Lucky Dogs, Lost Hats, and Dating Don'ts: Hi-Lo Stories About Real Life

Gr 8 Up—This anthology, written at a second- or third-grade reading level, is aimed at "developmentally disabled populations." It focuses on "relationships-romantic and platonic, personal and professional." In "Dirty Dishes," a woman struggles with her roommate, who is messy. While cleaning up the kitchen, she is shocked to find a bug in the sink. The protagonist must figure out a way to approach her roommate about the situation. Other highlights include stories about a camping trip gone awry and a bad-hair day. Older readers will definitely relate to stories about a man who is afraid to go to a new doctor and a lucky hat that goes missing. In addition to the 12 short stories, the book includes two plays that can be used for reader's theater. With a large typeface and black-and-white photos, this collection is definitely less intimidating for struggling readers. That said, the photographs are a bit amateurish. Questions at the end of each story are loosely based on the text and are written for book-club discussion prompts. High school special education teachers interested in using this book for literacy units aligned to the Common Core State Standards will have to create their own text-dependent questions.—Lindsay Klemas, JM Rapport School for Career Development, Bronx, NY