Books with author Mark McKenna

The universal human instinct is to run from an outbreak of disease like Ebola. These doctors run toward it. Their job is to stop epidemics from happening.They are the disease detective corps of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal agency that tracks and tries to prevent disease outbreaks and bioterrorist attacks around the world. They are formally called the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)—a group founded more than fifty years ago out of fear that the Korean War might bring the use of biological weapons—and, like intelligence operatives in the traditional sense, they perform their work largely in anonymity. They are not household names, but over the years they were first to confront the outbreaks that became known as hantavirus, Ebola, and AIDS. Every day they work to protect us by hunting down the deadly threats that we forget until they dominate our headlines, West Nile virus, anthrax, and SARS among others.In this riveting narrative, Maryn McKenna—the only journalist ever given full access to the EIS in its fifty-three-year history—follows the first class of disease detectives to come to the CDC after September 11, the first to confront not just naturally occurring outbreaks but the man-made threat of bioterrorism. They are talented researchers—many with young families—who trade two years of low pay and extremely long hours for the chance to be part of the group that are on the frontlines, in the yellow suits and masks, that has helped eradicate smallpox, push back polio, and solve the first major outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, toxic shock syndrome, and E. coli O157 and works to battle every new disease before it becomes an epidemic.Urgent, exhilarating, and compelling, Beating Back the Devil takes you inside the world of these medical detectives who are trying to stop the next epidemic—before the epidemics stop us.

Can the OCTOPUPPY be the perfect pet?Edgar wanted a dog. Instead, he got an octopus named Jarvis.Jarvis is brilliant and does his best to act like the dog Edgar wants, but nothing he does is good enough to please Edgar. Ultimately, Edgar recognizes that while Jarvis might not be the dog he wanted, he is special in his own endearing way.Young readers will love the funny, imaginative illustrations that are paired with a relatable lesson of appreciating the greatness of what we have in front of us.

Kalisha Jackson is a girl with a stomach-churning secret - she cut school for a year and never got caught!A new year begins. Kalisha decides to go back to school. While waiting for the bus she sees an old man struggling with a cart full of groceries. She stops to help and meets Albrecht Spinoza, a man who can speak seventeen languages, but who's had no one to talk to since the death of his beloved wife, Rosa. Kalisha is late the first day setting off a conflict with her teacher, Jack Ralston. She's been stuck in something called "Project Restart," a strange new program in which the penalty for not doing well is a special classroom in Juvenile Hall. Mr. Spinoza gives Kalisha a copy of a Compact Oxford Dictionary. But the more "big" words Kalisha learns, the less everyone understands her and the madder Jack Ralston seems to get. Which to Kalisha and her new friends sounds like fun - and a great way to destroy Project Restart! That is, if they don't get "trammeled," "proscribed," or "incarcerated," first.

The book to own if you want to know EXACTLY what your dog is thinking - and why your dog sometimes behaves strangely. Martin 'The Dog Man' McKenna translates the language of dog and shares simple, ingenious ways to improve your dog's behaviour. After helping thousands of people improve their dogs' behaviour, Martin 'the Dog Man' McKenna believes the real problem is the same as it's always been - despite centuries of sharing our lives with each other, we humans still can't truly understand or communicate with dogs. this book will change that. WHAt'S YOUR DOG tELLING YOU? reveals exactly what your dog is thinking when he jumps up on you when you get home from work (it's not always because he's happy to see you), why he licks you all the time (it's a form of domination), why he sometimes blinks a lot (he's nervous), along with many other dog behaviours. Whatever your dog's age, breed or personality, you'll discover at last why your dog sometimes behaves strangely. Now you'll find out what your dog is trying so desperately to tell you!Along the way, you'll learn simple and ingenious ways to improve your dog's behaviour and solve problems quickly - sometimes within minutes. Even better, you'll effortlessly learn the international language of dog. By the time you reach the last page, you'll be astounded by all the new things you have learned to say fluently in dog language - not just to your own dog, but to every dog you meet!

The book to own if you want to know EXACTLY what your dog is thinking - and why your dog sometimes behaves strangely. Martin 'The Dog Man' McKenna translates the language of dog and shares simple, ingenious ways to improve your dog's behaviour. After helping thousands of people improve their dogs' behaviour, Martin 'the Dog Man' McKenna believes the real problem is the same as it's always been - despite centuries of sharing our lives with each other, we humans still can't truly understand or communicate with dogs. this book will change that. WHAt'S YOUR DOG tELLING YOU? reveals exactly what your dog is thinking when he jumps up on you when you get home from work (it's not always because he's happy to see you), why he licks you all the time (it's a form of domination), why he sometimes blinks a lot (he's nervous), along with many other dog behaviours. Whatever your dog's age, breed or personality, you'll discover at last why your dog sometimes behaves strangely. Now you'll find out what your dog is trying so desperately to tell you! Along the way, you'll learn simple and ingenious ways to improve your dog's behaviour and solve problems quickly - sometimes within minutes. Even better, you'll effortlessly learn the international language of dog. By the time you reach the last page, you'll be astounded by all the new things you have learned to say fluently in dog language - not just to your own dog, but to every dog you meet!

"The Word Gang" is the story of three kids in school who start using big words to be disruptive. Kalisha Jackson is a girl with a stomach-churning secret - she cut school for a year and never got caught! A new year begins. Kalisha decides to go back to school. While waiting for the bus she sees an old man struggling with a heavy grocery cart. She stops to help and meets Albrecht Spinoza, a man who can speak seventeen languages, but who has no one to talk to since the death of his wife, Rosa. Kalisha is late the first day setting off a conflict with her teacher, Jack Ralston. She's been stuck in something called "Project Restart," a strange new program in which the penalty for not doing well is a special classroom in Juvenile Hall. Mr. Spinoza gives Kalisha a copy of the Compact Oxford Dictionary. But the more "big" words Kalisha learns, the less everyone understands her and the madder Jack Ralston seems to get. Which to Kalisha and her new friends sounds like fun - and a great way to destroy Project Restart! That is, if they don't get "trammeled," "proscribed," or "incarcerated," first.

Can the OCTOPUPPY be the perfect pet?Edgar wanted a dog. Instead, he got an octopus named Jarvis.Jarvis is brilliant and does his best to act like the dog Edgar wants, but nothing he does is good enough to please Edgar. Ultimately, Edgar recognizes that while Jarvis might not be the dog he wanted, he is special in his own endearing way. Young readers will love the funny, imaginative illustrations that are paired with a relatable lesson of appreciating the greatness of what we have in front of us.

Envirotech is a Government funded laboratory creating new species to fight disease and plague. A meld of spider and scorpion is successfully bred - spidion. But things are not all they seem when this new creature escapes into the outside world to wreak havoc. Was the breakout accidental or intentional and what is the real story behind the creation of such a ferocious creature? Who is controlling them and is the controller being controlled?

Can the OCTOPUPPY be the perfect pet? Edgar wanted a dog. Instead, he got an octopus named Jarvis. Jarvis is brilliant and does his best to act like the dog Edgar wants, but nothing he does is good enough to please Edgar. Ultimately, Edgar recognizes that while Jarvis might not be the dog he wanted, he is special in his own endearing way. Young readers will love the funny, imaginative illustrations that are paired with a relatable lesson of appreciating the greatness of what we have in front of us.