Emily Smith – författare

Ben spends the holidays with his nose in the sand and bottom in the air. It's not because he's shy - though some of his classmates do call him the Shrimp. It's because he's got a great idea for his wildlife project.A competition is on! The class projects are going to be judged by a famous TV wildlife presenter, and the prize is irresistible. Ben would love to win it, but others have their eyes on the prize too...

Covering a range of countries from China, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico to the United States, Canada, Spain, France, and Hungary, this volume reveals the similarities and differences among populations in their reactions to the surveillance era and in the amount each knows about government monitoring. Topics deal with pertinent issues such as global, national, and local transfer of personal information about citizens'' financial transactions, work, and travel. The authors also analyse the collaboration of government and the private sector in the collection and transfer of private information. A remarkable resource in understanding attitudes towards surveillance, security, and privacy, Surveillance, Privacy, and the Globalization of Personal Information is indispensable for anyone curious about what governments, the private sector, and citizens know about each other.

Ben spends the holidays with his nose in the sand and bottom in the air. It's not because he's shy - though some of his classmates do call him the Shrimp. It's because he's got a great idea for his wildlife project.A competition is on! The class projects are going to be judged by a famous TV wildlife presenter, and the prize is irresistible. Ben would love to win it, but others have their eyes on the prize too...

Balloons? Sausages on sticks? An entertainer? Oh NO! It must be a party . . .Patrick loves making models and creating his own inventions. He does not love Musical Bumps, big crowds and having to be jolly. But his mum is convinced that going to parties is good for him. She even wants him to have one of his own. Surely there must be a better idea?

"There's no such things as fairies!"Joe is sure he's right, but his sisters are obsessed by them. They've turned the climbing frame into a fairy bower, there are fairy cakes for tea and no one wants to do his assault course any more. Then a new neighbour arrives, who loves climbing trees and messing about in the pond - and has some other very useful talents too.

When Harry's mum tells him they are going to get an au pair, he isn't quite sure what it means. When he finds out it's a girl to help look after him and baby brother, Fred, he feels a bit suspicious. It might just be a good excuse for the school bully to tease him. However, he soon warms to Astrid when she turns up and especially when she gives him an idea that stops the bully from ever bothering him again. All the same, Harry can't help wondering why Astrid's never heard of tin openers or Coke, and how come her suitcase can move around by itself...

James's mum is a real computer whizz. She designs computers that can launch space missions. But she's not quite so good at ordinary, boring mum stuff! James is forever turning up at school without his dinner money or permission forms for outings. Then his mum has an idea - she'll make him a mother-robot. The Robomum is certainly a brilliant machine. She shops, washes and cooks - and quickly learns all James's favourite recipes. She tests him on his spelling, helps with his maths and makes sure he never forgets his swimming kit. But when James gets ill, he soon realizes that a computer could never replace his mum when he really needs her.

Pierce and Cassidy are about to discover that when it comes to love, sometimes you have to risk it all to have it all.