Riding the Bus with My Sister

Author: Rachel Simon
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547344848
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
A “heartwarming, life-affirming” memoir of a relationship with an intellectually disabled sibling: “Read this book. It might just change your life” (Boston Herald). Beth is a spirited woman with an intellectual disability who lives intensely and often joyfully, and spends most of her days riding the buses in Pennsylvania. The drivers, a lively group, are her mentors; her fellow passengers, her community—though some display less patience or kindness than others. Her sister, Rachel, a teacher and writer, camouflages her emotional isolation by leading a hyperbusy life. But one day, Beth asks Rachel to accompany her on public transportation for an entire year—and Rachel accepts. This wise, funny, deeply affecting book is the chronicle of that remarkable time, as Rachel learns how to live in the moment, how to pay attention to what really matters, how to change, how to love—and how to slow down and enjoy the ride. Weaving in anecdotes and memories of terrifying maternal abandonment, fierce sisterly loyalty, and astonishing forgiveness, Rachel Simon brings to light a world that is almost invisible to many people, finds unlikely heroes in everyday life, and, without sentimentality, wrestles with her own limitations and portrays Beth as the endearing, feisty, independent person she is. “With tenderness and fury, heartbreak and acceptance . . . Simon comes to the inescapable conclusion that we are all riders on the bus, and on the bus we are all the same.” —Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean

The Story of Beautiful Girl

Author: Rachel Simon
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 9781609418700
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
"The most compelling, resonating novel I've read in years... A breathtakingly beautiful, yet heart-wrenchingly aching story that, despite its cruelty and humanity, uplifts the reader." - Omaha World-Herald NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

Walking to the Bus-rider Blues

Author: Harriette Robinet
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0689831919
Category : African Americans
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
Twelve-year-old Alfa Merryfield, his older sister, and their grandmother struggle for rent money, food, and their dignity as they participate in the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott in the summer of 1956.

The Bus Ride

Author: William Miller
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781584300267
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A black child protests an unjust law in this story loosely based on Rosa Parks' historic decision not to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.

Life Hacks for Kids

Author: Sunny Keller
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 132874213X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Book Description
Presents unique craft projects that have been seen on the Life hacks for kids YouTube show, including feather earrings, melted crayon art, a headband holder, and indoor s'mores, and includes questions answered by Sunny.

The Short Bus

Author: Jonathan Mooney
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780805088045
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
Labeled "dyslexic and profoundly learning disabled with attention and behavior problems," Jonathan Mooney was a short bus rider--a derogatory term used for kids in special education and a distinction that told the world he wasn't "normal." Along with other kids with special challenges, he grew up hearing himself denigrated daily. Ultimately, Mooney surprised skeptics by graduating with honors from Brown University. But he could never escape his past, so he hit the road. To free himself and to learn how others had moved beyond labels, he bought his own short bus and set out cross-country, looking for kids who had dreamed up magical, beautiful ways to overcome the obstacles that separated them from the so-called normal world.--From publisher description.

Little Yellow Bus

Author: Erin Guendelsberger
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1728258014
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

Book Description
Ride along in this heartwarming back to school picture book about bravery and facing first day jitters! The Little Yellow Bus had prepared for this day for a long time and how great it would be to pick up children and drive them to their school building—all by himself! Yellow wanted to feel excited, but instead, he was filled with first day worries. With a little help and encouragement from Mom and Dad, Little Yellow takes a deep breath, starts his engine, and decides that it's time to prove to himself that he can be brave. Little Yellow Bus is the heartwarming reminder that sometimes even the days when we are scared and anxious can become the most wonderful adventure, if we only believe in ourselves. Filled with beautiful full-color illustrations and an inspiring message for kids, this timeless story about courage is one you will want to come back to again and again. Why readers love Little Yellow Bus: For fans of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller Little Red Sleigh and Little Blue Bunny Parents, grandparents, and teachers will have fun reading aloud this growth-mindset book to kids Perfect first day of school gift for kids ages 4-7 or holiday stocking stuffer An anxiety book that helps children who are nervous about the first day of school practice bravery and face their fears Screen-free fun for children during the fall season and beyond

Bus Route to Boston

Author: Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 1590787471
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 34

Book Description
The everyday sights, sounds and smells of a colorful and bustling city come alive in this book - a child's view of Boston. Maryann Cocca-Leffler remembers frequent bus trips she took into the city as a girl with her mother and little sister. Together they shopped for delicious treats in the Italian North End - warm pizza and creamy cannoli - or stopped for ice cream sundaes at Bailey's after a day of bargain hunting at Filene's Basement. One of the best things about the trips was the bus driver, Bill. He started his route each day in their neighborhood and knew all the kids on the street. In this engaging Parents' Choice Award book, the author-artist conveys all the warmth and simple pleasure of childhood memories and the people and places that made them so special.

How to Be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism

Author: Eileen Garvin
Publisher: The Experiment, LLC
ISBN: 1615191178
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
The first book by acclaimed author Eileen Garvin—her deeply felt, impeccably written memoir, How to Be a Sister will speak to siblings, parents, friends, and teachers of people with autism—and to anyone who sometimes struggles to connect with someone difficult or different. Eileen Garvin’s older sister, Margaret, was diagnosed with severe autism at age three. Growing up alongside Margaret wasn’t easy: Eileen often found herself in situations that were simultaneously awkward, hilarious, and heartbreaking. For example, losing a blue plastic hairbrush could leave Margaret inconsolable for hours, and a quiet Sunday Mass might provoke an outburst of laughter, swearing, or dancing. How to Be a Sister begins when Eileen, after several years in New Mexico, has just moved back to the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. Being 1,600 miles away had allowed Eileen to avoid the question that has dogged her since birth: What is she going to do about Margaret? Now, Eileen must grapple with this question once again as she tentatively tries to reconnect with Margaret. How can she have a relationship with someone who can’t drive, send email, or telephone? What role will Eileen play in Margaret’s life as their parents age, and after they die? Will she remain in Margaret’s life, or walk away? A deeply felt, impeccably written memoir, How to Be a Sister will speak to siblings, parents, friends, and teachers of people with autism—and to anyone who sometimes struggles to connect with someone difficult or different.

Little Nightmares, Little Dreams

Author: Rachel Simon
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1497693357
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 163

Book Description
Rachel Simon’s debut, originally published in 1990, is a collection of stories about the struggle for love and intimacy, told from the point of view of adolescent girls, young mothers, and elderly women. Some are rooted in reality, others in magical realism, with tones ranging from serious to comic, sunny to dark. Throughout, Simon employs such a wide range of voices—sweet, shrewd, wistful, irascible, vulnerable, sensual—the Philadelphia Inquirer hailed her as “a literary ventriloquist.” Among the highlights are “Little Nightmares, Little Dreams,” in which an elderly couple enters the unknown by trying to dream the same dream; “Paint,” in which a runaway-turned-artist’s-model provokes protests after her naked body becomes the canvas; “Afterglow,” in which a plucky thirteen-year-old playing hooky is held hostage by an escaped convict; “Grandma Death,” in which an overbearing grandmother can’t seem to go anywhere without someone dropping dead; and “Better Than A Box of Dreams,” in which a maid irritated by her boss’s dream therapy sessions dreams her own fondest wish back to life. Little Nightmares, Little Dreams was presented on NPR’s Selected Shorts and the Lifetime program The Hidden Room. “Paint” and “The Speed of Love” were adapted by the Arden Theatre Company, and “Better Than A Box of Dreams” for InterAct Theatre, both in Philadelphia. This 2014 ebook rerelease includes four previously uncollected stories. It also includes a new introduction that tells the story of the book’s astonishing path to publication, reveals the inspiration behind several stories, and offers wisdom from a seasoned writing friend that writers everywhere will treasure.