Böcker av William G Bentrim

Having fun is the hallmark of the teenage years. Pulling pranks is generally fun. At Bright Lives Academy, a private school, pranking has been elevated to an art form. The uptight, upright founders of Bright Lives Academy were subjected to their first prank at the 1898 graduation ceremony. This book captures the hijinks and frivolity of several generations of pranksters at Bright Lives Academy. The pranksters change from generation to generation, but having fun pulling pranks is their ultimate goal. These madcap pranksters take pride that while having fun their zany antics never cause physical harm, and never damage school property.

Hardy Belch is a 12 year old boy with an unusual companion, Tiny, a 140 pound telepathic dog. A mysterious, missing gold train provides a treasure hunt for Tiny and Hardy. Over one hundred years after a gold train goes missing, Hardy and Tiny find them selves knee deep in swamp muck trying to help a friend save his farm.

The Adventures of Hardy Belch chronicle the exciting and unbelievable adventures of a normal 12 year old boy and his 240 pound telepathic dog. Hardy and Tiny (his best friend and dog) find themselves in many predicaments but as a team and best friends they always end up helping others. Combining mystery and humor each story is written to entertain, and highlight the value of friendship, planning and selfless actions.

The family of today may not be the same as the family of yesterday. Regardless of structure, if love and nurturing are present, if children are valued and protected it is a family. This book hopes to show that differing family structures need not be confusing.

Alden loves trucks but his favorite truck is Gladys. Gladys and her driver, Mike, collect trash. Alden becomes Mike's hero when Alden jumps into action and demonstrates remarkably mature responsibility when faced with a crisis.

Horace is a misfit bichon frise. He is different looking. Abandoned, he just wants a loving home. Lisa wants a dog. This is their story.

Dizzy is a fairy or pixie to some people. She loves hanging out with her friend Amelia, a human, Tina the Tooth Fairy, her bestie, and Lucky a leprechaun. The three fairy creatures seldom let a human see them, but Amelia is special. She loves people, animals, and fairies, and is willing to help all of them. This fairy tale is told by Dizzy through her diary entries.

Growing old is better than the alternative. Overall we have an aging population that means that children frequently have great grandparents as well as great grandparents. Kids are curious and this book attempts to explain some of the factors of aging. Most importantly it points out to children that it is important to accept the elderly with their frailties. Understanding those factors that are part of aging enables kids to better relate to their elders.

Hardy Belch is a 12 year old boy with an unusual companion, a 140 pound telepathic dog. Hardy finds himself embroiled with a bully and doesn't know what to do. Hardy is plague by a homework stealing bully whose size and attitude are pretty darn scary. Tiny, Hardy's dog first suggests planting his teeth in the bullies butt however Hardy nixes this plan from the beginning. As Hardy explains to Tiny, "we aren't any better than he is if we have to solve this problem with violence." This story is focused on the pre-teen readers. Hardy and Tiny solve Hardy's bully problem in a creative and humorous manner.

Domestic violence exists. That is a simple disturbing fact. It isn't something that should be ignored or swept under the rug. It is imperative to face this problem, acknowledge its existence and do our best to aid those who are exposed to it. Children, all too often, are susceptible to accepting responsibility for their parent's bad behavior. They need to understand that they are not responsible for the violence. This book attempts to explain a very complicated issue to young children. It is focused on pre-school to middle school children. It is not designed as a panacea, merely an attempt to help them understand what is going on in their lives.

Much has been made about the dramatic increase in autism. Something to note is that autism as a term has been replaced by the expression autistic spectrum. Various disorders have been place on a spectrum of behavior which has differing levels of impact. All too often children have been labeled and then the self fulfilling prophecy aspect occurs when realistic perceptions are clouded by a misplaced label. This book's goal is to decry the label of autism and to provide a simplistic description of the autistic spectrum suitable for elementary age children.

Dementia is a frightening thing to adults so it is hardly surprising that it's frightening to children. Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia. It may be on a sliding scale of total confusion to just occasional memory lapses. All dementia is not Alzheimer's disease and many people show moderate memory loss without ever being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This book is not an attempt to define the disease or to suggest a cure or treatment. The goal of this book is to provide a simplistic explanation of general dementia to a primary-age child. Kids are amazingly resilient if they are provided with explanations for confusing things in their lives. My hope is this book will provide children a modicum of illumination on a confusing issue.

Eric couldn't read and ended up in jail. Illiteracy led to anger and anger led to incarceration. Eric's journey to literacy may help reluctant readers discover a love of reading.

This story is a cautionary tale of concern and illustrates why it is important for parents to know what their children are doing on the Net and with whom they are doing it. I believe the Net is a good thing but parental oversight is crucial for the safe use of the Internet.