The best and funniest work yet (Chicago Tribune) from the bestselling author of Semi Tough. Broadcaster Billy Clyde Puckett is bored and hanging out at a bar with two adorable gals. Running back Tommy Earl, Billy Clyde, and a whole gang of semi-famous football legends are reuniting with a plan: to take the most outrageous, misfittingest, foul-plagued new expansion team in the NFL straight to the Super Bowl.

"So what? All the other kids get to do it!" Few behavioral problems challenge and frustrate parents, caregivers, and teachers as does verbal rudeness in children of any age. Reinforced by the wise-cracking kids on TV and in the movies, backtalk has become all too common among today's youngsters. But there is nothing cute about this behavior. Remarks like "Yeah, right," "Big deal," and "Make me" -- form children as young as three -- get in the way of real communication between parents and kids, and can also be detrimental to a child's social and intellectual development. Now two experts in the field share their simple and specific four-step program for ending backtalk and restoring balance in relationships between parents and children, from preschoolers to teens. You'll learn how to recognize backtalk, how to choose and enact a response that will make sense to you and the backtalker, and when to disengage from the struggle and move forward. Full of advice and encouragement as well as suggestions on how to keep track of what works and what doesn't, Backtalk can be put to use immediately, before you hear another "Whatever."

Hilarious etiquette and manners guide teaches teens how to use manners to gain respect, feel good about themselves, and enjoy life to the fullest. Discussing etiquette and manners from common courtesies to cell-phone smarts to classroom decorum, Alex J. Packer blends outrageous humor with sound advice as he explains why etiquette and manners are important—because people who know how to handle themselves in social situations come out on top, get what they want, feel good about themselves, and enjoy life to the fullest. Full of practical tips for every occasion, How Rude! is a serious etiquette and manners encyclopedia—and a hilarious read. This revised and updated edition describes the basics of polite behavior in all kinds of situations at home, in school, online, and in the world. ​For more must-have advice from Alex J. Packer, Ph.D., check out Slaying Digital Dragons: Tips and tools for protecting your body, brain, psyche, and thumbs from the digital dark side.

Join Dot and Duck in a simple, yet hilarious, story about kindness, manners, and friendship that gets more and more chaotic with every turn of the page! Dot invites Duck to a tea party, but from the moment Duck enters the house, the tea party descends into chaos; from licking sandwich fillings to spitting tea, Duck gets ruder...and ruder...and ruder. Just how will Dot react to such outrageous behavior? Simple, funny, and ultimately touching, this book will appeal to any child who is learning what it is not to be rude and, more importantly, what it is to be a true friend.

The acclaimed author of The Choosing Civility returns to the subject of common decency and thoughtful behavior. Many of us find ourselves confronted with rudeness every day and don't know how to respond. From the intrusive cell-phone user who holds loud conversations in public to the hostile highway driver who cuts one off with a quick swerve of his car, politeness seems to be on a downward spiral, surprising us at every turn. P.M. Forni, the author of Choosing Civility, has the answer. He knows that rudeness begets rudeness and, in The Civility Solution, shows us what to do when confronted with bad behavior by being assertive as well as civil. In more than one hundred different situations, he shows us how to break the rudeness cycle by responding to a variety of confrontations from bullying to rude internet behavior or the hurtful words of an insensitive family member. How would you respond to the following? ...A salesperson ignores your requests ...A fellow driver gives you the infamous "finger" ...Your child's playmate misbehaves ...Your boss publicly reprimands you P. M. Forni has solutions for all of these and many more. In yet another simple and practical handbook, P. M. Forni presents logical solutions that reinforce good behavior and make our world a more civil place.

Can a little boy with impeccable etiquette and a very rude mule enjoy an afternoon together? What would you do if a mule knocked on your door one day and said, "I've come for lunch"? You'd say, "Hello! Come in, Mule." But what if the mule was very badly behaved? This extremely funny story shows young readers exactly how to handle such a situation. Wonderfully bold and bright illustrations and a child-in-charge perspective make this a tale of manners that even the rudest will enjoy.

A story about a rude cake who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents, and a Giant Cyclops who is polite.