Touching Spirit Bear

In his Nautilus Award-winning classic Touching Spirit Bear, author Ben Mikaelson delivers a powerful coming-of-age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life. After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, mischief-maker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail time, Cole is given another option: attend Circle Justice, an alternative program that sends juvenile offenders to a remote Alaskan Island to focus on changing their ways. Desperate to avoid prison, Cole fakes humility and agrees to go. While there, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and left for dead. Thoughts of his abusive parents, helpless Peter, and his own anger cause him to examine his actions and seek redemption—from the spirit bear that attacked him, from his victims, and, most importantly, from himself. Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots of his anger without absolving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing. A strong choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, homeschooling, and book groups.

In award-winning author Ben Mikaelsen’s riveting sequel to the acclaimed word-of-mouth bestseller Touching Spirit Bear, readers will be captivated by what Booklist calls a “hugely satisfying resolution.” Life in the wilderness—exiled from civilization as a punishment for his violent behavior—had its own set of hurdles, but for fifteen-year-old Cole Matthews, it's returning home and facing high school that feels most daunting. With gangs and physical altercations haunting the hallways of their school, Cole and his former victim Peter—who Cole has now become friends with—must face it all together. So when Peter’s limp and speech impediment make him a natural target for bullies, Cole’s suppressed rage comes bubbling to the surface a lot quicker than he anticipated. Will he throw everything away that he learned on the healing, remote Alaskan island? In this tale of survival and self-awareness, Cole realizes it's not enough to change himself. He has to change his world.

Two years after having survived a plane crash into the Canadian wilderness, a sixteen-year-old boy returns to the wild, where he befriends a wounded dog and hunts a rogue bear.

Thirteen-year-old Ricky, The Mexican American son of a former Drug Enforcement Agency man, tries to avenge his mother's murder by crossing over into Mexico to steal a high-tech radar plane from drug smugglers.

When 13-year-old Josh runs away to the mountains of Montana with an orphaned bear cub destined for laboratory testing, they both must fight for their lives in a sudden snowstorm.

In 1922, at the age of two, Petey's distraught parents commit him to the state's insane asylum, unaware that their son is actually suffering from severe cerebral palsy. Bound by his wheelchair and struggling to communicate with the people around him, Petey finds a way to remain kind and generous despite the horrific conditions in his new "home." Through the decades, he befriends several caretakers but is heartbroken when each eventually leaves him. Determined not to be hurt again, he vows to no longer let hope of lifelong friends and family torment him. That changes after he is moved into a nursing home and meets a young teen named Trevor Ladd; he sees something in the boy and decides to risk friendship one last time. Trevor, new to town and a bit of a loner, is at first weary of the old man in the wheelchair. But after hearing more of his story, Trevor learns that there is much more to Petey than meets the eye. Petey is a touching story of friendship, discovery, and the uplifting power of the human spirit.

Lose weight. Act confident. Play hard to get. This approach to dating doesn’t lead to love, it leads to insecurity and loneliness. In Deeper Dating, psychotherapist Ken Page offers a new path to finding meaningful and lasting relationships. Learn how to attract people who love you for who you really are, become more self-assured and emotionally available, and lose your taste for relationships that diminish your self-esteem. With exercises, practical tools, and inspiring stories, Deeper Dating will guide you on a journey to find the love—and personal fulfillment—you long for.

They call Gabriela Tree Girl. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outstretched branches of the Guatemalan forests. Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witnesses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Girl no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. Yet she clings to the hope that she will be reunited with her youngest sister, Alicia. Over dangerous miles and months of hunger and thirst, Gabriela's search for Alicia and for a safe haven becomes a search for self. Having turned her back on her own identity, can she hope to claim a new life? Ages 12+

A teenager risks everything to protect an abandoned baby in this thriller from the bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton. When Kit Innes’s frazzled ex-stepmother, Dusty, leaves her with an unnamed baby boy and a lot of questions, she’s not sure what to do. She’s doesn’t know if the adorable child is even Dusty’s, or if she plans on returning. But when an angry, frightening man comes looking for the baby, Kit decides that the most important thing is to keep him safe—at all costs. With the help of her maybe-boyfriend, Rowen, and his little sister, Muffin, Kit is determined to figure out what’s really going on. But as they attempt to return the mysterious baby to wherever it is he belongs, they discover that he’s part of something that could put them all in incredible danger . . . Filled with mystery and suspense, this riveting story proves why multimillion-copy bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney is a “thriller master” (Publishers Weekly). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Caroline B. Cooney including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Three years before the September 11 bombing of the World Trade Center-a Chinese military manual called Unrestricted Warfare touted such an attack-suggesting it would be difficult for the U.S. military to cope with. The events of September ll were not a random act perpetrated by independent agents. The doctrine of total war outlined in Unrestricted Warfare clearly demonstrates that the People's Republic of China is preparing to confront the United States and our allies by conducting "asymmetrical" or multidimensional attack on almost every aspect of our social, economic and political life.

As traditional Aboriginal justice concepts move to the forefront of public consciousness, Ben Mikaelsen's Touching Spirit Bear offers a timely account of a troubled 15-year-old-boy who finds himself banished by a sentencing circle to a remote Alaskan island. Created for use with Touching Spirit Bear, this novel study examines sentencing circles, traditional Aboriginal justice, and the youth Criminal Justice Act.

Six-year-old Ben is very small for his age, and gets along better with animals than people. One June day in 1870, Ben wanders away from his home on Hawk's Hill and disappears into the waving prairie grass. This is the story of how a shy, lonely boy survives for months in the wilds and forges a bond with a female badger. ALA Notable Book. Newbery Honor Book.

Lost and alone in the jungle, one boy will have to let go of his assumptions and anger, or be dragged down with them. Dylan Barstow has finally crossed the line. After getting caught on a late-night joyride in a stolen car, Dylan is shipped off to live with his ex-Marine uncle for the summer. But Uncle Todd has bigger plans for Dylan than push-ups and early-morning jogs. Deep in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, there's a WWII fighter plane named SECOND ACE that's been lost for years, a plane that Dylan's own grandfather barely escaped from with his life. In all this time, no one has ever been able to track down SECOND ACE -- but now Dylan and his uncle are going to try. Lush and haunted, vital and deadly, these alien jungles half a world away could mean Dylan's salvation, or they could swallow him whole.

Gecko doesn't want to go back to Juvenile Detention, but trouble somehow always finds him... Graham "Gecko" Fosse drove the getaway car for a robbery he didn't even know was going down. But that doesn't keep him out of Juvie — the worst place he has ever been. It's a place where its inmates, some convicted teenage killers, could easily write an encyclopedia on how to inflict pain. Thankfully, do-gooder Douglas Healy shows up, giving Gecko a chance to swap the slammer for a halfway house lived in by two other young criminals. There are just three crucial conditions — the three boys must stay in school and out of trouble, all while staying on Social Services' good side. Or else it's back to Juvie for all of them. But Terence seems bent on getting himself into trouble — the boys catch him sneaking down the fire escape, off to pull another heist. If only their fight hadn't gotten physical and Healy hadn't wound up in the hospital with amnesia. If only Gecko wasn't falling for a girl whose dad's best friend was the Deputy Police chief. And that's just the beginning of their problems. One thing's for certain: if the boys are found out, their second chance will be their last...

Twelve-year old Jason is accused of the brutal murder of a young girl. Is he innocent or guilty? The shocked town calls on an interrogator with a stellar reputation: he always gets a confession. The confrontation between Jason and his interrogator forms the chilling climax of this terrifying look at what can happen when the pursuit of justice becomes a personal crusade for victory at any cost.

Lists the top love needs of husbands and wives and discusses how to meet those needs from a Christian perspective.

This adventure novel about survival at sea by Newbery Honor author Gary Paulsen is now available in an After Words paperback edition!David thought he was alone, that the ocean around him was all there was of the world. The wind screamed, the waves towered, and his boat, the twenty-two foot fiberglass FROG, skidded and bucked and, each moment, filled deeper and grew heavier with sea water.David thought surely he was dead at fourteen. His uncle Owen, who had taught him about sailing safely, would be so angry. Owen had died only days ago, his last wish for David to take the FROG out on his own, and sail her beyond sight of the coast, and once there scatter Owen's ashes.