Girl Out Loud

*Silent Scream!*Kass Kennedy is nobody's idol. She does forget the lyrics. She's not a gleek. The x factor? Not her! Read her lips: She has the right to remain silent.Just try telling that to her dad. Because he's totally lost it this time, demanding Kass audition for a TV talent show. Which would be slightly less than death-by-embarrassment if Kass could (duh!) actually sing. And if even the smallest part of her craved the spotlight. Stardom is her dad's dream, not hers. But he's so fragile, she's afraid he just might crack if she doesn't go through with his latest, craziest plan.Not helping: Her hopelessly MIA mom. The budding criminal mastermind also known as her kid brother. And amateur shrink Izzy and used-to-be-sweet Char, who've gone all frenemies over a boy in brown boots. (Don't ask.)It's only rock n' roll? If only! Inside, Kass is screaming, but no one is listening. How loud does a girl have to shout to be heard?

Send zany greetings that are as much fun to create as they are to read! Check a box next to any multiple-choice phrase that finishes each sentence for instant letters to parents, friends, and teachers. Cute drawings appear alongside each option, and perforated pages make it easy to share the finished notes.

From bus rides to bars, to encounters with friends and family and most importantly with strangers, Larry Gross lives his life out loud by drawing on the small slices of life, the little things most people don’t notice. “There is no artifice in Gross’s art. What distinguishes his writing is his knack for seeing and hearing things worth remembering. His pastiche draws on the commonality of urban life, with many of his stories set in downtown bars or on the buses that take him there. The main character is No One Special, a person who appears in various guises, capable of both unfettered generosity and burdensome peevishness.” Gregory Flannery, Managing Editor, Streetvibes

Fifteen-year-old Kass is trying to resist her manic-depressive father's attempts to make her try out for "The X Factor" while she also deals with her crush on the same older boy her best friend likes, her distant mother's mysterious comings and goings, and her younger brother's criminal activities.

Committed to embracing the power of oral language, Literacy Out Loud recognizes the important role "talk" plays in developing the reading and writing abilities that students need in school and beyond. The book offers strategies where oral language takes centre stage and is fostered through engaging activities. Literacy activities and events focus on all aspects of listening and speaking, and emphasize enjoyable, purposeful, social learning. The book argues that listening and speaking, or "talk," is at the heart of a vibrant classroom. It shows teachers how to nurture dynamic classroom talk that is essential in its own right, and makes all learning possible.

Funny and fearless, Actress/Model Jenny Sauer opens the book with an introduction into her not-so-normal life. The tall, funny and brutally honest female provides refreshingly unapologetic commentary on everything-yes everything-a gal or guy has wanted to say about those horrible dates, questioning a relationships status and waiting for "the one" to finally come around. The end of the book includes a list of helpful advice on love and dating she's gathered throughout her time in the field. ""The book is a nice heaping dose of Irish sarcasm, wit and humor for the dating impaired""-Sauer

"A panopticon of life in this decade, sure to be valuable to future social historians She touches on life, love, home, family, work, men, women, children and issues large and small." CHICAGO TRIBUNE The voice is Anna Quindlen's. But we know the hopes, dreams, fears, and wonder expressed in all her columns, for most of us share them. With her NEW YORK TIMES-based column, "LIFE IN THE 30s," Anna Quindlen valued to national attention, and this wonderful collection shows why. As she proved in OBJECT LESSONS and THINKIN OUT LOUD, Anna Quindlen's views always fascinate.

Join Mark Witas as he skateboards down Sprague Hill, barely escapes the whirling terror of the formidable rapid Satan's Eyeball, paints the neighborhood pets with his friends, and dangles 20 feet from the top of a 70-foot cliff with nowhere to go. His adventurous spirit, engaging sense of humor, and relevant life applications will have you sitting on the edge of your seat day after day.