Thirteen-year-old Satoshi Matsumoto spent the last three years living in Atlanta where he was the star of his middle-school baseball team—a slugger with pro potential, according to his coach. Now that his father's work in the US has come to an end, he's moved back to his hometown in rural Japan. Living abroad has changed him, and now his old friends in Japan are suspicious of his new foreign ways. Even worse, his childhood foe Shintaro, whose dad has ties to gangsters, is in his homeroom. After he joins his new school's baseball team, Satoshi has a chance to be a hero until he makes a major-league error.
A heartfelt story that sensitively tackles the everyday inner turmoil of growing up and staying true to oneself. Twelve-year-old Agnes hates everything about her life: her name, her parents' divorce, her best friend's abandonment, her changing body . . . . So while staying with her dad over the summer, she decides to become someone else. She tells people she meets that her name is Chloe, she's fourteen, her parents are married, and she's a dancer and actor—just the life she wants. But Agnes's fibs quickly stack up and start to complicate her new friendships, especially with Fin, whose mysterious relative runs a local raptor rehab center that fascinates Agnes. The birds, given time and care, heal and fly back home. Agnes, too, wants to get back to wherever she truly belongs. But first she must come to see the good in her real life, however flawed and messy it is, and be honest with her friends, her family, and herself.
A suspenseful and heartfelt story about an era whose uncertainties, controversies, and dangers will seem anything but distant to contemporary readers. If thirteen-year-old Marty Rafner had his way, he'd spend the summer of 1953 warming the bench for his baseball team, listening to Yankees games on the radio, and avoiding preparations for his bar mitzvah. Instead, he has to deal with FBI agents staking out his house because his parents—professors at the local college—are suspected communist sympathizers. Marty knows what happens to communists, or Reds, as his friends call them: They lose their jobs, get deported...or worse. Two people he's actually met, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, have been convicted of being communist spies, and they're slated to be executed in two months. Marty just wants everything to go back to normal, but that's impossible thanks to the rumors that his parents are traitors. As his friends and teammates turn on him and federal agents track his every move, Marty isn't sure what to believe. Is his family really part of a Red Menace working against the United States? And even if they're simply patriotic Americans who refuse to be bullied by the government, what will it cost them?
Scott Schroeder dreams of a day when he and his father can have a home of their own. Following an accident that took his mother's life eight years before, doctors discovered Scott was suddenly deaf. Blessed with being an accomplished gymnast and skilled at signing and reading lips, Scott's biggest challenge is convincing others he is able to do all the same things as those in the hearing world. Picking up on conversations he observes along the way, Scott figures out a big family secret concerning his father and uncle and makes his mind up to play a part in their reconciliation.
Some people seem to sail from childhood to adulthood calmly and confidently. Most people don’t! So many things are happening. The body is changing, view on life is shifting, there is increasing responsibility and a lot of pressure. Perhaps social media doesn’t help! These guides highlight the difficulties many young people experience – and explore ways to cope with them.
Some people seem to sail from childhood to adulthood calmly and confidently. Most people don’t! So many things are happening. The body is changing, view on life is shifting, there is increasing responsibility and a lot of pressure. Perhaps social media doesn’t help! These guides highlight the difficulties many young people experience – and explore ways to cope with them.
Newcomers will build practical life skills that are expected of all American teens with this flipbook - the nonfiction side includes a glossary of key terms used in the text and topical conversation questions that help students practice English language skills, while the fiction side helps put it all into context. Great ELL resource.
Newcomers will build practical life skills that are expected of all American teens with this flipbook - the nonfiction side includes a glossary of key terms used in the text and topical conversation questions that help students practice English language skills, while the fiction side helps put it all into context. Great ELL resource.
Newcomers will build practical life skills that are expected of all American teens with this flipbook - the nonfiction side includes a glossary of key terms used in the text and topical conversation questions that help students practice English language skills, while the fiction side helps put it all into context. Great ELL resource.
Pollution. Dirty drinking water. Climate change. What can we do about such big problems? We can speak out! In Kids Speak Out About the Environment, you'll learn about some incredible kids who had the courage to speak out about protecting Earth and its resources, and what you can do to join them!
Some people live with violence and abuse every day. What can we do to help? We can speak out! In Kids Speak Out About Violence, you'll learn about some incredible kids who had the courage to speak out about this issue, and what you can do to join them!
People are treated unfairly for many reasons, including because of their skin color, gender, or gender identity. How can we help stop this inequality? We can speak out! In Kids Speak Out About Inequality, you'll learn about some incredible kids who had the courage to speak up about this important issue, and what you can do to join them!
Immigrants around the world move to new places seeking peace and opportunity. How can we support them? We can speak out! In Kids Speak Out About Immigration, you'll learn about some incredible kids who had the courage to speak out about the rights of immigrants, and what you can do to join them!
Bullying hurts people around the world every single day. How can we help stop it? By speaking out! In Kids Speak Out About Bullying, you'll learn about some incredible kids who had the courage to speak out about this issue, and what you can do to join them!
Education helps kids have a bright future. All around the world, there are kids without access to a good education. How can we help? By speaking out! In Kids Speak Out About Education, you'll learn about some incredible kids who have worked to make sure every child has access to a good education, and what you can do to join them!
Gangs exist in places all over the world. The United States, however, is believed to have more gangs than any other country in the world. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding gangs, including how and why young people are lured into gangs and the consequences of gang involvement. Firsthand accounts and current statistics provide an insightful look at this issue.
Cool girl Mia is perfection. And she knows it. She and her two besties rule the school. They declare what's hot and what's not. And the Scabs are definitely not. They are losers. One of the Scabs accidently cracks Mia's phone. Mia loses her cool. She takes her popularity a step too far and uses her status to bully the girls who ruined her expensive phone. But being queen bee can change in an instant. And it does for Mia when a doctored Instagram post shows her making out with the school dweeb. Mia is floored at how fast she falls. Once the tables are turned, she learns how harsh she's been.
Introduces young readers to the dangers of a tranquilizer and depressant addiction and shows ways that users have found help. Learn about the physical and mental effects of tranquilizer and depressant abuse and their negative impacts on lives. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, an infographic, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.
Introduces young readers to the dangers of steroid addiction and shows ways that users have found help. Learn about the physical and mental effects of steroid abuse and its negative impact on lives. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, an infographic, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.
Introduces young readers to the dangers of a prescription opioid addiction and shows ways that users have found help. Learn about the physical and mental effects of prescription opioid abuse and its negative impact on lives. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, an infographic, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.
Introduces young readers to the dangers of heroin addiction and shows ways that users have found help. Learn about the physical and mental effects of heroin abuse and its negative impact on lives. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, an infographic, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.
Introduces young readers to the dangers of a hallucinogen addiction and shows ways that users have found help. Learn about the physical and mental effects of hallucinogen abuse and its negative impact on lives. Additional features include a Fast Facts spread, an infographic, critical thinking questions, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.
Ava works hard at maintaining a certain image online and at school. As far as anyone else knows, life is great. But when she inherits an African gray parrot from her great-uncle Bernie (whom she barely remembers), Ava’s carefully crafted world starts to crumble. The parrot, Mervin, is loud and messy and obnoxious. Ava’s brother thinks it’s hilarious to post videos of Ava trying to deal with the crazy bird. He even creates a profile for the two of them. Everyone wants to see more of Ava and Mervin. Suddenly, Ava is internet famous—in the worst possible way. Her friends think the parrot is gross and start acting weird. But then a new girl at school helps Ava see that this parrot might not be the worst gift in the world and that just being yourself is the best way to be.
Mark is a city kid who has come to a small town to live with his grandmother after his mom goes into rehab. He has to take a school bus home for the first time. The long, noisy ride home is nothing like riding city transit. There’s some kind of secret code of knowing where you’re allowed to sit, the kids scream non-stop, and there’s pudding and cheese flying through the air. Someone even tries to set Mark’s seat on fire. Mark quickly decides that all these kids are nuts and does his best to avoid interacting with any of them. But when the bus is involved in a serious accident, Mark has to work with a couple of other students to get everybody to safety. He soon learns that he has more in common with these rural kids than he would ever have imagined. In turns funny and heartbreaking,
Technology has given us new ways to connect and converse with others like never before. In fact, by the time you finish reading this sentence more than 193,000 text messages will have been sent! This innovative book explores the often subtle differences between various forms of communication such as active listening, written, oral, nonverbal, and digital communication. Readers will learn about potential communication roadblocks and strategies to overcome them. Motivating activities and challenges, facts and statistics that have impact, and biographical snapshots show how building effective communication skills is essential in all facets of life in today’s complex and connected world.
