Jeff Szpirglas

All the kids at Alpine Elementary School love the Fart Face book series, and Drita is their newest fan. She and her fellow library helper, Josh, even start the Fart Face Fan Club. But when parents get a whiff of the books' "toilet talk," they wonder if the books are appropriate for their children. In response, the school decides to take the Fart Face books off the library shelves. Drita and Josh know this isn't fair, so they resolve to save their favorite series. Drita hatches a plan to prove that the Fart Face books offer more than just fart jokes--they encourage scientific learning and a love of reading.

The final instalment in the Book of Screams series. Tanya and Niah lure writer Joel Southland to a local coffee shop to find out his scheme. But soon, customers are collapsing around them, lulled into an unnatural sleep--Southland's (and the evil ink's) doing. When Southland tells Tanya he needs her help to draw the ink back to its origins, it seems her only option. However, the ink is cunning. And it will take all Tanya's smarts to try to trap it...or else she might be trapped herself. Woven into the main story are other nightmares the ink has been collecting, including a story of a boy haunted by the long hair clogging a drain, two friends hoping to get famous by livestreaming their hot-pepper-eating challenge, and Gory Gary, a gruesome ghoul who pops up instead of Bloody Mary because he's bored. It's a mix of frights and chills and laughs, perfect for middle-grade readers.

Middle grader Tanya has managed to stop famed horror writer Joel Southland from stealing people's nightmares for his books. The malevolent, sentient ink that had been the source of all his powers and successes now belongs to Tanya. But the ink--which feeds on nightmares--is growing hungrier and hungrier. It urges Tanya to plunder the dreams of others so it can feed. Among Tanya's struggles to outwit the ink are eleven other creepy tales representing the dreams and nightmares of other characters in the book. From tales of dentists who are actually giant alien insects in disguise to a kid spotting a tombstone with his own name and death date, these stories are sure to thrill and chill. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Nine-year-old Bailey Kaufman is nervous for their first day of school at the Hero Academy, the elementary school for young superheroes. Surrounded by classmates with incredible powers, like flying and super snot, Bailey isn't sure where they fit in. However, a new machine designed to help students discover and learn to control their powers might have the answers Bailey is looking for. It was created by Mr. Kaufman, the new principal and Bailey's dad. But when another student thinks they recognize Mr. Kaufman from an old comic book, Bailey is shocked. It couldn't be their dad...could it? Either way, fitting in is going to be harder than Bailey thought. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

BRAND NEW & EXPANDED EDITION! Packed with dozens of additional horror titles and containing limited edition enhanced packaging (gilded foil page edges + ribbon marker). Are you obsessed with John Carpenter's iconic music for the Halloween series? Do you thrill to the unforgettable stabs of the Psycho score, or the pounding synths of Goblin's soundtrack to Suspiria? Do you find yourself being pulled into the hair-raising modern scores for the likes of Get Out, Hereditary, and It Follows? You're not alone. Blood on Black Wax is a defining horror soundtrack volume that spotlights iconic franchises such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Jaws, The Exorcist, Child’s Play, and George A. Romero's “living dead” films, highlighting both the music and the amazing, often rare artwork that graces the record sleeves. It also tells the stories behind the soundtrack, from the mouths of the musicians who made them, including John Carpenter, Fabio Frizzi, Christopher Young, Harry Manfredini, Charles Bernstein, Pino Donaggio, John Harrison, and more. Aaron Lupton and Jeff Szpirglas, both of Rue Morgue magazine, have curated Blood on Black Wax to reflect their own passion for the darkest slabs of soundtrack music. Their journey into the fascinating history of horror movie scores contains reviews, release details, and the wild stories about the making of both iconic classics and the strange outliers of the genre – everything from the orchestral sounds of Hammer and Universal horror, to the truly experimental albums for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eraserhead, to the outlandish punk and metal songs of '80s soundtrack albums like The Return of the Living Dead and Shocker. Go back to your favorite horror films one more time, through the jaw-dropping, spine-tingling music that helped solidify their place in cinematic history!

Dragged fresh from the grave and pulled out of the haunted corners of a school locker, these thirteen new stories are a nod to the storytelling style of Tales from the Crypt and The Twilight Zone. Most kids don't have to stress about things like exotic insects with a taste for human flesh when they go to class. But students at this school have to be ever vigilant. You never know when a supernatural pastry or a clay monster bent on revenge might be lurking just around the corner. Even a simple field trip to a local animal sanctuary can have s-s-serious consequences. A companion volume to Tales from Beyond the Brain, these stories are guaranteed to make you laugh like a hyena, shake your head in wonder or tremble with fear. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Imagine walking home from school one day and seeing a brain on the side of the road, a brain that, it turns out, is looking for a new home. Or instead of paying attention to the teacher, you shoot a paper airplane across the room and accidentally rip a hole in the fabric of the universe. And what would you do if you discovered that your class reading group was actually recruiting kids with telekinetic powers? Tales from Beyond the Brain is a collection of thirteen spooky stories that are as outrageous as they are terrifying. It's a throwback to the weird tales of yesteryear, in the vein of Tales from the Crypt and The Twilight Zone, but with contemporary characters and settings. Getting an education has never been more dangerous. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

This comprehensive title examines the structures and functions of the brain. Accessible text and supportive design elements introduce different parts of the brain and explain their key functions. Readers will also discover how the brain interprets and responds to messages received from different sensory receptors. Hands-on investigations help reinforce and extend core concepts. This title supports NGSS Structure, Function, and Information Processing - 4-LS1-1; MS-LS1-8.

The first few years of life were thought to be the most important in brain development. With the aid of modern brain-imaging technologies, we now know the brain undergoes a substantial remodeling process during adolescence. This insightful title is designed to empower readers as they learn how areas of the brain related to decision-making, planning and goal setting, impulse control, and social interactions are affected by this process of change. They will also discover that personal choices, experiences, and environment play a pivotal role in adolescent brain development. Strategies help readers build emotional intelligence, manage stress, and adopt a proactive, mindful approach to minimize vulnerabilities and maximize their potential for positive personal development during adolescence.

Your brain has an amazing ability to make changes and reorganize itself throughout your lifetime. This is called neuroplasticity. Supported by the latest in brain research, this motivating title helps readers understand how our brains learn and how each of us has our own personal learning style. Key concepts include brain functions and processes related to learning such as memory, attention, executive functions, and other cognitive abilities, and how neural connections form and grow. Readers are encouraged to take on a growth mindset, which is the belief that we are not just born with certain talents - we can develop them. The book includes several brain-based learning strategies. Each strategy includes a hands-on activity or demonstration to help readers apply the strategy in the real world, be empowered to take more risks in their learning, and to unlock their personal potential.