Rudy Park and the other regulars and misfits who hang out at the House of Java coffeehouse form a modern nuclear family, drawn together by something much more powerful than blood: caffeine. Just as cavemen once hung out around a campfire, our regulars gather around the espresso machine discussing issues of the day, coping with modern life, and engaging in the occasional violent dispute over the bathroom key. The cafe also serves as a crossroads for current events and a watering hole for celebrities and politicians, such as J-Lo and Ben Affleck (contemplating a joint run for governor), Dick Cheney (doling out dating advice), and the gang from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (making sure everyone is dressed suitably for the comics page). So sit down with a warm cup of joe and enjoy Peace, Love, and Lattes, the second collection of Rudy Park, which Newsweek named as one of the top three contenders for new strip of the decade. Along the way, get to know the strip's main cast, including Rudy, a technolover of the highest order who is in a constant, chronic battle to stay current with the latest and greatest gadgets, pop culture, and fashion trends. Then there is Rudy's archnemesis, the aging technophobe and curmudgeon Sadie Cohen; Rudy's notoriously frugal 21-year-old boss, Armstrong Maynard; Darlene, the workaholic object of Rudy's affection; and a Fabioesque former football player named Randy "The Rock" Taylor. Rudy Park offers social and cultural commentary that is both insightful and hilarious. With Rudy at the forefront, this technocentric strip lampoons the fast pace of our technology-driven world, our obsession with material possessions, and the folly of our cultural and political icons. Since bursting onto the comics page in 2001, the strip has grown in syndication to nearly 100 newspapers and Web sites, including the Seattle Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit Free Press, and Denver's Rocky Mountain News.

Prickly Patrick Manning always manages to get under Madison Porter’s skin. The big-city expat and new coffee shop owner in quaint Honey Springs hasn’t even bothered to try to fit in (he won’t even properly name his shop with a bee-inspired moniker, per local tradition). Worse, his coffee shop space should have been Madison’s. She’d always dreamed of taking over the town’s ice cream parlor and bringing it back to its former glory, until Patrick swooped in. But when the town discovers Madison actually made the highest bid for the store, the competition is on! She’ll set up a pop-up shop in his cafe to see which is more popular: ice cream or coffee. All’s fair in love and war, but what happens when their hearts unexpectedly start to melt for each other? First published as One Purrfect Summer

Some teens go to the Caribbean on spring break. Piper goes to save the world. Piper Dunn isn’t who you would call a normal teenager. For one thing, she doesn’t want anyone to know she was born with a blowhole. Even stranger, she has two love interests. Joel, a fellow dolphin-human hybrid, and Tyler, a human. It’s hard to choose when a mad scientist is hot on Piper’s trail. Worse, she’s trapped in the Bermuda Triangle. And . . . wait for it . . . Angel, her test-tube daughter, is apparently a real-deal reincarnation. It all adds up to an impossible situation, with happy endings all but lost at sea. Unless, of course, a voodoo high priestess casts a spell or two . . .

Cover spine: The 6th Candorville collection.

An insightful comic strip filled with edgy dialogue and thoroughly modern situations, Candorville: Thank God for Culture Clash by Darrin Bell is made for today's world. It fearlessly covers bigotry, poverty, homelessness, biracialism, personal responsibility, and more while never losing sight of the humor behind these weighty issues. The strip targets the socially conscious by tackling tough issues with irony, satire, and humor. Candorville: Thank God for Culture Clash celebrates diversity by poking a little fun at it.

Darrin Bell's Candorville is an insightful comic strip for today's world. Brutally honest but still evenhanded, Candorville takes on some of society's toughest issues, giving readers something to think about--as well as smirks, chuckles, and guffaws. Another Stereotype Bites the Dust is a collection of creator Darrin Bell's Candorville cartoon strip. In this thought-provoking strip Bell uses a diverse group of friends to paint a real yet humorous portrait of inner-city America. An educated underachiever, Lemont Brown is an aspiring writer. Socially conscious, he wants to work at changing the world and infusing it with wisdom and justice--if only he could pay his rent. Lemont's childhood friend Susan Garcia is a book-smart and street savvy Mexican-American woman who won't let bigotry or any glass ceiling keep her down. And Lemont's friend Clyde (aka C-Dog) is a streetwise thug and undiscovered rapper who'd rather mooch off his mother than get a job. Another Stereotype Bites the Dust deals with some tough issues--poverty, homelessness, racism, and personal responsibility--with knowing irony and incisive satire. Bell uses edgy dialogue and modern situations to jab everything from political correctness to political spinning, from political hindsight to office politics, making it a hit with the socially aware.

It’s a dirty job, but some mutant’s got to do it... Joel Eisler is a mutant with special talents. He can detect an oil leak in the ocean simply by tasting the water. Because of this unique ability, he’s been purchased by a large oil company, along with his dolph sister, Amy. The upside of spending his days and nights in the ocean is that it gives him the opportunity to save the lives of his brother dolphins. The downsides are life as a closely monitored slave—and that he can’t be with Piper, the dolph-girl he loves... To make matters worse, Joel discovers the lab he grew up in has extracted his sperm and Piper’s egg and created a baby, and his handler, Craven, is plotting to kidnap Amy for more experiments. Now Joel must rescue the infant, bring her to Piper, and find a way to save Amy. And if that’s not enough of a challenge, he needs to convince Piper she belongs with him instead of her all-too-human boyfriend—if Craven doesn’t get to them first... 60,000 Words

Finding love is hard, even when you aren’t a mutant. Like most seventeen-year-olds, Piper Dunn wants to blend in with the crowd. Having a blowhole is a definite handicap. A product of a lab-engineered mother with dolphin DNA, Piper spends her school days hiding her brilliant ocean-colored eyes and sea siren voice behind baggy clothing and ugly glasses. When Tyler, the new boy in school, zeroes in on her, ignoring every other girl vying for his attention, no one, including Piper, understands why... Then Piper is captured on one of her secret missions rescuing endangered sea creatures and ends up in the same test center where her mother was engineered. There she discovers she isn’t the only one of her kind. Joel is someone she doesn’t have to hide from, and she finds herself drawn to the dolph-boy who shares her secrets. Talking to him is almost as easy as escaping from the lab. Deciding which boy has captured her heart is another story... 63,486 Words

A delightful, delicious middle grade debut by New York Times bestselling author Sheryl Berk and her cupcake-obsessed daughter, Carrie. Cupcake Club is the first book in the Peace, Love and Cupcakes series. This is The Babysitter's Club for a generation raised on Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes and is slated to be a sweet success! Meet Kylie Carson. She's a fourth grader with a big problem. How will she make friends at her new school? Should she tell her classmates she loves monster movies? Forget it. Play the part of a turnip in the school play? Disaster! Then Kylie comes up with a delicious idea: What if she starts a cupcake club? Soon Kylie's club is spinning out tasty treats with the help of her fellow bakers and new friends. But when Meredith tries to sabotage the girls' big cupcake party, will it be the end of the Cupcake Club? Includes recipes and tips to try at home! "Kids and cupcakes are the perfect recipe!"—Sophie and Katerine, stars of TLC's DC Cupcakes Cupcake Club is the perfect... cupcake book for kids who love to bake, with bonus recipes included! mother daughter book club pick preteen gift for girls book for middle school girls who are reluctant readers