"As a young femme growing up in Manila in the 1990s, Geena Rocero endured shouts of bakla, bakla!, a Filipino taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the little universe of her eskinita. Eventually she found her place in trans pageants, events as widely attended and culturally significant as a national sport, going to high school by day and competing by night. When her competitors denigrated her with the nickname "horse barbie," due to...

This book promotes the concepts that the National Geography Standards say U.S. students in grades 4 to 8 should understand. It will serve as a creative road map for students and teachers preparing for the Bee.

"A reluctant Miss Delaware gets swept up in the glamour of the 1950 Miss America pageant, where she finds friendship and love-with unexpected, tragic results. Betty Jane Welch reluctantly enters the Miss Delaware contest to make her mother happy, only to surprisingly find herself the judges' choice. Just like that, she's catapulted into the big time, the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. Luckily, her pageant-approved escort for the week is the...

"When rock star and teenage heartthrob Conrad Birdie gets drafted, the nation's teenagers go haywire. Looking to cash in on the hysteria, Albert and his girlfriend organize a nationwide contest in which one lucky girl wins a farewell kiss from Conrad on The Ed Sullivan Show. Kim McAfee turns out to be the sexy teenager and Conrad's whole entourage moves into her quiet Midwestern home -- much to the chagrin of her ever-irritable father and her jealous...

Based on the true story of Evelyn Ryan. Offers a revealing study of the housewife's plight during the Eisenhower era, along with an inspiring tale of tenacity and survival against formidable odds. Evelyn is a cheerfully strong-willed mother of ten who compensates for the failings of her alcoholic husband by becoming the most successful "contester" in the country. Between the mid-1950s and the early '60s, Evelyn submitted cleverly worded poems, jingles,...

A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past, for herself and the sake of her family's future.

A guide to preparing for and entering the National Geographic Bee.

Sunny is a singer who one day hopes of making it big. Hitting the road with his manager, Lester, he competes in a string of Karaoke contests. The duo head west to Jackpot, Nevada, in the hope of getting exposure and the money they need to make it in show business. Along the way, the two stop at every saloon and bar along the way. Each stop means a new contest and the dream that they may be closer to the fame and the fortune they seek, and further...

Trent is a successful music producer who thinks he has his life together and has all the answers. That is until he meets and falls for Salma, the choir director of the local church. Despite their differences, sparks fly as they try to save two imperiled churches of different ethnicities. Their only hope is to joining the choirs together to win first prize in a national gospel competition. Meanwhile, as their relationship grows, Trent and Salma both...