Twelve-year-old Kallie despises nonsense. She believes there's a rational explanation for everything, despite the good-natured prodding of her Grandpa Jess, who takes her to frivolous wastes of time like their town's local Festival of Fools. There, Kallie meets a faceless man (must be some kind of mask) who gives her an odd wooden puzzle box (must be some kind of gimmick). Intrigued, Kallie sets to work on unlocking its secrets and lets something out. From here Kallie's life begins to entangle with another world, a world where Liah, a young bone carver, journeys with her master to sell wares to a wicked Queen. The sights, sounds, and spells of Liah's world are beginning to leak into Kallie's, and if Kallie can't decipher the meaning of her own story, "the end" might be far from happy.

Culture gives humans a sense of identity. This title examines how cultures around the world mix and change in response to migration and settlement. This fascinating book examines: cultural superiority - suppressing or abusing the culture of an indigenous people; coercion or conversion - forcing another culture to adopt beliefs or a way of life, or when it willingly "converts;" integration - adopting the beliefs and ways of a new homeland; protection - the belief that culture must be "protected" and "preserved; fusion - the successful mixing of different cultures. Examples from history include: the slave trade and the impact of African culture on North America and then the world; the forcing of Native Americans to adopt European culture; the British Empire and India and the cultural interchange between the two countries; the mixing and spreading of different cuisines, music, art and design styles; the growth of multi-cultural cities.

The day Hadley discovers the lone glass eye in the empty attic of her new house is the day her life changes forever. As she settles into her new beautiful but creepy house with her new stepfather (who's just a little dull) and her new stepbrother (who's just a little annoying), she soon discovers that things aren't as they seem. For one thing, the old woman renting the room above the garage has a strange obsession with baking and making life-like dolls of her neighbours. Soon she discovers a doll house - an exact replica of her new house - that both fascinates her and gives her the creeps. Holding the glass eye one night, she makes a wish that changes everything she knows to be true.

From insects to elephants, every living thing on this planet is made up of cells, the tiny building blocks of plant and animal life. Each cell is alive-and each has work to do! What do cells look like? How do millions and billions of cells work together to form one plant, one animal, or one human being? Guided by colorful photos, diagrams, and text, you can take a closer look at the amazing world of cell science-and see what's next.

Cooperation means working together to achieve a common goal. Sports teams cooperate. Scientists cooperate. Entire countries cooperate to make the world a better place. As you read this graphic nonfiction book, you'll be given opportunities to think about how you might cooperate with others to achieve important things. You'll also take a closer look at the lives of a few people who, by cooperating with others, have made some amazing things happen!