Just as the Quirk family was settling into Normal, the circus comes to town! At school, Molly, Penelope, and Finn are all learning circus skills in gym class and solving a school-wide scavenger hunt. Meanwhile at home, they are putting similar skills to good use; it takes fancy footwork and stellar detective work to keep their nosy neighbor from snooping around and uncovering the Quirk family secrets. One thing's for sure: Life in Normal is a high-flying adventure!

Welcome to the town of Normal.where not everyone is. A charming new series about a family that is anything but ordinary.

Who are you? It’s the most fundamental of human questions. Are you the type of person who tilts at windmills, or the one who prefers to view them from the comfort of an air-conditioned motorcoach? Our personalities are endlessly fascinating—not just to ourselves but also to our spouses, our parents, our children, our co-workers, our neighbors. As a highly social species, humans have to navigate among an astonishing variety of personalities. But how did all these different permutations come about? And what purpose do they serve? With her trademark wit and sly humor, Hannah Holmes takes readers into the amazing world of personality and modern brain science. Using the Five Factor Model, which slices temperaments into the major factors (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness) and minor facets (such as impulsive, artistic, or cautious), Holmes demonstrates how our genes and brains dictate which factors and facets each of us displays. Are you a Nervous Nelly? Your amygdala is probably calling the shots. Hyperactive Hal? It’s all about the dopamine. Each facet took root deep in the evolution of life on Earth, with Nature allowing enough personal variation to see a species through good times and bad. Just as there are introverted and extroverted people, there are introverted and extroverted mice, and even starfish. In fact, the personality genes we share with mice make them invaluable models for the study of disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. Thus it is deep and ancient biases that guide your dealings with a very modern world. Your personality helps to determine the political party you support, the car you drive, the way you eat M&Ms, and the likelihood that you’ll cheat on your spouse. Drawing on data from top research laboratories, the lives of her eccentric friends, the conflicts that plague her own household, and even the habits of her two pet mice, Hannah Holmes summarizes the factors that shape you. And what she proves is that it does take all kinds. Even the most irksome and trying personality you’ve ever encountered contributes to the diversity of our species. And diversity is the key to our survival.

This book explores the quirks of digital culture. Through a series of short punchy chapters, it uses these quirks as momentary glimpses into the hidden dynamics of our swirling, highly mediated and often unfathomable cultural experiences.

Episodic and disconnected, much of postmodern fiction mirrors the world as quantum theorists describe it, according to Samuel Chase Coale. In Quirks of the Quantum, Coale shows how the doubts, misgivings, and ambiguities reflected in the postmodern American novel have been influenced by the metaphors and models of quantum theory. Coale explains the basic facets of quantum theory in lay terms and then applies them to a selection of texts, including Don DeLillo's Underworld, Joan Didion's Democracy, and Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day. Using a new approach to literature and culture, this book aims to bridge the gap between science and the humanities by suggesting the many areas where they connect.

We all have an amusing relationship with dirt. Some of us have just thought about it more than others. How we feel about keeping house speaks volumes about who we are, our roots, relationships, and even our outlook on life. Everyone can relate to DIRT.

A series of whimsical essays by the New York Times "Social Q's" columnist provides modern advice on navigating today's murky moral waters, sharing recommendations for such everyday situations as texting on the bus to splitting a dinner check.

Things get a little (okay, a lot) Quirky as twins Molly and Penelope prepare to turn ten. It all starts with Grandpa Quill's annual birthday scavenger hunt, when Gramps hides mini-presents for the girls to find leading up to a SUPER-special big present. This year they're hoping for another family pet. But the girls can't agree on what kind of pet, and soon they're fighting non-stop. It's always been The Quirks vs. The World . . . but what happens when it's a Quirk vs. a Quirk? Will the girls learn how to get along in time for a truly magical birthday? With its quirky packaging, b&w illustrations throughout, and funny and heartfelt moments, this book is sure to satisfy The Quirks's growing fan base.

It's a big week for the Quirks as twins Molly and Pen prepare for an exciting Halloween-inspired field trip to their local museum. Whichever fourth grade team creates the spookiest design wins an unusually fun prize. Meanwhile at home, everyone is ready for a visit from a certain Scottish guest: their Uncle Cork! He hasn't seen the twins since they were babies. At first, Uncle Cork seems totally normal, and Molly wonders if maybe she's not the only one in her family without a quirk. But then every time invisible Finn almost causes chaos, Uncle Cork is there to stop him. Molly can't believe it. It's like he has special vision or something.... Black-and-white illustrations throughout capture the surprises, spooks, and nonstop laughs in this fourth Quirks book that proves every family is unique.

A light-hearted ode to the immense pleasure of reading and its resulting neuroses in a collection of cartoons created by beloved bookstore The Wild Detectives