Marina Cohen

Twelve-year-old Arlo is afraid of fire, creepy TV shows, and even his own shadow--but most of all, he's afraid of losing his mother to the disease that nearly claimed her life a year ago. During a Thanksgiving road trip, a sudden collision with a strange beast in the middle of the road totals the family's car, and Arlo, his mom, and his sister end up stranded in a small town. There's something off about Livermore. No one has a phone or a car, and the townspeople aren't exactly friendly. Without phone service to make a call for help, the family stays at the Samuels' mansion, but inexplicable sightings at night set Arlo on edge. When he stumbles upon a dark secret that the town's inhabitants will kill to keep, getting out of Livermore becomes a matter of life or death.

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.

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.

Eleven-year-old Quinn has had some bad experiences lately. She was caught cheating in school, and then one day, her little sister, Emma, disappeared while walking home from school. She never returned. When Quinn's best friend, Kara, has to move away, she goes on one last trip with Kara and her family. They stop over at the first hotel they see, a Victorian inn that instantly gives Quinn the creeps, and she begins to notice strange things happening around them. When Kara's parents and then brother disappear without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lurking beneath the floorboards. Will the girls be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Kara's family before it's too late?

What could live in the hostile environment of the desert? Peel back the corners of this dry, dusty place to discover the incredible organisms that survive in this ecosystem, from scorpions and cacti to musk oxen and seals.

Teased by her older brother, bullied by the popular girls at school, and plagued by a blistering pimple that has surfaced on the tip of her nose, twelve-year-old Claire Murphy wishes she could shrivel up and die or spontaneously combust. But when a mysterious book appears at her feet in the checkout aisle of a grocery store, Claire is confident all her troubles are over. Following the instructions carefully, Claire dives nose-first into reeking remedies, rollicking rituals, and silly spells. It's only when she recklessly disregards the Law of Three that the line between good and evil blurs and Claire must race against time to undo all of the trouble she's caused.

Presented in a graphic novel style, these exciting books offer inspiring stories of real people whose actions have demonstrated great character and strong values. Each book features one particular character trait through key moments in the lives of up to six different people throughout history. Sidebars provide key background information on the person. Co-operation means working together to achieve a common goal. Sports teams co-operate. Scientists co-operate. 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 co-operate with others to achieve important things. You'll also take a closer look at the lives of a few people who, by co-operating with others, have made some amazing things happen.

Taking information out of one living thing and putting it into another is what genetic engineering is all about. How do scientists do it? Why do they do it? What are the results of their experiments with these amazing genetic materials? Through colorful photos, diagrams, and stories, you can understand the basics of genetic engineering. You can even see what the future of this science holds, from Enviropigs to designer pets!

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.