Al Dente's invention of a portable pasta machine turns him into a super hero and helps to save the family fresh pasta business.

From the author who brought you Fly Guy comes an easy-to-read graphic novel about two very funny brothers—“great fun for newly independent readers and graphic novel newbies” (School Library Journal) Mac and Mac, who love pie and hate making their beds, are hollow-headed. "See in here? Nothing! Zippo! Nada!" Mac explains. That’s why they're so easy to fool—and their clever friend Meatball isn't afraid to take advantage of that fact. Illustrated by Tedd Arnold, whose Fly Guy series is a kid favorite, this graphic novel is perfect for comic fans and reluctant readers, with short, funny chapters following Mac and Mac through ridiculous adventures. Full of wordplay, jokes, and slapstick humor, the Noodlehead series is sure to delight. Based on traditional world folktales and stories of fools, the Noodleheads also encourage critical thinking, inviting kids to use their noodles—spotting the holes in the brothers' grand plans, and anticipating how things will go awry. Source notes from professional storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss provide more information about the traditional stories that inspired Mac and Mac's mishaps, showing how these comic motifs feature in folklore and legends all around the world and offering opportunities for further reading. This easy-to-read series, including the Geisel Honor book Noodleheads See the Future, is an accessible introduction to stories of fools, and a great next read for fans of the Fly Guy books.

From Ma Jian, the highly acclaimed Chinese dissident, comes a satirical novel about the absurdities of life in a post-Tiananmen China. Two men meet for dinner each week. Over the course of one of these drunken evenings, the writer recounts the stories he would write, had he the courage: a young man buys an old kiln and opens a private crematorium, delighting in his ability to harass the corpses of police officers and Party secretaries, while swooning to banned Western music; a heartbroken actress performs a public suicide by stepping into the jaws of a wild tiger, watched nonchalantly by her ex-lover. Extraordinary characters inspire him, their lives pulled and pummeled by fate and politics, as if they are balls of dough in the hands of an all-powerful noodle maker. Ma Jian's satirical masterpiece allows us a humorous, yet profound, glimpse of those struggling to survive under a system that dictates their every move.

Culture.

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! . . .How much chicken can one human eat? Oscar Noodleman is about to find out!Oscar owes his weird inventor cousin $49,462.37--plus tax. His cousin needs the money to avoid a horrible fate. The only way out is for Oscar to win the Bagful o' Cash prize in a coast-to-coast chicken-eating contest.Trekking across America in his cousin's amazing Picklemobile, Oscar stuffs down more than two hundred chicken meals. But an evil seer with a huge appetite, a grudge against Oscar's cousin, and a taste for fowl play is hot on the drumstick trail herself.Will Oscar sprout feathers? Will the ChickenSniffer, the RemDem and his cousin's other crazy inventions save the day? Feast on this tale and cackle at the fine-feathered fun!

Learn assessment strategies that provide you with a real representation of student progress – without the need for excessive testing. In Test Less, Assess More: A K-8 Guide to Formative Assessment, authors Leighangela Brady and Lisa McColl show you how to turn daily classroom lessons and activities into valuable opportunities for assessment, eliminating redundant tests as you increase the effectiveness of your overall assessment schedule. Brady and McColl explain ways to apply meaningful assessment methods in line with current curriculum standards. Teachers will be able to clearly define learning goals for students as they plan their assignments. Test Less, Assess More is for teachers and administrators who want to shift their focus away from by-the-books tests that do not accurately measure learning levels. This book will help you begin to take steps toward meaningful, activity-integrated assessments.