"Some alien invasions are loud and bloody-- some are quiet and friendly. The blue-skinned girl named Carabella thinks she's escaping the oppression of her own world, but instead, she's exposing the earth to an invasion so soft and friendly that everyone welcomes it-- until Carabella herself sees what's happening and tries to make someone, anyone see that our websites, our cell phones, and even our shoes (yes, shoes) are being used to steal first the privacy and then the freedow of everyone on earth" -- p. [4] of cover.

Thirty years ago, The Beaver Papers chronicled the efforts of the world's literary community to save the iconic sitcom Leave It to Beaver from cancellation. Along with a behind-the scenes look at what went on at the studio during that enchanted summer, the book contained such scripts as Tennessee Williams's Beaver on a Hot Tin Roof, Yukio Mishima's The Sound of Beaver, Jack Webb's Red Beaver, and Ernest Hemingway's A Clean, Well-Lighted Beaver, as well as such classic homages as Herman Hesse'sBeaverwolf and Dostoevsky's The Brothers Cleaver...twenty-five scripts that destroyed once and for all the shadowy border between high art and popular culture. Now, for this 30th Anniversary Edition, we present the entire original edition, along with a new introduction from the authors, a foreword by Lionel Endenberry (The Max Kleinman Reader), and a sneak preview of two scriptsfrom the long-awaited sequel, The Beaver Papers 2, coming soon from Atomic Drop Press.

Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokemon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied pipers who practice mass hypnosis on our youth. Indeed, argues the author of this lively and persuasive paean to the power of popular culture, even trashy or violent entertainment gives children something they need, something that can help both boys and girls develop in a healthy way. Drawing on a wealth of true stories, many gleaned from the fascinating workshops he conducts, and basing his claims on extensive research, including interviews with psychologists and educators, Gerard Jones explains why validating our children's fantasies teaches them to trust their own emotions and build stronger selves.