Publishers have realized that, unlike the previous time period, American teenagers are both smarter and require more topical material than they had been giving them before that. For one thing, they'll read thicker books. Besides, has anybody looked at the news or read the newspapers recently?

What's dry?' 'Good question. Next question!

And if they don't believe us, I can give them the ghost eyes, you can go all big and threatening, Farmer can do his cracknob simpleton, and my lady can don her nobleness. We'll do all right.

My new knight mistress is famed for wielding sharp edges: Sword, Knife and Tongue!

You're more trouble than you're worth." "I'm a girl. That's my job.

I will tell the stork-man.

It's not just children who need heroes.