Nellie is looking forward to the first day of school. But her heart drops when she learns she won't be with her friends, but with her worst enemy--and a teacher who is new to the school.

What if? What if? What if? Nellie worries about everything- getting on a train, a plane, making friends in school, and more. With the help of Dr. Nofear, Nellie embarks on a journey to overcome her anxiety.

The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang offers the ultimate record of modern, post WW2 American Slang. The 25,000 entries are accompanied by citations that authenticate the words as well as offer examples of usage from popular literature, newspapers, magazines, movies, television shows, musical lyrics, and Internet user groups. Etymology, cultural context, country of origin and the date the word was first used are also provided. In terms of content, the cultural transformations since 1945 are astounding. Television, computers, drugs, music, unpopular wars, youth movements, changing racial sensitivities and attitudes towards sex and sexuality are all substantial factors that have shaped culture and language. This new edition includes over 500 new headwords collected with citations from the last five years, a period of immense change in the English language, as well as revised existing entries with new dating and citations. No term is excluded on the grounds that it might be considered offensive as a racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or any kind of slur. This dictionary contains many entries and citations that will, and should, offend. Rich, scholarly and informative, The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English is an indispensable resource for language researchers, lexicographers and translators.

Here is a wonderful Baedeker to down-and-dirty politics--more than six hundred slang terms straight from the smoke-filled rooms of American political speech. Hatchet Jobs and Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang illuminates a rich and colorful segment of our language. Readers will find informative entries on slang terms such as Beltway bandit and boondoggle, angry white male and leg treasurer, juice bill and Joe Citizen, banana superpower and the Big Fix. We find not only the meaning and history of familiar terms such as gerrymander, but also of lesser-known terms such as cracking (splitting a bloc of like-minded voters by redistricting) and fair-fight district (which refers to areas redistricted to favor no political party). Each entry includes the definition of the word, its historical background, and illuminating citations, some going back more than 200 years. (We learn, for instance, that a term as seemingly current as political football actually dates back to before the Civil War.) Selected entries will have extended encyclopedic notes. The book also features sidebar essays on topics such as political words in Blogistan; a short history of "big cheese"; all about chads and the 2000 election; the suffix "-gate" and all the related Watergate terms; and the naming of legislation. Political junkies, policy wonks, journalists, and word lovers will find this book addictive reading as well as a reliable guide to one of the more colorful corners of American English.

Twelve-year-old Amelia feels secretly responsible for her father's death in a plane crash a year earlier and is skeptical when a newly religious ex-convict claims to have seen him in a vision.

Antiques expert Marina Cavanaugh is offered an exorbitant salary to appraise a dead man's estate. For a chance at easy money, she accepts the job but soon discovers hidden cameras in the darkest, gloomiest house she's ever seen. Jonathan Blandish, who hired her, wants to know why his murdered brother left a series of cryptic messages implicating Marina. Even a layman can see the house contains only rummage-sale junk. But his brother's forty-million-dollar fortune is missing, and Marina is the key. From the second they meet, Marina and Jonathan are at odds. He's too bossy and reminds her of her abusive father. She's too independent…and too beautiful for him to ignore. A second murder and Marina’s disappearance raises the danger level. Convinced she was captured for the clues in the riddles, Jonathan races against time to find her before the killer realizes she knows nothing at all.

What can happen when an 80-year-old Dallas widower meets an 80-year-old Austin widow and they discover they have a lot in common? Several things, one right after another. They start emailing and texting each other, telling each other their stories from eight decades of living apart; then, in a matter of weeks, deciding to get married, and, soon after, resolving to tell a broader audience the stories they had been telling each other. Front and center is their courtship experience itself told through their emails, combined with Charles and Nancy’s separate accounts of growing up. Charles details his parents’ attempts to polish him and wise him up about sex; his efforts to combat his social anxiety; stories about lassos, bullwhips, and crossbows; one disastrous bridge game and a biology science project gone wrong; and tortured therapeutic sessions with pediatric nurses, orthodontists, and dermatologists. Nancy’s separately chronicles her efforts competing at tennis, swimming, and singing; relationships that went nowhere; days as a civil rights protester; moments as a college prankster; slow-dancing with a boy wearing contact lenses; the family dog that ate a chicken; and her adventure at the laundromat. Finally, for those who are really thinking things over, wondering about the hereafter, a sobering fantasy of a final judgment day concludes this memoir.

All of the lingo, slang, and patois of the greatest country on...

"I belly-crawled across the floor after a bomb exploded outside our garden in Yemen...I had tea with Barbara Bush in the Yellow Room of the White House...I drove blindly into the midst of an anti-American riot in Venezuela...I joined in a folk dance led by Queen Margrethe in Denmark and I ate dinner with a prime minister in Israel." Patricia Hughes gives us a candid, tough-minded and fun look at living abroad at the behest of our government. She expresses the frustrations and concerns of a mother and wife while accepting with good humor that the Foreign Service acquires "two for the price of one." She reminds us of a dedicated group of patriots that are often forgotten--the diplomats. This book presents a remarkable range of experience, emotions, people and places that influenced her and her family during 35 years of government service. From terrorism and a civil war to lunch in a palace; from demonstrations and groupies, presidents and princesses to life-long friends--these are The Royals and The Roaches.

Are you OBSESSED with your dog? Have you ever canceled plans because you’d rather spend Saturday night with your pup? Does your dog have his own Facebook page or Instagram feed? When you go on vacation, does your furry BFF come along with her own suitcase? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this dog-care book is for you! Packed with expert tips on dog park etiquette, good grooming, holiday safety, and how to visit friends and family with your dog in tow (hint: BYO treats and a special blanket), Dog Obsessed combines humorous advice with sound, veterinarian-approved programs for weight loss, exercise, and physical and emotional health. Including 45 easy-to-prepare, homemade dog food recipes (plus celebratory party fare and wine pairings for you!), Dog Obsessed is the definitive guide to enjoying a happier, healthier life with your favorite furry family member.