Self Image Fiction

Seventeen-year-old Arman Dukoff can't remember life without anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He's taken a huge risk - and $2,000 from his meth-head stepfather - for a chance to "evolve", as Beau, the retreat leader, says. Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels - worthless.

You cant trust life to give you decent parents, or beautiful eyes, a fine French accent or an outstanding flair for fashion. No, life does what it wants. Its sneaky as a thief. Maisie's first day of High school should be exciting, but all she wants is to escape. Her world is lonely and chaotic, with an abusive mother and a father whos rarely there to help. So when Maisie, who finds refuge in her art, meets the spirited Rachel and her mother, a painter, she catches a glimpse of a very different world - one full of life, creativity, and love - and latches on.

Depression and mental illness don't discriminate. Even in the most picture-perfect life, confusion and turmoil are often lurking beneath the surface. For a teenager in a world where anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are commonplace, life can sometimes feel impossible. Whether or not you or someone you love is suffering from any of these issues, it's important to be able to recognize the warning signs of mental illness and know where to turn for help.

Foundling begins the journey of Rossamund, a boy with a girl's name, who is just about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor. What starts as a simple journey is threatened by encounters with monsters - and people, who may be worse. Learning who to trust and who to fear is neither easy nor without its perils, and Rossamund must choose his path carefully.

Ever since her acceptance to UCLA, 17-year-old Raya Liston has been quietly freaking out. Then her beloved grandmother dies, and Raya jumps at the chance to spend her last free summer at the ashram in India where her grandmother met and fell in love with her grandfather. Raya hopes to find her center and her true path. But she didn't expect to fall in love...with a country of beautiful contradictions, her fiercely loyal cousin, a local girl with a passion for reading, and a boy who teaches her that in Sanskrit, there are 96 different ways to say the word love.

Voices in the Air is a collection of almost one hundred original poems written by the award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of the artists, writers, poets, historical figures, ordinary people, and diverse luminaries from past and present who inspire her and us. Full of words of encouragement, solace, and hope, this collection offers a message of peace and empathy.

Peter Paddington is 13, overweight, the subject of his classmates' ridicule, and the victim of too many bad movie-of-the-week storylines. When Peter's nipples begin speaking to him one day and inform him of their diabolical plan to expose his secret desires to the world, Peter finds himself cornered in a world that seems to have no tolerance for difference. Peter's only solace is "The Bedtime Movies" - perfect-world fantasies that lull him to sleep every night.

In an attempt to lose weight, Izzie tries everything: one diet after another, a punishing exercise program and every bit of conflicting advice everyone can give her. Her constant worrying about her weight causes her to lose her confidence, and she stops appreciating the things in her life that are special - her supportive friends, the fact that she has been selected for a TV teen panel and a cute boy at the TV studio who seems to appreciate her just the way she is.

Die #1 der "New York Times"-Bestsellerliste: Dick UND schön? Unsicher UND mutig? Dumplin' ist all das und noch viel mehr. Willowdean - "16, Dolly-Parton-Verehrerin und die Dicke vom Dienst" - wird von ihrer Mutter immer nur Dumplin' genannt. Bisher hat sie sich in ihrem Körper eigentlich immer wohl gefühlt. Sie ist eben dick - na und? Mit ihrer besten Freundin Ellen an ihrer Seite ist das sowieso total egal. Doch dann lernt sie den sportlichen und unfassbar attraktiven Bo kennen. Kein Wunder, dass sie sich hoffnungslos in ihn verknallt - dass er sie allerdings aus heiterem Himmel küsst, verunsichert sie völlig.

What if you could do things no one else could? Life would be so much easier if you could run faster than a train or leap over a building. You could go anywhere - be anything you wanted to be. Dating would be easier. Money would come freely. The world would be your playground. Everything would change for the better. Well, I’m here to tell you, that just isn’t true. And I would know...Super is a young adult fiction novel that follows the story of JJ Morris - a junior at Oak Hill High School.

It's 1995. When the Full Tilt Dancers give an inspiring performance at the opening of the new bingo hall, 12-year-old Finbar (Barry) Squires wants desperately to join the troupe. Led by Father O'Flaherty, the Full Tilt Irish Step Dancers are the most sought-after act in St. John's, Newfoundland (closely followed by popular bagpiper Alfie Bragg and his Agony Bag). Having watched Riverdance twice, Barry figures he'll nail the audition. And good thing, too - it'd be nice to be known for something other than the port wine stain on his cheek.

It's 1812. When her father is killed, 14-year-old Jane, known as Suri, is sent from her home in India to relatives in England. But there she doesn't find the quiet life that was planned for her. Kidnapped for her inherited fortune by her grandmother, she escapes, only to become involved with anti-British freedom-fighters from her home country, the Punjab in northern India. Where do her loyalties lie now? With England, country of her father? Or the Punjab, the country she knows best, where her friends are, and where she grew up?

In order to save her family's farm, Roshen, 16, must leave her rural home to work in a factory in the south of China. There she finds arduous and degrading conditions and contempt for her minority (Uyghur) background. Sustained by her bond with other Uyghur girls, Roshen is resolved to endure all to help her family and ultimately her people. A workplace survival story, this gritty, poignant account focuses on a courageous teen and illuminates the value - and cost - of freedom.

Ethan’s life couldn’t possibly get any worse. His mom’s job isn’t enough to pay the rent, let alone anything that could make life more bearable. And to make it worse, now she’s decided to move them both in with her brother—some boring guy who has nothing better to do than make Ethan’s life miserable. Uncle Garrett seems to be everywhere. Everyone knows him, everyone adores him, and it’s driving Ethan crazy. But when Ethan gets himself into trouble, those irritating things about Uncle Garrett start to make more sense.

Brennon Trapper isn’t sure who he really is, since there are two Brennons ticking inside his head. At school, he does whatever he must do to be liked, but at home, inside his trailer, he crawls back inside himself, wishing he could disappear. His father likely wouldn’t even notice if he did.

A sexy, funny, surprising tale of female friendship, bedrooms and marriage.

Lori Palmer is the new girl at Bay Water High, where students prize glossy hair, beach bodies and school spirit above all else. She misses her old school - where her talent as an artist carried more weight than she does - and longs for her old family life, before her parents got divorced and her mom reinvented herself. Lori decides that the only way to survive the rest of the year is to blend into the background. But her plans go awry when she discovers that the most popular (and hottest) guy at Bay Water High, Jake, is a volunteer at her brother's school.

It’s been two months since the Night on the Bathroom Floor - when Lily found her sister, Alice, hurting herself. Now Alice is coming home after treatment, and it’s getting harder for Lily to outrun the compulsive thoughts she's having. Meeting Micah, a guy with a troubled past of his own, the pair embark on a poetry project that helps Lily to see that the words she’s been holding back, desperately want to break through. But what will Micah think if he finds out who she really is?

Artist Piper Perish has moved from her hometown of Houston, Texas, to New York City. Her days are spent exploring; her nights are filled with painting. It's her lifelong dream come true.... Except life in the city isn't as glamorous as it looks from afar. Piper's high-pressure work as an assistant to a famous modern artist takes away time from her own art. And Piper's new friend Grace, a budding activist, has Piper beginning to wonder if making great art is really enough.

Mrs Fenner has very fixed ambitions for her daughters. Deenie is thirteen years old and gorgeous. Her mother wants her to be a model – but Deenie's not so sure. So when she's diagnosed with scoliosis – curvature of the spine – Deenie's almost relieved. No more traipsing round modelling agencies, no more living up to her mother's expectations. But she has to wear an ugly, uncomfortable back brace for the next four years. And she's convinced that it will put an end to normal teenage life