Books by Jack Phillips Lowe

1. "A Series of Unfortunate Events 13: The End" by Lemony Snicket, art by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins)

2. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)

3. "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)

4. "Act of Treason" by Vince Flynn (Atria)

5. "Thirteen Moons" by Charles Frazier (Random House)

6. "Motor Mouth" by Janet Evanovich (Harper Collins)

7. "Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion/Miramax)

8. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Knopf)

9. "Short Straw" by Stuart Woods (Putnam Adult)

10. "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield (Atria)

11. "Under Orders" by Dick Francis (Putnam Adult)

12. "Strange Candy" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)

13. "The Book of Fate" by Brad Meltzer (Warner)

14. "Rise and Shine" by Anna Quindlen (Random House)

15. "The Mission Song" by John Le Carre (Little, Brown)

NONFICTION

1. "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town," John Grisham (Doubleday)

2. "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster)

3. "Why We Want You To Be Rich" by Donald J. Trump, Meredith McIver; Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter, (Rich Press)

4. "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" by Nora Ephron (Knopf)

5. "Culture Warrior" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)

6. "Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones" by Suzanne Somers (Crown)

7. "The Intellectual Devotional" by David Kidder (Rodale)

8. "The IQ Answer" by Dr. Frank Lawlis (Viking Adult)

9. "Marley & Me" by John Grogan (William Morrow)

10. "Tough Choices: A Memoir" by Carly Fiorina (Portfolio)

11. "War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back" by Lou Dobbs (Viking Adult)

12. "The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina" by Frank Rich (Penguin)

13. "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins (Houghton Mifflin)

14. "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't" by Jim Collins (Collins)

15. "Saving Graces" by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)

The Wall Street Journal's list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano's, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. "A Series of Unfortunate Events 13: The End" by Lemony Snicket, art by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins) (F-H)

2. "The Innocent Man:Murder and Injustice in a Small Town," John Grisham (Doubleday) (NF-H)

3. "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster) (NF-H)

4. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion) (F-H)

5. "Dance of the Gods" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)

6. "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards (Penguin) (F-P)

7. "Act of Treason" by Vince Flynn (Atria) (F-H)

8. "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown) (F-H)

9. "Why We Want You To Be Rich" by Donald J. Trump, Meredith McIver; Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter, (Rich Press) (NF-H)

10. "Mary, Mary" by James Patterson (Warner Books) (F-P)

11. "Thirteen Moons" by Charles Frazier (Random House) (F-H)

12. "Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones" by Suzanne Somers (Crown) (NF-H)

13. "Culture Warrior" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway) (NF-H)

14. "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs (Picador) (NF-P)

15. "Predator" by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) (F-P)

16. "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" by Nora Ephron (Knopf) (NF-H)

17. "Morrigan's Cross" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)

18. "Motor Mouth" by Janet Evanovich (Harper Collins) (F-H)

19. "Toxic Bachelors" by Danielle Steel (Dell) (F-P)

20. "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley, Ron Powers (Bantam) (NF-P)

21. "Dream Makers" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette) (F-P)

22. "Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion/Miramax) (F-H)

23. "Skeleton Coast: A Novel of the Oregon Files" by Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul (Berkley) (F-P)

24. "Magic Tree House 36: Blizzard of the Blue Moon" by Mary Pope Osborne (Random House Books for Young Readers) (F-H)

25. "At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner) (F-P)

26. "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls (Scribner) (NF-P)

27. "Every Breath You Take" by Judith McNaught (Ballantine Books) (F-P)

28. "Marley & Me" by John Grogan (William Morrow) (NF-H)

29. "Sweet Revenge" by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)

30. "The Camel Club" by David Baldacci (Warner Vision) (F-P)

31. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Knopf) (F-H)

32. "The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy (Mysterious Press) (F-P)

33. "Broken Flower" by V.C. Andrews (Pocket Star) (F-P)

34. "Dark Harbor" by Stuart Woods (Signet) (F-P)

35. "Junie B., First Grader: Boo...and I MEAN it!" by Barbara Park (Random House Books for Young Readers) (F-P)

36. "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown) (F-P)

37. "Inside My Heart" by Robin McGraw (Nelson Books) (NF-H)

38. "The Brethren" by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House Publishers) (F-P)

39. "A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Beatrice Letters" by Lemony Snicket, art by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins) (F-H)

40. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho (Harper San Francisco) (F-P)

41. "Little Earthquakes" by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press) (F-P)

42. "The Intellectual Devotional" by David Kidder (Rodale) (NF-H)

43. "Short Straw" by Stuart Woods (Putnam Adult) (F-H)

44. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See (Random House Trade Paperbacks) (F-P)

45. "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything" by Linda Williams, art by Megan Lloyd (HarperTrophy)(F-P)

46. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) (F-P)

47. "Saving Fish from Drowning" by Amy Tan (Ballantine)(F-P)

48. "Ordinary Heroes" by Scott Turow (Warner) (F-P)

49. "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire (ReganBooks) (F-P)

50. "Love At First Bite" by Sherrilyn Kenyon, L.A. Banks, Susan Squires, Ronda Thompson (St. Martin's Paperbacks) (F-P)

Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler Books & Music (Grand Rapids, Mich.), Target, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver), Waldenbooks.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)

2. "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)

3. "Act of Treason" by Vince Flynn (Atria)

4. "Thirteen Moons" by Charles Frazier (Random House)

5. "Motor Mouth" by Janet Evanovich (Harper Collins)

6. "Short Straw" by Stuart Woods (Putnam Adult)

7. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Knopf)

8. "Under Orders" by Dick Francis (Putnam)

9. "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield (Atria)

10. "Strange Candy" by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley)

11. "The Book of Fate" by Brad Meltzer (Warner)

12. "Rise and Shine" by Anna Quindlen (Random House)

13. "Star Wars: Path of Destruction" by Drew Karpyshyn (Del Rey)

14. "The Mission Song" by John le Carre (Little, Brown)

15. "Finding Noel" by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster)

NONFICTION/GENERAL

1. "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town," John Grisham (Doubleday) 2. "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster)

3. "Why We Want You To Be Rich" by Donald J. Trump, Meredith McIver; Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter, (Rich Press)

4. "Culture Warrior" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)

5. "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" by Nora Ephron (Knopf)

6. "Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones" by Suzanne Somers (Crown)

7. "Marley & Me" by John Grogan (Morrow)

8. "Tough Choices: A Memoir" by Carly Fiorina (Portfolio)

9. "The Greatest Story Ever Sold" by Frank Rich (Penguin Press)

10. "The Intellectual Devotional" by David Kidder (Rodale) (NF-H)

11. "War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back" by Lou Dobbs (Viking Adult)

12. "Inside My Heart" by Robin McGraw (Nelson)

13. "Saving Graces" by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)

14. "The IQ Answer" by Frank Lawlis (Viking)

15. "Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West" by Hampton Sides (Doubleday)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS

1. "Dance of the Gods" by Nora Roberts (Jove)

2. "Mary, Mary" by James Patterson (Warner Vision)

3. "Predator" by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley)

4. "Morrigan's Cross" by Nora Roberts (Jove)

5. "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley, Ron Powers (Bantam)

6. "Dream Makers" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette)

7. "Every Breath You Take" by Judith McNaught (Ballantine)

8. "Sweet Revenge" by Fern Michaels (Z Mass)

9. "Ordinary Heroes" by Scott Turow (Warner)

10. "The Camel Club" by David Baldacci (Warner Vision)

11. "Toxic Bachelors" by Danielle Steel (Dell)

12. "Dark Harbor" by Stuart Woods (Signet)

13. "School Days" by Robert B. Parker (Berkley)

14. "I'm in No Mood for Love" by Rachel Gibson (Avon)

15. "Love At First Bite" by Sherrilyn Kenyon, L.A. Banks, Susan Squires, Ronda Thompson (St. Martin's Paperbacks)

TRADE PAPERBACKS

1. "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards (Penguin)

2. "Running with Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs (Picador)

3. "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)

4. "At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner)

5. "Skeleton Coast: A Novel of the Oregon Files" by Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul (Berkley)

6. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)

7. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho (Harper San Francisco)

8. "Saving Fish from Drowning" by Amy Tan (Ballantine)

9. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)

10. "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova (Little, Brown)

11. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See (Random Houston Trade Paperbacks)

12. "The Fat Smash Diet: The Last Diet You'll Ever Need" by Ian K. Smith (St. Martin's Griffin)

13. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)

14. "Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire (Regan Books)

15. "Night" by Elie Wiesel (Hill & Wang)

posted by Kris # 3:43 AM 0 comments

Students at Oak Hills Elementary School are able to enjoy all the state-of-the-art classrooms and educational facilities that one would expect from a newly constructed school.

But when students visit the school's library with their class each week, it's clear that there is one crucial element missing. There aren't enough books.

In fact, there is such a shortage that the majority of the library's shelves and racks remain empty, forcing students to cycle through the limited selection, with many having to wait until the book they want has been returned.

"We do have a lot of books, but we need to grow," Oak Hills librarian Meredith McGowan said. "Students don't have the resources ... on campus, to help with their reports, and that's something we need to work on in the next five to 10 years."

When the school first opened in 2003, the library was given roughly $50,000 of start-up funding, to help with the purchase of books and resource materials. That money was enough to purchase the library's initial collection of close to 2,000 books.

Since that time, McGowan and her staff have been able to bring that number up to just under 3,200 books. But with an average-size elementary school library needing between 10,000 and 12,000 books to be considered complete, a tremendous need still exists.

"We've had other schools donate books, we've had teachers donate books, we've had the junior high and high schools donate books," said McGowan about the library's efforts to fill their shelves. "If it's age appropriate, we try to use everything."

In an effort to help remedy the problem, campus administrators and the school's PTA formed a program last fall called "The Wall of Appreciation" that allows parents, relatives, local businesses and other community members to make donations to the library, in exchange for an engraved tile, that will be placed on the wall above the library's main entrance.

"I think the goal of the parents and the administration has been to focus all of their attention on the library," McGowan said. "The parents are so supportive, they really want to have a high quality and diverse library, and that's important."

With a goal to raise $30,000 during the 2006-07 school year, Oak Hills Elementary offers four different tile selections for donors to choose from, based on the amount of their contribution.

For instance, a donation of between $100 and $599 would earn the donor a 4-inch by 4-inch ceramic tile, complete with the an Oak Hills coyote logo, the donor's name and the year of the donation. Donations between $600 and $999 are adorned with a digital image of the school, donor name and year.

Business and family donations ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 are entitled to a larger and more detailed tile to add to the wall. Last year, the program raised close to $17,000 for the library.

With the average cost of a library-bound book - which comes complete with an outer wrapping and library barcode - being about $25, those donated funds can only go so far. The school has a great need for books geared toward fifth- and sixth-graders, with an emphasis on biographies, state and president-themed information books, and a set of encyclopedias.

"We have kids that come in once a week with their classes, but they also come in at lunch and recess, and they read and they ask questions," said McGowan about the importance of continuing to fill the library's shelves. "It's just awesome to see they really are interested in literature."

posted by Kris # 3:37 AM 0 comments

The best place to visit for the animal lovers is the San Diego Zoo. You must give some quality time for watching the rare species and to learn about them. San Diego zoo tops in the list of rare species and is a pioneer in cage less exhibits.

In San Diego zoo there is a place named Children’s zoo’ is a delightful part. In this part there is a lot in store for people of all ages, especially younger minds. You cannot miss the Gorilla Tropics, where an African rain forest is simulated in its natural splendor – waterfalls, meadows, gorillas, pygmy chimpanzees, et al! The natural terrain of the orangutans and siamangs is also simulated at the San Diego zoo allowing them to swing freely, and entertain visitors with their peculiar vocalizations. The Sun Bear Forest in the San Diego zoo simulates sights, sounds and scents of an Asian tropical rain forest. Other attractions include over 100 birds native to Australia.

posted by Kris # 1:57 AM 0 comments