Luke Gallagher rules the world as the luckiest guy on the planet. Well, not literally. But he gets the grades, the girls, and the goals ever since he rubbed the belly of the Laughing Buddha statue in Chinatown at age 13.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe Buddha’s got his back. Either way, Luke’s golden for five long years--

--until his luck drops in the crapper on his first day of university. Now Luke's got to beat a bully, win back his best friend, pass his classes, and maybe, just maybe, find true love.

Buddha. Dude. Can you give a guy a break, one last time?

Only boys can tell fortunes. Actually, only one boy in a thousand. Until Julia Sharpe starts a fortunetelling revolution in the wild and wacky year of 1985.

Up 'til now, the only girls who told fortunes were lying, crazy, or both.

But Julia has to do something before her family's fortunetelling company tanks. Her brother Alistair says computers will rule the future. And more and people rebel against fortunetelling. They say, why should a few Gifted guys read the future and make everyone else pay for it?

Julia secretly applies for a fortunetelling correspondence course. Over the mail, no one can tell she's a girl. With the help of her tutor, she discovers she can read the future in a bowl of popcorn kernels. That's right, popcorn. It's like reading tea leaves, only she reads popcorn kernels. Weird but wonderful.

If she can do it, girls can read the future too. Maybe more boys, too, if they just got the right training. Now people won't hate them so much.

Julia's going to save the company—and the rest of world!

Right?

Julia Sharpe can tell the future using popcorn. That's right, popcorn. It's like using tea leaves, only cooler. But the cute new kid, Darwin Jones, makes all the fortunetellers sick. How can Julia save the day and get Darwin to fall in like with her at the same time?

Winner of the InnermoonLit Award for Best First Chapter of a Novel (2008)

Max's To-Do List
1. Get born. Check.
2. Discover a magic hat. Check.
3. Defeat bullies who snatch the magic hat. Uh-oh...

A heart-warming picture book about a boy who takes on the bullies--and wins!

Winner of the Best Children's Literature award, sponsored by the Cornwall Public Library and the Cornwall and Region Writer’s Society.