book, designed for kids ages 6-10, features true, character-building stories for kids to enjoy alone or with their parents. Being a kid can be trying and confusing - a newfound exposure to the real world, confusion as to what's right and wrong, learning about friendships and making important choices for the first time. Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul 2 is a special book designed just for kids on the verge of becoming preteens.

It’s the new normal at the Garber household in Connecticut: Glen, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to increase her chances of landing a good-paying job. But she should have been home by now. Waiting for Sheila’s return, with their eight-year-old daughter sleeping soundly, Glen soon finds his worst fears confirmed: Sheila and two others have been killed in a car accident. Adding to the tragedy, the police claim Sheila was responsible. Glen knows it’s impossible.

Some time has passed since the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have had a mission together. But with the arrival of a new Society member - and a new threat - they must reunite to face dilemmas more dangerous than ever before, including the villainous Mr. Curtain and a telepathic enemy tracking their every move, not to mention a dramatically preteen Constance. In its triumphant return, the Society encounters all new challenges, but the series' trademark sly humor, sweet camaraderie, hairsbreadth escapes, and mind-bending puzzles are all as engaging as ever.

Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the entire Western philosophical tradition, and Godfather to the Stoics. He spent his life teaching practical philosophy to ordinary people in the streets of Athens, yet few people today are familiar with the wisdom he has to offer us.

Combining the magic of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series and the charm and humor of Carl Hiaasen, Dragon on Trial is perfect for young listeners who love myths, fairy tales, and fantastic creatures. Someone or something has murdered the goose who laid the golden eggs, and the evidence points to a dragon named Scratch. Zoe and Logan are back on the case - but this mystery won't be that easy to solve....

When Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt an orphan who can help manage their family farm, they have no idea what delightful trouble awaits them. With flame-red hair and an unstoppable imagination, eleven-year-old Anne Shirley takes Green Gables by storm. Anne’s misadventures bring a little romance to the lives of everyone she meets: her bosom friend, Diana Barry; the town gossip, Mrs. Lynde; and that infuriating tease, Gilbert Blythe. From triumphs and thrills to the depths of despair, Anne turns each everyday moment into something extraordinary.

When Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, he thinks that maybe it’s going to be a bad day. When he trips on the skateboard by his bed and drops his sweater in the sink, he knows it’s going to be even worse than he thought. His brothers find fabulous prizes in their cereal boxes; he finds cereal. His best friends get fancy desserts in their lunch boxes; Mom forgets dessert. From being scrunched in the car on the way to school all the way to lima beans for supper and kissing on TV (yuck!), the day just keeps getting worse. It’s enough to make him want to move to Australia.

Louis is a Trumpeter Swan, but he has no voice. Leaving his wild and beautiful home, he finds a young human friend, Sam Beaver, who helps him learn to read and write. When he returns to the lake, Louis discovers his education isn't enough: the beautiful swan he loves, Serena, can't read his declarations of love, and he can't trumpet them. Louis' resolution to win the swan of his desire launches him on an adventure that will take him far from home and lead where fate and love have a few surprises in store.

When a novel like Huckleberry Finn or The Yearling comes along, it defies customary adjectives because of the intensity of the response it evokes in the reader. Such a tale is Old Yeller; to listen to this eloquently simply story of a boy and his dog in the Texas hill country is an unforgettable and deeply moving experience.

Welcome to Butterbean’s Café! In Nickelodeon’s new animated series, Butterbean and the rest of her fairy friends run a bakery, make delicious treats, and have magical adventures.

Aija Mayrock, a 19-year-old girl, offers a fresh perspective on bullying. In The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen, Aija offers support, guidance, and direction to her listeners. Aija was bullied in middle school and part of high school. She shares the different approaches and strategies that helped her survive and thrive. Aija writes about how to handle bullying and cyber bullying, dealing with fear, personal safety, and ultimately creating the life that you dream of having.

Spending the summer with his grandparents in the Pennsylvania countryside is pure joy for young Jamie. There, he fills his days with looking up at the sky, watching the clouds make dragons and knights. There, it doesn't matter that he can't read. The special school he attends is far away. But one afternoon, when Jamie sees a man parachute down through the sky, the boy's fantasy world of clouds is shattered. The man is very real - and very dangerous. How can he convince his grandparents that the man is not part of his imagination?

Noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau spent two years, two months, and two days chronicling his near-isolation in the small cabin he built in the woods near Walden Pond on land owned by his mentor, the father of Transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Immersing himself in nature and solitude, Thoreau sought to develop a greater understanding of society amidst a life of self-reliance and simplicity. Originally published in 1854, Walden remains one of the most celebrated works in American literature.

From the phenomenal number-one best seller David Walliams comes another collection of more hilariously horrible children! Just when you thought it was safe to go back to your bookshelf, 10 more horrendously hilarious stories about the absolute worst children ever! From 10-year-old Hank and his endless pranks on his poor, long-suffering family to Tandy and her titanic tantrums, this brand-new collection is the perfect companion to World's Worst Children books 1 and 2 and an ideal gift for the worst children in your life!

Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the 20th century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular biology and the subsequent discovery of the structure of DNA. It appears here together with "Mind and Matter", his essay investigating a relationship which has eluded and puzzled philosophers since the earliest times.

Anatole et sa classe partent en journée découverte dans un collège. C'est une catastrophe pour l'enquêteur qui redoute en secret d'entrer en 6e Mais quand les CM2 découvrent que quelqu'un s'amuse à faire des farces au collège depuis des semaines, Anatole reprend du service et mène l'enquête pour identifier le farceur.

In this powerful middle-grade novel from the acclaimed author of Things You Can't Say, a young girl navigates the social growing pains of middle school and struggles to find her place while her older brother fights to overcome opioid addiction. When Emma starts sixth grade, things finally begin to change. She may still be in the shadow of her older brother, Austin, the popular high school quarterback, but she's made artsy new friends who get her way more than her bookish best friend, Becca. But things are changing for Austin, too.

Lacey Chu has always dreamed of working as an engineer for MONCHA, the biggest tech firm in the world and the company behind the "baku" - a customizable "pet" with all the capabilities of a smartphone. But when Lacey is rejected by the elite academy that promises that future, she's crushed. One night, Lacey comes across the broken form of a highly advanced baku. After she repairs it, the cat-shaped baku she calls Jinx opens its eyes and somehow gets her into her dream school. But Jinx is different than any other baku she's ever seen.... He seems real.