#LoveOzYA celebrates the best of new Australian writing for teenage readers. It has grown from a humble hashtag into a movement, reflecting the important role young-adult fiction plays in shaping our current generation of readers. This anthology collects, for the first time, some of the tremendous work from the #LoveOzYA community. Featuring a foreword by award-winning Australian novelist Fleur Ferris (Risk, Wreck, Black and Found), Underdog celebrates the diverse, dynamic and ever-changing nature of our nation's culture. From queer teen romance to dystopian comedy, from hard-hitting realism to gritty allegory, this brilliant, engrossing and inspiring collection of short stories will resonate with any teen reader, proving, yet again, why there is just so much to love about #LoveOzYA.

In a city gone to the dogs … get yourself a cat.​​ The Underdog Detective Agency has a proud tradition of sniffing out trouble (plus sniffing each other’s butts). They’re on a mission to catch Dogtown’s elusive cat burglar … but if they want to crack this case, they’re going to need help!​​ Enter Fang. Letting a scruffy street cat join the Underdogs is a bold move, but sometimes you’ve got to risk it to get the (dog) biscuit.​​​ Jump on the case with Fang and Barkley as they hit the mean streets of Dogtown. Will they catch the cat burglar? Is Barkley’s bark worse than his bite? Will they bond over furballs? Find out all this and more in The Underdogs Catch a Cat Burglar, the first instalment of this hilarious, action-packed and highly-illustrated series.

“The Underdogs will have young readers HOWLING with laughter, SNIFFING for clues, and BARKING with delight.” —Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood, creators of the Real Pigeons series Perfect for fans of comical animal do-gooders like The Bad Guys, The InvestiGators, and The Chicken Squad, this hilarious chapter book series follows a group of bumbling dog detectives and their newest recruit—a cat! In this second case, the Underdogs must sniff out the identity of an art forger. Crime is on the rise in Dogtown, and it’s all thanks to a mysterious art forger! They’ve stolen one of Puplo Picasso’s masterpieces out of a museum and swapped it with a fake. Such a big case would normally go to the Top Dog detectives, but they’re out of town on vacation . . . So it’s time to call in the Underdog Detective Agency: with Barkley the German shepherd, Carl the Chihuahua, Dr. Spots the Dalmatian, and Fang . . . the cat. (Yes, a cat!) What the Underdogs lack in skill, they make up for in grit and determination. And they are determined to catch the culprit and prove they are the best sleuths in town. Can Fang, Barkley, and the others solve the case before the thief strikes again or the Top Dogs return from their trip? You’ll have to read to find out in this paws-itively hilarious mystery!

From David Brat, the college professor who made political headlines when he unseated Majority Leader Eric Cantor, comes his plan for restoring fiscal liberty for America. Congressman David Brat's odds-defying win against Eric Cantor -- a triumph of a modest $200,000 campaign fund against a $5 million war chest -- immediately brought David Brat, heretofore a liberal arts college economics professor, into the political limelight. Now, in his first book, American Underdog, Brat examines how we brought down the status quo by tapping into moral and economic lessons as old as our civilization and discusses how Washington can learn from history instead of ignoring it. A fighter for children, he illuminates how our current fiscal policies are selling their future, and outlines new ways to move forward with a conservative agenda that provides fairer treatment for all.

Three weeks have passed since the events of Underdogs. The British population continues its imprisonment in Nicholas Grant's giant walled Citadels, under the watchful eye of innumerable cloned soldiers. The heroes of Oakenfold Special School remain their last chance of freedom. As a result of their last mission, Grant has been forced to speed up his plans for Great Britain and beyond. Ewan, Kate, McCormick and the rest of the Underdogs must face the horrors of his new research, knowing that it raises the stakes as high as they will go. Failing this battle will not merely result in losing soldiers and friends, but in losing the war entirely. According to the odds, the Underdogs are near-certain to fail. But they have spent their whole lives being underestimated and did not survive this long by respecting the odds.

Themes: Bullying, Courage, Fiction, Tween, Emergent Reader, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books. Kemba feels like the lamest kid in school. If only he could be cool like the computer game superhero Underdog. But he can't even save himself from the biggest bully in the sixth grade, let alone protect the weakest of the weak like Underdog does. He has zero friends. Or so he thinks. Kemba hasn’t even had the courage to try until one act of cruelty pushes him over the edge. This series of short novels was designed to engage a broad spectrum of struggling readers. No longer will upper-elementary students have to read material junior to their maturity and interests. Characters are age appropriate and come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Science ficion, sports, paranormal, realistic life, historical fiction, and fantasy are just a few of the many genres. Books are no higher than a 1.5 reading level, with illustrations on every spread that support visual literacy and draw kids into the text. Each book is around 70 pages.

It's a new season for Nick and Kia and once again they have to prove they've got what it takes to make the Mississauga Magic rep team. There is no free ride on Coach Barkley's team. The tryouts are tough but fair and it looks like the nucleus of last year’s team will be together once again. But there is one new player who seems to have the skills to impress the coach. Though Ashton has great skills, he's not much of a team player. On top of that he's not even sure he wants to make the team. Unable to imagine that anyone wouldn't want to play for the Magic, Nick and Kia set out to solve this dilemma and learn some tough lessons along the way.

A prominent consultant reveals secrets to help you influence and persuade others—even when you aren’t in a position of power. We all have occasions in which we want or need to persuade someone of greater clout, prestige, or authority to see things our way. There are books that show how to effect change from a leadership position or how to work with peers within your own organization—but what can you do when you need to exert “upward influence” with decision makers who can help you achieve your goals? In this book, a popular speaker and successful consultant with expertise in grassroots efforts shows which tactics are most successful when you’re the underdog. She also shares real-world stories of everyday people who have achieved persuasion success in politics and business with someone up the food chain, the peer-reviewed science behind their success—as well as insights from those whose minds they changed.

One major party in American politics, the Democrats, has consciously identified itself with underdogs. This book analyzes the relationship between the party and the main political ideology of its base: liberalism.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING... A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and no matter how small that step is, we are bound to take it in order to reach our destination. In this insightful and luminous work, Franck Johanssen shares his story and journey to achieving his dreams and purpose, while at the same time inspiring the non-dreamer to dream and the dreamer to dream even bigger. Dreams of an Underdog is a book that will bring the best out of you while redirecting you to the path of your purpose in hopes of redefining your situation, reinforcing your mindset and remaking history for yourself and for your generations to come. Your background and circumstances may influence who you are today, but you are solely responsible for who you become tomorrow