Showing results by narrator "Jessica Almasy" in All Categories

Everyone likes to be accepted and admired by others. During the teen years especially, this desire to be liked may lead to some difficult pressures. Should one cheat on a test or lie to a friend in order to be liked by others? And what should a person do when his or her peers start to drink, use drugs, and/or have sex? Friends are often a big influence, and it can be hard to know what to do or how to stand up for one's beliefs. This book deals with peer pressure, an issue every teen must cope with at one time or another.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect anywhere from 5% to 15% of the general teen population. Practically every classroom in America has at least one child who is dealing with the effects of these conditions. In this book teen readers will learn all about both conditions, including the treatments that are available. The book discusses therapeutic counseling and non medical interventions, as well as commonly prescribed ADD/ADHD medications.

Twelve-year-old Summer loves the ocean. The smell, the immensity, the feeling she gets when she dives beneath the surface. She has lived in Barnes Bluff Bay since she was two years old, when Lindy found her on the beach. It's been the two of them ever since. But now, 10 years later, Summer feels uncertainty about her place with Lindy and starts to wonder about where she came from. One night, Summer goes for a swim and gets caught in a riptide, swallowing mouthfuls of seawater. And that night, she dreams of a girl.

When an amateur chef attempts to use food as his love language, Landra, who struggles with anorexia, finds his approach off-putting. In fact, she finds Brian to be rather annoying. Undeterred, Brian snags Landra in a friendship that eventually grows into something else, as she finally trusts him enough to sample some of his homemade gourmet treats. But things have not evolved to the level Brian would like, and soon he realizes Landra's issue isn't only with the food he makes.

There's a flock of parrots in Zoe's backyard! No one knows where they came from, but they aren't as big a surprise as the sight of Zoe's mother, who has just arrived from California. She wants Zoe to move back home with her - something Zoe has been waiting to hear for months. But why does leaving Ambler and Dr. Mac's place seem so much harder than she expected?

Yum-Yum is an adorable shih tzu and one of Zoe’s favorite clients. When Zoe and Yum-Yum visit a ward of cancer patients, she is amazed by how much joy the tiny dog can spread in an instant. But then Yum-Yum is diagnosed with cancer himself. How can Zoe help the little dog pull through?

The squirrels Jed, TsTs, and Chai are the very best of friends. So when Jed is snatched up by a hawk and carried away to another realm, TsTs and Chai resolve to go after him. New communities are discovered, new friends are made, huge danger is encountered (both manmade and of the fox and bobcat variety) and mysteries are revealed.

Her father left years ago, her mother is dissolving into gin and cigarettes, and her brother has lost himself to drugs. In these four linked stories, a young woman tries to come to terms with the addiction and desertion that caused her family to crumble.

In “The Pleasure of Her Company,” a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret of their happiness. In "Long Distance," a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape. And in the incandescently wise and moving title novella, a dentist, aware that his wife has fallen in love with someone else, must comfort her when she is spurned....

Dell is used to disappointment. Ever since her dad left, it’s been one letdown after another. But no one - not even her best friend - understands all the pain she's going through. So Dell hides behind self-deprecating jokes and forced smiles. Then the one person she trusts betrays her. Dell is beyond devastated. Without anyone to turn to for comfort, her depression and self-loathing spin out of control. But just how far will she go to make all of heartbreak and the name-calling stop?