Fleeing from political violence in Venezuela, Amina and her family have settled in the United States. Sarah, adopted, is desperate to know her Korean birth parents. Maya is adapting just fine to life in the U.S. and wishes her strict Kazakh parents would follow suit. Adrian's new friends have some spooky -- and hilarious -- misconceptions about his Romanian origins. Martine is fighting proud of her Haitian roots, while Sopeap embraces her Cambodian heritage more cautiously... Whether they've transitioned from Mexico to the United States or from Ramallah to New Mexico, the characters in this anthology have all ventured far and have faced innumerable challenges. Hundreds of teen immigrants arrive on U.S. soil every year, every one of them unique. Here are ten unforgettable short stories -- written by acclaimed, award-winning authors for young adults -- that reflect this stunning diversity. Book jacket. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 7 Up Covering a wide range of cultural and economical backgrounds, these stories by 11 well-known authors touch on a variety of teen experiences, with enough attitude and heartfelt angst to speak to young adults anywhere. In Pam Muñoz Ryan's "First Crossing," a boy experiences the risks of being smuggled across the Mexican border. Marie G. Lee's "The Rose of Sharon" describes a spoiled girl's animosity toward her adoptive parents and her desire to return to Korea to find her birth family. In Jean Davies Okimoto's "My Favorite Chaperone," an immigrant from Kazakhstan describes her relationship with her conservative parents, who rely on her to translate for them but still limit her freedom. Many of the stories open with a brief description of the country the family is leaving, or the lifestyle they flee; details that set a foundation for the teens' achievements and relationships. There's the chronic irony of children shrugging off anchors from their homeland while laden with guilt to respect the traditions that their parents cling to; they're caught in a conflict of change, assuming responsibility while remaining obediently subordinate. These selections will provide teachers with a wealth of material to use in multicultural literature units. Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 7-10. The contemporary teen immigrants in Gallo's newest story collection hail from a mix of countries--Cambodia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Korea--reflective of current immigration trends. Among the 10 stories, readers will encounter teens who have left homelands behind for reasons not so different from those of earlier generations; others' circumstances are more distinctly modern, such as the Korean-born girl adopted by white parents and the Swedish teen uprooted from his home by his father's globetrotting career. Overtly tolerance-promoting tales are well balanced with irreverent ones: Lensey Namioka reflects on Chinese etiquette and David Lubar takes a comic look at a Transylvanian immigrant who finds unexpected friends among his school's vampire-obsessed Goths. Newly transplanted teens will find the voices represented in this collection far more relevant than those echoing forth from the huddled masses of Ellis Island, and American-born readers will gain insight from the palpable depictions of what it's like to be thrust into the middle of a game where [you] don't know the players, the rules, or even the object. JenniferMattson. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Donald R. Gallo is a recipient of the ALAN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Young Adult Literature and the editor of several short story anthologies for teens Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Introduction	viii
First Crossing	1
Second Culture Kids	24
My Favorite Chaperone	44
They Don't Mean It!	80
Pulling Up Stakes	95
Lines of Scrimmage	110
The Swede	137
The Rose of Sharon	157
Make Maddie Mad	180
The Green Armchair	201
About the Editor	227

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.