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If you are looking for the best books, toys, and games for our kids... you're in the right place! For books, journals, and curriculum resources for teacher and parents, visit The Best of Hoagies' Products: Professional and Parent , you Products . If you are looking for the best articles, links, research and resources, visit Don't Miss ... the Best of Hoagies' Gifted Education Page!  

Finding the right gifted for a gifted child, parent or professional can be stressful, and overexcitabilities of the gifted can make stress seem... even more stressful.  Modern advertising can be frustrating and misleading to even the strongest individual.  And we all get caught up in the craziness...

When shopping for gifts for the gifted, think about the unusual.  Consider making a donation to a charity instead of another toy, for our globally aware children.  Some gifted families boycott "giving" altogether, opting instead to spend extra time with other family members, perhaps cherishing each other's company, or perhaps donating their family time to help those less fortunate.  For more ideas, visit Gifts to Share: Humanitarian Opportunities for Gifted Families

When you need a gift for the gifted child, The Best of Hoagies' Products: Kids Products offers a variety of ideas, from Smart Toys to play with, Software Favorites to play, Nerd Shirts to wear, and Kids & Teens Books and Magazines for kids and young adults, Music for the eclectic gifted ear, and Movies Featuring Gifted Characters for everyone's enjoyment. 

For from Curricular Resources for the classroom or homeschool, Books for Parents & Professionals, Journals on gifted education and parenting topics, and Educational Products, visit The Best of Hoagies' Products: Professional and Parent  Products .

Check out the best of...

Smart Toys

Software Favorites

Books for the Kids and Teens

101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids: The Ultimate Handbook by Christine Fonseca (or from Amazon)

A must-read for gifted kids ages 8 to 12 who want to find success in school and life. If you know gifted kids, they will love the 101 awesome secrets, tips, and tricks included in this book!
 

The Adventures of Everyday Genius... by Barbara Esham, illustrated by Mike Gordon
Visit Mainstream Connections for many great reviews and endorsements by the Eides, Silverman, Reis, Baum, and many more!

If You're So Smart, How Come Can't You Spell Mississippi?

Katie always thought that her dad was smart; he is one of the busiest attorneys in town! People are always asking him for advice! She has been a bit confused since asking for help with her weekly spelling list. How can her "very smart" dad struggle with one of her spelling words? This definitely did not make sense.  The word "Mississippi" had changed everything...

Stacey Coolidge's Fancy Smancy Cursive Handwriting

How does Stacey do it? How can Carolyn not do it? Carolyn has been practicing cursive handwriting every day for weeks, but she is not getting any closer to Frederick, the class guinea pig. It's a good thing her teacher, Mrs. T., is able ot turn her frustration into confidence...

Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have The Wiggle Fidgets

David doesn't know how he ends up in such "situations." At the time, it just seems like such a great idea. His teacher, Mrs. G., has had about enough; he can tell by the way her voice changes when she speaks to him. This time, he believes that he has come up with the best idea yet - the perfect plan to make everything better...

Last to Finish: A Story About the Smartest Boy in Math

One by one, Max's classmates turn in their finished papers before the timer rings.  Not Max, as soon as the teacher starts the timer, "it" happens! His heart begins to pound. Once his heart begins to pound, his hands begin to sweat and his brain freezes!  Math must not be his thing...

All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Kathy Hoopman

This touching picture book explains the joys and challenges of raising a "different" child.  Good for kids and adults alike, leaving the reader with a sense of the dignity and potential of the Aspergers child...

All Dogs Have ADHD by Kathy Hoopman

An inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognizable to those who are familiar with ADHD... or dogs

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame: The Story of the Boy Who Traveled into the Past by Stepping through the Picture Frame on His Bedroom Wall by Michael S. Class

Turns American history into a grand time-travel adventure. Gorgeous hardcover with phenomenal illustrations that bring the reader right into history. Anthony walks on the moon with Neil Armstrong, plays baseball with Lou Gehrig, and flies from New York to Paris with Charles Lindbergh, storms the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, cries with survivors of the Holocaust, and watches battle-weary marines raise the American flag on Iwo Jima. He is with Thomas Edison at the invention of the phonograph, the light bulb, and the motion picture camera. He meets FDR, and works with Doctor Jonas Salk to conquer polio.  Be sure to visit Anthony's authors' blog The Right Frame of Mind for more discussion on the lessons of history

Becoming a Problem Solving Genius: A Handbook of Math Strategies by Edward Zaccaro

Every math student needs a tool belt of problem solving strategies to call upon when solving word problems. In addition to many traditional strategies, this book includes new techniques such as Think 1, the 2-10 method, and more...

The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck

The famous story of a Japanese boy who must face life after escaping the tidal wave destruction of his family and village...

Challenge Math For the Elementary and Middle School Student by Edward Zaccaro

"Math is often taught as all scales and no music. This book contains the music!" I couldn't have said it better myself - tons of fun problems...

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

Who would have thought a book about punctuation could cause such a sensation?  Or try the audio CD version - listen to "Cutting a Dash," the hit series about punctuation that inspired the hit book...

Fractals, Googols and Other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas

Explores real numbers, exponents, dimensions, the golden rectangle in both serious and humorous ways. Penrose the cat, the parable of p, the numberline that fell apart, Leonhard the magic turtle and many others offer an amusing and entertaining way to explore mathematical ideas...

George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking (or Kindle edition)

George's parents warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe.

George and the Big Bang by Lucy and Stephen Hawking (or Kindle edition)

George jumps at the chance to help Eric with his plans to run a big experiment in Switzerland that seeks to explore the earliest moment of the universe. But there is a conspiracy afoot, and a group of evildoers is planning to sabotage the experiment. Can George repair his friendship with Annie and piece together the clues before Eric’s experiment is destroyed forever?  Their adventure features essays by Professor Hawking and other eminent physicists about the origins of the universe and ends with a twenty-page graphic novel that explains how the Big Bang happened—in reverse!

George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Lucy and Stephen Hawking (or Kindle edition)

George, Annie, Cosmos (Eric and Annie's super-intelligent computer), and Annie's irritating cousin Emmett are off on a cosmic treasure hunt through outer space to save the Earth. This second science-filled adventure includes essays written by leading scientists about the universe and space travel, culminating with Professor Hawking's essay "How to Travel Across the Universe Using Just Your Mind."

Gifted Kids Speak Out: Hundreds of Kids Ages 6-13 Talk About School, Friends, Their Families, and the Future by James R. Delisle

In their own words... Great reading for your gifted child!

The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide (For Ages 10 and Under) by Judy Galbraith Also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca

The ultimate guide to surviving and thriving in a world that doesn't always value, support, or understand high ability...

G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David Schwartz

Entries include abacus, binary, cubit, diamond ("There are no diamonds in math. We put diamond in this book so you would know it doesn't belong here"), equilateral, exponent, Fibonacci, googol, y-axis, and zillion

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers by Johnny Ball

Filled with puzzles and problems to solve, 4 sections--Where do numbers come from? Magic numbers, Shaping up, and The world of math--cover the history of counting, zero, number theory, Pi, chance, logic, fractals, and more, including brief histories of mathematical greats from Ahmose to Einstein...

Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite by June Casagrande

We all know one, some of us is one... a Grammar Snob!  A fun way to learn grammar, while we learn to laugh at ourselves...

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Unflinchingly honest portrayal of childhood problems and emotions changed children's literature forever. ...remains one of the best children's novels ever written. The fascinating story is about an intensely curious and intelligent girl...

How to Talk to an Autistic Kid by Daniel Stefanski

Who better to explain the challenges of typical kids communicating with autistic kids than 14-year-old Daniel Stefanski, who has autism? “Even though my brain is different, I’m still a kid.” And like any kid who’s been ignored, Daniel can often feel lonely. Through his casual and frank narration, he recognizes that autistic kids may look and sound different when trying to communicate, but they still want to be included...

Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences by John Allen Paulos

Sprinkling his discussion of numbers and probabilities with quirky stories and anecdotes, Paulos ranges freely over many aspects of modern life, from contested elections to sports stats, from stock scams and newspaper psychics to diet and medical claims, sex discrimination, insurance, lotteries, and drug testing. Readers of Innumeracy will be rewarded with scores of astonishing facts...

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father create a spellbinding mystery... even more amazing are the author's illustrations!

Listen! by Stephanie Tolan

Award-winning story about a girl who loses her mom, and finds herself, with the help of a wild dog... Christopher Award, for media that “salutes the highest values of the human spiritˮ (all readers)

The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by Richard Dawkins

Rave reviews: "It's the clearest and most beautifully written introduction to science I've ever read ... Explanations I thought I knew were clarified; things I never understood were made clear for the first time." Philip Pullman.

A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper by John Allen Paulos

Reveals the hidden mathematical angles in countless media stories. Real life perspective on the statistics we rely on and how they can mislead is for anyone interested in gaining a more accurate view of their world. Humorous and knowledgeable...

Q is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book by David Schwartz

Really cool science alphabet book, for beginner to adult!

The Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

Did you ever have one of those days where everything is a math problem? You have 10 things to do, and 30 minutes till the bus leaves. Is there enough time? You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. How many outfits can you make?

Math for Smarty Pants by Marilyn Burns

Fundamental math concepts explained through entertaining puzzles, tricks and word problems. For the numbers-averse, this book proves that numbers are only a part of math; for the math whiz, it offers plenty of challenges, too...

Metropolis: Ten Cities: Ten Centuries by Albert Lorenz

In tracing the evolution of the metropolis, architectural illustrator Albert Lorenz dazzles readers with his extraordinary visual depictions of some of the greatest defining moments in human history (a hit with the visual spatial learners!)

My Town (or visit Usborne Books and search on "Young Geography")

Award-winning, fun flap book that looks at the town where we live, with maps and more... 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

After Reynie Muldoon responds to an advertisement recruiting "gifted children looking for special opportunities," he finds himself in a world of mystery and adventure... Read the first pages at The Curiosity Chroniclee

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

A new adventure, full of brain teasers and adventures...

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

A daring new adventure threatens to force the kids apart from their friends, families, and even each other...

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewartt

Now Nicholas Benedict is being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances--and a mystery that could change his life forever. On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places -- and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself...

The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr. Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums by Trenton Lee Stewart

Companion book to the Mysterious Benedict Society series, a mind-bending collection that will put YOU to the test! With full-color artwork throughout, features ingenious new puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers compiled by Mr. Benedict himself, with the help of Reynie, Kate, Sticky, Constance, and other Society associates...

The Mysterious Benedict Society Complete Collection by Trenton Lee Stewart

New to The Mysterious Benedict Society?  Get all five!

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

In 12 dreams, a 12-year-old boy who hates math discovers the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without end...

Powers of Ten by Philip & Phylis Morrison

Starting with a view of a billion light-years, the book moves inward, with each page being 1/10^th the scale of the previous one. In 25 steps, you're looking at a picnic by the shores of Lake Michigan, then plunging into a human hand, down through the cells inside it, the DNA inside the cells...

Scammed by Statistics by Ed Zaccaro

We all need this book! We are continually bombarded by charts, graphs, and quotes from various studies with the goal of influencing our opinions, health, or buying habits, yet we seldom know if we are being manipulated, deceived, and lied to by those presenting the data. We need to know how to interpret statistics and are aware of the numerous techniques that are used to distort and misuse numbers. Using real examples Zaccaro illustrates the good and evil of numbers while providing the knowledge to properly interpret statistical data, ask the right questions...

Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer

Learn neat math tricks to make complex calculations easy, and amaze your friends and yourself.  Amazing tricks to multiply large numbers, memorize digits of pi or any other sequence of numbers, figure squares and cubes almost instantly....

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. [Bryson's] aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space...

Smart Talk: What Kids Say About Growing Up Gifted by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

Hundreds of kids from around the world, ages 4 to 12, share their deepest, truest thoughts about about peers, families, school, and their futures.  Being gifted has its upside and downside, and the kids talk about both... 

Spellwright by Blake Charlton

The story of a young man searching for his place in the world. Would-be spellwright (i.e., wizard) Nicodemus Weal may be the only person able to prevent a magical apocalypse. Or maybe he’ll bring about the end of magic. He desperately wants to become a wizard but has a big problem: he’s a cacographer. For Nico, anything he touches is instantly misspelled, and when this happens with magical texts, the consequences can be deadly...

by Carole Hamburger

Wonderful stories of a family of dots, and their adventures.  Picture books, but for older kids, full of great vocabulary and idiomatic phrases and more!
The Star Pupil: A Dot's Quest to Find His Place in the World

A dot's quest to find his special calling. After excelling in school, he heeds his parents' advice to follow his heart and to always be himself

The Zippity-Do-Dot: The Dot Who Dared to Pick Her Knows

The escapades of a feisty little dot who pursues her dreams...

The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (And Their Parents) by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve

Have a child just diagnosed with Aspergers or other Autism Spectrum Disorder or Nonverbal Learning Disorder? This book should be your first purchase. Real problems are answered with real solutions shared by kids, and illustrated cheerfully with drawings of kids of every gender and race. An appealing and valuable read for kids and the adults who love them....

The Survival Guide for Kids with ADD or ADHD  by John F. Taylor

Great guide to ADHD and what it means (and doesn't mean!) to your life at home and school.  How to deal, and how to succeed!

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Newbery Honor title! When Jake Semple is kicked out of yet another school, the Applewhites, an eccentric family of artists, offer to let him live with them and attend their unstructured Creative Academy...

Take Control of ADHD: The Ultimate Guide for Teens With ADHD by Ruth Spodak and Kenneth Stefano  (or from Amazon)

Helps teens take control of their disorder and find success in school and in life. By creating the “ADHD Attention Profile” discussed in the book, readers will recognize how ADHD affects them, discover coping strategies and technology tools to improve their focus, and develop a self-advocacy plan they can use immediately...

Take Control of Asperger's Syndrome: The Official Strategy Guide for Teens With Asperger's Syndrome and Nonverbal Learning Disorders by Janet Price and Jennifer Engel Fisher  (or from Amazon)

Unique handbook for kids and teens on living successful lives with these disorders by taking control of their strengths to overcome their weaknesses, including tips on understanding the disorders, living with the symptoms, succeeding in school, completing homework, talking to others about strengths and needs, making friends and socializing, and using technology to connect with other kids and teens with these disorders. Includes ideas, information, and advice for students, by students just like them...

Take Control of Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties by Jennifer Engel Fisher & Janet Price (or from Amazon)

Unique guidebook written especially for kids with dyslexia and other reading difficulties to help them overcome their reading struggles and find success in school and beyond. Addresses the fundamentals of reading for elementary and middle school students, speaking to students directly in easy-to-understand language with charts, graphs, and illustrations...

The Way Life Works: The Science Lover's Illustrated Guide to How Life Grows, Develops, Reproduces, and Gets Along  by Mahlon Hoagland and Bert Dodson

This book is what happens when a biologist and artist share an interest in life from bacteria to humans, and collaborate on taking their knowledge public.  Superbly written, delightfully illustrated, and supremely informative...

The Weighty Word Book by Janet Stevens, Paul M. Levitt and Elissa S. Guralnick

From Abasement to Zealot, an alphabet book kids of all ages can really dive into! With stories and puns and  mnemonic memory clues for the definitions...

What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens. This is a story for anyone, at any age, who s ever had an idea that seemed a little too big, too odd, too difficult. It s a story to inspire you to welcome that idea, to give it some space to grow, and to see what happens next. Because your idea isn t going anywhere. In fact, it's just getting started...

Words That Make a Difference by Robert Greenman

and More Words that Make a Difference by Robert Greenman and Carol Greenman

Passages from the New York Times (Words) and the Atlantic Monthly (More Words) demonstrate hundreds of our language's most interesting words.  Both books feature wonderful literary passages, many by renowned authors, with More Words reviewing the history of the vocabulary through the ages and pages of the Atlantic Monthly....

The Wrong Word Dictionary: 2,000 Most Commonly Confused Words by Dave Dowling

Even good writers sometimes find the right word elusive. Or is it illusive? The correct usage for more than 2,000 words that people commonly misuse is provided in this concise and accessible handbook that assures, insures, and ensures that anyone who wants to communicate accurately and effectively chooses the right word every time...

You Can Count on Monsters by Richard Evan Schwartz

The playful and colorful monsters are designed to give children (and even older audiences) an intuitive understanding of the building blocks of numbers and the basics of multiplication. The introduction and appendices are designed to help adult readers answer questions about factoring from their young audience...

What To Do When Your... from Magination Press
by Dawn Huebner, Illustrated by Bonnie Matthewss

What to Do When You Dread Your Bed: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems With Sleep

Guides children and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used to treat problems with sleep. Fears, busy brains, restless bodies, and overdependence on parents are all tackled as children gain the skills they need for more peaceful nights. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to fall asleep and stay asleep--like magic!

What to Do When You Grumble Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity

Guides children and their parents through cognitive-behavioral techniques used to treat negative thinking. Helps kids see life's hurdles in a new way, while drawing and writing activities help them master skills to get over those hurdles, with step-by-step instructions toward becoming happier, more positive kids...

What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety

Anxiety has a way of growing, spreading, shifting in form, and generally resisting efforts to talk it out of existence. But there is hope. This book will teach you and your child a new and more successful way to think about and manage anxiety. The techniques described in this book will help your child take control...

What to Do When Your Bad Habits Take Hold: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Nail Biting and More

Guides children and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used to treat a variety of habits. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for empowering children to set themselves free...

What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD

Interactive self-help book turns kids into super-sleuths who can recognize OCD's tricks. Engaging examples, activities, and step-by-step instructions help children master the skills needed to break free from the sticky thoughts and urges of OCD, and live happier lives, using cognitive-behavioral techniques and empowering children to work toward change

What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Problems with Angerr

If you're a kid whose temper quickly flares, a kid whose anger gets too big, too hot, too fast, this book is for you. What to Do When Your Temper Flares guides children and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used to treat problems with anger. Engaging examples, lively illustrations, and step-by-step instructions teach children a set of "anger dousing" methods aimed at cooling angry thoughts and controlling angry actions, resulting in calmer, more effective kids...

Young Adults

Bookmarked: Teen Essays on Life and Literature from Tolkien to Twilight by Ann Camacho

Young people from a wide range of backgrounds reflect on how words from literature connect with and influence their lives, goals, and personal philosophies. Topics include suffering the death of a parent, facing a life-threatening illness, letting go of perfectionism, making friends, realizing goals, and grappling with questions of faith and sexuality. Books cited range from The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby to Twilight and Lord of the Rings.

Teachers, guidance counselors, and parents working with teens on personal essays— including for college applications—will find useful samples, models, and inspiration. Teachers of literature, writing, and language arts classes can also use these essays as a way to help teens explore literature—and their own responses to it—through writing...

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brownn

A murder in the Louvre reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected since the days of Christ. The victim, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle... (some violent and sexual content)

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage--not by guns or bombs -- but by a code so complex... (some violent content)

The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for (Almost) Anythingg by Judy Galbraith and Jim Delisle (or from Barnes & Noble)

Updated 4th version is better than ever, keeping the best themes from the older versions but in a readable new format, and including lots of new stuff, too.  The ultimate guide for teens includes "discover virtual learning, find a cure for the common college, learn the value of mistakes, manage expectations and embrace your passions!"

More Than a Test Score: Teens Talk About Being Gifted, Talented, or Otherwise Extra-ordinary by Robert A. Shultz and James R. Delisle

What is giftedness all about? What's it like to be smarter than some of your friends? What about expectations, mistakes, getting along, gifted programs, and dull days at school? Includes hundreds of quotes from teens ages 13-19, brief biographies, and activities. Essential reading for gifted teens... 

Respect: A Girl's Guide to Getting Respect & Dealing When Your Line Is Crossed  by Courtney Macavinta and Andrea Vander Pluym

Smart, savvy book helps teen girls get respect and hold on to is no matter what—at home, at school, with their friends, and in the world. Tips, activities, writing exercises, and quotes from teens keep readers involved. Girls learn respect is connected to everything, every girl deserves respect, and respect is always within reach because it starts on the inside. Your guide to getting respect and keeping it....

Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write by Victoria Hanley (or from Amazon)

Elements of fiction, from creating believable dialogue to exciting plots, laid out clearly and illustrated with examples taken straight from story excerpts by excellent writers, writing exercises designed to encourage teens to tell the stories that are theirs alone, plus other published authors of young adult literature share their insights about the writing life. Teens gain firsthand advice from T. A. Barron, Joan Bauer, Hilari Bell, Chris Crutcher, David Lubar, Lauren Myracle, Todd Mitchell, Nancy Garden, and more...

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, or A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. [Bryson's] aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space...

Smart Teens' Guide to Living with Intensity: How to Get More Out of Life and Learning by Lisa Rivero

A guide for pre-teens and teens who are a little more... more intense, more creative, more interesting, and yes, sometimes even called "more difficult."  A teen's perspective into growing up as a gifted teen today.  And for the parents, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Teens: Living with Intense and Creative Adolescents

The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking

It's no secret that many people who own A Brief History of Time have never finished it. Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell aims to remedy the situation, with a plethora of friendly illustrations to help readers grok some of the most brain-bending ideas ever conceived...

Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan

In a world of random violence and multiplying militias, four brilliant young misfits are thrown together in a group home for troubled youth. Isolated by their special abilities, Miranda, Doug, Taryn, and Elijah are unable to cope in a society that regards them as freaks. But in the experimental program they dub the Ark, the four discover they are not alone...
 

Del Sol Bookss

Visit Del Sol Books in the U.S. for both Horrible books and Horrible Science and Horrible Histories Magazines, otherwise available only to our friends across the pond!  Enjoy your Horrible reading!
 

Usborne Books

Usborne Books are fascinating, lavishly illustrated books written with humor,  drama, and tons of information. Check out these marvelous books for your gifted children ages birth to adult and beyond! Gifted kids LOVE Usborne Books!
 

Visit Hot Topics book list for lots more great titles for kids and teens!

Nerd Shirts

Computer Gear random bytes of fun

Techie T's, including Mac T's, Windows Fatal Exception, plus Linux Shop, Fun T's and Techie Things... 
 

Hoagies' Gifted Online

Show off your support for Hoagies' Gifted Education Page!  Hoagies' Gifted Online features ©Hoagies' cheetah across the world logo on sweatshirts, T-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, and more!  Shop here for your favorite teacher or parent.  Thanks to Café Press for supplying our products
 

 ThinkGeek

Mostly computer geek (including "child process" onesies, and circuit board ties!), but other geek wear and toys as well.  Home of the TV remote watch, Binary watch, Rotating Earth Watch, Swiss Memory USB (yes, a Swiss Army knife with a USB flash drive built in!) and more... 
 

Visit Nerd Shirts for more great products!

Grief & Mourning (with sections on People and Pets, for gifted of all ages)

Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Sweet, gentle book describes an imaginary cat's life in heaven, the things they would do, and who would care for them...

Desser the Best Ever Cat by Maggie Smith

A girl narrator unspools "Desser's" history while weaving in family stories, such as her own arrival as a newborn ("When I first came home from the hospital, Desser wasn't sure if he liked me"), her new mobility as a toddler ("He wasn't too happy when I first started walking") and the two bonding at last ("but he was glad when I got my big bed" shows the feline cuddled on top of the youngster)...

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

When dogs go to Heaven, they don't need wings because God knows that dogs love running best. He gives them fields. Fields and fields and fields...

Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley (or on Kindle)

Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share. Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end... (older kids and adults)

Listen! by Stephanie Tolan

Award-winning story about a girl who loses her mom, and finds herself, with the help of a wild dog... Christopher Award, for media that “salutes the highest values of the human spiritˮ (all readers)

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing after Loss by Pat Schweibert, Chuck DeKlyen, with Taylor Bills

"There once was an old and somewhat wise woman whom everyone called Grandy..." This modern fable for children who mourn will be sure to help every child and adult deal with the loss of a loved one, or a friend's loss of a loved one.  Also visit Grief Watch for guides and other resources to help reading Tear Soup...

The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst

Barney was a cat. He died last Friday. And everyone was sad. They did what most people do when a cat they like dies. They had a funeral. And then they tried to think of good things about him. They wanted to remember him as he was; and they thought about some other things, too
 

Visit Grief & Mourning for more great titles for kids, teens and adults!

Magazines (for kids and teens)

Music for the Gifted Mind

Tom Chapin Family Tree, Moonboat, Mother Earth, This Pretty Planet, Billy the Squid, Zag Zig, Around the World and Back Again, In My Hometown, Making Good Noise

Great family-oriented story songs from Harry's younger brother.  Don't miss Don't Play With Bruno (Moonboat) and Bruno's Christmas on the Mall (Zag Zig) - you'll relate!  Plus tons more great songs for our kids... and they don't grate on adult nerves :-)
 

Dr. Demento Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection: The Greatest Novelty Records Of All Time, Dr. Demento: 25th Anniversary Collection, Dr Demento 30th Anniversary: Dementia 2000, Very Best of Dr Demento, Hits From Outer Space, Dr. Demento's Country Corn, Dr. Demento Presents: Spooky Tunes & Scary Melodies, Dr. Demento Gooses Mother, Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD, Holiday in Dementia

Tons of silly songs, including Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Bulbous Bouffant, On the Shoulders of Freaks (all on Dr Demento 30th Anniversary: Dementia 2000), Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah! (Very Best of Dr Demento), and more...
 

Tom Lehrer The Remains of Tom Lehrer (box set), That Was the Year That Was, An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer, Songs & More Songs and more...

Irony and satire at their best...  Don't miss The Elements interactive on the web, or in song (The Remains of Tom Lehrer or An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer), and New Math (The Remains of Tom Lehrer)
 

They Might Be Giants Flood, Apollo 18, John Henry, Dial-A-Song, NO! and more...

A great reason for math and computer science majors to add a real rock album to their collection of John Williams and Weird Al records -- a bacchanalian celebration of dorkiness, including Particle Man and Birdhouse in Your Soul (both on Dial-A-Song)

Visit Music for the Gifted Mind for more great products!

Movie Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!)

August Rush or Instant Video (PG)

Cared for by a mysterious stranger who gives him the name August Rush, a child uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth...

Billy Elliot or VHS or Instant Video (R)

Billy's got problems. His dad has scraped together the fees to send him to boxing lessons, but Billy has discovered a different aptitude: a genius for ballet dancing. Since admitting to such an activity is tantamount, in this fiercely macho culture, is very bad, Billy keeps it quiet. But his teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, thinks he should audition for ballet school in London...

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or Blu-ray/DVD Combo or Instant Video (PG)

Flint, a clever young inventor with a reputation for creations gone awry, has recently completed a machine that he claims will turn water into food. Like his past failed inventions, Flint's new machine doesn't work as planned, and destroys the town's latest attempt to bolster its failing economy.  The Mayor's quickly realizes that food falling from the sky could draw in tourists. Only Flint's father remains skeptical of his son's invention. Greed leads to strange weather events, which, while providing a huge career opportunity for brainy weather intern Sam Sparks who's masquerading as an air-headed TV personality, also threaten to destroy the town and its inhabitants. In the end, only Flint, his father, and Sam can save the town from certain destruction by the out of control invention...

Dead Poets Society or VHS (PG)

English professor John Keating (Robin Williams) inspires his students to a love of poetry and to seize the day. A compelling warning in it to parents who don't respect their children's gifts.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story or Blu-Ray or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. A romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story... (Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston)

Finding Neverland (FS) or DVD (WS) or Blu-Ray or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

Playwright J. M. Barrie finds inspiration for his greatest creation from four lively boys, the sons of widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. Though the friendship threatens his already dwindling marriage, Barrie spends endless hours with the boys, pretending to be pirates or Indians--and gradually the elements of Peter Pan take shape in his mind...

Frozen or Instant Video (PG)

A fairy tale about overcoming obstacles and the power of true love. Princesses Anna and Elsa are sisters and the closest friends until one day Elsa discovers that she can no longer control her power to create ice and snow. Terrified for the safety of her sister and everyone around her, Elsa isolates herself and vows to never feel any sort of passionate emotion again in hopes of suppressing her powers. But when Elsa comes of age and is set to be crowned queen, she must open the gates of the palace and let in the public, and her sister Anna. Things go horribly wrong... In the end, Anna and Elsa discover that only by embracing their deepest feelings do they have a chance of saving themselves and the kingdom.

Good Will Hunting or Blu-Ray or VHS or Instant Video (R)

A therapist (Robin Williams) tries to help a brilliant, but troubled young man (Matt Damon) overcome his personal problems and realize his potential

Harriet the Spy or VHS (PG)

An 11-year-old wannabe journalist (Michelle Trachtenberg) who writes all her observations about friends in a diary. When the book is stolen and read by her peers...

Hard Problems: The Road to the World's Toughest Math Contest (G documentary)

The story of six extraordinary gifted American high school students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world s toughest math competition: The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)...

Harriet the Spy or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

An 11-year-old wannabe journalist (Michelle Trachtenberg) who writes all her observations about friends in a diary. When the book is stolen and read by her peers...

The Incredibles or VHS or Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (PG)

A family of "supers," a brood of five with special powers are desperately trying to fit in with the 9-to-5 suburban lifestyle. Of course, in a more innocent world, Bob and Helen Parr were superheroes, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl. But blasted lawsuits and public disapproval forced them and other supers to go incognito, making it even tougher for their school-age kids, the shy Violet and the aptly named Dash... (Disney & Pixar)

Infinity or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

Story of the early life of genius and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman (Matthew Broderick)

Kiki's Delivery Service or VHS (G)

Japanese anime by Hayao Miyazaki. A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service... excellent animation, good stories...

Spirited Away or VHS

Princess Mononoke (DVD only)

Castle in the Sky or VHS

The Castle of Cagliostro or VHS

My Neighbor Totoro or VHS

Nausica of the Valley of the Wind

Ponyo

The Last Starfighter or Blu-Ray or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

A video-gaming boy, seemingly doomed to stay at his trailer park home all his life, finds himself recruited as a gunner for an alien defense force

Little Man Tate or VHS (PG)

The difference is the little boy is human, and not just a brain. He worries about people dying, envies the popular athletic boy, all the while plays music in competition form and forms math problems in his head

Matilda or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

Based on the Roald Dahl classic book; cursed with a cretinous family and a witch of a school principal, a bright young girl (Mara Wilson) learns self-reliance--and develops unusual powers

Meet the Robinsons or Blu-Ray or Instant Video (G)

When 12-year old orphan Lewis can't seem to get adopted or make his inventions work despite repeated efforts, he begins to seriously doubt himself and his abilities as an inventor. An odd boy named Wilbur Robinson shows up to warn Lewis about an evil man hanging around the science fair, and ends up taking Lewis on a whirlwind tour of the future and Lewis's own future family. In the end, Lewis returns to the present with a whole new inner strength, a sense of his place in the world, the knowledge that his actions directly affect others, and an optimistic determination to "keep moving forward."...

Mr. Holland's Opus or VHS (PG)

Being a true musician is about leaving your legacy for future generations, and by inspiring his students, Mr. Holland is ensuring that his passion will live forever, through them

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium or Blu-ray or Instant Video (G)

Mr. Magorium is an eccentric 243-year-old owner of a magical toy store. He has lived a long and happy life and is content to leave his emporium to his employee Molly Mahoney. A former child prodigy who has grown up unsure of herself, she barely knows who she is, much less what she wants to become. Molly is both frightened that her beloved boss is leaving and that she will be left in charge of a store she doesn't know how to run. "Are you dying?" she asks him. He replies, "Light bulbs die, my dear. I am departing," a take on death is both comforting and matter of fact, things younger viewers may find soothing when dealing with mortality. Dazzling visuals and a premise that who you are isn't equivalent with who you think you are...

October Sky or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

A West Virginia teenager hopes to break free from his predetermined coal miner's life by winning a national science fair competition with his rocket building designs

Real Genius or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

The freshman year of a nerdy kid who enters college at a young age, with a subplot involving computers and military secrets

Schoolhouse Rock! (Special 30th Anniversary Edition) or Instant Video

In the 70's and 80's, the catchy Schoolhouse Rock tunes taught millions of children the fundamentals of math, grammar, science, history and money. DVD includes every song from the landmark series, over 50 tunes including classics "Conjunction Junction," "Three is a Magic Number," "I'm Just A Bill" and "Electricity, Electricity." Features an all-new song about the Electoral College, "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote To College" written by the show's original creators...

Searching for Bobby Fischer or VHS or Instant Video (PG)

The chess prodigy (Max Pomeranc) who refuses to become ruthless despite the prodding of his father (Joe Mantegna) and his surrogate-father / chess champion (Ben Kingsley)

Temple Grandin or Instant Video (PG)

Temple Grandin, the main character in this eponymous HBO movie, is, well, different--she (in the person of Claire Danes, who plays her) tells us before the credits start that she's "not like other people." But "different" is not "less." Indeed, Grandin, who is now in her 60s, has accomplished a good deal more than a great many "normal" folks, let alone others afflicted with the autism that Grandin overcame on her way to earning a doctorate and becoming a bestselling author and a pioneer in the humane treatment of livestock. It wasn't easy...

Whalerider or VHS or Instant Video (PG-13)

One of the most charming and critically acclaimed films of 2003, the New Zealand hit Whale Rider effectively combines Maori tribal tradition with the timely "girl power" of a vibrant new millennium. Despite the discouragement of her gruff and disapproving grandfather (Rawiri Paratene), who nearly disowns her because she is female and therefore traditionally disqualified from tribal leadership, 12-year-old Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is convinced that she is a tribal leader, and sets about to prove it...
 

Visit Movie Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!) for more great movies!

Homeschool Curricula and Classroom Curriculum Resources

Books for Parents and Professionals

Journals and Magazines (for the grown-ups)

2e Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

For parents, teachers and professionals.  Helping twice-exceptional children reach their potential. Published 6 times a year.  An Interview with Mark Bade and Linda Neumann: Twice Exceptional by Michael F. Shaughnessy in Ednews.org
 

Educational Products and 2E (Twice Exceptional) Products

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