Kathleen Lane

For any kid who has ever felt worried, woeful, or weird, a collection of joyfully tragic stories that ultimately offers a life-affirming reminder of just how much misery loves company.Dear weird toes, crooked nose, stressed out, left out, freaked outDear missing parts, broken hearts, picked on, passed up, misunderstood, sitting aloneDear everyone, you are cordially invited. This party is for you.Welcome to Pity Party, an uproarious grab bag of short fiction. Like Black Mirror for middle graders, it mines and exaggerates the social anxieties that plague us all and twists them into funny, deeply resonant, and ultimately reassuring psychological thrills.There's a story about a mood ring that tells the absolute truth. One about social media followers who literally follow you around. And one about a kid whose wish for a new, improved self is answered when a mysterious box arrives in the mail. There's also a sprinkling of micro-fiction: a personality test (to find out if you have a personality), a fortune teller (that 100% accurately predicts the future), a letter from the Department of Insecurity, and an interactive Choose Your Own Catastrophe.Here is a modern-day middle-grade Twilight Zone targeted squarely at middle schoolers who delight in disdaining their own seemingly miserable lives.

Dear weird toes, crooked nose, stressed out, left out, freaked outDear missing parts, broken hearts, picked-on, passed up, misunderstood, sitting aloneDear everyone, you are cordially invited. This party is for you.Welcome to Pity Party, an uproarious grab bag of short fiction. Like Black Mirror for middle graders, it mines and exaggerates the social anxieties that plague us all and twists them into funny, deeply resonant, and ultimately reassuring psychological thrills. There's a story about a mood ring that tells the absolute truth. One about social media followers who literally follow you around. And one about a kid whose wish for a new, improved self is answered when a mysterious box arrives in the mail. There's also a sprinkling of micro-fiction: a personality test (to find out if you have a personality), a fortune teller (that 100% accurately predicts the future), a letter from the Department of Insecurity, and an interactive Choose Your Own Catastrophe. Here is a modern-day middle-grade Twilight Zone targeted squarely at middle schoolers who delight in disdaining their own seemingly miserable lives.

11 year-old Maggie sees injustice and danger everywhere--in her history textbook, on the playground, in her neighborhood, on the news. How can anyone be safe when there's a murderer on the loose, a bully about to get a gun for his 12th birthday, rabbits being held captive for who-knows-what next door, and an older sister being mysteriously consumed by adolescence? Maggie doesn't like it one bit, so she devises intricate ways of controlling her own world and a larger, more dangerous plan for protecting everyone else.

Ten year-old Maggie sees injustice and danger everywhere--in her history textbook, on the playground, in her neighborhood, on the news. How can anyone be safe when there's a murderer on the loose, a bully about to get a gun for his 12th birthday, rabbits being held captive for who-knows-what next door, and an older sister being mysteriously consumed by adolescence? Maggie doesn't like it one bit, so she devises intricate ways of controlling her own world and a larger, more dangerous plan for protecting everyone else.Beautifully written, Maggie's voice rings brilliantly true and brings to mind the writing of Jack Gantos and Katherine Patterson. Kathleen Lane is a promising new voice, an exciting new talent.

Students on the autism spectrum often face difficulties in the secondary education environment that result from a lack of awareness on the part of their teachers and peers. This guide acquaints teachers with all the information and practical tools needed to understand and support their students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The book presents specific, ready-to-use classroom initiatives with example worksheets, checklists and timetables to help students keep organised with their school work. It also covers general obstacles such as social situations, anxiety, mental health issues and extracurricular activities and how adults can help. Guidance about the leaving school stage and how to ensure the teen is equipped to make the best possible decisions about their future is included.Packed with useful information and examples, this book will be a lifesaving resource for teachers, and everyone else working in secondary education, who want to help their students with autism to stay focused and positive at school.

Nana is not your ordinary grandma. She never wears cloppy shoes, drinks prune juice, or worries about slippery surfaces. Eufala and Bog's nana would much rather join the circus, work as a backhoe operator, or maybe become a detective.

Written by leading authorities in the field, this book presents a complete system for conducting functional behavioral assessments, developing effective interventions, and implementing and monitoring those interventions. It provides a decision-model and detailed explanation of how to develop interventions that are linked directly to the function of the behavior. This text also translates evidence-based practices into concrete steps and activities, and covers topics in the natural order in which key tasks are performed. Functional Behavioral Assessment and Function-Based Intervention uses a consistent format in each chapter that includes expected outcomes, a summary of key steps and activities, and exercises designed to improve mastery, as well as including numerous examples to illustrate important concepts and methods.