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Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential
by Rich Weinfeld Linda Barnes-Robinson Sue Jeweler Betty Roffman ShevitzSmart Kids With Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential is an engaging must-read for any parent, educator, or counselor of smart kids who face learning difficulties. The authors provide useful, practical advice for helping smart kids with learning challenges succeed in school. Topics covered in the book include: identifying and recognizing gifted/learning disabled students, what the law says about this population, planning and developing accommodations that empower these students, what works and doesn't work in the classroom, tools and checklists to build supportive learning environments, and the roles and responsibilities of parents, students, and school personnel. Book jacket.
Smart Mama, Smart Money: Raising Happy, Healthy Kids Without Breaking the Bank
by Rosalyn HoffmanLifestyle guru and author of Bitches on a Budget Rosalyn Hoffman knows it's more important to spend time with kids than spend money on them. In Smart Mama, Smart Money, she offers intelligent, witty advice to help modern moms budget. From healthy foods and must-have toys to age- appropriate clothing, electronic gadgets, school and party supplies, and fun-filled family vacations, moms learn how to make savvy financial decisions to provide children with a nurturing upbringing- without sacrificing the fun! .
Smart Mama, Smart Money
by Rosalyn HoffmanLifestyle guru and author of Bitches on a Budget Rosalyn Hoffman knows it's more important to spend time with kids than spend money on them. In Smart Mama, Smart Money, she offers intelligent, witty advice to help modern moms budget. From healthy foods and must-have toys to age- appropriate clothing, electronic gadgets, school and party supplies, and fun-filled family vacations, moms learn how to make savvy financial decisions to provide children with a nurturing upbringing- without sacrificing the fun!
Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure
by Jennifer TaggartParents often feel overwhelmed and defenseless against a never-ending recall list of toys and baby products. Deciphering unpronounceable chemicals they encounter every day can be daunting if not impossible. With environmental exposures being closely linked to 70 percent of birth defects, new parents faced with the overwhelming responsibility for their babies' health frequently turn to organic products. But they quickly find they don't have the time to practice a completely green or natural lifestyle. THE SMART MAMA'S GREEN GUIDE delivers the information busy parents want and the tools to make informed, individual choices without the demand to go all-out green. Packed with practical tips on eliminating or reducing the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals that lurk everywhere, this book will empower readers to control what comes into their homes and make informed decisions instead of relying on government regulation of harmful chemicals.
The Smart Mamas' Guide to After-School Activities
by Rosalyn HoffmanYou want the best for your kids, but resources are limited and you're overloaded with information. From the moment your kids are born, the kiddie-perfecting complex is pushing you to buy-buy-buy. And playtime is no different. You feel pressured to sign the kids up for an ever-escalating array of classes and clinics, send them to the right sleep-away or math enrichment camp, soccer clinic, ballet, art, and music classes--or else they're doomed to fail. Right? Not so fast. Lifestyle guru Rosalyn Hoffman knows that kids need balance: time to be bored and find their own inner resources, time to ride their bikes and shoot hoops, time to experience the joy of free play. And when it's time to sign them up for organized activities, Hoffman offers sane guidance for navigating the world of lessons and programs, explaining how to get them in everything from art classes to music lessons to sports to camp--without breaking the bank.
Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While Raising a Family
by Kimberly PalmerOf all life's financial shocks, few compare to bringing home an infant. Just one tiny person costs $250,000 to raise--not including college!How will you pay for it? That agonizing question fuels mothers' choices about their careers, budgets, and families. Some lean in, some scale back or seek new opportunities--there are no easy answers . . . but lots of rewarding possibilities.Smart Mom, Rich Mom explores how women today are navigating the financially challenging career/parenting years. Written by a national money columnist and mom of two, the book chronicles people who have stayed in the game--full-time, freelance, self-employed, and more--and emerged more prosperous and empowered.Smart Mom, Rich Mom mines their experiences to uncover both career advice and spending and savings strategies that everyone can use. Stories, checklists, action steps, planning tools, and more explain how to:Prepare financially for parenthood--whether you're expecting your first child or your thirdBalance thrift with generating income and investing wiselyFind flexibility at work while safeguarding your earning potentialSave for both college and retirement despite increased expensesPlan for unexpected events, like a layoff or illnessAnd much moreKids change our lives, adding joy but draining bank accounts. Smart Mom, Rich Mom helps you adopt healthy habits--and make hard decisions--that pay off in abundance.
The Smart One (Vintage Contemporaries Ser.)
by Jennifer CloseWith her best-selling debut, Girls in White Dresses (An "irresistible, pitch-perfect first novel" --Marie Claire), Jennifer Close captured friendship in those what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. Now, with her sparkling new novel of parenthood and sibling rivalry, Close turns her gimlet eye to the only thing messier than friendship: family. Weezy Coffey's parents had always told her she was the smart one, while her sister was the pretty one. "Maureen will marry well," their mother said, but instead it was Weezy who married well, to a kind man and good father. Weezy often wonders if she did this on purpose--thwarting expectations just to prove her parents wrong. But now that Weezy's own children are adults, they haven't exactly been meeting her expectations either. Her oldest child, Martha, is thirty and living in her childhood bedroom after a spectacular career flameout. Martha now works at J.Crew, folding pants with whales embroidered on them and complaining bitterly about it. Weezy's middle child, Claire, has broken up with her fiancé, canceled her wedding, and locked herself in her New York apartment--leaving Weezy to deal with the caterer and florist. And her youngest, Max, is dating a college classmate named Cleo, a girl so beautiful and confident she wears her swimsuit to family dinner, leaving other members of the Coffey household blushing and stammering into their plates. As the Coffey children's various missteps drive them back to their childhood home, Weezy suddenly finds her empty nest crowded and her children in full-scale regression. Martha is moping like a teenager, Claire is stumbling home drunk in the wee hours, and Max and Cleo are skulking around the basement, guarding a secret of their own. With radiant style and a generous spirit, The Smart One is a story about the ways in which we never really grow up, and the place where we return when things go drastically awry: home.
Smart Parenting for Smart Kids
by Eileen Kennedy-Moore Mark S. LowenthalWINNER! Mom's Choice Gold Award for parenting books -- Mom's Choice Awards: The best in family-friendly media "My kid is smart, but. . . " It takes more than school smarts to create a fulfilling life. In fact, many bright children face special challenges: Some are driven by perfectionism; Some are afraid of effort, because they're used to instant success; Some routinely butt heads with authority figures; Some struggle to get along with their peers; Some are outwardly successful but just don't feel good about themselves. This practical and compassionate book explains the reasons behind these struggles and offers parents do-able strategies to help children cope with feelings, embrace learning, and build satisfying relationships. Drawing from research as well as the authors' clinical experience, it focuses on the essential skills children need to make the most of their abilities and become capable, confident, and caring people.
Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids: The One Brain Book You Need to Help Your Child Grow Brighter, Healthier, and Happier
by David WalshEvery week new discoveries about the brain make the news, often promising parents the latest "right" way to nurture their kids' developing brains and behavior. And every day there's a new technology that demands your child's attention, a new game or toy that purports to make your kid smarter, and a new snack promising to be healthy as well as tasty. How's a busy parent to make heads or tails of all these claims? You turn to Dr. David Walsh, an expert at translating the headline-making, cutting-edge findings into practical suggestions for parenting today. In his previous bestseller, Why Do They Act That Way?, Walsh showed how to manage the difficult teenage years by understanding how the adolescent brain develops. Now he's written a complete guide to parenting from birth through the teen years, with recommendations that will help maximize any child's potential. Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids doesn't just describe new research findings or explain interesting brain facts. It equips parents with usable information across a range of topics, like exercise, nutrition, play, sleep, stress, self-discipline, emotional intelligence, and connection. Some discoveries in neuroscience confirm age-old parental wisdom while others may prompt you to make immediate changes. Still other brain discoveries help explain behaviors that have puzzled parents forever, like why friendly, easygoing kids can become withdrawn and sullen dragons overnight when they enter adolescence, or why girls and boys tend to have such different classroom experiences. Filled with helpful quizzes and checklists for easy reference, Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids gives specific advice about how to make the best daycare, preschool, and schooling decisions for your kids; for example, how to deal with stressful events as a family, and how to manage your child's internet and media use. And all these findings across different fields of research work together in reaching the same goal: When children are guided to eat, sleep, play, exercise, learn, and connect with others in healthy ways, their minds blossom and they are able to reach their full potential--academically, socially, physically, and emotionally. These real-life applications in Dr. Walsh's new book put science into practice with a personal plan that explains how (and why) you can parent with the brain in mind.
Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids
by Dr David WalshEvery week new discoveries about the brain make the news, often promising parents the latest "right" way to nurture their kids' developing brains and behavior. And every day there's a new technology that demands your child's attention, a new game or toy that purports to make your kid smarter, and a new snack promising to be healthy as well as tasty. How's a busy parent to make heads or tails of all these claims? You turn to Dr. David Walsh, an expert at translating the headline-making, cutting-edge findings into practical suggestions for parenting today. In his previous bestseller, Why Do They Act That Way?, Walsh showed how to manage the difficult teenage years by understanding how the adolescent brain develops. Now he's written a complete guide to parenting from birth through the teen years, with recommendations that will help maximize any child's potential. Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids doesn't just describe new research findings or explain interesting brain facts. It equips parents with usable information across a range of topics, like exercise, nutrition, play, sleep, stress, self-discipline, emotional intelligence, and connection. Some discoveries in neuroscience confirm age-old parental wisdom while others may prompt you to make immediate changes. Still other brain discoveries help explain behaviors that have puzzled parents forever, like why friendly, easygoing kids can become withdrawn and sullen dragons overnight when they enter adolescence, or why girls and boys tend to have such different classroom experiences. Filled with helpful quizzes and checklists for easy reference, Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids gives specific advice about how to make the best daycare, preschool, and schooling decisions for your kids; for example, how to deal with stressful events as a family, and how to manage your child's internet and media use. And all these findings across different fields of research work together in reaching the same goal: When children are guided to eat, sleep, play, exercise, learn, and connect with others in healthy ways, their minds blossom and they are able to reach their full potential--academically, socially, physically, and emotionally. These real-life applications in Dr. Walsh's new book put science into practice with a personal plan that explains how (and why) you can parent with the brain in mind.
The Smart Parent's Guide
by Jennifer TrachtenbergWhat to Do When You Don't Know What to Do!" Moms and dads need expert guidelines, especially when it comes to their kids' health. This book reveals the inside strategies I use myself--I'm a parent, too!-- to avoid critical, common blunders where it matters most: in the ER, pediatrics ward, all-night pharmacy, exam room, or any other medical hot spot for kids. These tips could save your child's life one day. Even tomorrow." -Dr. JenMaking health care decisions for your child can be overwhelming in this age of instant information. It's easy to feel like you know next to nothing or way too much. Either way, you may resort to guessing instead of making smart choices. That's why the nation's leading health care oversight group, The Joint Commission, joined forces with Dr. Jennifer Trachtenberg on this book: to help you make the right decisions, whether you're dealing with a checkup or a full-blown crisis.The Smart Parent's Guide will give you the information you need to manage the pediatric health care system. Dr. Jen understands the questions parents face--as a mom, she's faced them herself. She walks you through everything: from how to choose the best ER for kids (not adults) to when to give a kid medicine (or not to) to how pediatricians care for their own children (prepare to be surprised). Her goal is your goal: to protect the health of your children.There simply is nothing more important.
The Smart Parent's Guide to Raising Vegan Kids: Lessons for Littles in Plant-Based Eating and Compassionate Living
by Eric C. Lindstrom Tess ChallisThe definitive handbook to raising vegan children you’ve always wished you had. Is bringing up a vegan baby unhealthy? The Smart Parent's Guide to Raising Vegan Kids is the ultimate vegan parenting manifesto that takes on this myth and answers all the other questions you’ve always wondered about—the vegan way. Raising ethically vegan children, in fact, lays the groundwork for a lifetime of excellent health for your child, the animals, and the planet. Eric C. Lindstrom is in the position to know. Having raised one child on the Standard American Diet (SAD) and four other children on a vegan lifestyle, and being a mid-life vegan convert himself, Lindstrom learned through experience. In this practical and tongue-in-cheek guide, Lindstrom, dishes the real talk and shares the unique challenges vegans face when starting their children from scratch, providing advice, tips, and tricks on how to raise compassionate, vegan children in all areas of life. Learn: How to get your kids to eat vegetables (when it’s all they eat anyway)How to teach your children compassion with visits to sanctuaries and not zoosAdvice for dealing with nonvegan social situations and eventsHow to plan for birthday parties and other eventsTravel and road trip tips with the familyResources for an A to Z of vegan recipes, movies, books, and websitesAnd more! Both informative and hilarious, including expert advice from the world’s leading plant-based physicians and fun recipes for your little vegans, The Smart Parent's Guide to Raising Vegan Kids is the guide every vegan parent needs as choose to bring their kids up in a world that will sustain their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren.
Smart Sisters (Happy Hair)
by Mechal Renee RoeConfident, empowered sisters and best friends are celebrated in this read-together picture book celebrating sisterly love and joy. From the author of the Happy Hair series, which promotes self-love, positivity, and acceptance.Perfect together! Always and forever! My sister and me!Beautiful Black and Brown girls with gorgeous natural hairstyles are the stars of this vibrant, rhythmic picture book. With encouraging words of unity and support on each page, it's a great read-aloud to promote confidence and self-esteem among girls of all ages.Look for all the books in the Happy Hair series:• Happy Hair• Cool Cuts• I'm Growing Great• I Love Being Me! (Step Into Reading)• I Am Born to Be Awesome! (Step Into Reading)
Smart-Wiring Your Baby's Brain: What You Can Do to Stimulate Your Child During the Critical First Three Years
by Winifred ConklingHas science shoved parents out of the nursery? Judging from the steady stream of headlines, one would think biologists have discovered a gene for every aspect of behavior. Now, Winifred Conkling reassures us that there's still room to help our children reach their personal best. In clear, compassionate language, Conkling tells parents how to make practical use of the latest research on early brain development, offering invaluable advice on how to:Create a nurturing environment in which you child can grow cognitivelyEncourage movement and motor developmentStimulate speech and language developmentFoster a child's emotional health and personal identityMake toy and food choices appropriate to each stage of developmentWith specific, sound advice; readable charts and timetables; and clear, easy-to-understand language, Winifred Conkling translates the latest scientific discoveries into useful ways to help your child live up to his or her fullest potential.
The Smash-Up: a delicious satire from a breakout voice in literary fiction
by Ali BenjaminAN OF-THE-MOMENT NOVEL FOR READERS OF FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE'Timely, risky and dazzling' Polly Clark, author of Tiger'Sharply funny, perceptive, and surprising at every turn, The Smash-Up is a story that's acid-etched and full of heart, intimate, and relevant' Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of White Houses and Away'Every woman should read this book. Every woman, every feminist, every activist' Jane Harris, author of Orange Prize shortlisted The ObservationsAfter years spent in the city, working with his business partner Randy on Bränd media, Ethan finds himself in the quiet, closed-off town of Starkfield. His wife Zenobia is perpetually distracted by the swirling #MeToo politics, the Kavanaugh hearings, and her duties to the feminist activism group she formed: All Them Witches. Ethan finds himself caught between their regular meetings at his home and the battle to get his livewire daughter Alex to sleep.But the new, stilted rhythm of his life is interrupted when he receives a panicked message. Accusations. Against Randy. A slew of them. And Ethan is abruptly forced to question everything: his past, his future, his marriage, and what he values most.Unrelenting in its satire, The Smash-up jolts you into the twisted psyche of successful brand advertising, where historic exploitation is only ever a panicked phone-call away. With magnetic energy and doses of comic wit, Benjamin creates a world of social media algorithms, extreme polarization, the collapsing of identity into tweet-sized spaces, and the spectre of violence that can be found even in the quietest places.
The Smash-Up: A Novel
by Ali BenjaminA marriage spirals out of control when the issues of our day—cultural, political, and social—becoming intensely personal in this fresh, whip-smart novel for readers of Meg Wolitzer and Fleishman Is in Trouble. &“Sharply funny, perceptive, and surprising at every turn . . . Ali Benjamin is Edith Wharton with fresh eyes.&”—Amy Bloom, author of White HousesIt&’s September 2018. In Washington, D.C.,—and in cities and towns across America—women have taken to the streets to protest a Supreme Court nominee. And in Starkfield, Massachusetts—a sleepy rural town where nothing much ever happens—Ethan Frome&’s otherwise quiet life has turned upside down.Ethan&’s wife, Zo, is so enraged by the national political scene that she&’s transformed their home into a local headquarters for the Resistance. His college roommate and former business partner faces #metoo allegations, sending Ethan into increasingly desperate financial straits. His unruly, headstrong daughter, Alex, grows more challenging by the day.Enter Maddy Silver—a breezy, blue-haired millennial making her way through the gig economy. Suddenly Ethan and Zo must question everything: their past, their future, their marriage, and what they value most. And all the while, a world-rocking cultural smash-up inches ever closer to home.Inspired by a classic Edith Wharton novella about a strained marriage in a small town, The Smash-Up is at once an intimate, moving portrait of a family in distress, a vivid examination of our roiling national rancor, and a powerful exploration of how the things we fail to notice can shatter a family, a community, and a nation.
Smashed Potatoes and Other Thanksgiving Disasters
by Carol W. MurphyTwelve-year-old Megan Powers is horrified when her mother announces this year's holiday plans. What happened to the traditional family dinner with turkey and all the trimmings? No one wants to eat Thanksgiving dinner in some cafeteria. When their mother is called out of town by a family emergency, Megan and her brother Jeremy take matters into their own hands. How hard can it be to prepare Thanksgiving dinner themselves? Plenty! After a snowy grocery trip and the disappearance of their turkey, Megan begins to wonder: Can anyone save this Thanksgiving from total disaster?
The Smell of Other People's Houses
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock<P>This deeply moving and authentic debut set in 1970s Alaska is for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Benjamin Alire Saenz. Intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation on the edge of America’s Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare talent. <P>Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger. Four very different lives are about to become entangled. <P>This unforgettable William C. Morris Award finalist is about people who try to save each other—and how sometimes, when they least expect it, they succeed.
The Smell of Other People's Houses
by Bonnie-Sue HitchcockIn Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn't like being a teenager anywhere else. <P> <P>Ruth has a secret that she can't hide forever. <P>Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. <P>Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she's always known on her family's fishing boat. <P>Hank and his brothers decide it's safer to run away than to stay home--until one of them ends up in terrible danger. <P>Four very different lives are about to become entangled. <P>This unforgettable book is about people who try to save each other--and how sometimes, when they least expect it, they succeed. <P>Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock was born and raised in Alaska. She worked many years fishing commercially with her family and as a reporter for Alaska Public Radio stations around the state. She was also the host and producer of "Independent Native News," a daily newscast produced in Fairbanks, focusing on Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Canada's First Nations. Her writing is inspired by her family's four generations in Alaska. This deeply moving and authentic debut is for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Benjamin Alire Saenz. <P><P>Intertwining stories of love, tragedy, wild luck, and salvation on the edge of America's Last Frontier introduce a writer of rare talent.
Smells Like Stars
by D. Nandi OdhiamboJournalist Kerstin Ostheim and freelance photographer P.J. Banner have been together six months after meeting on a dating website. As their wedding fast approaches, they question their compatibility while investigating mysterious horse killings taking place in Ogweyo's Cove, the Pacific tourist haven where they live.In the meantime, Schuld Ostheim, Kerstin's transgender daughter from her first marriage, is preparing for an art exhibit after being hospitalized for a physical assault while her boyfriend, Woloff, an Olympic medalist in the 1500m, comes to terms with a career-ending knee injury. As Kerstin and P.J. get closer to the truth about the dead horses, they also begin to more clearly see each other. Simultaneously, Schuld's and Woloff's pasts come back to haunt them, jeopardizing their sense of a possible future.Ultimately, Smells Like Stars draws attention to what is hidden in plain sight, what cruelties life presents, and what struggles we face in our search for meaning.
A Smidgen of Sky
by Dianna Dorisi WingetWhether she likes it or not, ten-year-old Piper Lee DeLuna is about to get a new family. Four years after the plane Piper's daddy was piloting disappeared, her mama is remarrying. The way Piper sees it, Mama's being plain disloyal. Besides, who'd want to get stuck with a prison guard for a stepdad and that weenie, Ginger, for a stepsister? But when Piper Lee hatches a foolproof plan to get the wedding called off, it quickly spirals out of control. And by the time Piper realizes what she's done--and just how much she really cares about her new family--it might be too late. Told in Piper Lee's irresistible Southern voice, A Smidgen of Sky is about new families and new beginnings.
Smile: A Novel
by Roddy DoyleFrom the author of the Booker Prize winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, a bold, haunting novel about the uncertainty of memory and how we contend with the past.Just moved into a new apartment, alone for the first time in years, Victor Forde goes every evening to Donnelly’s for a pint, a slow one. One evening his drink is interrupted. A man in shorts and a pink shirt comes over and sits down. He seems to know Victor’s name and to remember him from secondary school. His name is Fitzpatrick. Victor dislikes him on sight, dislikes, too, the memories that Fitzpatrick stirs up of five years being taught by the Christian Brothers. He prompts other memories—of Rachel, his beautiful wife who became a celebrity, and of Victor’s own small claim to fame, as the man who would say the unsayable on the radio. But it’s the memories of school, and of one particular brother, that Victor cannot control and which eventually threaten to destroy his sanity. Smile has all the features for which Roddy Doyle has become famous: the razor-sharp dialogue, the humor, the superb evocation of adolescence, but this is a novel unlike any he has written before. When you finish the last page you will have been challenged to reevaluate everything you think you remember so clearly.
Smoke: Quantity Pack (Burned #2)
by Ellen HopkinsPattyn&’s father is dead. Now she&’s on the run in this riveting companion to New York Times bestseller Burned, which Kirkus Reviews calls &“a strong, painful, and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair.&”Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that fatal night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated. Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth? Bestselling author Ellen Hopkins continues the riveting story of Pattyn Von Stratten she began in Burned to explore what it takes to rise from the ashes, put ghosts to rest, and step into a future.
Smoke
by Darcy WoodsWhat lines would you cross to save someone you love? Filled with the kinds of impossible choices that made the TV show Weeds such a hit, this compelling drama asks to what lengths an avid rule-follower will go in order to save her family--and the answer involves "growing" in surprising directions.Sixteen-year-old Honor Augustine never set out to become a felon. As an academic all-star, avid recycler, and dedicated daughter to her PTSD-afflicted father, she's always been the literal embodiment of her name. Coloring inside the lines is what keeps Honor's chaotic existence orderly. But when she discovers her father's VA benefits drying up, coupled with a terrifying bank letter threatening the family's greenhouse business--Honor vows to find a solution. She just doesn't expect to spot it on the dry erase board of English lit--"Nature's first green is gold." The quote by Frost becomes the seed of an idea. An idea that--with patience and care--could germinate into a means of survival. Maybe marijuana could be more than the medicinal plant that helps quiet her father's demons. Maybe, it could save them all.
Smoke and Mirrors
by K. D. Halbrook“The novel’s wistful prose and a relatable search for the Light will be rewarding for readers who can see in the Smoke any number of metaphors for the things that haunt us.” —BCCB (starred review) “A Wrinkle in Time-inspired adventure…Halbrook’s writing is artful.” —Kirkus Reviews “In K.D. Halbrook’s gorgeous prose, readers will be drawn immediately into the Cirque, but more importantly, they’ll be drawn into Sasha’s heart. This is a story to savor.” —Kathi Appelt, National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor–winning author of The Underneath and Keeper “Adventure and magic unfold in this captivating story.” —School Library Connection “A fairy-tale atmosphere wafts through Halbrook’s story of magic, love, belonging, and circus...Enchanting.” —Booklist Circus Mirandus meets Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms in this beautifully written fantasy novel about a girl who must face her fears in order to right a terrible wrong, confront what it means to be different, and discover her own power.Smoke has come to the Cirque Magnifique. And Sasha Brown is sure it is her fault. Sasha has always loved the Cirque, a place filled with sequined costumes, dazzling spotlights, and magnificent tents. But when she starts fifth grade with the Islanders—the ordinary folk from the other side of the Island—for the first time, she’s not so sure she wants to be a Cirque kid. She starts to question her home and her Cirque family. Is the magic real? Are the stories even true? As the bullying by the Island kids gets worse, swirling blue-gray Smoke appears. One night in the big tent, Sasha’s dad performs, twisting his body through the air as the lights dance. Sasha is supposed to be helping, but instead she sits beneath the bleachers, seething. She has wished for the Smoke to come and make it all disappear: the Cirque, her family, the Island with its mean Island kids. And the Smoke does come. As Sasha watches her dad, he flips and raises his arms out for the bar that is supposed to meet him, his bright grin confident and sure. But there is only air…and Smoke. Both of Sasha’s parents disappear that night, and it’s all Sasha’s fault. What can she do but try and find them?