Part of WestEd’s VITAL Education Series, this practical book provides a research-based, 7-step process to develop reading comprehension skills across all content areas and grade levels.Drawing on current research and practical experience in schools and classrooms, the authors introduce the Reading to Learn Framework—seven core practices that include setting purpose, activating background knowledge, identif...

" No author working today comes close to Jeff Strand' s perfect mixture of comedy and terror." – Cemetery Dance When Margot finds her younger brother dead in his apartment, the investigation shows no medical issues. He simply played a video game until he died of thirst, despite a refrigerator full of bottled water in the very next room. Only a lucky few get to playtest Fun Times at the Bloodbath, one of the most insanely violent video games ever made. It' s so addictive, they can' t stop p...

Beware of what lurks in the shadows in the fourth addition to the Eek! series, tales to scare you silly!Bryan doesn't like the outdoors—not when books and video games are best enjoyed inside. He's only excited about their class ski trip because Danielle, his crush, promised to give him some tips. If he doesn't embarrass himself or shatter any bones, it's going to be an awesome day.He's taking a break in the shack their ski instructor calls "a cabin...

"Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, the 19 stories in this new best-of annual anthology feature episodes of graphic gore and violence--including torture, dismemberment, self-mutilation, and home abortion--that are designed to push buttons as well as boundaries...strictly for hardcore horror fans." --Publishers WeeklyExcerpt from the Introduction:Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of...

A new hilarious novel from the author of The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever and Stranger Things Have Happened.Rod's life doesn't suck. If you ask him, it's pretty awesome. He may not be popular, but he and his best friends play in a band that has a standing gig. Yeah, it's Monday night and they don't get paid, but they can turn the volume up as loud as they want. And Rod's girlfriend is hot, smart, and believes in their band—believes in Rod. Aside fro...

"Each short story is unique, carefully crafted, and memorable. A fun read from cover to cover." – MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWDesperados and yellow-bellies be warned: These ain't your typical westerns…Herein find legendary masters of anomalous Western and Horror stories—along with a posse of budding word-slingers—who all bring you an electrifying and frightening collection of extraordinary tales set in the Old West and beyond...

Is there more to Buddhism than sitting in silent meditation? Is modern Buddhism relevant to the problems of daily life? Does it empower individuals to transform their lives? Or has Buddhism become too detached, so still and quiet that the Buddha has fallen asleep? Waking the Buddha tells the story of the Soka Gakkai International, the largest, most dynamic Buddhist movement in the world today—and one that is waking up and shaking up Buddhism so it can truly work in ordinary people's lives....

You know the moment.The meeting where someone said something wrong and you opened your mouth and then closed it. The email you drafted and deleted. The thing you witnessed that you told yourself wasn't your business, wasn't your place, wasn't your proof. The moment you calculated — quickly, reasonably, in the way that decent people calculate these things — that the cost of speaking was higher than the cost of silence.You made the right call. Probably. You told yourself that...

17 horror Stories. One legendary music venue.We all know the old cliché: Sex, drugs and rock and roll. Now, add demons, other dimensions, monsters, revenge, human sacrifice, and a dash of the truly inexplicable. This is the story of the (fictional) San Francisco music venue, The Shantyman.In Welcome to the Show, seventeen of today's hottest writers of horror and dark fiction come together in devilish harmony to trace The Shantyman'...

For all of human history ghosts were real and they were everywhere. Then, one day, after a horrible cataclysm, they all disappeared.That was the story of The Perfectly Fine House.But there are more tales to be told from that world. And a thrilling lineup, ranging from horror legends to relative newcomers, have joined forces to bring you:- a roadside attraction featuring a real, dead serial killer- a pair of twisted sisters whose sibling rivalry only...

Sixteen tales of the biblical apocalypse re-imagined for today's world.What if the prophecies of Revelation hit today? What sort of craziness and evil would ensue? This collection of horror stories explores the gruesome and terrifying possibilities.Featuring stories from Wrath James White, Sam West, The Sisters of Slaughter, Jeff Strand, K. Trap Jones, C. Derick Miller, Christine Morgan, Patrick C. Harrison III, John Wayne Comunale, Cody Higgins, Delphine Q...

"She glanced over her shoulder. Had the scarecrow moved? It stood there, smile stitched on its face, but now it felt like a smirk."Prepare to be scared silly in this creepy middle-grade novel! Twins seek medical help in a remote village after their father is in a canoeing accident...only to discover the scarecrow that stands watch in town may have a stronger hold over the residents than expected. Perfect for fans of R.L. Stine, Dan Poblocki, and Ma...