Teen Social Issues

A new girl at school who is serious about her studies. A football player with nothing but fun on his mind. Can two teenagers from opposite worlds find love? Sophie Blake is used to change. She's used to being the new kid at school. But she's never had the privilege of attending a school like Oak Brook Academy. She's certainly never pictured herself at a boarding school with kids who have more money than what she could even imagine spending. Wes Carter's life is pretty easy. He's popular, he's on the football team and there's no shortage of girls who are willing to spend time with him. Most ...

Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for you. There's a long-running joke that after "coming out", a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. This is that instruction manual. You're welcome.

Navigating the world for the first time can be challenging, especially when popular cultural beliefs contradict the teachings of Scripture. So when inevitable questions arise, parents must be equipped with sound biblical answers to guide their children through the complexities of modern life—because if we fail to catechize our children, the world will surely step in to do it for us.

Molly Moon has spent her entire life in a miserable orphanage run by the hairy, snaggletoothed Miss Adderson. But when she finds a mysterious book, Molly discovers an extraordinary talent, she can hypnotize anyone! Accompanied by Petula the pug, Molly hypnotizes her way to New York and Broadway stardom. But hot on her trail is the sinister professor, who is determined to use Molly to stage the crime of the century.

Born in an Andean village in Ecuador, Virginia lives with her family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling. In her Indigenous community, it is not uncommon to work in the fields all day, even as a child, or to be called a longa tonta-stupid Indian-by members of the privileged class of mestizos, or Spanish descendants. When seven-year-old Virginia is taken from her home to be a servant to a mestizo couple, she has no idea what the future holds.

Sixteen-year-old Ruth worries she'll never have a boyfriend. She marvels at her best friend Rigby's outsized confidence despite his average appearance. When they both audition for the high school theatre production, she wonders how they will fare with all the other competition. And then something unexpected happens between them. Is it true that the show must go on no matter what? Note: Fans of Cape Disappointment Book 1 will enjoy this novella. It's the story of another couple in the same seaside town. If you love Young Adult Contemporary romance, check it out. This is also a good choice ...

It was supposed to be an ideal summer, the last carefree one for four teenagers who were all going separate ways after high school graduation. But it’s ruined by a single act of vandalism – the word CHEATER keyed into the side of a truck. All Holly wanted that summer was for her two best friends and her boyfriend, Wade, to spend time together and enjoy their last summer together. Too bad they had a senseless rude awakening when one of them was attacked, and Wade’s truck was vandalized. A truck he’d worked so hard to earn the money to buy. Holly knows that the only way to salvage ...

If you struggle with negative thoughts and emotions, you should know that your pain is real. No one should try to diminish it. Sometimes stuff really does suck and we have to acknowledge it. Worry, sadness, loneliness, anger, and shame are big and important, but they can also get in the way of what really matters. What if, instead of fighting your pain, you realized what really matters to you—and put those things first in life? Stuff That Sucks offers a compassionate and validating guide to accepting emotions, rather than struggling against them.

Everyone has a secret. Now Secret is talking. Talon Alvarado has one goal: to be nothing like her mother who’s blown it in about every way. But sometimes you focus so hard on what you don’t want that you find yourself careening toward it. Bombarded with history, hurts, and secrets, Talon is struggling to be the person she yearns to be and to live a bigger life than girls like her are supposed to wish for. To climb out, she must dig for strength in the most unlikely place; the rubble of her bruised heart. The misty presence of Secret reveals its role in Talon’s life, showing how the ...

Parties where undereage teenagers are served alcohol are nothing new, And they’re often considered a right-of-passage for young people. But when your car’s almost demolished By a drunk high-school driver It gets a little personal. When Sheriff Davis asks Holly to help him find out who’s buying the alcohol for these parties, she doesn’t feel she has a choice. She’s compelled to find the person, if for no other reason than to try and get someone to pay for the repairs to her car. Join Holly and her friends as they go “undercover” to hunt for the offending person. But as always ...

Eating Disorders, depression, gender confusion - these sound like problems for other people, but the reality is your students are dealing with them every day. The issues that girls face are growing in complexity and number. Written with the end user in mind, this resource will be one that won't leave a youth worker's hands.

When Abra told people about a strange and scary dream she had, people started to pay attention. She also had a premonition during the day about a fire. Then the fire happened – and it’s the shed in her back yard which was burned to the ground. She’s certain neighborhood children started the fire, so she decides not to press charges, and the police won’t try to find out who did it unless she does. Abra knows behavior like that, if left unchecked in children, can have devastating consequences for the adults they’ll soon become. Then notes are left on her doorstep, notes that are ...

High School Rivalry reaches a new high Friendships are threatened There's a new villain in town Luis and Alex have always hated each other, but now their hatred has reached a boiling point. The school is excited about a big football game that’s coming up, and everyone knows that Alex will be the star of the game. Luis is frustrated seeing everyone treat Alex like a hero when he knows that Alex really is a villain. What makes it worse is that Alex seems to be getting closer to Colomba as well. Maybe Luis just needs to show the world what Alex really is.

When her friend’s phone is stolen, Holly promises her that she will find it. But as the school year ends, and she hasn’t been able to find it, she’s certain she’s failed her friend and doesn’t deserve her nickname, Nancy Drew. Teen years are filled with never-ending problems, from final exams to dealing with parents divorcing, realizing you probably can’t deliver on a solemn vow you’ve made, and trying to find the time to throw a surprise birthday party. Holly finds out that she has no control over final exams and the reality of her friend Lydia’s parents’ divorce. But ...

In this paradigm-shifting book, Jonathan Catherman shares with adults raised in the 1900s a fresh look at guiding 21st century youth to become confident and capable adults. With relevant research and real-world examples, Catherman shows us the benefits of practicing and teaching four principles that will unite and empower us all.

You sit there bewildered. Across the kitchen table, your young’un has just declared “I am queer non-binary” or “this body is not who I am.” This is throwing you for a loop. Once again, you feel out of your league in this whole parenting thing. Or, perhaps a friend has confessed to your teen that he or she is trans. Your child is asking you how to respond. You are at a loss. Or, an uncle has begun estrogen treatments and is asking your family to use a new name for him.

Colomba and Luis have been fighting each other as Silver Dove and the Crow for almost two years now, but new feelings are starting to rise in their fight. Colomba is losing hope as Silver Dove. No matter how many times she fights one of the Crow’s soldiers he always comes back, and the school is beginning to doubt her. No matter how many times she fights to do what is right, she still sees the other students hurting each other. She feels that she will never change anything. Luis, on the other hand, is gaining hope. He hears everyone saying cruel words about Silver Dove while he is ...

The age-old German-chasing-the-Jew tale takes a different turn in this book as the conflicts of World War II are seen through the eyes of a Nazi's young adolescent son. To Alfonso, it's confusing that while he gets in trouble for bullying at school, his father then turns around and becomes a hero for shooting a group of Jews. While General Adelric sits in the seat of respect, he sends his son to a boys' boarding school that specializes in teaching morals. Knowing nothing besides walking in his father's footsteps, Alfonso continues to be the school bully and gets into more trouble. Then one ...

Beauty is something that everybody wants, but sometimes it can be more of a curse than a blessing. That is something that Colomba and Luis discover when they meet a young woman named Shay at the county fair. Shay is taking part in a beauty contest at the fair, but not many people are happy about this. Jealousy from the other girls, as well as some crooked dealings with one of the contest’s judges, constantly hurts Shay and her chances of winning in a fair way. Luis believes that maybe she could use a little assistance from the Crow.

Luis has been holding back his feelings for far too long, Valentine’s Day is coming and he decides that will be the day he will finally tell Colomba how he feels. Problems stand in his way though. Alex also wishes to make her his, as well as many other guys in the school. Luis is unsure of what to do, that is until he meets Lexi, a girl made fun of for how she looks. A girl who wishes that everyone would love each other no matter how they look. The Crow may have found the next soldier to help solve Luis’ problem, as well as his other problem, Silver Dove.