When Neil shoots zombies in his imagination, they’re horrible and awful and they don’t have names. And then he meets Max, a zombie on the run from even worse zombies. Max is pretty nice, though.The thing is, Max isn’t just a zombie...Max is a girl zombie.These seven short stories cover such topics as family, injuries and illness, journalism, war, and business. Based on real-life incidents, they are meant to provoke reflections on such character issues as integrity, friendship, prejudice, courage, and respect. Those who enjoy these stories might like the trilogy, The Manifest Destiny Network Chronicles, to appear in summer, 2012. The following stories are included:The Baseball Practice gives us a glimpse of father-son expectations and relations through the prism of sports; The Reporter and the Counselor is the story of a high-school journalist confronted with a serious issue of integrity;Like a Finger Poking me in the Back is the story of life and death issues in the era of modern medicine;Union Man portrays friendship, loyalty, and respect across a philosophical divide;I know what to do is a look at life in a large company where things are never quite what they appear to be;The Random Walk dissects a scary traffic accident which happens to more than just the apparent victim;A Walk in the Past is a description of how, in the face of prejudice, honor and respect can sometimes be gained through creativity and courage.

Rachael survived her adventures on The Floating Menagerie and went back to her normal life...except that her mom is still missing. Now she's coming down with the Exotics virus herself and is changing into a half-human, half-animal Exotic, just like her friends. As a new Exotic, Rachael can't control the change, so she travels to a safe place for Exotics in danger—Xanadu House. The house is owned by an aunt that Rachael never knew she had, and who will protect any Exotic, no matter which side they're on. But is Xanadu House as safe as it seems?

<b>Spies.  Kids.  Magic.</b>Rachael Baptiste's mom disappeared a week ago.  Nobody knows what happened.Her second-grade classmate, Raul, breaks into Rachael's house...and tries to steal her mom's password.When he is hunted down by giant talking dogs, Rachael follows him and discovers that Raul <i>and</i> her mom have a magical sickness that lets them turn into animals, or Exotics.A group of evil Exotics, the Shadow Dogs, kidnap Rachael and Raul to a mysterious ship and try to force them to tell them her mother's secrets...but Rachael's not talking.Instead, she's trying to find a way to escape the ship and rescue the Exotic kids trapped on board!

Returning home again after the terrible events at Xanadu House, Rachael Baptiste has learned not to trust humans...because they might be part of the Lighthouse Parents, a hostile group out to arrest and destroy the Exotics.Her parents do nothing but argue. Her Exotic friends pretend to be normal. Her human friends hint that it might be better if the Exotics just disappeared. And now the horrible Mr. Hightower wants her to spy for him...on her mom.Rachael doesn't know what she should do...but she knows that if she doesn't keep an eye on Mr. Hightower and his group of Exotics, she won't be able to stop them...

When Rachael's mom disappears and she finds out that her second-grade classmate Raul might know something about it, she follows him into a trap and is kidnapped onto a mysterious ship along with a group of kids who can turn into magical animals--Exotics. She has to find a way to escape the ship and rescue the Exotics who are waiting to be sold as pets...or are they?“Promises mean nothing on this ship. Tell me the password.”Nobody knows what really happened when Rachael Baptiste’s mom disappeared a week ago. So when Rachael’s second-grade classmate Raul tries to break into her mom’s computer only to be chased away by giant talking dogs, she follows him into the night and discovers that he—and her mom—have caught a magical sickness that lets them turn into magical animals, or Exotics.A group of evil Exotics, the Shadow Dogs, kidnap Rachael and Raul to a mysterious ship and try to force them to tell them her mother's secrets...but Rachael's not talking. Instead, she's trying to find a way to escape the ship and rescue the Exotic kids trapped on board, waiting to be sold as pets...or are they?