Even the most well-known people have struggled to succeed! Find out what they learned and how they turned their failures into triumphs with this engaging and youthful guide on how to succeed long term. There is a lot of pressure in today's society to succeed, but failing is a part of learning how to be a successful person. In his teaching career, Luke Reynolds saw the stress and anxiety his students suffered over grades, fitting in, and getting things right the first time. Fantastic Failures helps students learn that their mistakes and failures do not define their whole lives, but help them grow into their potential. Kids will love learning about some of the well-known people who failed before succeeding and will come to understand that failure is a large component of success. With stories from people like J. K. Rowling, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Vincent Van Gogh, Julia Child, Steven Spielberg, and Betsy Johnson, each profile proves that the greatest mistakes and flops can turn into something amazing. Intermixed throughout the fun profiles, Reynolds spotlights great inventors and scientists who discovered and created some of the most important medicines, devices, and concepts of all time, including lifesaving vaccines and medicines that were stumbled upon by mistake.

Gabby Gomez knows she needs to come clean with her family about her secret identity. But just as she works up the courage, trouble pops up again as Ninja-Rina twirls onto the scene! Has Gum Girl finally met her match? Is Ninja-Rina tutu much to handle?

Buckle up for more flavored-packed action as Gum Girl takes on someone a little more her size. It's another exciting adventure with the ever-elastic, super-stretchy superhero, Gum Girl!

If you're a girl, you should strive to look like the model on the cover of a magazine. If you're a boy, you should play sports "and" be good at them. If you're smart, you should immediately go to college after high school, and get a job that makes you rich. Above all, be normal.Right?"Wrong," say 35 leading middle grade and young adult authors. Growing up is challenging enough; it doesn't have to be complicated by convoluted, outdated, or even cruel rules, both spoken and unspoken. Parents, peers, teachers, the media, and the rest of society sometimes have impossible expectations of teenagers. These restrictions can limit creativity, break spirits, and demand that teens sacrifice personality for popularity.In these personal, funny, moving, and poignant essays, Kathryn Erskine ("Mockingbird"), Matthew Quick ("The Silver Linings Playbook"), Gary D. Schmidt ("The Wednesday Wars"), Sara Zarr ("Story of a Girl"), and many others share anecdotes and lessons learned from their own lives in order to show you that some rules just beg to be broken.

Gabby Gomez's love of bubble gum has resulted in her becoming Gum Girl With her new powers Gabby can save the day, but keeping her gummy alter-ego a secret is another matter altogether. Will she tell her parents who she is at the expense of admitting she disobeyed her mother's strict orders? Or will a new adversary make coming clean impossible? Stay tuned

The fifth installment of the Gumazing Gum Girl series where Gabby Gomez has to fight an overgrown hamster and reunites with old friends -- perfect for Princess in Black fans. Back from Spring Break and the trip of a lifetime, where Gabby met her uncle Sol Azteca, a famous luchador, and learned about her roots -- Gabby has a new friend by her side...former bully Natalie Gooch. With their friendship blossoming, Gabby is eager to fight for justice and protect her town. But when a former substitute teacher returns to Fillmore Elementary acting a little bit nutty, Gabby learns that danger might be closer than it seems. Will a Gum Girl team finally assemble? Or will Gabby Gomez finally be stretched to her limits? With Spanish words used throughout the story, readers continue to have opportunities to be fully immersed in Gabby's world -- through text, art, and speech. This fully illustrated chapter book series is for the superhero fans inside all of us.

Between 1815 and the Duke of Wellington's death in 1852, the Battle of Waterloo became much more than simply a military victory. While other countries marked the battle and its anniversary, only Britain actively incorporated the victory into their national identity, guaranteeing that it would become a ubiquitous and multi-layered presence in British culture. By examining various forms of commemoration, celebration, and recreation, Who Owned Waterloo? demonstrates that Waterloo's significance to Britain's national psyche resulted in a different kind of war altogether: one in which civilian and military groups fought over and established their own claims on different aspects of the battle and its remembrance. By weaponizing everything from memoirs, monuments, rituals, and relics to hippodramas, panoramas, and even shades of blue, veterans pushed back against civilian claims of ownership; English, Scottish, and Irish interests staked their claims; and conservatives and radicals duelled over the direction of the country. Even as ownership was contested among certain groups, large portions of the British population purchased souvenirs, flocked to spectacles and exhibitions, visited the battlefield itself, and engaged in a startling variety of forms of performative patriotism, guaranteeing not only the further nationalization of Waterloo, but its permanent place in nineteenth century British popular and consumer culture.

Between 1815 and the Duke of Wellington's death in 1852, the Battle of Waterloo became much more than simply a military victory. While other countries marked the battle and its anniversary, only Britain actively incorporated the victory into their national identity, guaranteeing that it would become a ubiquitous and multi-layered presence in British culture. By examining various forms of commemoration, celebration, and recreation, Who Owned Waterloo? demonstrates that Waterloo's significance to Britain's national psyche resulted in a different kind of war altogether: one in which civilian and military groups fought over and established their own claims on different aspects of the battle and its remembrance. By weaponizing everything from memoirs, monuments, rituals, and relics to hippodramas, panoramas, and even shades of blue, veterans pushed back against civilian claims of ownership; English, Scottish, and Irish interests staked their claims; and conservatives and radicals duelled over the direction of the country. Even as ownership was contested among certain groups, large portions of the British population purchased souvenirs, flocked to spectacles and exhibitions, visited the battlefield itself, and engaged in a startling variety of forms of performative patriotism, guaranteeing not only the further nationalization of Waterloo, but its permanent place in nineteenth century British popular and consumer culture.

"An eclectic and often riveting collection of essays. Some of the most celebrated contemporary writers eloquently explore the idea of risk taking, risk that shakes us out of apathy and ignites both deeply personal change and broader social transformation." -Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns "Dedicated to the People of Darfur gathers an array of voices on the subject of risk: whether it's the smaller daily risks of creativity and love or the terrors of facing wartime violence. The book moves nimbly from hilarious to somber and back again, in a richly varied and thoughtful exploration of the human condition." -Michelle Wildgen, author of But Not For Long and You're Not You "Formidable, inspiring, beautiful." -Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao In Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk, and Hope, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, a gallery of O. Henry award recipients, and many best-selling authors come together to share personal and compelling stories that celebrate the glories gained from taking risks, breaking down barriers, and overcoming obstacles. Not too long ago, as struggling graduate students, Luke and Jennifer Reynolds conceived this uniquely themed volume as a way to raise funds to support ending the genocide in Darfur. Some people carry signs, others make speeches, many take action. What is most enlightening about this book is that it extends beyond words and ideas, into a tangible effort to effect change. To this end, all royalties from the sales of Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk, and Hope will benefit The Save Darfur Coalition, an organization that seeks to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Luke and Jennifer Reynolds are both passionate about human rights causes and literature. Currently they live in Marlborough, Massachusetts, with their son, Tyler. Luke is a teacher and writer and Jennifer is a freelance writer and full-time mother.