Josie's friend Amanda is missing. But because she's a runaway with a history of drug use and other risky behavior, no one seems to care. Clem, the owner of the community kitchen in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where Josie works in exchange for food, advises her to just leave well enough alone. Then a young man whose friend is also missing asks her for help. Josie learns that she, along with the other teens who helped her bring down the cop responsible for the death of her entire family, is becoming known on the street as a person who makes sure justice is done. When the battered bodies of homeless teens start filling the city's morgue, Josie and Team Retribution suspect a connection to their missing friends and begin investigating. They discover an underground fight club where at-risk youth are being forced to fight and even kill each other for sport. Josie is captured and may have to enter the ring herself to save her friends.
Ethan is an anxiety-ridden loner who relies on medication to get through his day. During one of his fairly frequent panic attacks, a girl from school named Gabriella comes to his rescue. Gabe, as she prefers to be known, is facing her own inner turmoil. She has always been a tomboy, but the more pressure she faces to act and dress "like a girl," the more she wonders just who she really is. When he learns that Gabe is being constantly harassed at school, Ethan discovers he is able to overcome his own fears in order to stand up for his new friend. Then Gabe finds a disturbing note in her locker, and the threats begin to escalate. Ethan confronts the person responsible, but things take an unexpected turn, and he suddenly finds himself being questioned by police, accused of assault. With a dose of courage and a surprising ally, the two friends come up with a plan to set things right and end up discovering who they really are along the way.
Fifteen-year-old Megan Cause Queen Caliente is president of the political science club and likes to make her voice heard. But after the protest she organized on the Las Vegas Strip takes an unexpected turn, she is suddenly wishing she could disappear. When her mother comes to pick her up at the police station, Megan learns, to her horror, that her whole life has been a lie. Her father is a convicted terrorist, responsible for the deaths of more than two hundred people, and her mother has been living under an assumed name for fifteen years. Megan's mom is taken away in handcuffs, and Megan is expected to return to her regular life under the supervision of her aunt. But everyone, students and teachers alike, is treating her differently now. Cruel accusations and gossip, as well as persistent reporters, follow her everywhere. Worried that she is destined to follow in her fathers footsteps, Megan, with the help of the charismatic Matt Mendez, the only person at school who hasnt turned on her, decides to track down the father she thought was dead and get some answers.
Sixteen-year-old Rasheed is smart, tough and a survivor. In his neighborhood, he has to be. The streets are run by a gang called the E Street Locals, and they've been trying to jump him in since he was a child. So far, he's managed to escape their clutches. But the gang is not his only problem. Rasheed's sister, Daneeka, was paralyzed in a drive-by shooting, and now she's confined to a wheelchair, mentally frozen at the age of nine. His mother is an addict. His father hasn't been heard from in years. High school is no safer than the streets, so Rasheed seeks solace at the local university campus. There he meets a young woman named Lanaia who takes an interest in him. He also bumps up against a police officer who he thinks at first is hassling him just because he's black. But eventually Rasheed realizes that the officer is only pushing him to become a better person. Though he can't escape his home life, or the gang, as easily as he'd like, Rasheed does learn some valuable lessons in his struggles: you and you alone are accountable for the decisions you make in life; even though the world is not a fair place, you can still accomplish whatever you set your mind to; and we all become stronger when we admit we need someone to lean on.
Declan's life in small-town Quebec is defined by his parents' divorce, his older brother's delinquency and his own lackluster performance at school, which lands him with a tutor he calls Little Miss Perfect. He likes his job at the local ice rink, and he has a couple of good buddies, but his father's five-year absence is a constant source of pain and anger. When he finds out the truth about his parents' divorce, he is forced to reconsider everything he has believed about his family and himself.
This title examines an important historic event - the civil rights movement. Easy-to-read, compelling text explores the history of racism and civil rights in the United States from slavery to segregation, the roles the Montgomery bus boycott, the integration at Little Rock Central High School, and the Birmingham campaign played in the movement, key African-American activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, and the effects of this event on society. Features include a table of contents, a timeline, facts, additional resources, Web sites, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.
Magic Johnson's fearlessness, courage, and determination were evident whenever he stepped on the basketball court. Those same characteristics have also served him well in his off-the-court battle with HIV. Readers will learn about how Magic Johnson has used his courage, knowledge, and wisdom to promote awareness and to help better urban communities everywhere.
Describes the events of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
At a time when much of the United States was still racially segregated, Jackie Robinson smashed the color barrier to become the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. Born in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers, Robinson excelled in sports throughout his school years. After serving briefly in the army during WWII, he briefly played ball in the Negro Leagues. At about the same time, a handful of all-white Major League teams paid lip service to trying out black players. But it was when Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 that he became a part of what would be called "The Noble Experiment." Outspoken in the past when it came to racial injustice, Robinson endured racist jeers from fans and players, and even death threats, with dignity and composure. His historic feat of crossing baseball's "color line" became a symbol in the American civil rights movement in the decades that followed.
What happens to your old phone or computer when you need an upgrade? What rights does the worker who built your phone have? This thought-provoking title helps readers discover the answers to these questions and many more. Find out about the links between supply, demand, and labor conditions, and the resources that are needed to build just one computer.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are the most commonly abused drugs by high school students after marijuana. One in five young people abuses prescription meds - cotton, rits, beans, tuss, and bricks - street names for these non-street drugs. Street Pharma looks at this growing problem and gives young readers the information they need to say no before they start using or find help to quit when they've become addicted.
A recent survey on drug use recorded 729,000 youths 12 years of age or older who had used inhalants and solvents for the first time within the past year. These substances, along with prescription and over-the-counter medications, can be found in almost every home and have become an easy-access entry point to drug use for young people. This important book carefully examines the facts and fiction about "huffing," and provides information on addiction and treatment, as well as useful alternatives to drug use.
Party drugs are a group of drugs used by young people at parties, clubs, concerts, and events. From ecstasy to GHB and ketamine, party drugs have a popular reputation for not being as harmful as other hard street drugs, but they are just as dangerous and addictive. This informative book details the history of these drugs and how they became so popular. A special section provides readers with useful resources for fighting addiction and remaining drug free.
There's no denying that marijuana use is prevalent among today's youth and that it has grown increasingly acceptable in popular culture. This informative and useful book for kids examines drug use and abuse. Topics of interest include the history of marijuana use and laws, and myths and facts about marijuana misuse and abuse. A resource section provides websites and contact information of organizations for those dependent on drugs as well as for their friends and families.
Yo-Yo Ma is a world-class cellist who has won numerous Grammy awards and is beloved by audiences worldwide. Readers will discover how hard work and talent helped Ma rise to the top and how he uses his gifts to promote unity by bringing together musicians from around the world in his Silk Road Project.
Tiger Woods persistence, winning attitude, and passion for golf have helped make him one of the top golfers of all time. Readers will learn how Tiger uses his fame and fortune to help young people reach their full potential.
Roberto Clemente was the first Hispanic American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Readers will learn how he used his courage and determination during the off-season to help those living in poverty in Latin America.
From the impoverished inner-city streets of Milwaukee to her own nationally syndicated talk show in Chicago, Oprah has persevered to become one of the most recognized personalities in the world. Readers will learn how her courage, kindness, and perseverance have led her to found Oprah's Angel Network, a charity whose mission is to help the underprivileged of the world.
Readers will be introduced to Andrew Carnegie and his rise from impoverished immigrant to one of the world's wealthiest industrialists. Learn how this self-made master of the American steel industry put his leadership, determination, and wealth to good use by building libraries, schools, and universities that continue to benefit people today.
Madam C. J. Walker's business skills, motivation, and determination helped her to develop a hair product and become the first African American woman millionaire. Readers will learn how those same skills also helped her reach out and help people living in poverty and speak out against injustice.
It's bad enough being the new kid, but as a freshman, Jimmy finds school less enjoyable than many of his classmates. Standing 5'5" and weighing 187 pounds, he's subjected to a daily barrage of taunts and torments. His only sources of comfort are his family, his youth group, and his favorite foods. When his English teacher assigns a journal as a writing project, Jimmy chronicles not only his struggles but also his aspirations - to lose weight and win the girl of his dreams. Inspired by a true story and told in first-person journal entries, The Fat Boy Chronicles brings to life the pain and isolation felt by many overweight teenagers as they try to find their way in a world obsessed with outward beauty.
When we think of wild animals, we don't immediately associate them with the cities we live in. But a closer look soon reveals that we share our urban environment with a great many untamed creatures. Heavily illustrated and full of entertaining and informative facts, City Critters examines how and why so many wild animals choose to live in places that, on first glance at least, seem contrary to their needs. How do those deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, crows, gulls and geese-not to mention the alligators, eagles, otters and snakes-manage to survive in the big city? What special skills do city critters have that many of their wilderness cousins lack? Why have they developed these skills? And what are our responsibilities in ensuring that these animals can continue to share our city lives?
When a young boy leaves his muffin beside a sleeping homeless man, a cycle of goodwill begins. Without a single written word, this book effectively teaches about helping, sharing, and caring.
American society in the 1800s had a rough edge to it. In a nation made up of people of diverse backgrounds and heritage, social controls needed to be strict and enforceable. The extreme economic inequality of Americas cities and the wide open moral code of the frontier led to a culture of crime and violence that still plagues our country. During the 1800s, professional police forces were established in cities, towns, and territories across the continent. On the frontier, justice was often swift and severe, with hanging judges making their reputations as representatives of the law in a lawless land. Long prison sentences in miserable conditions were the rule for criminals, and many a prisoner might have preferred the option of a quick execution. Before the reform of the legal system, which is an ongoing process, there was definitely a separate law, and a separate standard of penalties, for the rich and for the poor. The evolution of a humane penal system and a fairer protection of all citizens under the law is an important contribution of 1800s America to the modern world.
For most of the 1800s, children were considered small, unruly adults who needed to be strictly disciplined and put to useful work as soon as they were able. The very concept of childhood itself, as a carefree, innocent time, is a result of increasing economic stability and changing family roles in the 1800s. Before child welfare laws were enacted and compulsory education enforced, children made up an important part of the industrial and agricultural workforce in 1800s America. Toys and time for games and fun may have been a luxury, but kids will be kids, and the adults that loved them made sure their lives weren't all work and no play. The establishment of public schools, more humane working conditions, and expanding economic opportunities helped improve the life of Americas children in the 1800s, but they worked hard and their pleasures were simple ones.
