Books published by publisher Next Chapter Press

Thirteen-year-old Katie Phillips dreams of reaching the U.S.Synchronized Swimming National Championships. But her sports-obsessed father wants her to quit the team to focus on swimming races--real swimming, as he puts it--to earn a college scholarship like her narcissistic older brother Nick, a Florida state record holder. When Katie's duet partner is seriously injured in a freak accident during practice, her determination to overcome her family's lack of support is put to the test as her life unravels around her. She's on the verge of failing math class, and her tough-as-nails swim coach is pushing her hard to qualify for states in the 200 freestyle. Then there's the boy she can't stop thinking about. And through it all, she wonders just what her muscle-bound brother is trying to hide about his record-setting performance two years earlier.

The wish book. This amazing year, the nine children in the Cole family have been allowed to sit down with the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalogue to choose the gift they would most like to receive for Christmas. This is a rare event, for the Coles are not wealthy. Indeed, "Cole Family Christmas" is the true, tender, and wholly unforgettable tale of a coal miner's family. The story takes place in the small company town of Benham, Kentucky, in a time (1920) and place when coal was king and families made their precarious living mining the dirty and sometimes deadly coal.When one of Mama's few possessions, a treasured purple glass bowl with fluted edges, is accidentally broken by exuberant children rushing in from the outdoors, and an unlikely blizzard prevents Papa from coming home after working extra hours at the coal mine on Christmas Eve, the stage is set for a Christmas morning in which gifts are given and received that no one could have predicted.

Berkeley is a black bear living in the Monongahela Forest with his Sugar Maple Friends. He is content to represent his beloved state of West Virginia from his forest home, until the day his favorite park rangers ask him to be the state travel bear. Berkeley learns to have confidence in his abilities as he tries new things traveling the Mountain State, introducing children to the most beautiful and historic places in West Virginia. His Sugar Maple Friends - each representing a state symbol and county in West Virginia - are there to support Berkeley each step of the way. Erin Sponaugle, the 2014 West Virginia Teacher of the Year, uses an endearing storyline and full page illustrations to instill the values of state pride, friendship, and self confidence in young readers.

Thirteen-year-old Katie Phillips dreams of reaching the U.S. Synchronized Swimming National Championships. But her sports-obsessed father wants her to quit the team to focus on swimming races—real swimming, as he puts it—to earn a college scholarship like her narcissistic older brother Nick, a Florida state record holder.When Katie’s duo partner is seriously injured in a freak accident during practice, her determination to overcome her family’s lack of support is put to the test as her life unravels around her. She’s on the verge of failing math class, and her tough-as-nails swim coach is pushing her hard to qualify for states in the 200 freestyle. Then there’s the boy she can’t stop thinking about. And through it all, she wonders just what her muscle-bound brother is trying to hide about his record-setting performance two years earlier . . . .

ABOUT THIS BOOK Mystery of the Old Skull is the first in a series to be known as a R.E.A.L. Book. R.E.A.L. Books give readers an opportunity to Read and Enjoy the story while learning valuable information at the same time. Mystery of the Old Skull, is written with a nod to the old Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys books. Embedded within the text are words appearing in bold print. These highlighted words refer to topics that are explained in depth by Christopher Jordan, M.D. at the end of the book in the section titled, “Dr. Jordan’s Science Notes.” Dr. Jordan’s explanations not only make the story more realistic, but also gives the reader solid information and skills to use in their own real life experiences.

Hilda is a very loyal goat and Ruble Cole's best friend. He doesn't even mind that she has bestowed upon him a girl's name. If she likes it, he likes it, too. After all, he's a very loyal goat.But even a loyal goat can get into trouble sometimes.Hilda starts off his day off on the wrong hoof when he tries to wake up Ruble and unwittingly creates chaos. Then when he decides to follow Ruble to school, things get even worse. All of Hilda's good intentions seem to go awry and nearly everyone in the Cole family calls him "meddlesome"!All of this causes Hilda to wonder: Is he really a loyal goat? Or is he as meddlesome as they say?It's a day of adventure -- and ups and downs -- for Hilda, a very loyal goat.A picture book for young readers with over 60 colorful illustrations.

A son finds his dying father's book manuscript, written long in the past about his childhood life growing up in Great Neck, New York during World War II. The son reads the series of short stories out loud to his father on his death bed to give him comfort in his final days, subtly reminding him that he will soon be reunited with his parents and childhood friends.

A son finds his dying father's book manuscript, written long in the past about his childhood life growing up in Great Neck, New York during World War II. The son reads the series of short stories out loud to his father on his death bed to give him comfort in his final days, subtly reminding him that he will soon be reunited with his parents and childhood friends.

Unlike his classmates, ten-year-old Jules is dreading the upcoming summer. While they're off having fun, he's sure his time will be spent performing tedious chores in the family bean store, The Beanery. Already he's been tasked with sorting thousands of coffee beans just by their smell, an impossible task that could take weeks. But when he captures a pint-sized, trash-talking woodland troll under a gardening bucket, he is drawn into a mystical world hidden deep in the woods behind his home, a world full of unimaginable splendor--as well as immeasurable danger.The Map of Eternity relates the first half of Jules's adventure, which concludes with the separately-published book titled The Crystal Sea.

Twelve-year-old twins Lucy and Paddy Hendricks think they’re in for the worst summer of their lives when they arrive on Janaconda Island in June of 1949. There’s nothing to do and the rotted old mansion that will serve as their family’s home is filthy and littered with junk. But when they discover the house’s former owner was a notorious pirate who left behind cryptic clues to the location of stolen gold, they are swept into a dangerous adventure of discovery that tests the limits of their wits and courage.