Books published by publisher HCI Teens

When everything sucks,change everything . . . And that's exactly what Hannah Friedman set out to do in an ambitious attempt to bust out of a life of obscurity and absurdity and into an alternate world of glamour, wealth, and popularity. Being dubbed 'That Monkey Girl' by middle school bullies and being pulled out of sixth grade to live on a tour bus with her agoraphobic mother, her smelly little brother, and her father's hippie band mates convinces Hannah that she is destined for a life of freakdom. But when she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship, Hannah transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire boyfriend, a perfect GPA, a perfect designer wardrobe, and is part of the most popular clique in school, but somehow everything begins to suck far worse than when she first started. Her newfound costly drug habit, eating disorder, identity crisis, and Queen-Bee attitude lead to the unraveling of Hannah's very unusual life. Putting her life back together will take more than a few clicks of her heels, or the perfect fit of a glass slipper, in this not-so-fairy tale of going from rock bottom to head of the class and back again.

More than seventy-five teens from across the country were interviewed on a range of topics and issues: parents, friends, sports, clothes, school violence and peer pressure. With the passion and frustration expressed by teens in their narratives, as well as in their artwork and poetry, this book is a unique combination of original teen contributions and effective stress- and anger-management techni...

In this third issue in The Jon & Jayne Does Series, Jon & Jayne's Guide to Getting Through School (Mostly Intact), we chat about the good, the bad, and the grungy in the halls, the classrooms, the field, the lunchroom, and all the places in-between. We cover stuff like the best and worst teachers and classes, dealing with homework and studying, choosing activities, 'dodging' bullies, participating in sports, and the ins and outs of cliques, friends, and crushes. We even got the coolest English teacher we could find, along with Dr. Toni, to give us some good advice--cause when we're dealing with school, we can use all the help we can get!

Star-crossed Love, martial arts, and supernatural evil meet at the abandoned tracks in the deceptively quaint town of Middleburg...When Ignacio Torrez moved from the rough streets of Los Angeles to a small town dead smack in the middle of nowhere, he never expected to find himself in the midst of a gang war. But, he soon learns, these are no ordinary gangs. The wealthy, preppie Toppers on one side of the tracks and the working-class Flatliners on the other adhere to a strict code of honor and use their deadly martial arts skills, taught to them by the wise Master Chin, to battle one another for pride, territory, and survival. When Raphael, leader of the Flatliners, falls for Aimee, a Topper girl, the rival gangs prepare for a bloody, all-out war. The only hope for peace between them lies within the dark territory of the abandoned train tunnels where the tracks cross. Under the direction of the mysterious and frightening Magician, the awesome power within the crossing sends the rivals on a terrifying mystical quest to fight the malevolent force that threatens the existence of Middleburg.

Friends. You gotta have 'em, but sometimes they drive you crazy. You love 'em, but sometimes they make you mad. They'll help you through a crisis...unless they are the crisis. So What's the Deal? Friends are more than just the people you hang out with. They make you laugh, they keep your secrets, they offer advice (some good, some bad), they give you a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes they move away, or betray your trust, or flake out, but mostly they are the people who are always there for you. And they know you'll be there when they need you most. Because that's what it means to be a friend. Sometimes friendship is overwhelming, sometimes it's confusing, sometimes you feel like you don't have a friend in the world, but don't worry, it's like that for everyone. That's what the stories in this book are all about. They're from real teens, and they're about the bizarre, difficult and wonderful things that really happened to them and their friends. Put that together with weird facts, cool graphics, fun advice and quizzes designed to help you figure out what you and your friends are all about, and you've got the real deal on friendship!

Since September 11, life in America has been turned upside down. As frightening as it is for adults, for teens it is overwhelming. Donna Wells and Bruce Morris, public-safety professionals with years of firsthand experience, offer teens a book that will help them navigate uncharted waters and will also provide invaluable advice and reassurance. Presenting first the myths then the facts, this guide also offers teens chapter-by-chapter question-and-answer sections, space to journal their feelings and reactions, and suggestions on how they can help themselves, their families and the communities in which they live. Chapters include: The Home of the Brave (what terrorists target and why); Worried Sick (the truth about bioterrorism); Dollars and Sense (potential family economic impacts); The Land of the Free (school and community); From Sea to Shining Sea (travel); Instant Mess[age] (communications, entertainment, media). Designed to be a handbook that teens can keep with them at all times, Live Aware is compact and chock full of important, easy-to-understand information. A reassurance to parents and teens alike, Live Aware is destined to become a huge hit-a unique book that respects teens' intelligence and powers of reasoning and empathizes at their levels. This is a must-have for every teen concerned about safety, courage and community spirit.

At age fourteen, Taylor LeBaron was nearly 300 pounds. He had difficulty just getting to the mailbox without becoming short of breath. A chubby kid from birth who was prone to obesity, Taylor allowed his weight to skyrocket through mindless 'whatever' eating and his sedentary techie lifestyle. But a membership to the Y, a keen imagination, and an indomitable spirit changed all that. Approaching proper eating and weight loss as he would a new video game, Taylor made fitness into a fun challenge with his creation of THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME (UFG)—a method of tracking calories, avoiding pitfalls, overcoming obstacles, and working out by following hard-andfast rules that literally helped him shed half of his body weight in a matter of a year and a half. Cutting Myself in Half is Taylor's motivational strategy guide to THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME.Taylor shows kids who are currently where he was that weight loss and fitness are within reach . . . one workout, one calorie, one 'byte' at a time.