The Branch

When an ice storm snaps a small girl’s favorite branch from the tree in her yard, she won’t let it be hauled away. To her, it wasn’t just any branch, “It was my castle, my spy base, my ship …” Her neighbor Mr. Frank agrees. He says the branch has “potential,” and the two get to work transforming what was broken into something whole and new, to be enjoyed again and again.

The Old Testament Messiah was no Prince of Peace. He was to be a warrior king who would raze kingdoms and burn cities to the ground. The Messiah has finally come--and the world will never be the same.

A lavishly illustrated title from acknowledged railway expert Colin G. Maggs, presenting the story of Gloucestershire’s branch lines.

From the national bestselling author of American Dirt and A Rip in Heaven comes the deeply moving story of two mothers from two very different times. After the birth of her daughter Emma, the usually resilient Majella finds herself feeling isolated and exhausted. Then, at her childhood home in Queens, Majella discovers the diary of her maternal ancestor Ginny—and is shocked to read a story of murder in her family history. With the famine upon her, Ginny Doyle fled from Ireland to America, but not all of her family made it. What happened during those harrowing years, and why does Ginny call herself a killer? Is Majella genetically fated to be a bad mother, despite the fierce tenderness she feels for her baby? Determined to uncover the truth of her heritage and her own identity, Majella sets out to explore Ginny’s past—and discovers surprising truths about her family and ultimately, herself.

Judges on the Supreme Court of Canada are guided by reason and principle - or so most Canadians think. In The Most Dangerous Branch Robert Martin argues that the court has changed from acting on principles to acting on values, allowing it to impose its own personal preferences. As judges are not elected, Martin argues, they should not be permitted to set the social agenda, amend legislation, amend the constitution, or attack democracy and democratic institutions.The Most Dangerous Branch shows that the Supreme Court has done exactly this in dealing with abortion, assisted suicide, homosexuality, and Quebec secession through decisions that were guided not by reasoned understanding of the principles of law but by the values of judges - values they, as unelected representatives of the Canadian state, had no right to impose. Martin shows that Supreme Court judges have adopted an orthodoxy of moral relativism and identity politics that he likens to a secular state religion. This orthodoxy denies the possibility of objectivity about human endeavour and regards social reality as "constructed." While purporting to be concerned with the plight of the oppressed, it is actually based on profound condescension. Martin believes that the "theocracy" which dominates the Supreme Court of Canada is subverting democracy and the rule of law. In The Most Dangerous Branch he calls on Canadians to take back their country.

Everyone’s favorite avian superhero must rescue the world’s sidekicks from a dastardly chicknapper in this action-packed, illustrated chapter book. Gordon Blue and his brother Benny are taking a trip to New York City. That means superhero Kung Pow Chicken and his sidekick, Egg Drop, will be there! Egg Drop gets invited to a big sidekicks party. But it is a trap! Bad guy Ticklebeak and his Bad Eggs chicknap all of the world’s sidekicks! Can Kung Pow Chicken save the sidekicks? Or will this hero crack under pressure? Praise for Let’s Get Cracking! “A perfectly puntastic page-turner. Hybrids of comics and traditional pictures, the goofy all-color illustrations propel the fast-moving, high-interest story. ‘Ham and eggs’—you don’t want to miss this!” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Just the thing for beginning readers.” —Publishers Weekly “Step aside, Captain Underpants! There is a new hero in town—this time, with feathers. . . . Fresh, funny, and packed with full-color illustrations, this new transitional series will be an instant hit with readers looking for silly fun and a touch of mystery.” —Booklist

Branching Out: A Strategic Planning Toolkit for Branch Campus Leaders presents a research-based, simple, yet effective, strategic planning guide that will help you make your branch campus strategic plan a reality in as little as a year. The guide makes it digestible so even the busiest branch campus leader can take the time to at least explore the process. The methods and tools presented in this guide will help ease some of the burden of traditional planning. No doubt about it, the strategic planning process is a heavy lift, but this book will give you tools to get through the process more efficiently. Features: Thorough, step-by-step Toolkit with Worksheets, Timelines, Templates, and Discussion Guides Based on research and incorporates strategic planning best practices Tailored to the needs of a branch campus leader with a focus on “gaining support” which can often be challenging. Simple and concise, yet effective. Requires no prior strategic planning experience. BONUS: Supporting tools available for download as editable files (included in the purchase price of this book)

Two westerns from Spur Award-Winning author Loren D. Estleman, now in mass market paperback: The Branch and the Scaffold and Billy Gashade The Branch and the Scaffold When Judge Isaac Parker first arrived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the town had thirty saloons and one bank. Never flinching from his duty, Parker and his marshals, dubbed “Parker’s Men,” ran up against some of the most colorful and dangerous outlaws the west had to offer, including the notorious Dalton Gang; Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen; the murderous Cherokee Bill; and Ned Christie. Billy Gashade A piano player wanders the Old West, meeting up with famous characters such as Frank and Jesse James, Oscar Wilde, and William "Billy the Kid" Bonney, among others, and finds that they were neither as bad or as good as their reputations suggested. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.