Big beautiful―and in some cases mature―heroines grace the pages of this collection of romantic short stories by Judy Bagshaw. Among the offerings:

Jen believes fat girls like her don't find love—but at her best friend's wedding her beliefs are put to the test.

Middle-aged widow Tricia thought she had to be content living solo. Then she met Harry.

Bev ran away with the "bad boy" as a teenager, only to find out that fantasy and reality are vastly different. Twenty years later, can she recapture the love she threw away?

Lori has long fantasized about meeting sexy-voiced Dan, one of her clients at the answering service. Will she break the rules and find true love?

Karen has kissed a lot of frogs, but not yet met her prince. A chance encounter might change her life―if she's willing to throw caution to the wind.

"These are heroines you'll recognize because they are real women like you and me," Bagshaw says. "They have busy lives and character flaws. They make mistakes and have regrets. They long for long and have suffered hurts. But they persevere. And in the stories in this collection they find the love they've been looking for, sometimes where they least expect it."

This book covers everything about mountains, from how they're formed, to their climate, to where they're found, to the people who have settled them. A glossary and index address key subject matter and terms, while discussion questions aid in reading comprehension.

Grade: 4
Subject: Geography
Genre: Informational Text
Comprehension Skill/Strategy: Identify Main Ideas/Details
Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA): 40
Guided Reading Level: S
Lexile Level: 810L

DK's iOpeners equip K-6 students with the skills and strategies they need to access and comprehend nonfiction so that they are not only learning to read but reading to learn. The combination of high-interest content and eye-popping photography of iOpeners brings science and social studies topics to life, raises student achievement in reading, and boosts standardized test scores.

Everything was perfect in socialite Gillian Faraday’s charmed life until her father died and left her destitute. Businessman Jack McLaren had his world under control until he took on the care of his troublesome preteen niece and nephew. Gillian needs a job. Jack needs help. The solution seems simple.

The problem is, Jack is the major creditor who got the bulk of her father's estate and Gillian is not impressed.

It will take overcoming a mountain of misunderstanding before Jack and Gillian dare to believe everyone deserves a second chance. 

 When agreeing to have a table at a local craft show, the last thing artist Darby Marshall expects is to meet handsome Martin Thomas, who not only buys two pieces of her art but requests private lessons. But there is more to Martin than meets the eye, and he may hold not only her heart but her career in his hands...

Teacher Sofie Peterson, a big beautiful woman, embarks on a Caribbean cruise with her best friend. Together they are celebrating Sofie's divorce from a man who left her—for another man! 

Without Sofie's knowledge, her friend spins a lie about them to impress a pair of businessmen and worse yet, sets Sofie up with one of them. 

Also on board is Finn Baxter, an ex-cop private eye hot on the trail of a con man with whom he has a personal vendetta. He has plans for the con man—which he keeps under wraps—but he didn't plan on meeting a feisty red-head and losing his heart. 

While Sofie and Finn try to resist their growing attraction, mysterious accidents begin to happen to her. Could the perpetrator be Finn, who always seems to be on the scene of the accidents? Or another man, who may be trying to scare Sofie into his arms? Or a fellow passenger with an unexplained but obvious hatred of Sofie? 

What IS clear is that a cruise gets complicated when you start it with a big fat lie! 

Teacher Sofie Peterson, a big beautiful woman, embarks on a Caribbean cruise with her best friend. Together they are celebrating Sofie's divorce from a man who left her—for another man! 

Without Sofie's knowledge, her friend spins a lie about them to impress a pair of businessmen and worse yet, sets Sofie up with one of them. 

Also on board is Finn Baxter, an ex-cop private eye hot on the trail of a con man with whom he has a personal vendetta. He has plans for the con man—which he keeps under wraps—but he didn't plan on meeting a feisty red-head and losing his heart. 

While Sofie and Finn try to resist their growing attraction, mysterious accidents begin to happen to her. Could the perpetrator be Finn, who always seems to be on the scene of the accidents? Or another man, who may be trying to scare Sofie into his arms? Or a fellow passenger with an unexplained but obvious hatred of Sofie? 

What IS clear is that a cruise gets complicated when you start it with a big fat lie! 

 When agreeing to have a table at a local craft show, the last thing artist Darby Marshall expects is to meet handsome Martin Thomas, who not only buys two pieces of her art but requests private lessons. But there is more to Martin than meets the eye, and he may hold not only her heart but her career in his hands...

Big beautiful―and in some cases mature―heroines grace the pages of this collection of romantic short stories by Judy Bagshaw. Among the offerings:

Jen believes fat girls like her don't find love—but at her best friend's wedding her beliefs are put to the test.

Middle-aged widow Tricia thought she had to be content living solo. Then she met Harry.

Bev ran away with the "bad boy" as a teenager, only to find out that fantasy and reality are vastly different. Twenty years later, can she recapture the love she threw away?

Lori has long fantasized about meeting sexy-voiced Dan, one of her clients at the answering service. Will she break the rules and find true love?

Karen has kissed a lot of frogs, but not yet met her prince. A chance encounter might change her life―if she's willing to throw caution to the wind.

"These are heroines you'll recognize because they are real women like you and me," Bagshaw says. "They have busy lives and character flaws. They make mistakes and have regrets. They long for long and have suffered hurts. But they persevere. And in the stories in this collection they find the love they've been looking for, sometimes where they least expect it."

Everything was perfect in socialite Gillian Faraday’s charmed life until her father died and left her destitute. Businessman Jack McLaren had his world under control until he took on the care of his troublesome preteen niece and nephew. Gillian needs a job. Jack needs help. The solution seems simple.

The problem is, Jack is the major creditor who got the bulk of her father's estate and Gillian is not impressed.

It will take overcoming a mountain of misunderstanding before Jack and Gillian dare to believe everyone deserves a second chance. 

This book covers everything about mountains, from how they're formed, to their climate, to where they're found, to the people who have settled them. A glossary and index address key subject matter and terms, while discussion questions aid in reading comprehension.

Grade: 4
Subject: Geography
Genre: Informational Text
Comprehension Skill/Strategy: Identify Main Ideas/Details
Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA): 40
Guided Reading Level: S
Lexile Level: 810L

DK's iOpeners equip K-6 students with the skills and strategies they need to access and comprehend nonfiction so that they are not only learning to read but reading to learn. The combination of high-interest content and eye-popping photography of iOpeners brings science and social studies topics to life, raises student achievement in reading, and boosts standardized test scores.