Gaming offers a great way to reach teens. This book gives library staff the tools to deliver game programming that goes beyond the basic video and board game format. Games aren't just for fun; they can also play a critical role in learning. Libraries have an opportunity to integrate a variety of games into the services and collections they provide to the community. This book shows library staff how to do exactly that through a diverse variety of popular games, some that have been around for many years and others that are new. The authors present a comprehensive overview of the topic, supplying good practice examples from successful libraries, providing necessary details on format and implementation within a library program for teens, and covering different game formats ranging from live action role-playing (LARP) and Dungeons & Dragons to Minecraft and traditional board games. Whether you're adding games and gaming to your collection and services for the first time, or looking for ways to expand your existing gaming program, this book offers solid guidance.

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

Here is the perfect little book for anyone—teenage or otherwise—who has ever wanted to master the art of good table manners. Written by Walter Hoving, former chairman of Tiffany's of New York, it is a step-by-step introduction to all the basics, from the moment the meal begins to the time it ends ("Remember that a dinner party is not a funeral, nor has your hostess invited you because she thinks you are in dire need of food. You're there to be entertaining"). In addition to the essentials about silverware, service, and sociability, it includes many of the fine points, too—the correct way to hold a fish fork, how to eat an artichoke properly, and, best of all, how to be a gracious dining companion. Concise, witty, and illustrated with humor and style by Joe Eula, this classic guide to good table manners has delighted readers of all ages since 1961.

Over 90% of children and adolescents play electronic or computerized games, and 25% play for three hours a day or even longer. Although some degree of video game playing is normal, excessive playing can negatively impact schoolwork, kids' social lives, and even their health. Pause and Reset is aimed at parents concerned about the role of gaming in their children's lives. In this informative, reader-friendly book, addiction expert Dr. Nancy Petry sheds light on what constitutes problematic video gaming and what does not, how to determine whether a child, adolescent or young adult may be "addicted" to gaming or developing problems with it, and when to seek professional help. Setting this book apart from others on the subject, the author also provides accessible explanations of the latest science behind how gaming addiction impacts children, adolescents, and families; she also explores the question of whether gaming may have positive effects in certain situations. Finally, Dr. Petry offers three simple, easy-to-implement steps parents can take to reduce and reverse the harmful effects of gaming: Record, Replace, and Reward. Pause and Reset also provides exercises and worksheets to support parents' efforts to help their kids.

A guide for teenage girls provides straightforward lessons and tips on dating, building relationships, and handling a crush.

An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date. As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.

Parenting teens is one of the most challenging seasons of parenting, isn’t it? While this can be a difficult time of transition for parents and teens, there is hope. You can parent well and build a stronger relationship even through the teen years. After 30 years of parenting five children and 20 years of working with teens, Connie Albers has witnessed the negative impact of well-intentioned but misguided parenting styles, all focused on managing teens rather than guiding them. But through learning to focus on the hearts of your teens, you can avoid those pitfalls and build relationships that last beyond the transition years as you intentionally learn about, connect with, and listen to your teens. In a world filled with distractions and devices, it is possible to guide their hearts and remain the primary influence in their lives. In Parenting beyond the Rules, you will discover how to raise a teen according to his or her strengths, talents, and personality type, as these things equip teens to manage life. Join Connie Albers in discovering practical solutions for every parent trying to raise a responsible, godly teenager.