There is more to listening than just hearing. A miraculous process that begins in the womb, learning to communicate is a vital part of expressing oneself and of understanding and interacting with the world. A child’s ability to listen well affects every aspect of his or her life. But for some 1.5 million children in the United States who have normal hearing and intelligence, communication and language are blocked. Words are jumbled and distorted. These children have a hard time following directions and become frustrated in trying to make themselves understood, which often leads to unruly behavior, poor school performance, social isolation, and low self-esteem. Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects the brain’s ability to accurately process the sounds of speech, which in turn impedes the ability to communicate. Experts are just beginning to unlock the mystery of this confounding condition. As a result, APD is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. But hope is here. Now veteran speech-language pathologist Lois Kam Heymann offers the first practical guide to help parents dramatically improve the listening and language skills of their children, whether they have a diagnosed auditory processing disorder, slow language development—or simply need practice listening. Inside this reassuring, action-oriented book you’ll find • easy-to-identify milestones to help parents pinpoint challenges that may arise during each stage of their child’s development from birth to age eight • the tools and checklists needed to assist parents in recognizing APD early • tips to distinguish APD from other listening/learning disorders, including ADD, ADHD, LPD, and PDD • methods to encourage a child’s natural listening abilities through books, stories, nursery rhymes, songs, lullabies, toys, and games • home techniques to hone a child’s auditory processing—whether he or she has severe APD limitations or just needs to build listening “muscles” • specific suggestions on how to improve a child’s listening skills outside the home—at school, during after-school activities, even when at a restaurant • an analysis of traditional classroom settings and effective ways parents can advocate for better sound quality • guidelines for finding the right professionals to work with your child With hands-on ways for improving a child’s ability to listen to instructions, process information, and follow directions, parents can turn simple activities into powerful listening lessons in only minutes a day. The bottom line: Learning how to listen in our noisy, complicated world is the key to a happy and engaged child.

When children are kept in the dark regarding their origins, nobody wins Only rarely does a memoir come along that taps into the heart of the human condition. The Sound of Hope is such a story, told by Anne Bauer, an adoptee who cannot forget that she had another life and another family before being adopted. Much of Anne's childhood was spent wondering about her other mother. She desperately wanted to know where she was, what she looked like and most importantly, why she placed her for adoption. Living in the closed adoption system, her questions were met with a wall of silence. This aura of secrecy only intensified Anne's quest to eventually discover her own story. Faced with anger and contempt, secrets and revelations, Anne sets out to uncover the truth. This powerful memoir traverses family and relationships and carries the unforgettable message that nobody should be cut off from their origins.

Since ancient times, music has demonstrated the incomparable ability to touch and resonate with the human spirit as a tool for communication, emotional expression, and as a medium of cultural identity. During World War II, Nazi leadership recognized the power of music and chose to harness it with malevolence, using its power to push their own agenda and systematically stripping it away from the Jewish people and other populations they sought to disempower. But music also emerged as a counterpoint to this hate, withstanding Nazi attempts to exploit or silence it. Artistic expression triumphed under oppressive regimes elsewhere as well, including the horrific siege of Leningrad and in Japanese internment camps in the Pacific. The oppressed stubbornly clung to music, wherever and however they could, to preserve their culture, to uplift the human spirit and to triumph over oppression, even amid incredible tragedy and suffering. This volume draws together the musical connections and individual stories from this tragic time through scholarly literature, diaries, letters, memoirs, compositions, and art pieces. Collectively, they bear witness to the power of music and offer a reminder to humanity of the imperative each faces to not only remember, but to prevent another such cataclysm.

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, during the Jim Crow era, my parents were uneducated, hard workers with good common sense. Neither advanced beyond elementary school, but they had hope for a better life for us. They knew how to work and survive during hard times. My mother quit school after the third grade because her mother died when she was eight years old. She had to take care of her younger siblings. She talked about the difficulties she experienced, especially being a child herself. Alcohol was first in life for my father. It was ahead of family needs. Alcohol seemed to remove him from his state of oppression. He went to church only on special occasions because he believed more emphasis was placed on taking care of the pastor than worshiping God. Our parents drilled into us how we were to behave when out from under their care. They knew they had to prepare us for what we may be faced with daily in that era. My father emphasized avoiding trouble and keeping away from troublemakers. He spoke this more to my brothers than me and my sisters. He didn't talk much, but; we knew he felt responsible for anything that happened in our family. Helping each other was a way of life. No one looked to the government for help when things got tough. Material things weren't an issue because we didn't hold any. Our values were within the family. We gain strength and support from each other. I am not ashamed of the way I was raised. I don't hold any hate toward anyone for the things we didn't have or places we weren't allowed to go. I take it all as a learning experience because it helped shape my life and make me the person I am today. It also gave me strength and confidence in facing the important issues of today. We were faced with many challenges growing up. It strengthened us and made us proud to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Often, I dreamed and wondered what the rest of the world was like and how different it was from the small city where we lived. We hadn't traveled far from home. Royston, Georgia, My Mother's hometown, is about seventy miles from where we lived. My imagination would run wild seeing people, places, and things. I was consumed by my hopes and dreams. Years after my hopes and dreams had subsided, the unthinkable happened. An opportunity for travel. "How cool is that?" We lived in China, Nigeria, Canada, France, England, Northern Ireland, and visited many other parts of the world. I have talked about the many difficulties we have experienced, but we evolved and benefitted to get where we are today. We didn't mind working to have something. We didn't expect something for nothing. My father would say, "Beware of someone willing to give you something for anything, nothing is free. It will cost you something." Individual struggles have been a part of our lives since the beginning of time. They should not cause us to take life or destroy anyone's property. Evil and hate cause destruction. We've come a long way and still have a way to go. Our past helps plan better for the future. It would help us all to try and show more love and respect for each other and do what we can to make our world a better place to live. You will get a glimpse of our living experiences in China and Nigeria.

Now a USA TODAY BEST-SELLER, The Sound of Wings is a masterfully crafted tale of love, friendship, betrayal, and the risks we take in the pursuit of justice. Seventy-year-old Goldie Sparrows faces declining finances, questionable health, and a late husband who torments her from the beyond. She seeks refuge in her butterfly garden, which is filled with voices and memories from long ago. Jocelyn Anderson is a struggling writer who finds escape from her custody battle in the journal of her late mother-in-law. As she gets pulled through the pages of time, Jocelyn discovers her own husband has a hidden history she knows nothing about. Is this secret now Jocelyn’s to keep? Krystal Axelrod is living a life she never dreamed she could have. And yet the demons of a dysfunctional childhood and mean girl culture from her cheerleading days cast their shadow over her ability to feel whole, capable, and worthy. Does Goldie hold the key to Krystal’s path to freedom?

Kiki Nichols might not survive music camp. She’s put her TV-loving, nerdy self aside for one summer to prove she’s got what it takes: she can be cool enough to make friends, she can earn that music scholarship, and she can get into Krause University’s music program. Except camp has rigid conduct rules—which means her thrilling late-night jam session with the hot, equally geeky drummer can’t happen again, even though they love all the same shows, and fifteen minutes making music with him meant more than every aria she’s ever sung. But when someone starts reporting singers who break conduct rules, music camp turns survival of the fittest, and people are getting kicked out. If Kiki’s going to get that scholarship, her chance to make true friends—and her first real chance at something more—might cost her the future she wants more than anything.

“This debut has it all: music, books, aliens, adventure, resistance, queerness, and a bold heroine tying it all together. ”—Ms. Magazine Can a girl who risks her life for books and an Ilori who loves pop music work together to save humanity? When a rebel librarian meets an Ilori commander… Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the death of one-third of the world’s population. Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When young Ilori commander Morris finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. But Morris isn’t a typical Ilori…and Ellie and her books might be the key to a desperate rebellion of his own. “The Sound of Stars is a marvelous genre-bending debut." —The Nerd Daily “The Sound of Stars is a stunning exploration of the comforts that make us human and the horrors that challenge our humanity.”—K. Ancrum, author of The Wicker King "This book has everything! Aliens set on conquering earth! A determined heroine with a hidden stash of books! And the power of music and stories to give those with every reason to hate the power to love. Who could want anything more?"—Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times bestselling author of The Testing and Verify “An absolute must-read for everyone.” —Book Riot “Dow's debut is a testament to hope and the power of art.” —Buzzfeed Also by Alechia Dow: The Kindred

For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad. She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave. But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal. Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy? Should she side with her parents or protect her brother? How do you know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go? “The Sound of Letting Go is deeply moving, fiercely honest, and always surprising. Stasia Ward Kehoe’s characters are so real and complex, you won’t want to let them go at the end. I loved this book!”—Barbara Dee, author of Solving Zoe, This is Me From Now On, Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life, and Trauma Queen “Achingly beautiful, The Sound of Letting Go takes readers down a dangerous path while touching the heart and encouraging hope.”—Elana Johnson, author of Possession, Surrender, and Abandon “Told in verse that is at once delicate and strong, lyrical and honest, Stasia Kehoe’s The Sound of Letting Go is a moving contemporary story of the intense push and pull between the responsibility of family and the freedom of dreams.”—Jessi Kirby, author of Moonglass, In Honor, and Golden “With captivating verse and a lyrical love story to match, The Sound of Letting Go will keep you hanging on, breathless and enchanted, until the very last page.”—Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess, Ten and the forthcoming 3:59 and the “Don’t Get Mad” series “Soulful and stunning, this book has captured my heart. It’s one of those tragic melodies you never want to end, a tribute to the damning and redemptive power of music.”—Jessica Martinez, author of Virtuosity and The Space Between Us “The Sound of Letting Go draws you honestly into the turbulent ambivalence of life with a severely challenged sibling, while never short-shrifting Daisy's individual coming-of-age journey. The music of Stasia Kehoe's beautifully flawed characters will resonate in your mind long after you finish reading her book.”—Elise Allen, author of Populazzi, co-author of the Elixir series with Hilary Duff

From the acclaimed author of A Good Distance and Some Things That Stay, a thoughtful and compelling novel about the voices that call out to us—and the ways our lives can be transformed when we learn to listen. It was past two in the morning and Alice Marlowe was in bed alone when the phone rang. Lifting the receiver, she heard the voice of a child at the other end—a child who was clearly frightened, reluctant to reveal too much, and like Alice, all alone. After a brief, halting conversation—and before she knows quite what she’s doing—Alice is at the little girl’s apartment. She has no idea where Larissa Benton’s mother has gone or when she’s coming back. She knows the right thing to do is to call the police. But when they arrive and carry a crying Larissa away, accompanied by a social worker, Alice finds it difficult to let her go. She had no plans to bring a child into her life. She is single, in her late forties. She lives with a cat named Sampson and has imaginary conversations with her dead twin brother. As a sign-language interpreter for the deaf, she is used to standing between people, facilitating their conversations with each other. But perhaps it is this unusual skill that can help Larissa, who, as she travels through the labyrinth of Cleveland’s child-welfare system, refuses to speak. And perhaps that late-night call was somehow meant to bring them together—a lonely woman with no one to love, and a beautiful, scared six-year-old girl.

"A heartbreaking love triangle, for readers who can't stand love triangles." – Kirkus reviews “A moody and moving, richly scenic romance.” – Kelly deVos, author of Fat Girl on a Plane “An emotional riptide of a read! I’m still searching for my next breath...and my next tissue.” – Darcy Woods, author of Summer of Supernovas Meredith Hall has a secret. Every night she takes the ferry to meet Ben, her best friend and first love. Though their relationship must remain a secret, they’ve been given a second chance, and Mer's determined to make it work. She lost Ben once before and discovered the awful reality: she doesn't know how to be happy without him... Until Wyatt washes ashore—a brash new guy with a Texas twang and a personality bigger than his home state. He makes her feel reckless, excited, and alive in ways that cut through her perpetual gloom. The deeper they delve into each other’s pasts, the more Wyatt’s charms become impossible to ignore. But a storm is brewing in the Outer Banks. When it hits, Mer finds her heart tearing in half and her carefully constructed reality slipping back into the surf. As she discovers that even the most deeply buried secrets have a way of surfacing, she’ll have to learn that nothing is forever—especially second chances.