Margaret Stenerson Releases Two Inspiring Books That Celebrate the Wonder of Teaching and Science in Everyday Life

Veteran educator and author Margaret Stenerson announces the release of two powerful books that shine a light on the transformative power of knowledge, curiosity, and lifelong learning: My Noble Profession (Third Edition) and The Joy of Knowing: Everyday Wonders and Science Stories. Together, these titles offer a heartfelt tribute to teaching as a calling, and …

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THE VOTE

President James Frederick Herdener is a swaggering, self-aggrandizing populist whose constant self-comparisons to past presidents may remind readers of certain current political figures (Herdener on George Washington: “Washington, he was a schmuck. Not that good a general”). Evil, scheming billionaire Rudolph Conover sees Herdener less as a leader than as an opportunity. A reclusive oligarch …

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I’M THE PRESIDENT!

Each month, the students in Miss Brady’s class vote for a new class president. Upon winning, Cooper immediately makes some changes, handing out extra snacks…but only to those who voted for him. Cooper shirks his presidential responsibilities and favors some students over others. Soon, he is making rules for the whole school: Students must wear …

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THE SECRETS WE KEEP

“Some secrets protect imperial power, some secrets protect the people oppressed under said power.” Beginning with the Byzantine scholar Procopius’s The Secret History, an early-medieval text that promised to reveal the sordid secrets of the Byzantine emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora, Betancourt ponders the role of secrecy in past eras and its continuing appeal …

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BECOMING UNBREAKABLE

The book begins with a broad, sweeping definition of trauma: “If it feels traumatic to you, it is,” says the author. Killion offers an eight-step process for moving forward after trauma. Step One is determination, or becoming “willing to do the work to become unstuck.” The goal is to turn the “pain into a scar …

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SEX-O-S

Leda Balni celebrates her 15th birthday with the charismatic but thuggish Nico Salisi; now dating, they’ve come a long way since their combative relationship as children, but they’re still not quite synced. Nico, unlike Leda, has zero interest in books, philosophy, or emotional conversations. Instead, he’s consumed by lust, while Leda is sexually curious but …

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LOVE FROM AFAR

At 42, New Hampshire ski salesman Frank Cadwallader has settled into an increasingly lifeless marriage. A lifelong Quaker, he joins a peace mission to the Soviet Union, but the first cracks in his familiar world appear before he leaves—Russian lessons lead to an obsession with his alluring teacher, Olga, whose own titillating secrets prove nearly …

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THE DRAGON GATE CONSPIRACY

It’s 1926, and China is in a precarious state, with Chiang Kai-shek fighting various warlords for the future of the country. The setting, Hankow, sits at the junction of the Yangtze and Han Rivers: It’s a vibrant mix of American, British, Japanese, and of course Chinese people. Young Marine 2nd Lt. Jack Gaines is part …

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THE BRAVE FUZZY

In a village by a river, several round, anthropomorphic blobs called blue fuzzies live in little round huts. One day, a storm damages their homes, and as the blue fuzzies try to rebuild, a stranger—an orange fuzzy—arrives to live with them. The blue villagers shun the newcomer until one of them realizes that “sometimes, the …

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THE PERFECT SPOT

Sparky’s no mutt; as his young owner tells us, he’s the “perfect mix of French bulldog, German poodle, and Andalusian rat terrier.” “His style and elegance, without a doubt, come from his French side.” (The accompanying illustrations show a chuckle-worthy parade of extravagantly modish canines.) His “loud bark” and “curly fur” are from his poodle …

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