This book is a real-life chronicle of two people who met through letters in the summer of 1955. In the beginning, the exchange was friendly but very revealing of their vulnerabilities and innocence. These pen pals soon discovered the commonalities between them. As this story unfolds, there is so much anticipation to learn about each other. Both are willing to help one another deal with everyday experiences. Finding a purpose for writing to each other helped them become more honest in sharing their innermost thoughts. Growing up in the same hometown, these youngsters not only found it comfortable to write to each other but found someone they could trust. After sharing each other’s past and challenges, they became more intrigued. Soon emotions deepened, and desires overcame them. After much exchange and a deeper friendship ensued, there became a yearning to meet face-to-face. This affair of writing was more than attraction and much greater than passion. What these pen pals learned about each other propelled them to an exciting new future and outlook in life. It was beyond what they ever imagined. Was it fate? Would they have ever met without these letters of truth and honesty? Or was it that these two were looking to escape from their mundane lives and found something more profound in the process?

Controversial Books in K–12 Classrooms and Libraries: Challenged, Censored, and Banned analyzes the history of controversy surrounding assigned reading in K-12 classrooms and books available in school libraries. Randy Bobbitt outlines the history of book banning and controversy in the United States, stemming from 1950s conservative Cold War values of patriotism and respect for authority and ramping up through the 1960s and onward as media coverage and parental intervention into the inner workings of schools increased. The author claims that sensitive topics, including sexuality, suicide, and drug use, do not automatically imply the glorification of deviant behavior, but can be used constructively to educate students about the reality of life. Bobbitt argues that in an effort to shield children from the dangers of controversial issues, parents and administrators are depriving them of the ability to discover and debate values that are inconsistent with their own and those around them, teaching instead that avoidance of different viewpoints is the solution. Scholars of education, communication, literature, and policy will find this book especially useful.

'Romantic Comedy' offers an introduction to the analysis of one of the most popular but generally overlooked film genres. The book provides an overview of Hollywood's romantic comedy conventions, examining the iconography, narrative patterns and ideology which inform such films.

Work with students at all levels to help them read novels Whole Novels is a practical, field-tested guide to implementing a student-centered literature program that promotes critical thinking and literary understanding through the study of novels with middle school students. Rather than using novels simply to teach basic literacy skills and comprehension strategies, Whole Novels approaches literature as art. The book is fully aligned with the Common Core ELA Standards and offers tips for implementing whole novels in various contexts, including suggestions for teachers interested in trying out small steps in their classrooms first. Includes a powerful method for teaching literature, writing, and critical thinking to middle school students Shows how to use the Whole Novels approach in conjunction with other programs Includes video clips of the author using the techniques in her own classroom This resource will help teachers work with students of varying abilities in reading whole novels.

It is 1939 and the eve of the Second World War when the handsome sailor Ewan Mackinnon returns to his childhood home on the remote Hebridean island of Phetray. He was forced to run from the ignominy of a terrible event, the disgraced Minister's son. Arriving home, many years later, he is reunited with Minn Macfee, a cottar's daughter, instantly falling for her graceful beauty and enchanting voice. But Minn and Ewan are bound by the same misfortune that caused their separation in childhood. When Ewan joins the Special Boat Squadron and embarks for France, leaving Minn behind, it seems fate has intervened once more. Touched by tragedy and the weight of the past, their love seems destined to die. Or will the tides of time bring them together again?

"I want to be weightless. To finally be rid of the hidden heaviness," ResA notes in her diary. Her heart's desire is to offer her two daughters the protection and security in her home that she was denied in her own childhood. However, her plans to spend her life with her two children and her beloved husband falter several times. The challenges that arise often seem insurmountable. ResA fights through her entire life with iron discipline and as an invisible butterfly. But she first has to find the answer to the question of whether the hardships are worth it.

Camryn Hughes has reinvented herself since the chaotic and nomadic years of being a musician. She’s happy in her serene life until a new client has her examining her one regret—parting ways with her first love. Is it possible to go back and choose the other fork in the road—the one that leads back to the only woman she’s ever loved? Brooke Ross has no regrets about her long-ago decision to put herself and her career as a restaurateur first. But thanks to the ongoing ravages on her business from the pandemic, plus a girlfriend she can’t bring herself to love, Brooke is at a crossroads. Throwing caution to the wind for once, she agrees to an unusual invitation that just might lead her to figuring out what—and who—she really wants. Ten Days in May is about second chances, about choosing life, and discovering what’s meaningful in turbulent times.

Teaching Young Adult Literature Today introduces the reader to what is current and relevant in the plethora of good books available for adolescents. More importantly, literary experts illustrate how teachers everywhere can help their students become lifelong readers by simply introducing them to great reads--smart, insightful, and engaging books that are specifically written for adolescents. Hayn, Kaplan, and their contributors address a wide range of topics: how to avoid common obstacles to using YAL; selecting quality YAL for classrooms while balancing these with curriculum requirements; engaging disenfranchised readers; pairing YAL with technology as an innovative way to teach curriculum standards across all content areas. Contributors also discuss more theoretical subjects, such as the absence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young adult literature in secondary classrooms; and contemporary YAL that responds to the changing expectations of digital generation readers who want to blur the boundaries between page and screen.

Book #1 in the Silence Series Elijah is no ordinary boy. In fact, he is as different from what a normal boy could possibly be. The golden rule in is life has always been ""listen before you speak"", but what happens when he meets a boy? Will he still be able to just listen? Even when the boy urges him to speak all the unspoken words he has tried so hard to silence for so many years? When Blake walks into Elijah's silent world, the sound starts forming around Elijah's mouth; and he speaks for the first time in four years. Will Blake still love Elijah after hearing everything that Elijah has listened to but never spoke about all those years, or will he get the hell out of dodge as his instincts scream? This story is PG13, since it may have strong language. This story may contain self-harm issues, abuse, and other traumatic scenes. Please be advised that the main character is homosexual, and therefore there will be romantic actions between same sex characters. If that makes you uncomfortable in any way, please refrain from reading.