Have my books made you curious about world travel, writing, coding, or mental health? This is a good place to learn more. Check out a compilation of my favorite resources below.

TEACHER’S GUIDES

CLICK’D TEACHER’S GUIDE

SEE THE WORLD

Are you like Anna in Time Between Us, eager to put a bunch of pins in that map on your wall, but maybe lacking the resources to go anywhere? If you don’t have a time traveling, teleporting friend, here are some ways to escape the world you know and see the rest of it:

Photo Credit: Jacquelline Fuller

START CODING

Did you click with Allie? If CLICK’D left you wanting to learn more about coding, here are a few organizations exclusively for kids and teens to help you get started:

  • Code.org: Fun online courses for ages 4-18.

  • Girls Make Games: Summer camps, workshops and game jams designed to inspire the next generation of designers, creators, and engineers.

  • Made with Code: Fun projects and community support to get you coding quickly.

  • BlackGirlsCode: Empowers girls of color ages 7-17 to become innovators in STEM fields.

  • Girls Who Code: Summer immersion programs and code clubs exclusively for teen girls.

  • Computer Clubhouse: Help young people from low-income communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies.

  • Coder Dojo: Free online classes where 7-17 year olds can learn to websites, apps, and games in an informal, creative, and social environment.

  • Codecademy: Free online courses for all ages.

  • National STEM Video Game Challenge: Inspiring kids’ natural passions for playing video games into designing and creating their own.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

Did you connect with Sam and her fight to take control of her mental health in Every Last Word? Researching OCD, anxiety, and depression, was as heartbreaking as it was eye-opening. Here are just a few of the sites that helped me (and continue to help me) understand these conditions, and more importantly, how to help the people I love who live with them every day:

  • The Mighty: Articles written by real people who to share their own mental health stories in an effort help and inspire others.

  • Teen Mental Health: Resources & information for youth, parents, educators & healthcare providers.

  • ReachOut: A website full of support and resources for teens who need to know they’re not alone.

  • International OCD Foundation: Symptoms, treatments, therapies, Resources, info and more about OCD.

  • Beyond OCD: Resources and articles specific to OCD.

  • ChildMind: Transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

  • Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Articles, online support groups, and therapist recommendations specific to anxiety, depression, OCD, and trauma-related disorders.

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. 1-800-273-8255. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

DO SOMETHING GOOD

Want to make your school a kinder, better place? Many of the Games for Good apps in CLICK’D were inspired by real teens who are setting a great example for others to follow:

  • Do Something: Find a cause you’re passionate about and take action.

  • Sit with Us: Quietly help make your cafeteria a place where no one eats alone.

  • Goodwall: Celebrate your achievements while inspiring others.

  • Viewers to Volunteers: A free and easy way to support causes and nonprofits you care about.

START WRITING

Did Sam’s newfound love for writing and poetry in Every Last Word make you want to write something of your own? If so, here’s where you start: Write something. Anything. Something to share. Something that’s just for you. It doesn’t matter. But I get it… if you need some help getting started or want to connect with other writers and poets, so here are a few organizations I love:

POETRY CLUBS:

  • Get Lit: “Brings classic poetry to the streets and street poetry into the classrooms.” I can’t say enough about this phenomenal organization.

  • Youth Speaks: Classes and open mics to get you and your words out there.

  • Brave New Voices: Youth Speaks’ International Youth Poetry Slam Festival.

  • Urban Word: Celebrating young poets who are committed to social justice. Also champions the National Youth Poet Laureate Initiative.

@aubinbooks

Photo Credit: @aubinbooks

WRITING CLASSES & RESOURCES FOR TEENS:

  • 826 Valencia: In-person writing classes in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.

  • The Intuitive Writing Project: A Bay-Area based writing program exclusively for young women.

  • Gotham Writers: Online writing classes exclusives for teens.

  • Writer Unboxed: Resources and inspiration for writers of all ages.

  • NaNoWriMo: During National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo provides the inspiration and community support you need to write 50k in the month of November.

  • 916Ink: A Sacramento-based organization that helps teens understand the power of story.

  • Art and Writing: Supporting young artists, writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game designers.

WHERE TO SHARE YOUR WORK:

BOOKS ON WRITING:

These are resources and organizations I know well enough to personally recommend, but there are many others. If there is a resource you want me to research and consider sharing here, drop me a line here.