Older siblings are notorious for reluctantly welcoming home a new bundle of joy, and many parents know the difficulty of teaching the firstborn to "love the baby." In this new picture book by the award-winning team of Steven Layne and Ard Hoyt, the refrain of "looooove the baby" is repeated often enough for it to eventually come true for the once insecure and spiteful older brother.

In Mergers, the sinister antagonist is the mastermind behind an engineered society that has wiped away all traces of race. He is intent on destroying Dirk and his friends, who have spent their entire lives in hiding because of their racial identities. Each has extraordinary powers--Nicci, the African Traveler, manipulates time; Mateo, the Hispanic Metamorph, alters his shape; Keiko, the Asian Empath, heals with her hands; and Dirk, the Caucasian Telepath, invades others’ minds.

In this cautionary tale, the themes of loyalty, leadership, and identity are all called into question as Dirk and his friends struggle to conquer The Merger. When they take a dangerous journey into the past with the hope of restoring the world’s natural timeline, each of them must struggle with their own inadequacies and deal with all-too-human failings, despite their special powers. Mergers’ riveting plot and supernatural characters will keep teens engaged while reminding them of each individual’s potential to change the world.

In this cautionary tale, the themes of loyalty, leadership, and identity are all called into question as Dirk and his friends struggle to conquer The Merger. When they take a dangerous journey into the past with the hope of restoring the world’s natural timeline, each of them must struggle with their own inadequacies and deal with all-too-human failings, despite their special powers. Mergers’ riveting plot and supernatural characters will keep teens engaged while reminding them of each individual’s potential to change the world.
 This is the ePub/eBook version of this title. This is not the print edition.

In Steven L. Layne’s Preacher’s Night Before Christmas, the Christmas Eve service is about to be performed at Spring Lane Creek Church, yet the last-minute rehearsal reveals several glitches. Poor Pastor McDougall finds himself in the middle of arguments, tears, and temper tantrums from his congregation. Between disagreements over the perfect child to play baby Jesus, the choir’s dislike of their robes, and the copy machine’s breakdown, even the most faithful have become frustrated.

It's the day before Halloween, and to every teacher's dismay, school has been overrun by princesses and monsters, Jedi and ghouls. In every classroom, teachers are struggling to keep order, but students have brought in their costumes to celebrate a day early. A group of girls sneak into the bathroom to exchange tiaras, and grotesquely dressed fifth-graders pretend to eat two younger students in the cafeteria.

In come the sheep to the rescue! They help Thomas prepare for the big test by traveling to countries around the globe. Mischief follows this crazy crew as they see the world from A to Z, doing everything from acting in Australia to zigzagging through Zimbabwe in this alphabet book adventure. Hardcover.