Kids Who Outwit Adults

From the New Yorker “20 Under 40” author of Atmospheric Disturbances comes a brain-twisting adventure story of a girl named Fred on a quest through a world of fantastical creatures, strange logic, and a powerful prejudice against growing up. Fred and her math-teacher mom are always on the move, and Fred is getting sick of it. She’s about to have yet another birthday in a new place without friends. On the eve of turning thirteen, Fred sees something strange in the living room: her mother, dressed for a party, standing in front of an enormous paper lantern—which she steps into and disappears. Fred follows her and finds herself in the Land of Impossibility—a loopily illogical place where time is outlawed, words carry dire consequences, and her unlikely allies are a depressed white elephant and a pugnacious mongoose mother of seventeen. With her new friends, Fred sets off in search of her mom, braving dungeons, Insult Fish, Fearsome Ferlings, and a mad Rat Queen. To succeed, the trio must find the solution to an ageless riddle. Gorgeously illustrated and reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Rivka Galchen’s Rat Rule 79 is an instant classic for curious readers of all ages.

Eleven mini-memoirs of foster care alumni who share their experiences, insights and recommendations about how to prepare youth to successfully transition from foster care to independent living.

Empower your alienated students to cultivate a deep sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. This fully updated edition of Reclaiming Youth at Risk by Larry K. Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steve Van Bockern merges Native American knowledge and Western science to create a unique alternative for reaching disconnected or troubled youth. Rely on the book's new neuroscience research, insights, and examples to help you establish positive relationships, foster social learning and emotional development, and inspire every young person to thrive and overcome. Drive positive youth development with the updated Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Study the four hazards that dominate the lives of youth at risk: relational trauma, failure as futility, powerlessness, and loss of purpose. Learn how cultivating the Circle of Courage values of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity can combat the four hazards. Explore a unique strength-based approach for reclaiming discouraged or alienated youth. Understand how to create a safe, brain-friendly learning environment and break the conflict cycle. Read personal accounts of individuals who have transformed student trauma into student resilience in schools through trauma-informed practice. Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Enduring Truths Chapter 2: The Circle of Courage Chapter 3: Seeds of Discouragement Chapter 4: Bonds of Trust Chapter 5: Strength for Learning Chapter 6: Pathways to Responsibility Chapter 7: Lives With Purpose Chapter 8: From Surviving to Thriving References and Resources

Discover effective ways of connecting with youth at risk. In this inspiring resource, the authors focus on strength-based alternatives to punishment, including creative ways to develop trusting relationships, search for hidden potential, and instill purpose in students

They have crooked fingers, humped backs, dark dresses, and pointy hats . . . Witches, wicked and clever, always inspire fear. Luckily, thanks to this book filled with unbeatable tricks, from now on you’ll possess all the secret spells and potions to beat witches at their own game! Abracadabra! With whimsical text and illustrations, How to Outwit Witches will help kids banish their fears—and have fun doing it! Kids will love these clever tricks and tips for getting rid of witches.

This is a sourcebook of practical approaches to working with children and adolescents that synthesizes research from leading trauma specialists and translates it into easy-to-implement techniques.

A young boy runs away from home to rescue an abused baby dragon held captive to serve as a free twenty-four hour, seven-days-a-week ferry for the lazy wild animals living on Wild Island.

When an earthquake hits on their family vacation, can Kyle and his sister survive the following tsunami? The Worst Vacation Ever! Thirteen-year-old Kyle thought spending a vacation on the Oregon coast with his family would be great. He’d never flown before, and he’s never seen the Pacific Ocean. One evening Kyle is left in charge of his younger sister, BeeBee, while his parents attend an adults-only Salesman of the Year dinner on an elegant yacht. Then the earthquake comes—starting a fire in their hotel! As Kyle and BeeBee fight their way out through smoke and flame, Kyle remembers the sign at the beach that said after an earthquake everyone should go uphill and inland, as far from the ocean as possible. Giant tsunami waves—three or four stories high—can ride in from the sea and engulf anyone who doesn’t escape fast enough. Kyle and BeeBee flee uphill as a tsunami crashes over the beach, the hotel, and the town. The giant wave charges straight up the hillside and through the woods where the children are running for their lives. The perfect vacation has become a nightmare! Somehow Kyle and BeeBee have to outwit nature’s fury and save themselves from tsunami terror.

Currently, there are over 400,000 youth living in foster care in the United States, with over 20,000 aging out of the child welfare system each year. Foster youth are more prone to experience short- and long-term adverse developmental outcomes including diminished academic achievement and career opportunities, poor mental and overall health, financial struggles, homelessness, early sexual intercourse, and substance abuse, many of these outcomes are risk factors for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Despite their challenges, foster youth have numerous strengths and positive assets that carry them through their journeys, helping them to overcome obstacles and build resilience. The Handbook of Foster Youth brings together a prominent group of multidisciplinary experts to provide nuanced insights on the complex dynamics of the foster care system, its impact on youth’s lives, and the roles of institutions and policies in the foster system. It discusses current gaps and future directions as well as recommendations to advance the field. This book provides an opportunity to reflect on the many challenges and strengths of foster youth and the child welfare system, and the combined efforts of caregivers, community volunteers, policy makers, and the professionals and researchers who work with them.