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PLEASE CALL ABOUT AVAILABILITY OF NOVELS BEFORE ORDERING.

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.  Accelerated reading levels and point values are given in some instances. 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 Other Side of the Sun and The Anger Inside with her 6th graders. 

A 16-year-old boy had this to say about two of the novels.

            I'm in the 10th grade and in a group home.  I have been reading your books for English class.  Thanks for writing them.  They are quite interesting.  These books show people what others go through.  It makes you think, do you really want to do the things they did?  Like The Anger Inside you don't want to go through all the pain and feelings he went through, so you want him to change and to get some help.

The Other Side of the Sun I just got done with that book.  The language is realistic.  I've never read any books more interesting than yours.  I would enjoy a follow-up of characters from The Other Side of the Sun.  Have you lived any of these experiences?  I have and it helps to read some of the same situations....

Kids In Between has had many requests to put the Novels on CD.  Please email your comments, suggestions and recommendations as to which Novels you would like to see on CD.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and follow the directions for emailing us.

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.

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.  AR reading level 4.3, point value 14.

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.

THE BOTTLE IN THE KITCHEN
novel ...$9.00
packet ... $13.00
Mandy, the young heroine, and her younger sister Linny share the tragedy of living with parents whose lives revolve around the "bottle in the kitchen." Like many children of alcoholics, Mandy's world is filled with fear and deprivation.  Two young men, both the sons of alcoholics, come into Mandy's life.  It is through Danny that Mandy discovers a path that leads to hope; however, it is the handsome Tad who Mandy chooses to love.  The young men have opted for different ways to solve the problem of dealing with alcoholism.  It takes a tragedy to make Mandy realize that she almost chose the wrong young man.  Though the characters endure suffering and cope with realistic problems, the story ends with hope.  Young readers are likely to see both Mandy and Danny as admirable teenagers who became strong in spite of what life handed them. AR reading level 4.3, point value 27.

PACKET: The characters and plot are used to teach inference and implied meaning.  The assignments direct the students back to the pages and paragraphs where inference and implied meanings are used.  The worksheets provide the opportunity for students to analyze, understand, and write implied meanings.

DO YOU HEAR ME?
novel ... $9.00
packet ... $13.00
Dorothy, a single parent, takes the step that many teenagers dread:  She remarries.  The marriage angers the already irritable and crabby Sara, who constantly reminds her mother that life would be better if she could live with her father.  Sara ends up with a step-father she doesn't like, and with a teenage stepbrother who annoys her because he never does anything wrong.  The greatest source of trouble for Sara, though, is Sonny, her stepfather's mentally challenged eight-year-old son.  The undisciplined Sonny, comes to believe that Sara is as challenged as he is because of her horrible behavior.  Assuming that Sara is not liked or wanted anymore than he is, Sonny decides Sara is his only friend.  Sara, on the other hand, is ashamed of Sonny, despising his wild fits and tantrums.  Unlike the others in the family who succumb to Sonny's unreasonable whims and destruction, Sara treats him with contempt.  In the end, no one except Sara and Sonny realize that the demands she places on the little boy are turning him into a very capable, normal child.  The two misfits begin to see that the strongest love between two families exists with them.  A  poignant, sometimes humorous story of how two separate families learn how to love and respect one another.  (A staff favorite!) AR reading level 4.3, point value 13.

* Sample Page                                   * Sample  Worksheet                                

PACKET: The packet emphasizes several aspects of reading and English.  Skimming, end punctuation, quotation marks, italics, commas, and identifying sentences as to whether they are declarative, imperative or interrogative sentences are all covered. The lessons are kept simple in order to assure a high degree of success.  Some of the issues covered in open-ended questions relate to the anger of young people, how two families can become integrated, the hurt feelings of children who believe they are not wanted, and how to deal with handicapping situations.

MY HORSE CHOSE ME
novel ... $9.00
packet ... $13.00
Sid is a very likable, but troublesome learning disabled teenager.  Sid's grumpiness and inability to do much of anything right alienates him from his parents, both of whom continually compare him to his competent brother.  School is even less of a haven.  Sid is known as the student who has yet to answer one questions correctly.  Sid sets out to outsmart Mel, a young man who hires Sid to pass out leaflets urging young people to help save a forest from destruction. From this point on, Sid is carried into a strange but wonderful world where anything is possible.  His magical world begins when he meets Amos, the mysterious man who lives in the forest.  It is through Amos and the powers he passes on to Sid that the troublesome boy learns to swim and to rise up and become the school's star pupil.  This is a fun novel filled with loveable and interesting characters who carry messages about a variety of things that range from the value of self-worth to the need to protect the environment.  Right up to the last line of the book, the readers will be wondering if Sid's adventures were real or fantasy.  NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

PACKET: The emphasis of the worksheets is on reading comprehension, which means locating specific information found in the novel.

packet ...$13.00
The verbally abusive Lucy and the physically abusive Bob never let up on Katie, their teenage daughter.  Out of their five children, Katie has been selected as their "victim."  Sure that she deserves what they say and do to her, Katie finds refuge now and then by running away to escape the abuse, but always returning home after a short time.  Katie enters adolescence believing that fighting and fleeing are normal.  At sixteen Katie again runs away hoping this time to make her way to Canada.  Instead she is betrayed and finally arrested.  Her arrest takes her to Mary, a teacher at the reform school to which Katie is sent.  Under Mary's guidance, Katie finally comes to see what a normal life actually is like.  What she learns from Mary leads Katie to her "final decision" that will take her away from the abuse she has always known. AR reading level 4.3, point value 13.

PACKET: Students apply newly acquired vocabulary to what they’ve read and to situations in their own lives. Sections that call for written answers include trying to resolve what are "normal" homes, what constitutes abuse, the problems of teenage pregnancies, and the various ways that young people try to solve typical and atypical problems.

HAVE A GOOD SEASON
novel ... $9.50
packet ... $13.00
This is a story about the migrant workers who follow the sun from Florida to the northeastern states.  The main characters are Lon and Cassie, who meet in a migrant workers’ camp when they are ten. From the time he sees Cassie, Lon announces that she is the girl he wants to marry.  Through these two young people, their families and their friends the reader learns about the hardships endured by those who pick the crops that feed a nation.  Despite the love Lon has for Cassie, he knows that he has to leave the picking of crops behind in order to get an education so that he can escape the poverty and hard work his parents have known all their lives.  The high spirited and outspoken Cassie promises to wait for Lon, but a turn of events in her life keeps her bound to the fields and the life a fruit tramp.  The young people of migrants will be able to identify with the difficult life the young characters have in trying to establish lasting friendships, getting and education, and in accepting that their lives are very different than the lives of most teenagers.  Other readers will gain an understanding of the problems millions of children throughout the United States have as they wander the back roads of this country following the sun that takes them to the crops that must be harvested. AR reading level 4.3, point value 15. NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

PACKET: Some of the worksheets in this packet are called Getting It Right to Write, and they cover the following areas: nouns, capitalization, action verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nominative and objective nouns, and prepositional phrases. The sentences and examples the students are to follow are kept simple. The open-ended questions revolve around the hardships of young people, the responsibilities of schools and communities to migrant workers and other relevant social issues.

A MATTER OF TRUST
novel ... $9.50
packet ... $13.00
Angry and bitter, Cory, finds it impossible to cope with her parents' divorce, her father's remarriage, and the birth of his new son.  She thinks her problems are solved when she meets Matt, an arrogant, young man who amuses himself by shoplifting.  Matt creates even more problems for Cory.  His betrayal is the final thing that brings on Cory's depression and the belief that she cannot trust anyone.  Her rebellious behavior results in her being sent to a detention center.  In this unlikely setting, Cory begins once again to build trust in others and confidence in herself, while at the same time discovering that her hardships are minimal compared to the abuse other teens have endured.   AR reading level 4.3, point value 15.

PACKET: The lessons include working with interrogative, declarative, and imperative sentences, and with using proper end punctuation. The worksheet packet also includes mastering the meanings of about 45 vocabulary words all of which come from the novel. Open-ended questions revolve around such issues as broken homes, self-esteem and lack of confidence, trust, and family relationships.

THE TWO QUARTERS
novel ... $9.00
packet ... $13.00
The main characters are Marty and Jason, who meet in grade school.  Their accidental meeting begins with two quarters.  Both boys have problems at school; however, Marty, the 17-year-old hero, makes some decisions that lead to his overcoming his problems.  Jason, on the other hand, remains bitter and resentful at the misfortune life appears to have given him.  The novel begins when Marty is in the hospital in a coma.  As the suspense-filled story unfolds, the friendship of the boys is recounted.  In the end, it is two quarters that prevent further tragedy from resulting.  The novel not only deals with treachery, but also includes such themes as growing up, lack of self-esteem, and the real meaning of friendship.  Though the novel might seem strongly male oriented, the female character who loves Marty plays a major role in telling the story. AR reading level 4.3, point value 13.

PACKET: The emphasis is on reading comprehension, which includes locating specific information, answering questions related directly to what occurred in the novel, and on the vocabulary used in the novel.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN
novel ... $9.00
packet ... $13.00
Maurice is a 15-year-old delinquent whose crimes and absenteeism from school bring him to Morton Hills, a detention center.  Jean, his teacher, knows the sulking, angry boy probably can neither read nor write.  She begins a battle with him to admit that he needs help. Maurice, who has known nothing by poverty at home and failure in school, finally succumbs to the help that Jean and his cottage parents offer him.  After being released from the positive influence of Morton Hills, Maurice again falls victim to the streets and to selling drugs.  he does this despite the kindness and love of Flo, his adopted aunt, and Loreen, the girl he loves.  The pull of drug money and the poor decisions that Maurice continues to make about his life keep carrying him further and further into trouble.  Based on a true story, this best selling novel about a black, inner city youth, emphasizes the point that poor choices often are as much to blame for what happens to the lives of young people as are the circumstances in which the youngsters were raised.

PACKET: The worksheets concentrate on correcting the poor grammar used by the characters. That means learning that gotta, gunna, we was, he don’t, ain’t got none, and she be waitin’ here are not correct. Poverty, inner-city problems, drugs, and decision-making are covered in open-ended questions.

SOME KIND OF CHAMPION
novel ... $9.50
packet ... $13.00
The thing that the tall, muscular Bo does best is smile.  He can't pass math, and despite his strength and build, he can't throw or catch a football.  Among his greatest pleasures is hanging out on street corners, laughing with his friends, and shooting craps.  Emma, Bo's mother who is a single parent trapped in the projects, wishes more than anything that her son had goals and ambitions.  Both of their lives are radically changed when Shara, a 15-year-old classmate of Bo's, enters the picture.  Neglected and then abandoned by her own mother, Shara's goals and ambitions have led her to wanting a baby so that she will have someone to love.  Through circumstances that Emma did not foresee, she is forced to help Shara.  Each of the characters struggles to find answers.  Bo's answer comes in a very unexpected way, and to his and Emma's surprise, he eventually ends up as some kind of champion.

PACKET: Concentrates on teaching to skim for very specific information. The written/discussion questions address such things as teenage pregnancies, poverty, the need to get an education, and raising children in single-parent homes.

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.