California
A state-by-state celebration of America, the State Smarts series is an exciting collection of distinctive kids books, each one custom die cut to the shape of the featured state. These books are packed with fun information including a short history, famous figures, geography, industry and environment. These books are sure to be a hit with 8-12 year olds (and grown-ups, too!).
Learn about the History of California - from the Gold Rush of 1849 to the famed Silicon Valley of today, Notable Places - Yosemite National Park, Napa Valley, and Sierra Nevada, and read about Famous Californians - Isadora Duncan, Ronald Reagan, and Billie Jean King.
Boy Detective Fails
With his younger sister Caroline and fat friend Fenton at his side, the prodigious Billy Argo, boy detective, solves crimes and cracks capers in his New Jersey hometown. But then the kids begin to grow up: Caroline gets depressed and commits suicide, and Billy checks himself into the St. Vitus Hospital for the Mentally Ill. At 30, Billy leaves the hospital, and takes a job in telemarketing--he`s become an average shell of his once extraordinary self. But there are still villains on the loose, and perhaps Billy has it in him to solve one more case: the mystery of his sister`s death, the sinister roots of his own sadness. Joe Meno gives the detective genre a tragic twist and the postmodern result is clever, unexpected, and heartbreaking.
Boy Detective Fails 
Kids > Boy Detective Fails
Mystic River (WS/DVD)
In Clint Eastwood's MYSTIC RIVER, a murder mystery in South Boston unites three men who have been friends since childhood. Grippingly powerful performances from the entire cast--Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, and Laura Linney--combined with gritty photography, an exceptionally emotional script, and a convincing working-class Boston setting make this film one of Eastwood's most consistent and penetrating works.
Though they live in the same houses where they grew up, Jimmy (Penn), Dave (Robbins), and Sean (Bacon) have drifted apart over time. Their distance is due to a disturbing and violent episode that occurred when they were children. Even now, as adults married with kids, they have never managed to overcome their fear and guilt about what happened. Dave and his wife (Harden) still live next door to Jimmy, who is married to a tough-sexy blond (Linney) and has three daughters. When Jimmy's 19-year-old girl is murdered, he turns to Sean,...
Mystic River (WS/DVD)
Kids > Mystic River (WS/DVD)