On an ordinary day, in an even more ordinary town, it was Albert's birthday. When Grandma Z roars into town on her motorcycle, Albert is swept up in a very extraordinary adventure. Life may never be the same again! This glorious debut from Daniel Gray-Barnett is filled with wonder, imagination, and a wild, magical spirit that will thrill young and old.

Describes all the things a grandmother can be, from an artist to a zoologist

You only think you want this life . . . Alex Maxwell is planning her wedding to up-and coming music artist Birdie, ghostwriting video vixen Cleopatra Wright’s memoir, and she’s just been assigned the story of the year by her editor in chief at a major music industry magazine—an article about the glamorous lives of women married to platinum-selling hip-hop artists. Alex has been interviewing celebrities and hangers-on long enough to know all that glitters isn’t gold, so she’s determined to get the real scoop. Still, it’s not going to be easy to get past the wives’ gilded cages. . . Beth Saddlebrook, wife of aging rapper Z. They have three beautiful boys and a seemingly endless supply of cash. But Beth spends her days trying to keep Z off drugs and fielding calls from women hollering she’s just a “small-town white bitch” and claiming to be carrying Z’s baby. Only one person understands what she’s going through. . . Kipenzi Hill, multiplatinum-selling R&B artist and Beth’s best friend. Her relationship with rap star and record label president Jake is an open secret in the industry. She knows Jake loves her, but he’d rather break up than publicly acknowledge it. Now she has learned that the newest (and much younger) R&B sensation Bunny has been signed to Jake’s label. Josephine Bennett, wife to Jamaican singer and überproducer Ras Bennett. Josephine doesn’t just want to spend her husband’s money, she wants to contribute. Her fashion company is finally starting to get media attention when her husband admits to something she’s suspected all along—he’s fallen in love with another woman. Cleopatra Wright, every man’s dream girl, a video vixen with a story to tell and scores to settle. Cleo’s got that thing no one can put a finger on and no man (or woman) can resist. Some would call her evil or misguided or both, but Cleo always moves with a purpose and she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. . . Alex realizes she may have more in common with these women than she’d like. What if this is a glimpse of how her life will be if Birdie finally gets signed to a major label? Stuck between her loyalty to this newfound sisterhood and her obligation to write the truth, Alex is forced to rethink everything she knows about work, friendship, and love.

Belleville is a coming-of-age story based on the life of the authors own mother, Margaret, who grew up in southern Illinios. This book tells the tale of her and her extended familys colorful life during the struggle and the simple lifestyle of the Depression era and on into the distress and prosperity of the Second World War.

"Ten-year-old perpetual new kid Robyn has rules about starting a new school, but she learns some rules are worth breaking when she signs up her special needs dogs for agility training"--

But all the kids are wearing them! Any child who has ever craved something out of reach will relate to this warm, refreshingly realistic story. Features an audio read-along. "I have dreams about those shoes. Black high-tops. Two white stripes." All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But Jeremy’s grandma tells him they don’t have room for "want," just "need," and what Jeremy needs are new boots for winter. When Jeremy’s shoes fall apart at school, and the guidance counselor gives him a hand-me-down pair, the boy is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy comes to realize that the things he has -- warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend -- are worth more than the things he wants.

Chicago Public Library’s 2017 Best of the Best Books selection "A fine addition to book collections about families, food, counting, and joyous gatherings" — The Horn Book This sweet, rhyming counting book introduces young readers to numbers one through fifteen as Grandma’s family and friends fill her tiny house on Brown Street. Neighbors, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and grandkids crowd into the house and pile it high with treats for a family feast. But when the walls begin to bulge and nobody has space enough to eat, one clever grandchild knows exactly what to do.

Drawing inspiration from the women in the author's family, Grandma's Hands: Cherished Moments of Faith and Wisdom is Dr. Calvin Mackie's impassioned celebration of the enduring values of our elder generations, whose wisdom and experience bring a humbled perspective and clear direction to the challenges of our daily lives. The text of this book includes over 100 well-known proverbs, accompanied by the original thoughtful reflections of Dr. Mackie, with a direct application to twenty-first-century life. The pages are filled with glorious photographs of mothers and grandmothers in celebration of their unique cultural and maternal identity, surrounded with the love and affection of family. In each section, Dr. Mackie takes a familiar proverb and couples it with a passage from the Bible. The juxtaposition illustrates the biblical root of the common proverb alongside Dr. Mackie's own deeply personal observances of its truth, presented in relatable modern-day anecdotes from his life and his work.

At the age of nine, Scott Berne's childhood teetered on the edge of a precipice. His parents' nasty divorce and the painful custody battle that followed created an upheaval unlike anything he'd ever known. But when his mother's precarious mental health led the judge to give sole custody of Scott and his younger brother to his father, the unthinkable happened-Harriet Berne kidnapped her two boys. Extraordinary Circumstances shares the tumultuous true story of what became one of the first test cases of parental abduction in the United States under the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act. With remarkable candor and insight, Scott recalls the terror, fear, and despair he experienced as his mother moved him and his brother through five countries and thirteen residences in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities. The case attracted national and international media attention, culminating in Harriet's capture in 1981. For years to come, the ordeal continued for Scott as he dealt with emotional wounds far worse than any physical pain. Yet he refused to succumb to pity, and he became determined to share his story with those suffering a similar fate. With a unique mixture of childhood innocence and adult sensibility, Extraordinary Circumstances explores Scott's dramatic journey from victim to victor.

Walking in Two Worlds is a fascinating, authentic account of an individual’s encounters with the unexplained. Here is a collection of journal entries—spanning many years—that recount the author’s dreams, telepathic events, out-of-body experiences, visions, and spiritual encounters. Also depicted are occurrences of clairaudience, claircognizance, divination, precognition, psychometry, second sight, and many other mysteries of being alive. The author enhances her accounts with interpretations of the messages she believes these incidents contain. Her personal work is well supported by references to expert sources, photos, and excerpts from outside publications. Walking in Two Worlds is a standout for its authentic interest in connecting a community of psychics. “I quickly realized it wasn’t about me at all,” the author says. “It’s about shining a light into someone else’s darkness.”