Showing titles in Self Esteem & Self Image

Fat girls and boys and nonbinary teens are: friends who lift each other up, heroes who rescue themselves, big bodies in space, intellects taking up space and bodies looking and feeling beautiful. They express themselves through fashion, sports and other physical pursuits, through food, and music, and art. They are flirting and falling in love. They are loving to themselves and one another.

Poppy used to be an optimist. But after a photo of her dressed as Rosie the Riveter is mocked online, she's having trouble seeing the good in the world. As a result, Poppy trades her beloved vintage clothes for a feathered chicken costume and accepts a job as an anonymous sign waver outside a restaurant. As the summer unfolds, Poppy stops glorifying the past and starts focusing on the present. But just as she comes to terms with the fact that there is good and bad in everyone, she is tested by a deep betrayal.

Ethan’s life couldn’t possibly get any worse. His mom’s job isn’t enough to pay the rent, let alone anything that could make life more bearable. And to make it worse, now she’s decided to move them both in with her brother—some boring guy who has nothing better to do than make Ethan’s life miserable. Uncle Garrett seems to be everywhere. Everyone knows him, everyone adores him, and it’s driving Ethan crazy. But when Ethan gets himself into trouble, those irritating things about Uncle Garrett start to make more sense.

Lori Palmer is the new girl at Bay Water High, where students prize glossy hair, beach bodies and school spirit above all else. She misses her old school - where her talent as an artist carried more weight than she does - and longs for her old family life, before her parents got divorced and her mom reinvented herself. Lori decides that the only way to survive the rest of the year is to blend into the background. But her plans go awry when she discovers that the most popular (and hottest) guy at Bay Water High, Jake, is a volunteer at her brother's school.

Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. First mate Riden, still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.

At first, when a massive ice storm traps 14-year-old Hannah and her family in a remote cabin, it feels like a game to practice the survival skills she's been learning. That all changes when an accident leaves her mother desperately low on insulin. With no power and no way to contact the outside world, Hannah steals away with the four family dogs tied to an old dogsled. All she has to do is make it to the nearest cabin and find a working phone to save the day. But a wrong turn and worsening weather leave her in grave danger and saddled with an unexpected passenger.

God Loves Hair is a collection of short stories that follows a tender, intelligent, and curious child who navigates the complex realms of gender creativity, queerness, brownness, religion, and belonging.

Mo hates her new school and her new town. She has no friends and home life is awful. So when a nice-looking guy friends her on Facebook, she’s happy to accept. Darko’s messages keep her going while life just gets worse. Then he invites her to meet him. And Mo decides to take a risk....

Lily turns 16 with two very different sides to her life: school, where she is badly bullied and home with her mum and dad, warm and comforting, but with its own difficulties. After a particularly terrible bullying incident, Lily's dad decides to give his daughter the tools to fight back. Introducing her to boxing, he encourages Lily to find her own worth. It is both difficult and challenging, but in confronting her own fears, she finds a way through, that illuminates her life and friendships.

At the age of 15, a girl who has spent most of her life moving around the country with her father and brother remembers her real name, Sherica, and is moved to search the Internet to learn the truth about her mother and her own past.

In order to save her family's farm, Roshen, 16, must leave her rural home to work in a factory in the south of China. There she finds arduous and degrading conditions and contempt for her minority (Uyghur) background. Sustained by her bond with other Uyghur girls, Roshen is resolved to endure all to help her family and ultimately her people. A workplace survival story, this gritty, poignant account focuses on a courageous teen and illuminates the value - and cost - of freedom.

Seventeen-year-old Arman Dukoff can't remember life without anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He's taken a huge risk - and $2,000 from his meth-head stepfather - for a chance to "evolve", as Beau, the retreat leader, says. Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels - worthless.

Do you like coming of age stories? Stories that have romance, fear, and hope? Say hello to Heroine. Heroine and the other stories in this collection showcase hardships that are prevalant into todays world such as drugs, bullying, and self-doubt. Follow Cody, Lillie, and Hannah in their journeys of self discovery and acceptance.

Teen celebrity Vivian Divine's movie-star mom has been murdered, her famous-director dad tried to kill himself, and her boyfriend is cheating on her. She can practically hear wannabe screenwriters penning bad TV movies about her tragic life. When a death threat arrives with her fan mail, Vivian has no choice but to go on the run to Mexico. She soon discovers, though, that her Oscar-nominated performance killing villains on-screen did nothing to prepare her for escaping a madman in real life.

It's 1995. When the Full Tilt Dancers give an inspiring performance at the opening of the new bingo hall, 12-year-old Finbar (Barry) Squires wants desperately to join the troupe. Led by Father O'Flaherty, the Full Tilt Irish Step Dancers are the most sought-after act in St. John's, Newfoundland (closely followed by popular bagpiper Alfie Bragg and his Agony Bag). Having watched Riverdance twice, Barry figures he'll nail the audition. And good thing, too - it'd be nice to be known for something other than the port wine stain on his cheek.

A Language of Dragons 2 has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Trapped at home by her overbearing parents, Beth needs to get out. So when she sneaks out to a party and meets the boy everyone’s been talking about, she’s shocked by their instant connection - and the part he played in her sister’s death. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings become. Beth has a choice to make - follow the rules, or risk ruining what she cares about most....

After one of his songs goes viral, Ollie Cheriet gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a cross-country tour, an album deal, and a chance to help his family with their financial struggles. The only problem? Ollie has major stage fright, a symptom of his anxiety disorder. As pressure from performing, social media rumors, and his romantic life rises, his mental health starts to spiral. So he’s surprised at how grounded he feels when he collaborates with his wildly talented—and distractingly cute—touring partner, Jesse.

Follow a group of seven teenage misfits from various backgrounds as they fight the ills of the world, rising to reign supreme in their sovereignty over life’s events, watched over–quietly, faithfully–by three adults who offer words of encouragement. Celebrate with them all as they step into the world with pride for who they are as children of God and the Universe.

It’s been two months since the Night on the Bathroom Floor - when Lily found her sister, Alice, hurting herself. Now Alice is coming home after treatment, and it’s getting harder for Lily to outrun the compulsive thoughts she's having. Meeting Micah, a guy with a troubled past of his own, the pair embark on a poetry project that helps Lily to see that the words she’s been holding back, desperately want to break through. But what will Micah think if he finds out who she really is?