NOVELS

Kids In Between is the publisher and only distributor of these Novels.  Any other seller or reseller is selling used or secondhand copies.

It's our contention that young people will read longer books if the books interest them and they can read the words.  It's not the length that scares the kids, it's the content and vocabulary.  What we're saying is, we think it's safe to offer thicker books that deal with serious subjects in a realistic way.  Capable adult readers handle and enjoy serious, realistic plots.  We saw no reason why young people should be denied equal access to such books.  Hence, we are offering what we call THE NOVELS which will appeal to both female and male readers.  The Novels are standard young adult paperback size, varying in length from 160 pages to over 200 pages.  They have black and white covers, and no illustrations.  Spiral binding helps preserve their use through multiple readings.  Reading levels are about 4.0.   These novels are among our best sellers and judging from our mail, many young people are able to identify with the characters.  The novels and their worksheets are being used in many school districts as teaching tools.  A teacher in Albuquerque says her "goal is to teach my students that there are rational and irrational choices.  The students don't realize that there is more than one choice that they can make...I want my students to learn strategies, so that they can decide for themselves, taking into consideration what is right and wrong.  I don't want to tell them what to think."  She uses The Anger Inside with her 6th graders. 

At this time, we only have 2 novels in print. We will let you know when the others are back in print.  You can hunt for them on the Internet, but they are used copies in various conditions. 

TEACHER'S GUIDE/WORKSHEETS

The reproducible teacher's guide that go along with the novels use the characters and plots of each novel to teach specific language arts and reading skills. A section called Expressing Your Opinion has open-ended questions that relate to feelings the students might have about the characters and about the events in the lives of the characters. Many aspects of family and school life are addressed in these questions. Topics for writing and discussion include everything from child abuse to what measures should be taken to help the homeless.

YOU’RE NOT MY BROTHER
novel ... $9.50
packet ... $13.00
The story opens with 16-year-old Brad on a mission for his mother:  He is to take money to Maureen, his drug-addicted sister.  Brad finds his young nephews, Chris and Tyler, have been abandoned by Maureen.  Brad brings the boys home with him.  The presence of his nephews begins to change the entire lives of Brad's family.  Attention, time, and money must go for Chris and Tyler, a sickly, "crack baby."  Resentful and bitter at the new role his parents must play as grandparents, Brad looks for solutions that create even more problems for him.  Brad himself turns to drugs, while continuing to cry out to Chris, "you're not my brother."  In the end, Brad must face the fact that he, too, has brought hardship to his family.  To redeem himself, the young boy chooses to do a heroic act and rescue Chris from what could be a tragic end.

PACKET: Includes learning about idioms, proverbs, slang, and similes. Many of the examples tie in with the characters and what they have done. Cultures and subcultures are discussed as they relate to the figures of speech and characters. Discussion topics include teenage depression, family dynamics, drugs, and the ever-increasing problem of grandparents having to raise their grandchildren.

THE ANGER INSIDE
novel ... $9.50
packet ... $13.00
Kyle is a teenager who makes his presence felt by bullying and tormenting other young people.  His bullying stems from the anger inside him at being the victim of his father's abusive words and physical punishment.  One of Kyle's victims ends up being the source who brings the shy, plain Debbie face to face with the school's worst bully.  The love they eventually develop for each other begins to change them both.  Kyle, with the guidance and help of Gus, a school bus driver, who knows all too well about bullies, learns that he must finally take a stand against his abusive father.  Jennifer, Gus's beautiful daughter, takes Debbie under her wing and helps to transform her into a proud and self-confident young lady.  Even though Debbie and Gus give Kyle the love and approval he has always sought, the young hero discovers that overcoming the pain and humiliation caused by his father is going to be a long and difficult struggle, but one that Kyle eventually knows he'll win. 

PACKET:  The goal of the worksheets is to teach how to write a book report.  As the students work their way through the assignments, they learn how to describe and analyze characters, how to determine where the scene of a story takes place,  how to make decisions about the themes of books, and how to write chapter summaries.  As they approach the end of the assignments, they are given models which they can follow for writing their own book report on The Anger Inside. As with all the guide/worksheets, open ended questions about the characters, and about issues related to their behavior, their decisions, and their roles in society are included.

MOM, OUR HOME IS ANY PLACE
novel ... $9.00
packet ... $13.00
Fifteen-year-old Kenny, his younger and troublesome brother, and their mother have always been poor, but never without a home.  Through a series of circumstances they could not prevent, they find they must survive on the streets and in shelters.  Through another set of unpreventable circumstances, Melissa's once middle-class family is forced to enter the world of the homeless.  The friendship, and finally the love, between the teenagers Melissa and Kenny being when he follows her home from the library and discovers that she and her family live in a car.  The young her and heroine serve as examples of courage and tenacity as they both find ways of coping with the adversities of being homeless.  Paul, Melissa's father, befriends Kenny and becomes the father figure the adolescent boy never had.  Despite a theme that deals with the plight of the homeless, the novel delivers a message that the love and caring feelings that families and friends have for one another make it possible to endure and overcome many things.

PACKET: The worksheets in this packet give extensive practice in learning how to skim for information. Also included are questions about the decisions and actions of the characters, and about relevant social issues.