Nothing is going right for Sammy. His kindergarten teacher told him he could do a better job on his picture. His best friend didn't want to come over and play. And his mother punished him for forgetting to take out the trash. Sammy feels that his life is just awful, until Dad helps him find new ways of looking at his problems.

In her third children's book after bestsellers Why Do You Love Me? and But I Waaannt It , acclaimed author and radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger has written another important story featuring the lovable family from her first two books. Growing Up Is Hard shows a caring parent teaching his child to cope with the challenges of growing up.

Billy gets free school lunches, but what he really wants is packed lunches like Decklan, with surprise notes from his Mum. Soon the other kids get surprise notes too. Billy's Mum gives in and lets him have packed lunch, but she doesn't write notes. Billy starts to write his own.

"I need a servant who doesn't talk."

Thus speaks Abelard, outspoken and passionate church scholar. So Spider, mute and small, is saved from mutilation and poverty to keep watch as Abelard and his beautiful and gifted pupil Eloise commence one of the greatest love stories of all time. With a quick wit and a talent for listening well, Spider gradually learns to read and write from his famous teachers, and in the end, finds his own unique voice, as well as his place in history as witness to a great love. Set against the backdrop of often frighteningly barbaric, always colorful medieval France, Spider's story is one you'll never forget.

"Somewhere in the distance, behind him, Marc heard a hound baying. He hesitated, breathing hard, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, straining to hear better. The hound bayed again, a lonely, fearsome sound."

Marc Solie is on the run. He has been for what seems like forever, though it's been less than two years since his little sister died and his family fell apart, since he started running from his pain and despair and pure, desperate loneliness.

This time it's different. Marc's not just running from himself this time; he's running from the cops. Marc's done something bad. He's not sure how bad -- maybe as bad as murder.

Marc's only chance is to get to his father. His father will know what to do, how to get him out of this mess. But Marc hasn't seen or talked to his father for months, and he's not really sure where he is. So Marc keeps running -- following Interstate 5 north from northern California to Washington, hoping to find him.

With only a runt dog named Rat for companionship, Marc has time to reflect on the last two years and come to grips with how his life has changed. For the first time, Marc begins to see how he's responsible for his own actions, and despite any wrongdoings to him, ultimately he's accountable for his life. As Marc sees this truth, he's finally able to stop running and face up to what he's done.

Blood on His Hands is a gripping, taut novel about one boy's journey to manhood.

While pretending to be superhero American Eagle and his trusty sidekick Bug Lady, a young boy and girl soon get into trouble with his mom. Can American Eagle become a true superhero and look an angry parent in the eye and admit what he has done? Full color.

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BUTTERFLY...She was a lonely orphan until a wealthy couple gave her a home -- and a chance to be a world-class ballerina. But her newfound happiness was as fragile as a spider's web.

CRYSTAL...Bright and gifted with a flair for science, she found loving new parents, and a boyfriend in her new school. But a shocking tragedy could shatter her perfect world.

BROOKE...Whisked away from the orphanage into a glamorous life, she was surrounded by every privilege a girl could want. But all she really wanted was to be loved -- just as she is.

RAVEN...She put her painful past behind her when she was taken in by her aunt and uncle. But the torment she was about to endure was far worse than anything she had experienced before.

In the hotly-awaited sequel to the hysterical Swim The Fly, Coop finds himself partnered with social outcast 'Hot Dog' Helen for a class project on safe sex.

Desperate to find a way of saving his rep, Coop decides that winning the school Battle of the Bands contest is the perfect solution.

Surely the small fact that neither he nor his best friends, Sean and Matt, can actually play an instrument won't stop them achieving rock-and-roll awesomeness...

New York's favorite musical teens--Galleria, Chanel, Aqua, and Dorinda--return for a cheetah-spotted sequel that finds the feisty foursome in some diva-licious adventures. "The Cheetah Girls 2" is scheduled to air in August on the Disney Channel. 8-page photo insert.

Winter Break super-secret perfect cocoa recipe:

8 oz steamed whole milk
(no skim! doesn't work!)

2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder (big scoops)

1 tbsp. sugar (can't be too sweet)

4 dried, crushed mint leaves
(or 1 tbsp. mint syrup)

Stir thoroughly. Add mint swizzle stick. Combine with cute ski instructor, or brother's cute best friend, or cute guy you never noticed was so cute...Enjoy.