A reformed doll snatcher recalls the final caper that made him decide to retire.

"The classic science fiction novel"--Cover.

On a mysterious alien planet, Trix, a Gene-Doll, escapes her kidnappers. She escapes into the wilderness with two freed hostages, one of whom has a secret. The group is hunted by a dangerous criminal and his armed henchmen who will stop at nothing to get them back. Unknown to the woman, her husband has joined the chase. It’s a race against time to get off the planet and evade capture. Who will succeed?

Premiering on Fox in 2009, Joss Whedon's Dollhouse was an innovative, contentious and short-lived science fiction series whose themes were challenging for viewers from the outset. A vast global corporation operates establishments (Dollhouses) that program individuals with temporary personalities and abilities. The protagonist assumes a different identity each episode--her defining characteristic a lack of individuality. Through this obtuse premise, the show interrogated free will, morality and sex, and in the process its own construction of fantasy and its audience. A decade on, the world is--for better or worse--catching up with Dollhouse's provocative vision. This collection of new essays examines the series' relevance in the context of today's social and political issues and media landscape.

An anthology of some of the best entries for the 2008 High Sheriff's Cheshire Prize for Literature, which was for a piece of writing suitable for 7-14 year-old readers. It includes stories by the winner of the Cheshire Prize, John Latham, and of the Young Readers' Prize, Sheila M. Blackburn, and poems by the two runners-up, Caroline Hawkridge and Stephen Wrigley.

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An in-depth exploration of a neglected video game platform of the 1990s and a reflection on the way we construct the cultural history of video games. In The Media Snatcher, Carl Therrien offers an in-depth exploration of NEC's PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, a little-studied video game platform released in the late 1980s. The PC Engine was designed to bring technological expandability to the world of game consoles; The Media Snatcher's subtitle evokes some of the expansions and the numerous rebranded versions of the system released by NEC, including the first CD-ROM add-on in video game history. The platform makers hoped that expandability would allow its console to remain at the cutting edge and even catch up with such perceptually rich media as cinema and anime. More than a simple shape-shifter, the PC Engine became a media snatcher. Therrien examines the multidirectional interactions of video game technologies, commercial structures, and cultural dynamics. He considers, among other things, hyperbolic marketing and its impact on how we construct video game history; glitches, technological obsolescence, and the difficulty of conducting media archaeology of the recent past; the emergence of male-centered power fantasies through audiovisual rewards; the rise of original genres such as visual novels; and the sustained efforts to integrate PC Engine software in the sprawling media landscape of Japan (where the PC Engine found much of its success). Avoiding the usual techno-industrial glorification, Therrien recounts the bold technological aspirations of the platform makers and the struggles to make the actual technology realize its potential.

Eloise meets Coraline in this spellbinding tale by the beloved author of Magic Elizabeth. “ . . . reads like a bedtime story and will have kids giggling at Ivy Lou’s outrageous behavior.” —Avi, Newbery Award-winning author of Crispin: The Cross of Lead Ivy Lou seems to have it all—except friends. So when a witch appears and knits up some magical playmates, Ivy Lou’s parents hire her. Things quickly worsen as Ivy Lou finds her new friends, parents, and fancy house disappearing, leaving her captive in the witch’s hastily knit Horrid Little Hut. The witch has her own motives—to groom Ivy Lou to be a witch’s child. Ivy Lou, who turns out to be terrible at making potions, casting spells, and riding on a broomstick, has met her match. Even her threat of Tantrum Number Three, to turn herself inside out, doesn’t faze this witch. Finally, as the witch is out on her nightly broomstick rounds, a terrified Ivy Lou, enchanted knitting needles in hand, has only until midnight to unknit the Horrid Little Hut and restore the life she knew. Will Ivy Lou manage to get back home, or is she doomed to become a witch’s child forever? Crafted with Kassirer’s timeless prose, and brought to life with exquisite illustrations by Mark Richardson, The Knitting Witch will entangle readers in the threads of this magical yarn! MORE PRAISE FOR THE KNITTING WITCH “With a poet’s command of imagery and a mastery of narrative, Kassirer offers a fully imagined world in The Knitting Witch that you won't soon forget." —Geoffrey Gatza, author of The Albatross Around the Neck of Albert Ross ". . . Norma Kassirer spins a tale of the mysterious passed off as truth and truth masquerading as fiction, matched ink for ink with Mark Richardson's fantastical drawings, which will catch the fancy of every spellbound reader." —Edric Mesmer, Poetry Cataloger, University at Buffalo

Horror is one of the most enduring and controversial of all cinematic genres. Horror films range from subtle and poetic to graphic and gory, but what links them together is their ability to frighten, disturb, shock, provoke, delight, irritate, and amuse audiences. Horror’s capacity to take the form of our evolving fears and anxieties has ensured not only its notoriety but also its long-term survival and international popularity. This second edition has been comprehensively updated to capture all that is important and exciting about the horror genre as it exists today. Its new entries feature the creative personalities who have developed innovative forms of horror, and recent major films and cycles of films that ensure horror’s continuing popularity and significance. In addition, many of the other entries have been expanded to include reference to the contemporary scene, giving a clear picture of how horror cinema is constantly renewing and transforming itself. The Historical Dictionary of Horror Cinema traces the development of the genre from its beginnings to the present. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries. The entries cover all major movie villains, including Frankenstein and his monsters, the vampire, the werewolf, the mummy, the zombie, the ghost and the serial killer; film directors, producers, writers, actors, cinematographers, make-up artists, special-effects technicians, and composers who have helped shape horror history; significant production companies; major films that are milestones in the development of the horror genre; and different national traditions in horror cinema – as well as popular themes, formats, conventions, and cycles.

Raggedy Ann bakes a special cake for the cookie snatcher who ate her freshly baked cookies because no one had ever baked anything for him.