It's crazy! Seventeen-year-old Masi Burciaga hauls bricks to help build a giant pyramid in her neighborhood park. Her barrio is becoming more of a ghost town each day since the lard company moved away. Even her school closed down. Her family's bakery and the other surviving businesses may soon follow. As a last resort, the neighborhood grown-ups enlist all the remaining able-bodied boys and girls to erect a giant pyramid in the middle of their park in hopes of luring tourists. Maybe their neighbors will come back. But something's not right about the secretive entrepreneur behind this pyramid scheme. Why is he giving so much money? Is it just for free labor? And then there's his son. The one with the softest of lips. Pig Park is a contemporary Faustian tale that forces us to look at the desperate lengths people will go to in the name of community?and maybe love.

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, author of the award-winning The Smell of Old Lady Perfume, has long been distressed about how the global economy is displacing workers and families. Claudia grew up in a tight family in Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Texas. She learned that letters form words from reading the Spanish subtitles of old westerns for her father. At age six, she already knew she wanted to create stories. Her father, who passed away when she was eleven, encouraged her to dream big and write many books. Claudia, her husband, and their daughter Penny live in Chicago, Illinois.

It's crazy! Seventeen-year-old Masi Burciaga hauls bricks to help build a giant pyramid in her neighborhood park. Her barrio is becoming more of a ghost town each day since the lard company moved away. Even her school closed down. Her family's bakery and the other surviving businesses may soon follow. As a last resort, the neighborhood grown-ups enlist all the remaining able-bodied boys and girls to erect a giant pyramid in the middle of their park in hopes of luring tourists. Maybe their neighbors will come back. But something's not right about the secretive entrepreneur behind this pyramid scheme. Why is he giving so much money? Is it just for free labor? And then there's his son. The one with the softest of lips. Pig Park is a contemporary Faustian tale that forces us to look at the desperate lengths people will go to in the name of community—and maybe love.

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, author of the award-winning The Smell of Old Lady Perfume, has long been distressed about how the global economy is displacing workers and families. Claudia grew up in a tight family in Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Texas. She learned that letters form words from reading the Spanish subtitles of old westerns for her father. At age six, she already knew she wanted to create stories. Her father, who passed away when she was eleven, encouraged her to dream big and write many books. Claudia, her husband, and their daughter Penny live in Chicago, Illinois.

Do you enjoy treating your dog every now and then with something delicious? Of course you do! Whether you want to reward him for an achievement during training, or simply spoil her from time to time, these delicious cookies and treats will increase motivation and strengthen the bond between the two of you. More and more dogs are suffering from allergies and intolerances to certain chemicals found in their food, such as artificial preservatives, and animal and plant by-products. This full-color, lavishly-illustrated book contains 35 easy-to-follow, scrumptious recipes for healthy dog treats and cookies, plus information on the use of treats in dog training, possible allergens in commercial treats, and correct storage. All of the recipes use natural ingredients with no sugar, colorings or additives, which every dog will love. Includes special treat and cookie recipes for dogs with sensitive or allergic tendencies, gluten-free cookies, sweet herb cookies, mini training treats, and lots more.

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez's debut novel for tweens garnered lots of praise. Recommended by the Chicago Public Library as the Best of the Best in 2008, it's a bittersweet story about death, family, and the resilient emotional strength of the human heart. When Chela Gonzalez's father has a stroke, her grandmother comes to help. The house fills up with the smell of her old lady perfume, a smell that carries with it sorrow and loss.

Claudia Guadalupe Martínez grew up in El Paso, Texas. She learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns for her father.