It Was Supposed To Be Sunny

A perfectly planned birthday party goes awry in this gentle story about adapting to the unexpected, written for kids on the autism spectrum and called “brilliant” and “engaging” by autism specialist Tony Attwood Laila feels like her sparkly sunshine birthday celebration is on the brink of ruin when it starts to storm. Then, just as she starts feeling okay with moving her party indoors, an accident with her cake makes her want to call the whole thing off. But with the help of her mom and a little alone time with her service dog, she knows she can handle this. Changes in routine can be hard for any kid, but especially for kids on the autism spectrum. Samantha Cotterill's fourth book in the Little Senses series provides gentle guidance along with adorable illustrations to help every kid navigate schedule changes and overwhelming social situations.

When the “grownup virus” hits, kids who live in the same apartment building must cope with strange new rules and extended time at home with parents and siblings. And they survive brilliantly, each in their own way. Twin boys throw themselves into an independent research assignment on prehistoric people and embrace their own devolution. A budding track star is encouraged to run laps on his balcony by a neighbor who has a secret crush on him. A classroom troublemaker reaches out to a teacher when his own father begins to exhibit signs of mental illness. A young entrepreneur saves himself and his hairdresser mother from financial collapse by renting out the family dog. And a girl finds a way to communicate with her hearing-impaired neighbor so that they can spy on the rest of the building. The stories follow the course of the pandemic, from the early measures through lockdown, as the kids in the building observe the stresses on the adults around them and use their own quirky kid ingenuity to come up with ways to make their lives better. Funny, poignant and wise, this book will long outlive even the pandemic. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

An unconventional business book for the rebels and misfits—the Rare Breeds—who don’t fit the traditional mold, offering an approach that’s anything but business as usual. “Brazen rant!” -- Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author of This is Marketing and What to Do When It’s Your Turn In every job you’ve ever had, you’ve been judged, labeled, and made to feel like an outsider. Defiant. Dangerous. Different. A real pain-in-the-ass.The message? To be successful, you’ve got to fundamentally change. But what if -- instead of conforming -- you learned how to punch society’s codes in the nose, run like a hooligan through the corridors of entrenched power, and succeed -- not by grinding down your prickly parts, but by going all-in on who you really are? “A guide for strategic rebellion.” -- Mark Levy, founder of Levy Innovation and creator of Your Big Sexy Idea® Meet Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger, award-winning global brand consultants, founders of Motto, and authors of Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different. In this book, you’ll come face-to-face with seven controversial virtues that are typically seen as ladder-burning, career-ending personality traits that – convention says -- keep mavericks, oddballs, and visionaries like you from getting along, getting buy-in, and getting ahead. “A beautiful reminder that you are not alone.” -- Charlamagne Tha God, New York Times bestselling author of Black Privilege Sunny and Ashleigh provide singular insight into how you can flip the script and turn your so-called “vices” into your virtues, transforming your most “undesirable” flaws into the high-octane fuel of your success. In a world that wants to own you, you’ll finally learn how to own yourself, through embracing all your parts – not just the pretty ones. College dropouts and social misfits Sunny and Ashleigh provide front-row seats to their own counterintuitive rise from broke-ass outsiders to brand consultants for iconic brands. Success, they show you, is no longer the sole purview of the Harvard MBA graduate. Your ticket to ride resides within the side of you that’s disorderly, independent, and rogue. Deep down, you’ve always been the kid to point out when the emperor has no clothes. Yet, time and time again you’ve been faced with the consequences of deviating from social expectations. This is a new conversation for a new era. What would happen if, starting today, you walked away from the sheeple? What could you build?

“Pitch-perfect. One of the most endearing teen voices I’ve ever encountered.” —Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda For fans of Sandhya Menon and Adam Silvera comes a prom-night romantic-comedy romp about a Sikh teen's search for love and identity. Sunny G's brother left him one thing when he died: His notebook, which Sunny is determined to fill up with a series of rash decisions. Decision number one was a big one: He stopped wearing his turban, cut off his hair, and shaved his beard. He doesn't look like a Sikh anymore. He doesn't look like himself anymore. Even his cosplay doesn't look right without his beard. Sunny debuts his new look at prom, which he's stuck going to alone. He's skipping the big fandom party—the one where he'd normally be in full cosplay, up on stage playing bass with his band and his best friend, Ngozi—in favor of the Very Important Prom Experience. An experience that's starting to look like a bust. Enter Mindii Vang, a girl with a penchant for making rash decisions of her own, starting with stealing Sunny's notebook. When Sunny chases after her, prom turns into an all-night adventure—a night full of rash, wonderful, romantic, stupid, life-changing decisions. * "[For] fans of John Green and Sandhya Menon, Sunny G is . . . full of heart. It's not one to miss.” —Booklist (starred review) "Reading Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions is the best decision you could make.” —Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King “Poignant and moving.” —Kirkus Reviews

Postcards From Hell is a collection of ten short horror stories from Don Darrin, the author of Harmonyville. The stories visit the towns surrounding Harmonyville, and each has a unique aspect of horror. In the title story, Postcards From Hell, a man unknowingly makes a deal with a demon and the price might be too high. In Inheritance, a man inherits a house he was frightened of as a child. Was it all in his head or is something else at work there? In Lot Lizard, a new truck driver learns the ways of a truck stop and its local prostitute. Saving Time is about a loving husband who was known for always being late as a child. Now as an adult can he make it on time? In Rabid a family’s annual cabin trip becomes deadly, thanks to a research raccoon. In Gulls, a lonely simpleton spends his lunch with increasingly daring seagulls. In Bargain Buy, a man invites his friends to help him paint his new house that he got a great deal on. There may be a reason it was so cheap though. In The Red, a rural town has a secret lurking in the local forest. Nobody goes in The Red. In Nimbus, a small town starts to have strange happenings after a suspicious rain cloud arrives. In Seed, a man believes he’s been cursed after he wrongs a supposed witch. Postcards From Hell has something for everyone. Which story will haunt you?

For most of us, traveling means visiting the most beautiful places on Earth—Paris, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon. It's rare to book a plane ticket to visit the lifeless moonscape of Canada's oil sand strip mines, or to seek out the Chinese city of Linfen, legendary as the most polluted in the world. But in Visit Sunny Chernobyl, Andrew Blackwell embraces a different kind of travel, taking a jaunt through the most gruesomely polluted places on Earth. From the hidden bars and convenience stores of a radioactive wilderness to the sacred but reeking waters of India, Visit Sunny Chernobyl fuses immersive first-person reporting with satire and analysis, making the case that it's time to start appreciating our planet as it is—not as we wish it would be. Irreverent and reflective, the book is a love letter to our biosphere's most tainted, most degraded ecosystems, and a measured consideration of what they mean for us. Equal parts travelogue, expose, environmental memoir, and faux guidebook, Blackwell careens through a rogue's gallery of environmental disaster areas in search of the worst the world has to offer—and approaches a deeper understanding of what's really happening to our planet in the process.

Patience, understanding, and a soothing exercise saves the beach day when excitement turns to sensory overload. Going to the beach is exciting. But it can also be busy. And loud. Sand can feel hot or itchy or sticky...and it gets everywhere! In This Beach Is Loud!, a sensitive boy gets overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, and sensations at the beach. Luckily, this kiddo's dad has a trick up his sleeve to help his son face these unexpected obstacles. Combining accessible storytelling and playful design, This Beach Is Loud! gently offers practical advice for coping with new experiences to sensitive children on and off the autism spectrum.

From a bestselling author, a touching story of a prodigal daughter who learns it's never too late to come home, but will she find acceptance?