New Releases by Janet Taylor

DIVWhen their best friend changes drastically, the Investigators suspect extraterrestrial trouble /divDIV Georgina and Poco should not be climbing an apple tree in the dark. But Poco, who talks to animals, has recently developed a serious crush on a robin, and she gets worried when the bird doesn’t return to his nest one night. Poco convinces her friend to come with her to check on the nest, and while they’re peering through the tree branches, they see strange glowing objects in the sky. The array of lights can only mean one thing: aliens./divDIV /divDIVThe next morning, Poco’s robin returns and, more importantly, so does Angela. Angela had been the girls’ best friend before moving to Mexico a year ago, but she comes back totally changed. Before, she was short, chatty, and imaginative. Now she is tall, sullen, and cold. When Georgina reminds her of their former club, the Investigators of the Unknown, Angela shrugs her off. Paco and Georgina realize that the aliens have claimed their first victim, and they will have to move fast to save their friend./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

DIVIn search of the truth about his heritage, Walter only finds more mystery /divDIV Walter Kew has grown up without a past. Orphaned since birth and raised by his grandparents, he knows nothing about his parents, who died in an accident. Obsessively curious about the mother he never knew, he turns to the occult, using Ouija boards, crystal balls, and spells to reach out to the other world. But he’s never had any luck—until now./divDIV /divDIVWalking home from school, Walter hears what he thinks is his mother’s voice—faint, but very real. Although he can’t quite understand her words, he’s convinced she’s trying to tell him something. With his friends Georgina and Poco, he looks for clues. Their quest takes them to a statue of the Little Match Girl in the park, where infant Walter was once photographed with his mother. As the three investigators chase the mystery, Walter will learn more about his past—and his present—than he ever thought possible. /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection. /div

The Life Chances Study examines the life opportunities and life outcomes of a small sample of children in inner city Melbourne, Victoria, looking in particular at the influences of social, economic and environmental factors on children''s lives. This longitudinal study began in 1990 with a group of infants, and is still ongoing today with the participants now aged 21 years old. This report presents an overview of the study and outlines the published findings of each stage. It describes the diverse topics covered over 21 years of research and discusses the policy and practice implications, especially for what makes a difference for the life chances of disadvantaged children.

Immediately after the Civil War, Bess Hauser, a herbalist-midwife, and David Adams, a former Army surgeon, struggle to find a new balance for their lives. David learns to survive in a rural, Pennsylvania Dutch world, and Bess learns to love again.

Traditionally, the transition from school to work has been important for young adults, and turning 21 was recognised as the marker of adulthood in Australia, when young people had jobs - and even families of their own. Social and economic changes over the past 30 years or so have made the transition from school to work more complex and less clear-cut. This report documents the factors that shape the lives of 123 young participants in the Life Chances Study, as they turn 21.

When three kittens are carelessly thrown off the back of a truck, none of the highway cats know what to make of them. They seem to have some sort of appeal?an energy, even?that Khalia Koo, Jolly Roger and the rest of the mangy, feral cats don?t understand. But there are bigger issues to figure out when the bulldozers start coming, threatening to demolish the cats? homes as well as other historical landmarks. Can three little kittens be the answer to save the town? Illustrated with striking silhouettes, here is a spirited and original environmental story from Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle about finding help?and hope?in the smallest, most unlikely of places.

Stage 8 of the longitudinal Life Chances Study explored the situations of 125 young Australians (75 girls and 50 boys) from diverse backgrounds, their current engagement with school and work and their future plans at the age of 16. The survey responses confirmed the continuity and layering of disadvantage: for example, 16 year olds from low-income families with parents with limited education are more likely than their affluent peers to leave school early and less likely to plan university careers. The findings also showed diversity within socioeconomic groups, and posed the challenge of providing effective teaching and transition supports for all young people.

It is spring 1929, and Prohibition is in full swing. So when Ruben and Jeddy find a dead body washed up on the shore of their small coastal Rhode Island town, they are sure it has something to do with smuggling liquor. Soon the boys, along with Jeddy’s strongwilled sister, Marina, are drawn in, suspected by rival bootlegging gangs of taking something crucial off the dead man. Then Ruben meets the daring captain of the Black Duck, the most elusive smuggling craft of them all, and it isn’t long before he’s caught in a war between two of the most dangerous prohibition gangs. "Riveting mystery and nonstop adventure." --School Library Journal

Who doesn''t like frogs? So they''re green and well, slimy. Frogs have charisma, charm, and even a few stories to tell. With the help of eight of today''s most fanciful writers, frogs finally have their day. From New York Times best-selling author Brian Jacques''s tale of a menacing frogbeast, to Janet Taylor Lisle''s story of the frog-people of Quicksand Pond, to Jane Yolen''s Pied Piper take on our froggy green friends, these hilarious fables and touching fairy tales are for every reader who has ever rooted for the underfrog. "Release #your# inner frog with this kickin'' collection." (Kirkus Reviews)

Disease control, crop rotation, residue management.

A study of 161 three-year old children born in two inner-Melbourne suburbs showed that poverty in families is linked with sole parenthood, non-English-speaking background and low employment. The poorer families are more likely to report multiple stresses, little help from friends, relatives or the child''s father, and the children are more liable to be reported as difficult to manage and less healthy.