The mainline church in the past few decades has witnessed a ghettoization of youth within the church, segregating them off to a particular room, perhaps in the basement, where they engage in ministry in isolation from the rest of the congregation. They are assigned a “youth minister” or “youth director,” often the staff person with the least experience, freeing up the “real” ministers to serve the adults in the church. They seldom serve on church boards or governing bodies in anything othe...

From the profound to the paltry, from the philosophical to the political, this definitive collection of chicken crossing-the-road jokes will have you clucking with laughter! Author Jacob Thorne has gathered an egg-cellent assortment of over 175 variants on the classic riddle, organized into delightfully themed chapters including "Political Poultry," "Hollywood Hens," "Broadcasting Birds," and more.Ever wondered how Shakespeare's chicken would cross the road? What about Einstein's? ...

Train your brain with these over 200 plus brainteasers and riddles ranging from easy to hard!The old adage "use it or lose it" applies equally to our brains as it does to our muscles.Working out our brains ensures that our cognitive abilities remain healthy and sharp in the present and in the future as we age! Brain training activities such as riddles, puzzles, and brainteasers are ideal for this.Perhaps you're an avid puzzle solver looking for your...

A beautifully illustrated and lyrical picture-book biography of eccentric and beloved writer and artist Edward GoreyIn this lyrical biography of one of literature’s most creepily creative authors and illustrators, kids will learn about the inspiration behind a generation of creators, from Lemony Snicket to Tim Burton.Known for, among other things, wearing a large fur coat wherever he went, storyteller Edward Gorey was respected for both his brilliance and h...

Ray Bradbury, the master of American science fiction, offers an intriguing answer to the question that all writers dread: Where do you get your ideas?One evening in South Florida, an author is dozing beside a swimming pool in when a stranger interrupts his peace. The newcomer, a self-professed fan and a literary agent of sorts, has a proposal for the author . . . one that may shape the course of literary history. With just a few thousand words, this charmin...

Comic books and comic strips! Who doesn’t like them? Everyone from kids to adults enjoy cartoons. The comic’s page in the newspaper gets read more often than even the sports page.The author says cartoons are helping him in his grief process.Everyone knows comics such as Dennis the Menace and Snoopy, among others. However, there are plenty of classic comics out there that have been forgotten and Knight is trying his best to ...

Everyone knows cats think they're so special.But how can they explain why to mere humans?Where do cats get their sense of superiority? How do they manipulate us so easily? Cat-echisms answers these eternal feline questions in an easy question-and-answer form. The result? A privileged peek inside the feline brain. In the process, cat owners--and even those who admire cats from afar--are entertained as well as enlightened. Fully illustrated with delightful pho...

Hall Of Mirrors by Fredric Brown.

This classic 1984 interview with Larry Niven, author of such classics as Ringworld and and co-author of The Mote in God's Eye, plus many others, was conducted by Darrell Schweitzer. It originally appeared in Thrust #21, Fall 85/Winter 85 issue.

Comics entered their “golden age” in 1938 when a new idea revolutionized the industry: the creation of the first and archetypal superhero. Superman, pioneered by Detective Comics, better known as DC, was quickly followed by Batman, another brainchild of DC, in 1939. An explosion of acrobatic superheroes, such as Captain America, Wonder Woman, and The Green Lantern, quickly made the previous heros of the crime, cowboy, and romance genres look dated. Also in 1939, Marvel, then known as Timel...

“[An] impressive history of timekeeping.”—Horn BookBruce Koscielniak, in this Common Core text exemplar, tells the intriguing story of the many years spent tinkering and inventing to perfect the art of telling time. When time itself was undefined, no one knew the difference between a minute, an hour, and a day. Then people started creating tools to measure time. First they used the sun, the moon, and the water, but soon after people began using their knowledge about the na...

Theracomics use the many advantages of comics to teach social and emotional skills to kids. Being both visual and verbal they quickly present social situations from several points of view, inviting readers to develop perspective and understanding. Kids get to 'try out' different responses through the characters while making connections with their own challenges. When read with teachers, parents or therapists Theracomics allow guided discussion and reflection to take place. Theracomics tell...