Hachicko Waits
illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira
Henry Holt & Co., 2004
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7336-2

Inspired by a true story, Hachiko Waits is about the faithful Akita dog who lived from 1923-1935 and spent the last 10 years of his life waiting at Shibuya Station in Japan, hoping for his master’s return. Many people take care of Hachiko, including the Station Master, and a young boy named Yasuo who learns the true meaning of friendship and loyalty, and is rewarded for his devotion.

Study Guide (scroll down until you come to Hachiko Waits)

Awards
Nominee, Young Hoosier Book Award, 2007-2008; Nominee, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award, 2007; William Allen White Children’s Book Award Master List, 2006-2007; Nominee, West Virginia Children's Book Award, 2006-2007; Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Medal, Best Fiction Book, 2006; Nominee, Great Lakes’ Great Book Award, 2006; Volunteer State Book Award Master List, 2006-2007; Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2005; Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List, 2005; ASPCA Henry Bergh Honor Book, 2005; Kiriyama Prize Honor Book, 2005; Booksense Pick of the List, Fall 2004

Fat Chance
G. P. Putnams’ Sons, 1994
ISBN 978-0-399-22760-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-698-11406-7 (paperback)

Thirteen year old Judi Liebowitz is a “lonely lumpy outcast.” If only she had “creamy thighs and amazing cheekbones” she knows everything in her life would be fine: her former best friend would stop stealing her “almost boyfriend,” her mother would stop calling her a “growing girl” and maybe she’d even figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. When Judi becomes friends with pencil-thin Nancy Pratt, she is desperate to be just like her, even if that means bingeing and purging each and every day. Told in diary form, Judi’s story conveys how her problems quickly escalate to become a matter of life and death.

Awards
Finalist, Iowa Teen Award, 1997-1998; Parents’ Choice Foundation Silver Medal, 1994

Jailbait
Delecorte Press/Random House, 2005
ISBN 978-0-385-73198-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-385-73405-9 (paperback)

Fifteen-year-old Andi Kaplan thinks she knows it all, but she may be too smart for her own good. Lonely and friendless, she gets involved with an older man—a much older man. At first Frank is sweet to Andi, and makes her feel beautiful and special. But then Frank turns nasty. But Andi is trapped. She knows that she is jailbait and her relationship with Frank must remain a secret, no matter what it costs her.

Teacher’s Guide (hard copy) available by request. Send an email with your address to the author.

Awards
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, 2006; Nomination, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2006; Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2006

Write From the Heart
Ten Speed Press, 2003
ISBN 978-1-58008-505-2

A writing guide for those who think they have nothing to say, or those who know they have something to say but don’t know how to say it. Full of  writing exercises on character, place, action, dialogue, and point of view, this user-friendly book will help writers of all ages get started, keep going, and make the writing process fun.

Still Life With Buddy
Windstorm Creative, 1997
ISBN 978-1-886-383-27-2

A novel in verse, Still Life with Buddy explores the passionate friendship between a young woman and a gay man who dies of AIDS. Buddy is a unique character full of intelligence, humor, anger, and compassion. Readers will care about him and mourn his death, along with his best friend who tells this moving story.

Awards
Creative Writing Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 1997; Winner, Americus Review Poetry Contest, 2000

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