A teen in foster care must choose between the woman who wants to adopt her or the mother who abandoned her amidst the cliques and bullying of middle school
ATTENTION BOOK CLUBS AND READING LISTS!!!
RETURNABLE GIRL
AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
(Marshall Cavendish, 2006)
WINNER ALA'S POPULAR PAPERBACK 2010
(Hard Knock Life category--along with Push (movie Precious)
A Child called It, and some other very, very good books!)
INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION'S
YOUNG ADULT CHOICES LIST 2008
VOYA's TOP SHELF FICTION
FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS 2006
American Library Association
2006 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
New York Public Library
2007 Books for the Teen Age
Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
Titles for 2007
Cleveland Public Library
Y READ PROGRAM 2007
Columbus Library TEENSCONNECT "Fearless Female"
The Statewide New Jersey Summer Reading Program 2008
My agent is Susan Schulman who represents authors of Holes, Women Who Love Too Much, The English Patient, and many more! Contact Susan at Shulman@aol.com for questions about rights or at 454 West 44th St. NY, NY
EXCERPT FROM RETURNABLE GIRL
“Veronica Hartman has been returned nine times between the ages of eleven and thirteen.”
That’s what it says in my file, but if you include the return by my uncle and Raylene the week before Christmas almost two years ago, then it really has been a total of ten times--so far. The last time, I got kicked out of Lancaster Academy for throwing a pair of scissors at my art teacher. And the time before that, I buried my foster mother’s keys in the backyard behind the barn. That number doesn’t include the times I had to stay at the shelter, or the overnight emergency placements; I can’t even remember most of those.
“All that returning can do some damage,” Alison says, “but you’ve got to find ways to cope.”
Alison Hauser is my foster mom (at the moment) and she’s also a therapist. She hasn’t returned me yet, and I’ve been with her over three months, but that doesn’t mean she won’t. Lately, I guess, she’s been considering it. Like this morning, for instance, after I threw the frozen can of orange juice across the kitchen.
“I’m not a thief!” I screamed at her as I let the can fly.
SCHEDULED FOR 2010
Parenting Matters sponsored by Bradley Hosptial
April 2010
Barrington High School
How to Raise Out-of-Control Teenagers
Empowering parents to restore respect, love and sanity to their
families
PREVIOUS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE
Continuing Education Friday March 14
They are Teens First(The not so secret lives of foster and adopted teens)
Adoption Rhode Island:Book Club for Foster Teens(2/26, 3/4,3/11)
ACONE "TRAUMA DRAMA" Identifying and treating traumatized teens.(Adoption Community of New England)Professional Day
Westborough MA April 4-5 2008 www.adoptioncommunity
Community Action Foster Care Training
Woonsocket RI June 19th 6-8pm
LaSalle Parent Night December 9th
Past speaking engagements:2006 through 2007
READING WITH ROBIN (7-8 AM)
Saturday November 181-866-920-WHJJ (920AM)
(Tannerhill Adoption Agency book signing and Foster Parent Training at 11AM same day)
Rhode Island College Social Work Class November 20
St. Mary's Foster Home Staff and Foster Parent Training November 28th
MOMTALKRADIO December 2006
GORDON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL in Providence, RI
Wed. Jan. 24 at 7pm(At Gordon's Book Fair Nov. 14)
Tea With Marie (Channel 13 RI)Airing April 13th
At Providence College Social Work ClassFeb 13
The Resiliant Child Series ADOPTION RHODE ISLAND March 23rd
Barrington High SchoolBlogging and Podcast
NATIONAL FOSTER PARENT CONFERENCE WASHINGTON DC May 25, 2007
BookExpo America (BEA)New York City June-3
Connecticut Association Foster Parents June 19th 2007
Barnes and Nobel Warwick RI September 22 12-2pm
Author Series Philips Memorial Baptist Church Sept. 23rd
Caritas Dinner and Silent Auction Keynote October 24
"Let's talk Adoption" Conference
November 3 Rutgers University (my alma mater!)Piscataway,
NJ Author Talk Bayview Commons
November 14 Bayside YMCA Author Book Club
Already in 2010, 124,086 kids in foster care have had to celebrate their birthdays without a permanent family. By the end of the year, this number will reach 513,000.
