Isabelle and Charlie are friends. They both like to draw, dance, read, and play at the park. They both like to eat Cheerios. They both cry if their feelings are hurt. And like most friends, they are also different from each other. Isabelle has Down syndrome. Charlie doesn't. Written by Isabelle's mother, this charming tale encourages readers to think about what makes a friendship special. My Friend Isabelle also opens the door for young children to ask about differences and the world around them. It's a wonderful story to read at bedtime or to share at school. Lively full colour illustrations dovetail beautifully with the text to bring the simple story to life.
Ever since 'the incident' two years ago, Isabelle has been stuck in a dead-end job and has struggled to find her feet. It takes all of her determination to ward off 'The Black Place' that always threatens to devour her. Her best friend Evan is her safe place. They laugh at each other's jokes, share the same interests and take the piss out of each other with the ruthless efficiency of long acquaintance. Sex isn't an issue because Evan has made a bargain with God to keep it in his pants and Isabelle is still recovering from being deserted by her fiance Karl. Then just as Evan reconsiders his vow, Isabelle contrives a bizarre passion for her boss, Jack. Everything implodes one suffocatingly hot Australia Day. Escaping the resulting chaos, Isabelle flees to Prague where she must finally confront her fears.
From the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of My Name is Lucy Barton ? Isabelle Goodrow has been living in self-imposed exile with her daughter Amy for fifteen years. Shamed by her past and her affair with Amy's father, she has submerged herself in the routine of her dead-end job and her unrequited love for her boss. But when Amy, frustrated by her quiet and unemotional mother, embarks on an illicit affair with her maths teacher, the disgrace intensifies the shame Isabelle feels about her own past. Throughout one long, sweltering summer, as the events of the small town ebb and flow around them, Amy and Isabelle exist in silent conflict until a final act leads ultimately to the understanding they both crave.
In the world of thirteen-year-old girls, everything’s fine—at least on the surface. Isabelle Lee is a typical, wisecracking, middle-of-the-pack girl who just happens to be dealing with some big issues. Her father has died and no one—especially her mother—wants to talk about it. Meanwhile, Isabelle’s sister, who “used to be nine and charming,” has messed everything up by ratting Isabelle out to their mom about her eating disorder. At school, there’s Mr. Minx, the self-important (but really not bad) English teacher; Ashley Barnum, the prettiest girl around; and the lunchroom, where tables are turf in an all-eyes-open battle for social status. Isabelle has measured the distance to being cool and she thinks it’s long shiny hair, a toothpaste smile, and perfectly broken-in size-zero jeans. Perfect is the story of one girl’s attempt to cope with loss, define true friendship, and figure out the difference between appearances and reality.
Told from a child's point of view, explains the causes of Down syndrome and describes the things people with the condition can do, and the ways in which they, just like other people, may need help.
All parent stories about raising a child with Down syndrome are special and unique, but in the hands of a good writer, they can have the power to reach, change, and resonate far beyond family and friends. And that is the case with My Heart Can't Even Believe It, by journalist, blogger, and NPR contributor Amy Silverman. Amy bravely looks at her life, before and after her daughter Sophie was born, and reflects on her transformation from "a spoiled, self-centered brat," who used words like retard and switched lines at the Safeway to avoid a bagger with special needs, into the mother of a kid with Down syndrome and all that her new identity entails. She describes her evolution as gradual, one built by processing her fears and facing questions both big and small about Sophie, Down syndrome, and her place in the world. Funny, touching, and honest, this wonderful book looks at a daughter and her power to change minds and fill hearts with love so deep.
“A genuinely moving exploration of the pain of separation” from the New York Times-bestselling author and National Book Award finalist (The New York Times Book Review). NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Literary Work 2015 VOYA Magazine Perfect Ten CCBC Choices List Selection Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2016 New York Public Library Best Books for Teens Selection Giselle Boyer and her identical twin, Isabelle, are as close as sisters can be, even as their family seems to be unraveling. Then the Boyers have a tragic encounter that will shatter everyone’s world forever. Giselle wakes up in the hospital, injured and unable to speak or move. Trapped in the prison of her own body, Giselle must revisit her past in order to understand how the people closest to her—her friends, her parents, and above all, Isabelle, her twin—have shaped and defined her. Will she allow her love for her family and friends to lead her to recovery? Or will she remain lost in a spiral of longing and regret? Untwine is a spellbinding tale, lyrical and filled with love, mystery, humor, and heartbreak. Award-winning author Edwidge Danticat brings her extraordinary talent to this graceful and unflinching examination of the bonds of friendship, romance, family, the horrors of loss, and the strength we must discover in ourselves when all seems hopeless. “While Danticat fully grounds Giselle in her identity as a Haitian-American teen in Miami, this gentle young artist could speak to any teen anywhere coping with a major loss.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
New York Times Bestseller! Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream? Ask Isabella... She takes a wild ride-and discovers the sky's the limit! "This story...speaks frankly about self-identity and self affirmation as Isabella decides at the end that she is actually herself...because she possesses the best parts of all of the women she looks up to." -ForeWord Magazine "The colorful mixed-media artwork reinforces the fanciful, upbeat tone of the book. Use this story to ignite young readers' interest in women's history." -School Library Journal Who Is Your Hero? Isabella's include U.S. Astronaut Sally Ride, activist Rosa Parks, and sharpshooter Annie Oakley-but there's no bigger hero than Isabella's own mommy! Join Isabella on an adventure of discovery-and find out how imagining to be these extraordinary women teaches her the importance of being her extraordinary self. A rollicking read-aloud and terrific "read-to-myself" story, My Name Is Not Isabella is capturing hearts and awards, including: Silver ForeWord Book of the Year Award for Picture Books Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award Gold Independent Publisher Book Award Amelia Bloomer List Jennifer Fosberry is a science geek turned children's book writer. Until recently, she worked as a project manager in Silicon Valley in the high-tech electronic field. She currently divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Costa Rica with her husband and three children. Mike Litwin combines a variety of media to create scenes that serve the imagination and education of women. A graduate of the East Carolina University School of Art and Design, he plays both designer and illustrator with an often wacky, always delightful style that uniquely blends playful innocence with devilish mischief. Illustrating and telling stories for children is his passion, his entertainment, and his dream. He currently lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with his wife and three daughters.
In the first book-length study of Vietnamese American literature, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud probes the complexities of Vietnamese American identity and politics. She provides an analytical introduction to the literature, showing how generational differences play out in genre and text. In addition, she asks, can the term Vietnamese American be disassociated from representations of the war without erasing its legacy? Pelaud delineates the historical, social, and cultural terrains of the writing as well as the critical receptions and responses to them. She moves beyond the common focus on the Vietnam war to develop an interpretive framework that integrates post-colonialism with the multi-generational refugee, immigrant, and transnational experiences at the center of Vietnamese American narratives. Her readings of key works, such as Andrew Pham's Catfish and Mandala and Lan Cao's Monkey Bridge show how trauma, racism, class and gender play a role in shaping the identities of Vietnamese American characters and narrators.
I knew her as a child. Her father was best friends with mine. When he asked, of course I agreed to bring her into my company as an intern. I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into. Eleven years separate me and that girl. My relationship with her father is too important to risk losing. Tasting her has become an obsession I can't let go. And making sure no one else has her is going to become my God damned downfall.
