Balancing statistical pragmatism against human nature and the alluring dream of winning it all, Copetas’ narrative highlights the dramatic and double-edged power of sudden wealth in America. Told through a blend of anecdotal accounts and academic analyses, this informative read bounces from bank robberies and Lamborghini parades to taxation policies for the poor and the Pandora’s Box of capitalism.
More than a behind-the-scenes peek at some lottery winners […]
Hard-hitting in its honesty and authentic narrative voice, An Eighth Grade Gay Straight Alliance by Daniel Micko shines a light on the societal forces and peer pressures that shape growing up today.
When the enigmatic Brooklyn Jennings starts her own Gay-Straight Alliance at her middle school in Modesto, California, she makes her intentions clear: no adults, no teachers, and a vision to “shake things up.” Sydney Troller may be smitten by Brooklyn’s devil-may-care vibes, but she also doesn’t want to get involved in anything that could land her in trouble – or even jail. Testing the lines of privilege, purpose, […]
A time-travel adventure packed with mystery and hard lessons, Mysteries of a Middle Schooler: Let the Adventures Begin by Dr. Tonmar Johnson is a thrilling hyper-modern fantasy for middle grade readers. The start of fifth grade for tech-savvy Marcus and warrior-poet Evie Wilkins is exciting, but their ChatGPT-fueled plan to crack time travel takes them where they don’t expect. Redefining the concept of extra credit, Evie’s trip back to 1862 gives her everything she could ever need for their history presentation, but the lessons learned extend far beyond the classroom. Exploring deep concepts of bloodlines, inequality, loyalty, and the uncomfortable […]
A collection of slow-burning psychological horror, Things That Go Bump in the Night, Volume One: Urban Legends by JC Bratton holds four chilling and unpredictable stories, originally published separately.
In “Who’s At the Door?” a young woman named Jamie is left at home while her parents go on vacation, but two weeks of enjoying an empty house quickly turn terrifying. Whether it’s a cruel prank or something even more sinister, bizarre things keep happening at 3:33 AM, from invisible front door visitors to ghastly appearances on empty country roads. With the help of Mark the heartthrob, Jamie continues peeling back […]
Demystifying a revolutionary technology in both the classroom and the broader realm of teaching, ChatGPT Hacks for Teachers: A Comprehensive ChatGPT Guide for Educators for Teaching and Learning with Step-by-Step Instructions, Practical Demonstrations, Examples, Prompts, and Video Outputs by Keshav Jha is a thorough and useful guide for this new paradigm of education. Harnessing the power of AI for better educational outcomes of students and teachers alike is the utopian goal for many fans of ChatGPT, but understanding how to use the program effectively is the important first step. Whether you are seeking to develop more interactive learning modules, multilevel […]
Peeking into the wild internal world of house cats, Our Cats Are Plotting to Kill Us by Jim Tilberry is a witty wander to the edge of the absurd.
When Julie signs up for Elon Musk’s new Cat Chat app, she and her doubtful husband find themselves able to spy on the telepathic communications of Oliver and Wendell, their two feline friends. Not only have their pets given them a variety of insulting nicknames, but they also have a laundry list of grievances, from their hatred of closed doors and being picked up to “Blondie’s” awful perfume and “Dagwood’s” tacky […]
A wild homage to time travel fiction, The Lost Family Robinson by Alan Priest is an engrossing, dialogue-driven drama about survival and loyalty in truly strange places. When a DIY time machine drops ten members of the Robinson family sixty years in the past, they will have to put their fraternal fighting aside to get back to 2028, but their fiddling with sacred timelines doesn’t go unnoticed by the Vatican’s holy-rolling watchdogs. A creative caper with a strong spine of theoretical and quantum science, this is a cleverly penned and paradox-dodging adventure in rugged recent history, with tender nods to […]
From the color-blind struggle of miners and the gruesome history of public hangings to manifested visions of emancipation and the generations of psychic damage enacted on people of color in America, this is a relentless account of prejudice, trauma, and resilience at the dark heart of the American Dream. Interrogating the whitewashed legacy of an oppressed people through the lens of personal anecdotes, historical […]