An illustrated travel journal exploring the food, fashion and culture of modern day Japan. The summer before she turned sixteen, author/illustrator Christine Inzer traveled solo to Tokyo to get reacquainted with her birthplace. Through charming illustrations, photos, and musings, Christine takes us on a journey through modern Japan: she explores the fashion hub of Harajuku; she hunts down geisha in Kyoto; she eats the best sushi of her life in Tsukiji; and she meets many interesting characters along the way. Halfway Home is an engaging—and often hilarious—look at a fascinating country and a girl rediscovering her roots.

We are murdering industrial America, self-reliant America, entrepreneurial America, confident America, proud America. In its place we erect a welfare state, a nanny state, a parental state, a nation of dependent adults. Call it whatever you like. We stumble along, bitterly divided, not so far behind Western Europe. Is this good? If that is what we really want and freely vote for it. No non controversial moral principle forbids us to follow this course. But are we sufficiently aware of the not only economic price that we must inevitably pay? The salient question is why? Was this historically incomparable nation built on parental government principles? Can such a government guarantee greater freedom? Justice? Fairness? Compassion? Equality? Voters have repeatedly answered yes. To all the above questions this book forcefully answers no. The chapters focus on two overarching themes. One, the world, with emphasis on the United States, is in a potential deadly moral crisis as harmful principles and practices displace traditional ones among which many bring equal harm. Second, the book argues that the political solutions that we commonly apply to satisfy our needs must inevitably fail to achieve their purpose simply because our moral dilemma and political problems are not at root political. They cannot be resolved by electing the “right” political party. This book presents a compelling argument that the tiresome squabbling in Congress will never achieve anything constructive until we adopt a radically different view of ourselves as individuals and begin to move our nation in a much healthier direction. * * * “This book must be read. Michael Davison presents a penetrating diagnosis of our present day wayward society. What is at stake is the freedom and dignity of the individual and the right to develop and create one's own life. Liberal, conservative and party designations are mere epithets that mask the increasing dependence on government and large societal institutions. This direction is one that desiccates the self and his or her potential. “The therapy suggested by Davison is insightful, but not easy. It begins with self-examination, reason and responsibility. “A lively and compelling argument pace this book. It is impossible to overstate its importance.” Steven Harlow, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, University of Nevada Clinical Psychologist

Lupe Impala, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria love working with cars. You name it, they can fix it. But the team's favorite cars of all are lowriders—cars that hip and hop, dip and drop, go low and slow, bajito y suavecito. The stars align when a contest for the best car around offers a prize of a trunkful of cash—just what the team needs to open their own shop! ¡Ay chihuahua! What will it take to transform a junker into the best car in the universe? Striking, unparalleled art from debut illustrator Raul the Third recalls ballpoint-pen-and-Sharpie desk-drawn doodles, while the story is sketched with Spanish, inked with science facts, and colored with true friendship. With a glossary at the back to provide definitions for Spanish and science terms, this delightful book will educate and entertain in equal measure.

New York Times Bestseller “A double helping of fun and mischief!” —Jeff kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series   “Hilarious.” —Dav Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants series   Miles Murphy is not happy to be moving to Yawnee Valley, a sleepy town that’s famous for one thing and one thing only: cows. In his old school, everyone knew him as the town’s best prankster, but Miles quickly discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a prankster, and a great one. If Miles is going to take the title from this mystery kid, he is going to have to raise his game.   It’s prankster against prankster in an epic war of trickery, until the two finally decide to join forces and pull off the biggest prank ever seen: a prank so huge that it would make the members of the International Order of Disorder proud.   In The Terrible Two, bestselling authors and friends Mac Barnett and Jory John have created a series that has its roots in classic middle-grade literature yet feels fresh and new at the same time.   “The pranks, the brotherhood, the art, the heart! What’s not to love about the Terrible Two?” —Sara Pennypacker, author of the Clementine series   “You don’t have to be a cow, like cows, or even know a cow to love the Terrible Two.” —Dave Eggers   “This book is terrible! Terribly funny, terribly full of pranks, and terribly wonderful.” —Jon Scieszka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man and the Frank Einstein series   “The Terrible Two are my kind of kids. And what’s more, they’re kids’ kind of kids.” —Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy & Bean series