When Teddy Anderson's little sister Tina is gunned down randomly in a drive-by shooting, the gangstas who rule the streets in the Anderson family's rapidly deteriorating neighborhood dismiss the incident as just another case of RP, RT-wrong place, wrong time. According to gangsta logic, Tina doesn't even count as a statistic.
Teddy's family is devastated. Mrs. Anderson sinks into deep depression while Pops struggles to run both the household and his declining laundry business. The Andersons are shocked still further when Teddy is arrested and thrown in prison for attempted homicide after his elaborately laid plans for revenge against his sister's killer are foiled by the cops.
Teddy soon finds himself out of prison on house arrest, and in the capable hands of Officer Mariana Diaz, the smart, tough probation officer assigned to oversee his endless hours of community service. As part of the innovative rehabilitation program Diaz runs, Teddy is assigned to tutor Micah, a twelve-year-old orphan and would-be gansta.
As Teddy goes through the motions of complying with the terms of his probation, Diaz has no idea that he is using his genius-level computer hacker skills to plot his final vengeance and to defraud the state education system of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But even though Teddy thinks he knows it all, he fails to see how Micah's desperate need for love and trust just might have the power not only to pierce all Teddy's defenses, but to save his family.

From the book: "Once Upon a Time there was a little girl that PEEE-YEWWW had very stinky feet. Her name was Cinder-Smella and though she was very pretty and very nice, her family was very mean to her. Especially her evil stepmother and two wicked stepsisters, Rosalyn and Faye. They were jealous of her beauty. They teased her non-stop, forced her to do all the house-work, and NEVER let her wear socks. All of this made Cinder-Smella very unhappy. And then one day . . ." See why author Rodman Philbrick (Freak the Mighty) calls Cinder-Smella "Pure magic " and says that "Sitomer and Bair are the Penn & Teller of a witty, laugh-out-loud, gorgeously illustrated tale that will appeal to adults as well children." Emma Glover, California Teacher of the Year (2006) relates her experience of the book: "My first thought in looking at Cinder-Smella was "Oh No Not another Cinderella. . ." From the beginning of the book I quickly realized that Cinder-Smella was no ordinary, hum-drum version of an old classic. Alan Sitomer's version kept me smiling and laughing to the very end. A book destined to keep children giggling and adults, at the very least, smiling. Truly a book to share, read together and enjoy." Learn more about Cinder-Smella and download bonus materials at www.Cinder-Smella.com

Sonia Rodriguez was born in the United States, but her parents are Mexican immigrants who came to California before she was born. Her father has three Social Security numbers, her mother is pregnant (again), and neither of them speaks English. Sonia's mother spends most of her time in bed, watching soap operas, and letting Sonia clean up after her brothers. Sonia's father works dutifully to support his family, but he knows that his daughter's dreams are bigger than making tamales for family get-togethers. When Sonia attempts to put school work before her familia, her mother decides that it's time for Sonia to visit her grandmother in Mexico to learn "the ways of the old world." While in Mexico, Sonia gets to know her wise grandmother and her cousin Maria, who teach her that while familia is important, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sonia returns to the States determined to succeed in school, but the birth of her new twin siblings, inappropriate advances from her drunk uncle (Drunkle), and a forbidden relationship with an El Salvadorian boy push school to the back burner. If only Sonia can find the time to cook dinner, secretly meet with her boyfriend, avoid her Drunkle, AND finish her homework, she just might be able to graduate from high school. . . .

McCutcheon Daniels'life is full of bone-cracking violence. As a star fighter in the grittyunderground Mixed Martial Arts circuit in the poorest section of Detroit, McCutcheon fights under the tutelage of his volatile and violent father, not somuch for himself but to survive as protector of his beloved five-year oldsister, Gemma. We get to know McCutcheon as he battles opponents who are literallytrying to kill him and he struggles to find a way to protect her and himself.Along the way, he decides to trust a teacher who has taken an interest in himand discovers the truth about his mother who seemingly disappeared on histhirteenth birthday. A ferocious novel, CagedWarrior" is like a great fight movie, a tour-de-force of relentlessconflict, but one that is leavened with rich characters and meaningful andloving relationships.