Three episodes in the developing friendship of Vic Bear and Arlo Gopher demonstrate how they are good neighbors.

Ages 4-8. Andy is hoping for a toy rocket ship for his birthday. When Grandma sends a teddy bear instead, he is unhappy and disappointed. But a nightmare adventure turns Andy and the teddy bear, Arthur into fast friends. First published in 1978, Ginnie Hofmann's story of 'Who Wants an Old Teddy Bear?' lead to four more books, all of them starring Andy and Arthur in their further adventures Now back in print, and collected together for the first time, this charming quintet of stories, told in simple language and accompanied by Ms Hofmann's appealing artwork, is sure to delight a new generation of young readers.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Not a Happy Family “The twists come as fast [as] you can turn the pages.” —People “I read this novel at one sitting, absolutely riveted by the storyline. The suspense was beautifully rendered and unrelenting!” —Sue Grafton It all started at a dinner party. . . A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . . Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night, when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately lands on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years. What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over. "A summer romance with depth." —The Boston Sunday Globe "Fitzpatrick's excellent first novel movingly captures the intensity of first love." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "An almost perfect summer romance." —Kirkus Reviews "On par with authors such as Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti." —SLJ

Those who've heard T. R. Reid's weekly commentary on National Public Radio or read his far-flung reporting in National Geographic or The Washington Post know him to be trenchant, funny, and cutting-edge, but also erudite and deeply grounded in whatever subject he's discussing. In Confucius Lives Next Door he brings all these attributes to the fore as he examines why Japan, China, Taiwan, and other East Asian countries enjoy the low crime rates, stable families, excellent education, and civil harmony that remain so elusive in the West. Reid, who has spent twenty-five years studying Asia and was for five years The Washington Post's Tokyo bureau chief, uses his family's experience overseas--including mishaps and misapprehensions--to look at Asia's "social miracle" and its origin in the ethical values outlined by the Chinese sage Confucius 2,500 years ago. When Reid, his wife, and their three children moved from America to Japan, the family quickly became accustomed to the surface differences between the two countries. In Japan, streets don't have names, pizza comes with seaweed sprinkled on top, and businesswomen in designer suits and Ferragamo shoes go home to small concrete houses whose washing machines are outdoors because there's no room inside. But over time Reid came to appreciate the deep cultural differences, helped largely by his courtly white-haired neighbor Mr. Matsuda, who personified ancient Confucian values that are still dominant in Japan. Respect, responsibility, hard work--these and other principles are evident in Reid's witty, perfectly captured portraits, from that of the school his young daughters attend, in which the students maintain order and scrub the floors, to his depiction of the corporate ceremony that welcomes new employees and reinforces group unity. And Reid also examines the drawbacks of living in such a society, such as the ostracism of those who don't fit in and the acceptance of routine political bribery. Much Western ink has been spilled trying to figure out the East, but few journalists approach the subject with T. R. Reid's familiarity and insight. Not until we understand the differences between Eastern and Western perceptions of what constitutes success and personal happiness will we be able to engage successfully, politically and economically, with those whose moral center is governed by Confucian doctrine. Fascinating and immensely readable, Confucius Lives Next Door prods us to think about what lessons we might profitably take from the "Asian Way"--and what parts of it we want to avoid.

Back in print! Norman Bridwell's funny and charming story about appreciating individual differences. Someone new has moved into the neighborhood--and she's a witch! Her two young neighbors delight in how she does everything a bit differently from them. She paints her house black, walks her pet dragon around the block, and uses magic to do her shopping and send soup over to people that are sick. However, some of the older townspeople people are not happy about their new neighbor. What kind of magical surprise does the witch have in store for them?

A simple act of kindness brings two unlikely friends together in this profound picture book about the transformative power of friendship. A bear sits in his quiet, colorless home in a forgotten place. He feels invisible; no one comes to see him, and he spends his days alone. Then someone moves in next door. Madame Odette is sound and sunshine, and at first, the bear isn't sure about this colorful new neighbor. But through an act of kindness, the bear and the Madame Odette meet, and as time goes by, they become friends. And in the end, they are both forever changed by the gifts they bring each other. The first book from author-illustrator Cécile Metzger, The Invisible Bear is a powerful and beautiful meditation on the beauty of friendship and how two people can save each other just by being themselves.

I, Tillie Jean Rock, am not in love with my brother's teammate. Sure, he might have those biceps and that "I am the grouchiest of grouchy bears" smolder, and he might shovel snow off his driveway next door wearing nothing but boxer shorts and rubber boots, and he might be running a side business feeding all the stray goats in town, but studliness is only skin-deep. And I might flirt with him every chance I get, but I swear it's only to annoy my brother. And him. Because Max Cole? Under all of those glorious muscles and chiseled cheekbones and searing glares beats the heart of a heartless devil. I could no sooner fall in love with a guy who treats me like a kid, and judges me at every opportunity, and sets an army of garden gnomes loose on my yard, than I could fall in love with my grandfather's pet parrot. But I can definitely annoy him. I can one hundred percent get on board with annoying him. That's what you do when you don't like your neighbor, right? But you know what they say about love and hate... It's a very thin line. Especially when the real reason I'm not in love with Max Cole-that he's incapable of love-might not be true at all. The Grumpy Player Next door is a fun-filled enemies-to-lovers romcom featuring a ray of sunshine on a mission, an athlete who's only grouchy around her, and an epic prank gone wrong. It stands alone and comes complete with small-town shenanigans, a goat who's not nearly as wise as his name suggests, and proof that sometimes, love is the best kind of vengeance.

A PERFECT FAMILY Mick and Amy Nash are an ordinary couple leading ordinary lives. And then, into the house next door move the Renders - beautiful, charming, perfect . . . and not at all what they pretend to be. AN EVIL SECRET Too late Mick learns that something is deeply, darkly wrong with the neighbours. Who are these people? Where did they come from? And what are they hiding in the basement? A SHOCKING TWIST ENDING As death and darkness descend on the neighbourhood, only Mick can save his family and expose the horrifying truth about the people next door - a secret already hailed as the most electrifying twist ending in years.

Children who are up to these Readers are often able to read simple fictional works, for instance Choose Your Own Adventure stories and the like. This is a great thrill for them.At advanced levels, Readers occasionally teach up to three new sounds. This speeds up learning without overburdening the now competent reader.Due to the systematic structure of the program, even more complex sentences are soon no problem.Notice how the special (i.e. sight) words work together with the spelling patterns learned. Together they help form a base from which children can 'decode' huge numbers of words - even ones they have never seen before.