Heather Swain

Zephyr, a fifteen-year-old elf, moves with her family from their home in the Michigan forests, determined to adjust to living in Brooklyn among humans so that she can attend the Brooklyn Academy of Performing Arts High School.

Me, My Elf & I

She's finally seeing the fruits of her labors. Chef Ellie "Lemon" Manelli's hip East Village bistro is suddenly all the rage; Lemon and her staff of wildly talented friends plucked from New York City's finest eateries can barely keep pace. Good thing she has her loyal, doting, bankrolling Georgia peach of a boyfriend, Eddie, to lean on -- not to mention a gaggle of loving relations over the river in Brooklyn. In fact, Lemon's life is turning out exactly as she planned -- except for the fact that she's late. As in late. Nobody said anything about, you know, labor. Having a baby right now would jeopardize everything Lemon has worked so hard to accomplish, so the pregnancy test results leave her feeling a little sour. Eddie, bless his heart, wants to just go ahead and get married, but Lemon's not sure the timing's right. She's about to learn a lesson or two about love and loss, though. And in the end she'll discover that there's a reason things work out the way they do -- and that when life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade, or lemon tarts, or lemon meringue pie. Or, you can just be a plain ole Lemon, if that's what you were meant to be.

Luscious Lemon

Provides instructions for making projects using inexpensive materials from around the house to craft a milk carton balloon boat, rubber band banjo, and an embroidery hoop tambourine.

101 Clever Creations Using Everyday Items

Make These Toys

Emily Franklin

America's most acclaimed writers express the confusion, elation, apprehension, and joy of pregnancy and childbirth. Contributors include Steve Almond, Heidi Julavits, JT Leroy, Ann Packer, Arthur Bradford, and many others.

The Big Book of Pregnancy and Parenting Fiction - Volume I

Before

Tara McCarthy

Lisa Tucker

Pamela Ribon

Elise Juska

Say "I do" to five surprising stories of women grappling with love and marriage and whether to walk down the aisle or run away. In Elise Juska's "Perfect Weather for Driving," Megan and Joel's sunset fender-bender makes for a great drunken story at his friend's wedding, but the reality is hardly romantic. Stuck in a New England hotel waiting for the verdict on their Volvo, the two are forced to take stock of their own damaged relationship -- and whether it's too late to fix it. In Tara McCarthy's "Losing California," engaged surfer Alison is convinced that Michael Madsen -- a member of her favorite band -- is her soul mate. Unfortunately, he's not her fiancé. So Alison flies to Nova Scotia, where Michael lives, because she's either right or she's wrong -- and she better find out before the wedding. The bride-to-be in Pamela Ribon's "Sara King Goes Bad" has always done the right thing but decides it's important to know what it feels like to be reckless for once. And so two weeks before her wedding, she indulges in an unforgettable night of sex, drugs, and petty crime. In Heather Swain's "The Happiest Day of Your Life," Annie and Ben plan a simple ceremony at an apple orchard. But when Annie loses perspective -- and everything that can go wrong does -- she's forced to rethink why she wanted a wedding in the first place. The "Emily & Jules" of Lisa Tucker's story are two lonely people who meet on an online bulletin board for agoraphobics. But when Emily is invited to her estranged brother's wedding -- and it's clear across the country -- both she and Jules may be forced to change their ways. Will any of these heroines get to the church on time? Cozy up with Cold Feet and find out.

Cold Feet

We humans smooch with our lips. But how do giraffes, whales, hummingbirds, tree frogs, and other creatures kiss? It's fun to wonder about and to see in the pages of this charming book, which includes facts about each animal at the end. Perfect for Valentine's Day and all year round. A grasshopper mouth opens east-west but not south. They're like scissors for chopping up leaves. "Don't try to hide from a kiss on its side," says grandpa grasshopper to nymphs. How would a grasshopper kiss? Whichever it is, this much is true. When we say goodnight, I love all kinds of kisses from you!

All Kinds of Kisses

Things should be peachy. Junie isn't entirely sure what her problem is. She's just moved into a Brooklyn apartment with her cool longtime boyfriend Leon, a drummer who adores her. She flits through a string of temp jobs in funky thrift store clothes. But beneath her veneer of quirky humor there's a nagging feeling of dissatisfaction about her life. She's about to go bananas. When Junie meets Eliot, who is twice her age, and his cat, Alfie, at the vet's office, she's convinced she's found the zest missing in her life. A burnt-out sci-fi writer in search of a muse, Eliot is apples to Leon's oranges. It's not long before Junie's standing in his kitchen being offered a banana...and then some. Losing herself in the mayhem of a fling, Junie slowly realizes that kinky diversions are a poor distraction from what's really eating her. Only when she stops obsessing about Eliot and starts peeling away the layers of her family's past will she see that what she really wants has been waiting for her all along...and that her future's ripe with possibilities.

Eliot's Banana

A hilarious take on the paranormal trend--Twilight meets The Breakfast Club! When former good girl turned rebel Josie Griffin gets busted for what was in her mind perfectly acceptable revenge on her cheating dog of a boyfriend, she lands herself in anger management therapy. It could be worse: it could be juvvie, or she could be a zombie cheerleader like the rest of her former friends. But there's something strange about therapy--these are not normal kids. There's the wannabe ladies man with a weird accent, Johann; the blindingly gorgeous Helios; Avis with his wild dreads; and Tarren, the sprite of a girl with a wicked temper. And all of them keep talking about "powers." Josie knows that has to be impossible, but strange things start happening, and nothing weird ever happens in Indiana. After all, there're no such things as vampires, werewolves, Greek gods, or fairies . . . right?

Heather Swain

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