I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. 

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. 

"Wonder is the best kids' book of the year," said Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate.com and author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” —indeed, every reader will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out. 

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing
 
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

Daniel is the back-up punter for the Erie Hills Elephants. Which really means he’s the water boy. He spends football practice perfectly arranging water cups—and hoping no one notices. Actually, he spends most of his time hoping no one notices his strange habits—he calls them Zaps: avoiding writing the number four, for example, or flipping a light switch on and off dozens of times over. He hopes no one notices that he’s crazy, especially his best friend Max, and Raya, the prettiest girl in school. His life gets weirder when another girl at school, who is unkindly nicknamed Psycho Sara, notices him for the first time. She doesn’t just notice him: she seems to peer through him.

Then Daniel gets a note: “I need your help,” it says, signed, Fellow Star Child—whatever that means. And suddenly Daniel, a total no one at school, is swept up in a mystery that might change everything for him.

With great voice and grand adventure, this book is about feeling different and finding those who understand.

The middle school years, and the transitions to middle and high school, pose challenges for all students. But for students with Asperger Syndrome the transition can be traumatic, leading to a downward emotional spiral and even depression. This comprehensive book starts with an overview of those characteristics of AS that make adolescence particularly challenging and difficult. The centerpiece of the book is a look at strategies and supports for a successful school experience for students with AS at the middle and secondary levels.

The teenage years are a time when being social is the #1 priority for kids. But for kids with Asperger's, who have acute social challenges, these years can be the most difficult, confusing time in their lives. Enter J. D. Kraus, a young man who has been there, done that! He offers practical advice to his peers so they can get the most out of middle school and high school, both academically and socially. From sensory sensitivity to awkwardness, dating to driving, he tackles it all! Parents and teachers will love seeing life through J. D.'s eyes, plus Notes to Parents sections offer great advice for caregivers and educators alike. Inside you'll find chapters on: Organization and School Transitioning Sensory Sensitivity Motor Skills and Awkwardness Stress-Management Bullying Socializing and Friendships Dating and Relationships Obsessions and Creativity And more!

Dr. Temple Grandin gets to the REAL issues of autism, the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. Temple offers helpful dos and don’ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her insider perspective and a great deal of research. These are just some of the specific topics she delves into:

• How and Why People with Autism Think Differently
• Economical Early Intervention Programs that Work
• How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Learning
• Behaviors Caused by a Disability vs. Just Bad Behaviors
• Teaching People with Autism to Live in an Unpredictable World
• Alternative Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine
• Employment Ideas for Adults with Autism
This revised and expanded edition of 

The Way I See It

 contains 32 new subjects based on the most current autism research, including:
• The Role of Genetics and Environmental Factors in Causing Autism
• Understanding the Mind of a Nonverbal Person with Autism
• Finding Mentors and Appropriate Colleges
Teachable Moments Give the Child Time to Respond

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is a gifted animal scientist who has designed one third of all the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. She also lectures widely on autism—because Temple Grandin is autistic, a woman who thinks, feels, and experiences the world in ways that are incomprehensible to the rest of us. 

In this unprecedented book, Grandin delivers a report from the country of autism. Writing from the dual perspectives of a scientist and an autistic person, she tells us how that country is experienced by its inhabitants and how she managed to breach its boundaries to function in the outside world. What emerges in Thinking in Pictures is the document of an extraordinary human being, one who, in gracefully and lucidly bridging the gulf between her condition and our own, sheds light on the riddle of our common identity.