John Green

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

California

Despite the medical miracle that has bought her a few more years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, but when Augustus Waters suddenly appears at the Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be rewritten.

The Fault in Our Stars

fcf335a2-921d-4a3b-80d2-1776bf15f325-1

Jennifer Egan

A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A New York Times Notable Book Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction The daring and magnificent novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author. Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, Esquire, Vogue, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA TODAY, and Time Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to visit Dexter Styles, a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. She is mesmerized by the sea beyond the house and by some charged mystery between the two men. ‎Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that once belonged to men, now soldiers abroad. She becomes the first female diver, the most dangerous and exclusive of occupations, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. One evening at a nightclub, she meets Dexter Styles again, and begins to understand the complexity of her father’s life, the reasons he might have vanished. “A magnificent achievement, at once a suspenseful noir intrigue and a transporting work of lyrical beauty and emotional heft” (The Boston Globe), “Egan’s first foray into historical fiction makes you forget you’re reading historical fiction at all” (Elle). Manhattan Beach takes us into a world populated by gangsters, sailors, divers, bankers, and union men in a dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.

Manhattan Beach

a15b5311-bdf1-4073-95fe-31cb6aac6859-1

Donald Miller

Light, God, and Beauty on the open Road

Fueled by the belief that something better exists than the mundane life they've been living, free spirits Don and Paul set off on an adventure-filled road trip in search of deeper meaning, beauty, and an explanation for life. Many young men dream of such a trip, but few are brave enough to actually attempt it. Fewer still have the writing skills of Donald Miller, who records the trip with wide-eyed honesty in achingly beautiful prose. In this completely revised edition, he discusses everything from the nature of friendship, the reason for pain, and the origins of beauty. As they travel from Texas to Oregon in Paul's cantankerous Volkswagen van, the two friends encounter a variety of fascinating people, witness the fullness of nature's splendor, and learn unexpected lessons about themselves, each other, and even God. "A record of a classic road trip. Miller's tale is full of serendipitous adventures and thoughtful Christian reflection . . . offering the sort of deep-thought wanderings into meaning and significance that are the meat of college-age existence . . . a reminder that life was meant to be lived, not just gotten through." (Publishers Weekly)

Through Painted Deserts

f224ea36-63d8-4ae2-803b-79e930e5964f-1

Miller reveals how the inability to find redemption leads to chaotic relationships, self-hatred, the accumulation of meaningless material possessions, and a lack of inner peace.

Searching for God Knows What

4209f375-96c6-408f-b6c1-b333492b6313

C. S. Lewis

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Mere Christianity

0bd0dc58-11e2-4e1c-821f-8fb57ff13653-1

Tana French

The Likeness

663022cd-7374-4d55-a225-c0fa1882095d

John Grisham

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Cut from the Cleveland Browns after the worst performance in the history of the NFL, Rick Dockery, desperate to play football, is hired by the Panthers of Parma, Italy, and finds himself confronted by the confusing diversity of Italian culture, language,a

Playing for Pizza

e762da69-2d8a-437c-b870-17a65165c226-1

Anita Diamant

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-workingyouth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting,The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.


The Red Tent

85682930-13da-43be-ae75-0bb55c1541c6-1

Erik Larson

Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

An account of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 relates the stories of two men who shaped the history of the event--architect Daniel H. Burnham, who coordinated its construction, and serial killer Herman Mudgett.

The Devil in the White City

545b6122-6690-45b8-bd68-8149b48c4bac-1

Khaled Hosseini

Two women born a generation apart witness the destruction of their home and family in wartorn Kabul, incurring losses over the course of thirty years that test the limits of their strength and courage.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

ef2cfc5e-c4e2-46ea-9715-40780da68754-1

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Instant New York Times Bestseller “Hilarious and big-hearted, The Nest is a stellar debut.” — People, Book of the Week “Her writing is like really good dark chocolate: sharper and more bittersweet than the cheap stuff, but also too delicious not to finish in one sitting.”— Entertainment Weekly “Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel.”— New York Times Book Review A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives. Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs' joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems. Melody, a wife and mother in an upscale suburb, has an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twin teenage daughters. Jack, an antiques dealer, has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker, to keep his store open. And Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, just can’t seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the futures they’ve envisioned? Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives. This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

The Nest

035aa667-553b-4b00-b026-ea2106e3dde7-1

Linda Darling-Hammond

Social Studies

What Really Matters for Effectiveness and Improvement

EDUCATION / Educational Policy & Reform / General

Getting Teacher Evaluation Right

2f05a127-4537-429e-b423-b342d6e83d88-1

Charlotte Danielson

Thomas L. McGreal

Teacher evaluation--a term that brings fear, anticipation, stress, anxiety, or even boredom to the hearts of teachers and administrators everywhere. How can we reinvent teacher evaluation so that it really makes a difference--so that everyone in school benefits from it, so that teachers and administrators learn from it, so that students succeed as a result of it? The bad news is that many schools and districts seem to be stuck in old ruts, involving The Observation, The Behavior Checklist, and The Conference. The good news is that many districts have paved the way for teacher evaluation to actually become professional development, by using a three-track evaluation system:* Track I, for beginning teachers, promotes growth and new learning through mentoring, frequent observations, and support systems.* Track II, for tenured teachers--that is, most teachers in the system--promotes professional learning experiences through self-assessment, goal setting, data collection, formative evaluations, study groups, action plans, and evaluation in which teachers play an active role.* Track III, for tenured teachers needing assistance, focuses on remediating difficulties and recommending further action.More good news: Through concrete examples, useful forms, and assessment tools, this book provides a clear roadmap to effective teacher evaluation systems that combine quality assurance with professional development for all teachers.

Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice

b22de1d3-6ef6-480b-a05c-fb31991b3903-1

W. Richard Scott

Ideas, Interests, and Identities

Creating a clear, analytical framework, this fully updated fourth edition of Institutions and Organizations: Ideas, Interests, and Identities, by W. Richard Scott, offers a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between institutional theory and the study of organizations. Reflecting the richness and diversity of institutional thought—viewed both historically and as a contemporary, ongoing field of study—this edition draws on the insights of cultural and organizational sociologists, institutional economists, social and cognitive psychologists, political scientists, and management theorists. The book reviews and integrates the most important recent developments in this rapidly evolving field and strengthens and elaborates the author’s widely accepted “pillars” framework, which supports research and theory construction. By exploring the differences as well as the underlying commonalities of institutional theories, the book presents a cohesive view of the many flavors and colors of institutionalism. It also evaluates and clarifies developments in both theory and research while identifying future research directions.

Institutions and Organizations

f41b3276-70e6-4c81-9221-4484a745c005-1

Robert J. Marzano

Timothy Waters

From Research to Results

What does research tell us about the effects of school leadership on student achievement? What specific leadership practices make a real difference in school effectiveness? How should school leaders use these practices in their day-to-day management of schools and during the stressful times that accompany major change initiatives? Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. McNulty provide answers to these and other questions in School Leadership That Works.

Based on their analysis of 69 studies conducted since 1970 that met their selection criteria and a recent survey of more than 650 building principals, the authors have developed a list of 21 leadership responsibilities that have a significant effect on student achievement. Readers will learn:
 * The specific behaviors associated with the 21 leadership responsibilities.
 * The difference between first-order change and second-order change and the leadership responsibilities that are most important for each.
 * How to work smart by choosing the right work to focus on to improve student achievement.
 * The advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive school reform models for improving student achievement.
 * How to develop a site-specific approach to improving student achievement, using a framework of 11 factors and 39 action steps.
 * A five-step plan for effective school leadership.



Combining rigorous research with practical advice, School Leadership That Works gives school administrators the guidance they need to provide strong leadership for better schools.

School Leadership That Works

26a74dce-b327-4771-9672-5a8e7b236a42-1

Anselm Strauss

Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory

The Third Edition of the bestselling Basics of Qualitative Research:Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory continues to offer immensely practical advice and technical expertise to aid researchers in making sense of their collected data. Authors Juliet Corbin and the late Anselm Strauss (co-creator of Grounded Theory) present methods that enable researchers to analyze and interpret their data, and ultimately build theory from it. Highly accessible in their approach, Corbin and Strauss provide a step-by-step guide to the research act--from the formation of the research question through several approaches to coding and analysis, to reporting on the research. Full of definitions and illustrative examples, this book concludes with chapters that present criteria for evaluating a study, as well as responses to common questions posed by students of qualitative research. Significantly revised, Basics of Qualitative Research remains a landmark volume in the study of qualitative methods. Key Features of the Third Edition: Allows for students to develop their critical thinking skills in the "Critical Issues" section at the end of each chapter. Shows the actual steps involved in data analysis (from description to grounded theory) and data gathering by means of theoretical sampling. Provides exercises for thinking, writing and group discussion that reinforces material presented in the text.

Basics of Qualitative Research

db8e8d96-8dac-47a4-a61a-d566a5567f24-1

Julian Meltzoff

Psychology and Related Fields

Picture yourself sitting down to read the latest issue of your favourite journal. Are you prepared? Do you know what to look for? Will you identify crucial defects in methodology, or will they slip by you? Having the background and training to critique research intelligently is imperative to appraise the value of the articles. This volume provides methods for reviewing research from any area in the social sciences.

Critical Thinking about Research

49372c02-a8cc-426b-9369-bdc319b2bd8d-1

Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius

A User-Friendly Guide

This step-by-step approach allows students to master testing and measurement concepts through practical exercises and feedback. Using humor, cartoons and real-world examples, Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius and Mary E. Stafford guide the reader through the essential components of measurement, starting with measurement scales and ending with reliability and validity. The authors show that everyone can learn testing and measurement concepts, and they make the learning process fun and non-threatening. For those who want to challenge themselves beyond the self-instructional exercises included throughout each chapter, data sets are provided as an aid to further learning. The book is invaluable for all introductory courses in measurement and testing at undergraduate and lower-level graduate level in the social and behavioral sciences.

Testing and Measurement

58f66725-2dac-48e4-b162-5cdd9151122b-1

John W. Creswell

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

The eagerly anticipated Fourth Edition of the title that pioneered the comparison of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research design is here! For all three approaches, Creswell includes a preliminary consideration of philosophical assumptions, a review of the literature, an assessment of the use of theory in research approaches, and refl ections about the importance of writing and ethics in scholarly inquiry. He also presents the key elements of the research process, giving specifi c attention to each approach. The Fourth Edition includes extensively revised mixed methods coverage, increased coverage of ethical issues in research, and an expanded emphasis on worldview perspectives.

Research Design

4db19ac5-e4e5-42e0-ba68-40a4f1427535-1

Sharan B. Merriam

A Guide to Design and Implementation

Praise for the Third Edition of Qualitative Research: "Sharan B. Merriam synthesizes twenty years of developments in qualitative research with clarity and acumen." ?Michael Quinn Patton, author, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods "Here is a qualitative research methods book that reinforces the connection between professional experience and qualitative inquiry." ?Robert Stake, author, The Art of Case Study Research and Multiple Case Study Analysis "In this new edition, Sharan Merriam once again presents the world of qualitative research in language engaging and accessible?for new and experienced readers alike. If you can have only one book about qualitative research, this is it!" ?Patricia M. Reeves, associate professor, School of Social Work, University of Georgia "Mystified by qualitative research? You couldn't ask for a better guide than Sharan Merriam, who introduces you to the fundamental concepts of this research method, explains its complex forms, and then shows you exactly how to do a high-quality qualitative study." ?M. Carolyn Clark, coeditor, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education

Qualitative Research

a2bd97ff-8e7b-4484-a91d-7f1471ddf06c-1

Earl R. Babbie

Math

This thorough revision of Babbie's standard-setting book offers students a succinct, straightforward introduction to the field of research methods as practiced by social scientists. Contemporary examples such as terrorism, Alzheimer's disease, anti-gay prejudice and education, and the legalization of marijuana make this Fifth Edition thoroughly fascinating as it introduces students to the how-tos and whys of social research methods. The book's qualitative coverage combined with its already strong quantitative material makes this new edition Babbie's best yet. Babbie, long respected in the field and renowned for his engaging and friendly writing style, gives students the tools they need for understanding social research methods and for applying these concepts both inside and outside the classroom as researchers and as consumers of research. With increased emphasis on qualitative research and practical applications, this Fifth Edition is authoritative yet student-friendly . . . and engaging enough to help students connect the dots between the world of social research and the real world. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

The Basics of Social Research

c47a2f62-e896-4a4f-bbb0-b4667a86c64d-1

David Baker

Gerald LeTendre

Government

World Culture and the Future of Schooling

Using US schools as a reference point, this book provides a description of schooling as a global institution. The authors draw on a four-year investigation conducted in 47 countries that examined many aspects of K-12 schooling. They discuss how world trends and the forces behind them will work to shape the directions education may take.

Browse by categories

John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

Jennifer Egan

Manhattan Beach

Donald Miller

Through Painted Deserts

Donald Miller

Searching for God Knows What

C. S. Lewis

Mere Christianity

Tana French

The Likeness

John Grisham

Playing for Pizza

Anita Diamant

The Red Tent

Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City

Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest

Linda Darling-Hammond

Getting Teacher Evaluation Right

Charlotte Danielson; Thomas L. McGreal

Teacher Evaluation to Enhance Professional Practice

W. Richard Scott

Institutions and Organizations

Robert J. Marzano; Timothy Waters

School Leadership That Works

Anselm Strauss

Basics of Qualitative Research

Julian Meltzoff

Critical Thinking about Research

Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius

Testing and Measurement

John W. Creswell

Research Design

Sharan B. Merriam

Qualitative Research

Earl R. Babbie

The Basics of Social Research

David Baker; Gerald LeTendre

National Differences, Global Similarities

Eugene Bardach

A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis

Get The App