Our readers and customers asked for informative and entertaining fiction for teens and young adults about their lives, and we've listened! We're pleased to publish Lucky Dogs, Lost Hats, and Dating Don'ts, a collection of over a dozen hi-lo (high interest-low reading level) short stories for people with intellectual disabilities or other learning challenges. Middle schoolers through adults will identify with the book's true-to-life stories and their characters (some with developmental disabilities, some without), who want to live as independently as they can. And just like real life, there are episodes of hilarity, poignancy, messiness, responsibility, longing, fulfillment, and adventure. From roommate troubles to wanting a pet, and from seeking a girlfriend to going camping with friends, these appealing short stories engage readers and impart subtle life lessons. A set of questions at the end of each story encourages discussion and further self-reflection. Stories included are: -A Day of Kindness -A Very Lucky Dog -Adventures in Camping -Bad Hair Day -Dear Diary -Dirty Dishes -Doctor Visit -Evening Walks -How to Find a Girlfriend -Road Trip -Slugger -Sneezes -The Kissing Scene -Tornado at Big Burger Written by experts in literacy and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities, stories range in reading grade level from 1.5 to 3.5 (Flesch Kincaid scale) and are illustrated with large format black and white photos. Large type, a sans serif font, ample margins, and space between paragraphs helps to provide a smooth reading experience. An Introduction provides important information about who can benefit from the book and how to use it. If you're a parent, educator, reading specialist, book club coordinator, librarian, or counselor don't miss this unique book for your teen and adult readers with intellectual disabilities or other struggling readers!

Delightful stories about navigating the ups and downs of adulthood while living with a disability. The characters' perspectives are fresh and honest as they overcome heartbreak, face disappointments, renew friendships and celebrate triumphs. An informative read for anyone who is curious about what it is like to live with a disability, or just wants a feel good tale about the power of friendship and belonging. Tom and Jillian have done it again - engaging their audience in stories that speak to the lived experience of individuals with developmental disabilities. Being able to see and hear oneself in the characters of a story or play is empowering. The characters in Something's Brewing are sure to be a hit with readers around the world.

A guide to starting and running a Next Chapter Book Club for people with intellectual disabilities, that explains how to find and train volunteer facilitators, attract members, and select books, and includes samples of forms, reports, and surveys, which are also on the accompanying CD-ROM.

“The Last Letter is a haunting, heartbreaking and ultimately inspirational love story.“—InTouch Weekly Beckett, If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair. And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help. So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family. Please don’t make her go through it alone. Ryan

An inspiring story of survival and our powerful bond with man's best friend, in the aftermath of the nation's most notorious case of animal cruelty. Animal lovers and sports fans were shocked when the story broke about NFL player Michael Vick's brutal dog fighting operation. But what became of the dozens of dogs who survived? As acclaimed writer Jim Gorant discovered, their story is the truly newsworthy aspect of this case. Expanding on Gorant's Sports Illustrated cover story, The Lost Dogs traces the effort to bring Vick to justice and turns the spotlight on these infamous pit bulls, which were saved from euthanasia by an outpouring of public appeals coupled with a court order that Vick pay nearly a million dollars in "restitution" to the dogs. As an ASPCA-led team evaluated each one, they found a few hardened fighters, but many more lovable, friendly creatures desperate for compassion. In The Lost Dogs, we meet these amazing animals, a number of which are now living in loving homes, while some even work in therapy programs: Johnny Justice participates in Paws for Tales, which lets kids get comfortable with reading aloud by reading to dogs; Leo spends three hours a week with cancer patients and troubled teens. At the heart of the stories are the rescue workers who transformed the pups from victims of animal cruelty into healing caregivers themselves, unleashing priceless hope. Includes an 8-page photo insert. Watch a video

One day Sophie comes home from school to find two questions in her mail: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" Before she knows it she is enrolled in a correspondence course with a mysterious philosopher. Thus begins Jostein Gaarder's unique novel, which is not only a mystery, but also a complete and entertaining history of philosophy.