Penny Paquette
Penny Paquette has been a successful writer for more than 20 years. Both as a newspaper reporter and as a non-fiction author, she has focused her research on educational and health issues. Her books for young people are part of the "It Happened to Me" series named by the American Library Association's
Booklist as a top ten series for young adults.
In addition to her books for teens, Penny has also written a book of games to enhance learning and thinking skills in young children. To read more about
Thinking Games for Kids, click here.
Penny's newest book is written for teenagers who would like to earn while they learn. It introduces teens to the concept of apprenticeship, that is learning a skill from a master in the field. The book describes several hundred apprenticeship opportunities across the United States, and each major job category includes an interview with a young apprentice. Apprenticeship: The Ultimate Teen Guide also provides the job outlook, salary, and expected growth in each job category through 2012. It also includes an extensive list of resources to help young people learn more about each specific field.
The review in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) called the book "a perfect overview of a tradition that predates the current systems of higher education."
Whether young people are interested in the construction trade, the health care field, jobs in the arts, social service careers, protective service opportunities, production work, or personal service, apprenticeship opportunities can provide the job training they need to succeed.
Personal experience motivated Penny to write about asthma. First diagnosed as an adult, she knows the frightening feeling that accompanies an asthma episode. She also knew that being well informed can help asthmatics manage their symptoms and lead normal lives.
Written for teenagers, Asthma: The Ultimate Teen Guide includes solid information about the illness as well as interviews with young people who have learned to cope with asthma. Asthma specialist Dr. Paul Hannaway recommends this book to his young patients and says Penny's down-to-earth writing will help teens and their familes understand the disease and improve their quality of life.
For more information about Asthma, click on the cover on the right of this page.
Collaborating with her close friend and learning disabilities specialist Cheryl Tuttle, Penny brings her easy-to-read,empathetic style to teenagers living with learning disabilities and attention deficits. Whether young people are battling dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD), or any of the other specific learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders, Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide provides teens with tools to take a proactive role in identifying, understanding, and overcoming the obstacles they face.
Information gathered from high school guidance counselors, medical professionals, educators, and teens living with learning disabilities, reassures teens that they don't struggle alone. The book is an upbeat, informative resource that speaks to teens on a personal level.
Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide also includes important information about individualized education plans(IEPs)and assistive technology, as well as a full chapter on understanding special education legislation.
New edition
The newest edition of Penny's popular Thinking Games for Kids is now available. Written in collaboration with Cheryl Tuttle, the book offers more than 80 games to enhance children's skills while they have fun with their parents.
Phonemic awareness games added
In addition to the reading, math, and memory skills games children enjoyed in the last edition, the new book also includes games that develop and strengthen phonemic awareness, the essential building block in the learning-to-read process.
Most games require no special material to play and can be enjoyed at any time—waiting for a meal at a restaurant, riding in the car, waiting for a doctor's appointment. Taking advantage of small pockets of time, single sessions of many of the games can be played in as little as ten minutes. The games are designed for children between the ages of three and ten, with accommodations for young people up to twelve.
Order a copy of Thinking Games for Kids by clicking on the book cover on the right.
