New Releases by Hal Friedman

As Kim Jong-un heads to America for disarmament talks the world holds its breath, waiting for something to go wrong. And something unimaginable does. After an assassination attempt in a NYC tunnel, Kim goes missing. Days later, a ransom note is delivered to the Chinese Embassy, and we''re into the most unlikely and audacious kidnapping of all time

Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a hell of irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances, and Cory embarked on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Simply put: Cory Friedman''s life was a living hell. AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE is the true story of Cory and his family''s decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a maddening medical establishment. It is a heart-rending story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any James Patterson thriller.

Oh, a-hunting we will go, A-hunting we will go; We''ll catch a fox and put him in a box, And then we''ll let him go! So begins this rollicking folk song that has delighted generations of children and inspired them to make up their own verses. John Langstaff has selected some of the most popular stanzas, both old and new, that are sure to bring out smiles and giggles. Nancy Winslow Parker''s pictures join in the fun as a band of intrepid children hunt for the fox, a skunk, and even a brontosaurus with wildly silly results. Piano and guitar accompaniment are provided so grown-ups can sing along, too. The playful mood of the words, music, and pictures is infectious -- you may even decide to add new verses of your own!

An eight-grade class trip from a supposedly perfect and affluent little town to a state forest ends in a horrifying moment when a revered teacher plunges to her death from a towering cliff. If the students present witnessed the events leading up to the accident, they''re not telling. No one in the elite and tight-knit suburb of Knollwood, New Jersey, seems to know what really happened to the teacher. Worse yet, no one seems to care. Except Meg Foley. A young, single woman used to instructing inner-city kids, Meg gladly accepts a replacement position in this cushioned community. But in the eyes of her new students she sees a chilling hint of past terrors, and Meg is determined to find out the cause. In her search for the truth, Meg raises painful questions that the people in the town would rather not answer: Was the teacher not what she seemed, not even close? Did a rebellious clan of teenagers take their revenge on a tough, critical authority? Or was it some greater evil that no one dares to acknowledge? The hornet''s nest Meg stirs quickly results in antagonism from school and local officials, as her quest probes a lot more than just a tragic but isolated incident. When unseen forces in the community target her as their enemy, first with threats, then with violence, Meg can no longer handle the danger alone. At her request, Meg is joined by maverick Los Angeles police detective Dan Jarrett, her father''s partner before his death in the line of duty. Jarrett must protect Meg and discover the truth about a teacher who never expected the result of her last assignment and a town that fiercely protects its own. Mrs. Wilkens prayed silently for someone to help her. She looked over her shoulder as she continued to flee. She couldn''t see or hear them any longer but was certain they were still behind her, somewhere.

Discover the story of one teenager''s struggles with OCD and Tourette''s Syndrome-and how he was able to overcome extraordinary setbacks. Cory Friedman knows how it feels to have a body that won''t stop moving, to be really different from everyone else, to be made fun of every day, to be totally reckless, to never relax, to be shut out of everything, to break free and take control. James Patterson''s Against Medical Advice riveted adults with the page-turning drama of one teenager''s courage, sacrifice, and triumph in confronting an agonizing medical condition. Now this deeply personal account of Cory Friedman''s intense struggles with Tourette''s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder-as well as depression, anxiety, and alcohol addiction-is available for teen readers.

Cory Friedman was an ordinary fun-loving little boy. That fateful March morning in 1989 started just like any other but later that day, he started to feel very different and the course of his life was set to change. It started with an irresistible urge to shake his head, and before long, his body became a volatile, explosive and unpredictable force. Overtaken by physical urges, tics and compulsions, the bright young boy started to feel and look like a puppet on a string. Cory had developed a rare combination of Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and other neurological conditions. The life he knew had been torn apart and his family was left watching him suffer. Desperate to help and hopeful of a cure, they embarked on a fifteen year plight which took them beyond breaking point. Cory was seen by thirteen doctors who in total prescribed sixty potent medicines. He was mistakenly sent to a psychiatric ward and. On the brink of utter despair, he and his family decided to try a form of intervention that had never been tried in cases such as Cory''s: he was sent to a wilderness survival camp in a bitter, unforgiving snowy Utah winter. This felt like their final chance. Throughout his young life, Cory struggled to have the same childhood and adolescence as his friends. From time to time an overwhelming anger and frustration overcame him when one doctor after another and an unprecedented number of medicines continually failed him. Still, throughout it all, Cory battled against the extraordinary events that were unfolding, and would take him on one of the most terrifying personaljourneys ever recorded. TORN APART is a true story of one family''s courage, heartbreak, sacrifice and ultimately, triumph.