This collection contains inspirational short stories and encouragement on life, love and friends--including the one in the mirror!

The authors of the bestselling "Taste Berries for Teens" and the "Taste Berries for Teens Journal" offer more support and encouragement from teens for teens. Themes include self-worth, friendship, love and relationships, parents and teens, how to create an attitude for life, how to give share and make a difference, and how to cope with stress-filled and embarrassing moments.

The Taste Berries for Teens series has always brought teens valuable insights and provided inspiration for making the most of life. Just as the taste berry convinces the taste buds that all food-even distasteful food-is delicious, so the inspiration in this book will sweeten teens' lives with a special thought and affirmation for each day of the year. The desire to be a greater taste berry-to live a richer and more meaningful life-is both natural and noble. This book supports teens as they "Go for it!" each day. Filled with cherished affirmations from the six previous Taste Berry books, each day's message offers encouragement, inspiration and direction-powerful reminders that support teens as they strive to achieve their personal best. In these pages, teens will be reminded of the power of love, friendship, integrity, compassion, service, forgiveness, and many other traits and qualities that will inspire them to live with meaning and purpose. These easy-to-remember affirmations are gems of truth and wisdom-powerful remedies for distraction, discouragement or confusion. Uplifting, loving, motivating and practical, these taste-berry morsels will instill in teens the highest ideals and inspire them daily to achieve self-fulfillment.

Winner, Arab American National Museum Book Award for Children's/YA Literature, among other awards and honors. "When a war ends it does not go away," my mother says."It hides inside us . . . Just forget!" But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember. In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home. Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

What do you do without your best friend? Jamie isn't afraid of anything. Always ready to get into trouble, then right back out of it, he's a fun and exasperating best friend. But when something terrible happens to Jamie, his best friend has to face the tragedy alone. Without Jamie, there are so many impossible questions to answer -- how can your best friend be gone forever? How can some things, like playing games in the sun or the taste of the blackberries that Jamie loved, go on without him?

Dedicated to the fresh, new perspectives of today's teenagers (from twelve through twenty), this new volume shares advice, commentary and stories on dealing with one of the most prevalent challenges of adolescence: drugs and alcohol. But more and more, teens are using their courage and knowledge to meet this challenge head-on, choosing to live a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. This book gives teens insight on what to do when things seem beyond their control and it will help them to: Know the facts about how drugs and alcohol physically and mentally affect the human body Understand why, how and when chemical dependency sets in Succeed in saying "no", even when friends or peers are saying "yes" Deal with the situation when friends' or family members' usage is out of control Know what to do if they become chemically dependent Realize that using drugs or alcohol can alter ambitions, change priorities, misalign goals, and undermine relationships Manage their roller coaster emotions by providing alternatives Divided into six units, each chapter opens with a story from a teen and concludes with "Questions to Think About," to allow the realistic and honest message to set in. Resources and referrals, as well as information on twelve-step programs, are also included.