Get to know your students and build up their self-esteem this back-to-school season. The ideas and activities in this unit are designed to encourage creativity. Encourage your students to share what they did over the summer. What are some interesting things about your students that make them special? Incorporate students activities with groups, such as a time capsule or time line. Finish off each month with a Mission Impossible activity as a special day treat.

This collection of short stories won the Elsa Morante prize in 2005. In 2007 it was published again with two reprints. In 2009 the contract with the publishing house expired, so I decided to publish it again for personal reasons; it was my first publication and I wanted to offer it again for those who did not have the opportunity to read it previously. The use of the first person singular unites these ten stories, which are all very human stories that will make you cry, laugh, or simply reflect on life. The first person is used in the broadest sense of the word to emphasize that every person is unique and incredible. “Pivari’s stories are well written and easy to read. The author knows how to get into someone else’s shoes, both as a male and a female, sharing believable stories which have a universal moral. Each story easily involves you, and can be understood by everyone” (Franco Vivona, reason for prize). I wanted to re-publish this book with a slightly different style, and the only change I made was in the title of the song from the radio, in the first story. Please don’t ask me why I did this!

M.E. Myself and I follows the story of a woman struck down with M.E and Fibromyalgia in the prime of her life as a successful TV psychic medium. Left with nothing but two dustbin bags, demons from the past and her two dogs, she embarks on an incredible journey. Grieving her old life and begrudgingly accepting guidance from angels and spirit guides after losing her faith, she finds a reason to live from the brink of suicide by experiencing celestial miracles and a passion to write. This inspirational self-help spiritual memoir highlights a chronic illness pandemic sweeping through the world that society has shamefully neglected. Her esoteric voice representing the ‘millions missing’ brings hope, faith and a definitive strength of the human spirit during the injustice of one life altering episode after another.

The one where I become a mother... Charlotte Crosby is a woman of many talents - reality TV star, Celebrity Big Brother winner, businesswoman extraordinaire, Mastermind contestant - and now a mam! In the six years since her last memoir, the number 1 Sunday Times bestseller Brand New Me, Charlotte has been extremely busy. Leaving the bad boys of her past behind (what WAS she thinking?!), she has travelled the world, started a new family business, met the love of her life, dealt with cancer close to home, suffered the loss of her beloved Nana Jean, and had Alba, her perfect bundle of joy. Here, in Me, Myself and Mini Me, Charlotte talks us through the rollercoaster of these last few jam-packed years and opens up about the realities of pregnancy and parenthood. From dry vaginas and pre-natal depression, to 4am feeds and poo-namis, with her trademark warmth and humour Charlotte perfectly captures the weirdness and wonder of new motherhood. Packed full of heartfelt poems, flashbacks to hysterical life plans from years gone by, touching letters to her younger self, and lessons she has learnt along the way, Charlotte invites you to join her for the latest chapter of life in Crosby Manor.

Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and A. S. King's Still Life with Tornado, this story of parallel time lines cleverly explores how our choices can change and shape us--as well as the ways in which choices don't change the core of our being at all. When Chris Schweitzer takes a hit of whippets and passes out face first on the cement, his nose isn't the only thing that changes forever. Instead of staying home with his friends for the last summer after high school, he's shipped off to live with his famous physicist but royal jerk of a father to prove he can "play by the rules" before Dad will pay for college. Or . . . not. In an alternate time line, Chris's parents remain blissfully ignorant about the accident, and life at home goes back to normal--until it doesn't. A new spark between his two best (straight) friends quickly turns Chris into a (gay) third wheel, and even worse, the truth about the whippets incident starts to unravel. As his summer explodes into a million messy pieces, Chris wonders how else things might have gone. Is it possible to be jealous of another version of yourself in an alternate reality that doesn't even exist? With musings on fate, religion, parallel universes, and the best way to eat a cinnamon roll, Me Myself & Him examines how what we consider to be true is really just one part of the much (much) bigger picture. "Wildly ingenious,...altogether, the novel's a winner in this and any other universe."-Booklist, Starred Review "Tebbetts creates entertaining dual narratives...[and] enjoyable Easter eggs."-Publishers Weekly "An engaging story that examines love, relationships, and the different paths one's life can take...[perfect] for fans of Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli's What if It's Us, Bill Konigsberg's The Music of What Happens, and Robyn Schneider's The ­Beginning of Everything."--SLJ

This book is about true love from a companion from God that will never leave your Heart. As one day we all will pass through this life, cherish the moments that God has given you. To know true love is a blessing from God, and when the time comes when your loved ones passes on, just remember you are never alone because God's love will always be with you, and most importantly, loving and worshipping God is the most important thing in Life.

Me, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma is a cancer-patient memoir written by Ray Hartjen, a multiple myeloma patient diagnosed in March 2019. In this intimate and inspiring account, Ray reflects on every step of his relentless battle with cancer, from working toward a final diagnosis, through an initial induction treatment and an autologous stem cell transplant, and on to maintenance and continuing active treatment. Through it all, Ray shares personal insights into his fight, tending to his systemic physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Fighting cancer or any serious health issue, particularly a chronic condition, can be a daunting quest. Me, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma shows the importance of being mission-forward. Mission, of course, is unique to each individual, and based on values, roles, and the accountabilities associated with each that matter most. Written for cancer patients, their caregivers, and their friends and family, Me, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma is a personal story of proactive accountability, stubborn perseverance, evolving perceptions, growing maturity, and, ultimately, hope.