Meet Isabelle, the original itch Isabelle is an itch. She can’t sit still and is always jumping from one thing to another. Being an itch means that she plans, jokes, plots, and schemes her way through life. Isabelle fights her best friend, Herbie, every day after school, and she’s probably the fastest girl in her class, especially now that she has her new Adidas sneakers. Isabelle’s dad says she could climb a mountain if she could just focus on one thing at a time. But why do one thing when you could do ten? When her older brother needs a substitute for his morning paper route, Isabelle has a chance to prove to everyone, especially herself, that she can channel her energy into something useful. In this, the first in Constance C. Greene’s rollicking Isabelle series, readers will discover that a little determination can make all the difference.

Her name is Al, not Alexandra! Al’s real name is Alexandra, but she hates it. She has always considered herself a nonconformist—she is the only girl in the entire school who wears pigtails, and when all the other girls take the cooking and sewing class, Al wants to take shop. There’s just one problem: Girls aren’t allowed. Al is determined only to learn useful things, like making bookshelves. With the help of her new best friend, a seventh grader who lives down the hall from her, and their building’s kind superintendent, Mr. Richards, she just might get her wish.

Al’s father decides to visit her for the first time in years—but does Al really want him back in her life? Al has always marched to the beat of her own drum—and that includes never letting anyone call her by her real name, Alexandra. But now Al’s mom is dating a strange man from work, and her dad is coming to visit for the first time in six years. As her whole world is thrown into turmoil, Al doesn’t know what to do. What if her mom marries this new man? And should she agree to see her father, who walked out on their family years ago? In this heartwarming sequel to A Girl Called Al, Al learns that although families can be confusing, hers is irreplaceable.

Schuyler Sweet is anything but. Schuyler Sweet’s parents have recently divorced after a fifteen-year marriage, and Schuyler has no intention of living up to her name. Angry and confused, she feels like no one understands her. Then she meets an eccentric new neighbor named Nell. With her green nails and wild hair, Nell is bold and brash and makes Schuyler feel included. But as Nell’s behavior becomes increasingly odd—even dangerous—Schuyler begins to question whether she wants to be like Nell after all.

An ALA Notable Book and an IRA-CBC Children’s Choice: Losing your sister can mean losing your best friend too Thirteen-year-old Kate is thrilled for her sister, Joss, when Joss finds out she gets to keep a horse for a week as a birthday present. Then in one tragic moment, all of the happiness is gone, and numbness and grief overwhelm the family. Kate cannot imagine how she’ll survive but knows somehow she must come to terms with her loss. In this heart-wrenching story, Kate strives to find a place where joyful memories and painful loss can coexist.

An exciting summer with Al’s father awaits—but when her mom gets sick, Al has to decide what’s most important Al can’t wait to visit her father’s family for an entire month. They’ve promised her homemade ice cream and a barn dance that even the boy she likes is coming to! Nothing can stop her from having the best summer of her life—that is, if she can quit worrying about leaving her mother, who hasn’t been feeling well for weeks. Al wants to be a good daughter to both parents, but who will take care of her mother while she’s gone? Life is about to get a little complicated, but deep down, Al knows what she has to do.

Unwilling to wait for a boy to write to her, Al takes the reins Al has two big problems in her life, and both have to do with her mailbox—or more specifically, her empty mailbox. A few months ago, her father’s new wife promised that Al could spend the summer with them, but Al still hasn’t received a written invitation. Even worse, the cute boy she met at her father’s wedding said he would write, but Al hasn’t even gotten a short note from him. What’s a girl to do when she’s waiting to hear from a boy? For a girl like Al, it’s easy: She’ll write to him! But writing a letter to a boy turns out to be harder than she thought. She can’t let him know that she likes him, so signing the letter Your old pal, Al should do the trick, right? Now if she could only work up the courage to send the letter . . .

Grace has two big problems—how will she cope? Grace Schmitt is a bit of a dreamer. In her mind, she’s the most popular girl in school, with flowing golden hair and too many friends to count. And let’s not forget all the boys who admire her perfectly proportioned figure. Everything is, in a word, perfect. Unfortunately, Grace’s life is a bit more complicated than that in reality. Going into tenth grade, her body changes rapidly, leaving her feeling ungainly, awkward, and conspicuous, mostly because of her large bust. It’s become such a problem that she’s begun saving money for breast-reduction surgery. Things come to a head when a circle of cruel classmates, led by Ashley, the actual most popular girl in school, decide to see if Grace’s breasts are real. On the worst day of her life, it takes a miracle (in the form of Ms. Govoni, the gym teacher) to save Grace from life-altering humiliation. Little does she know, the experience will trigger an astounding series of events that test her character, bolster her self-esteem, and turn her life around.

This updated second edition of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Imaging and Intervention provides a comprehensive account of the state of the art in the diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The basic format of the first edition has been retained, with sections on fundamentals such as pathophysiology and causes, imaging techniques and interventions. However, each chapter has been revised to reflect the important recent progress in advanced neuroimaging and the use of interventional tools. In addition, a new chapter is included on the classification instruments for ischemic stroke and their use in predicting outcomes and therapeutic triage. All of the authors are internationally recognized experts and members of the interdisciplinary stroke team at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. The text is supported by numerous informative illustrations, and ease of reference is ensured through the inclusion of suitable tables. This book will serve as a unique source of up-to-date information for neurologists, emergency physicians, radiologists and other health care providers who care for the patient with acute ischemic stroke.