The berenstain bears and the In-crowd

Author:Stan and Jan Berenstain

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Group differences, peer pressure

Year of Publication: 1989

Publisher & Location:Random House New York

ISBN#: 0-394-83013x

Target Age Level: 4-8

# of Pages:32 pages

Quality of Illustrations: Good as B and B can Be

Brief Summary: Queenie McBear, the bossy new she-cub in town, tries to take over by putting other cubs down. But she's in for a lesson when Sister Bear decides not to give in to Queenie's peer pressure tactics.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children:

This is very kid friendly and has some good problem solving skills.

Activity: Talk about what it feels like to be left out, and then draw pictures of ways you can help others feel included.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Suicide, bullying, rape, peer pressure

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher & Location: Penguin Group

ISBN#: 9781595141712

Target Age Level: Young Adult

# of Pages: 320

Quality of Illustrations: none

Brief Summary: Hannah Baker has just committed suicide. Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package that includes 13 cassette tapes. After locating a tape player, he begins to listen and discovers Hannah has made the tapes. Thirteen tapes for thirteen reasons why she chose to committee suicide. Clay is one of those reasons. This compelling novel illuminates some seemingly little events that frequently happen to teenagers that may have serious consequences. Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book: sensitive subject matter

Post Reading Activities: Discuss social issues that teenagers deal with such as peer pressure, bullying, stereotyping, family conflict, friend conflict, substance abuse, rape and suicide. Discuss how different people deal with these social issues. Discuss positive strategies for dealing with these issues and how to help friends dealing with crisis such as rape, substance abuse, depression, mental illness, and suicide.