Plato the Platypus Plumber

Hazel Edwards, a wonderful writer from Australia has a new picture book out. Kids who love strange creatures will love Plato. Plato is a platypus and a part-time plumber with a tool kit. On call, Plato fixes watery problems like leaking taps, but he also fixes grumpy people. From his tool kit, he uses smile spray, a feather or a joke. Sometimes Zanzibar's family need a little help. Plato always comes, despite the ferals along the creek bank. Water carries secrets, stories and (yucky) stuff! An eco-warrior, Plato knows how to fix things.

Hazel is a 2010 Astrid Lindgren Award nominee, and a few of her other books are: 'There's a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake' (Penguin) series and ‘The Flight of the Bumblebee'(New Frontier). Her unique books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Tamil, Auslan and Braille.

To learn more about Hazel's books, click here.

You can order Hazel's lovable Plato the Platypus Plumber by clicking here. It's also available through many independent bookstores in North America. Click here to order through Small Press Distribution in Berkeley, CA.

Mark Fink

Checkout Mark Fink's books. The Summer I Got A Life is a humorous story of first love and self discovery. It follows the exploits of Andy Crenshaw, a fourteen year old who, with his older brother, gets shipped off to an Aunt and Uncle’s farm in Wisconsin. What starts out as a disastrous summer, turns into an amazing, life changing experience for him.

Stepping Up is an insightful, moving and funny novel about basketball. Ernie Dolan, 14, is plagued by the curse of the average. Nothing about him stands out—except his stutter. Things change dramatically when Ernie morphs from outcast to hero, risking his life to save three campmates from near tragedy. Ernie finds out what it means to be a hero and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. His compelling, heartwarming story unfolds against the backdrop of exciting, authentic basketball action and a lot of humor, while touching on teen issues of friendship and the near-deadly consequences of peer pressure.

Click here for Mark's books.

Best-practice gets Florida students on Oprah

Students and faculty at Ocoee Middle School who made a music video to promote reading -- changing the lyrics to a song by the Black-Eyed Peas -- shared the spotlight with Diane Sawyer on the Oprah show.

Click here to read the full story and watch a video.

Bug Butts

From blowing bubbles to shooting poop, the world’s insects do amazing things with their butts. Discover the wild and weird ways insects use their butts to avoid predators. Spittlebugs blow bubbles from their butts and hide under them, while some caterpillars shoot their poop far from their bodies to throw poop-searching wasps off their trail. Ants and beetles spray acid from their butts into the faces of predators, while some caterpillars and larvae build hide-outs with their poop to keep predators away.

Insects also use pheromones from their butts to communicate with friends, relatives, and enemies. Still other insects say “thank you for protecting me” by sharing their high-sugar poop. And speaking of poop, some termites and roaches feed their children their poop to give them the microorganisms they will need to help digest wood.

Illustrated by a PhD biologist in a playful yet scientifically accurate style and tech edited by a PhD entomologist, Bug Butts combines the best of real science and real fun.

Includes glossary, index, and anatomy appendix.Bug Butts has received strong reviews from School Library Journal, National Science Teacher's Association, and was recently placed on the list of best children's science books for 2009 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science Books & Films (AAAS SB&F).

To learn more about Bug Butts, click here.

Gold Dragon Codex

The blue dragon, Lazuli, lives to torment the villagers of Sandon's hometown, Hartfall. He demands more and more riches until the Baron, Sandon's father, has only one thing left to give: himself. Lazuli will arrive at midnight to take the Baron away. Sandon has only one hope left: the gold dragon that sits atop a ledge above the village, silently watching. In one legendary battle Lazuli magically petrified the gold dragon, once Hartfall's sworn protector. But Sandon is sure he can find a way to awaken the beast. In the dead of night, he sneaks out onto the gold dragon's ledge. And there he stumbles onto a secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his home and his family into question. Can Sandon unlock the secret of the gold dragon in time to save his village--and his dad?

This next installment of the series inspired by The New York Times best-seller A Practical Guide to Dragons shows just how much a young boy can do when he realizes that the strength of a gold dragon may lie inside himself.

Click here for Gold Dragon Codex.

Conspiracy 365 Series

The Conspiracy 365 Series is action-packed. Warning, when you click here to access their website, don't have your headphones on. Everything about this site and series is fast and hard-hitting.

Blogs of Wrath

Carl DeReese only wants to survive junior high school in the Salt Lake City suburbs, but in an era when teachers are afraid of the students, some of his behavior is misdiagnosed as threatening. His longing to fit into a new school is complicated by a family tragedy, followed by a breakdown in the classroom that leads to criminal charges. The trials and adversities of growing up are catalogued on his online blog. Carl’s initial desire to fit in at a new school is challenged by his own insecurities. When he finally makes friends with a kid named Dex, his troubles seem to have ended. Typical teenage angst is multiplied when the expected birth of a sibling turns tragic, leaving Carl heartbroken and confused. A callous teacher pushes Carl into an emotional corner, and his outburst results in suspension from school and criminal charges.

Facing another regular day of junior high school is more than enough for anyone. Carl has to live through not only adolescence, but circumstances that could land him in a juvenile detention center without his family and friends. With so many authority figures assuming that he is dangerous and threatening, Carl has to decide for himself if he truly believes what everyone is telling him. The friends he makes and the support from his parents might be the only things that help him survive.

His emotions are honest, his online confessions are genuine and heartbreaking, and his fear of what the next day brings will make even older readers wonder how they survived junior high school.

This book is for ages 12-14. Many boys will identify with this cutting-edge theme. Congrats to Todd Noker and Zack Shutt for their vision and commitment to bring a rare and raw story to life for reluctant male readers. Click here for some cool Facebook info from Todd and Zack.