Shout Mouse Press Inc : 15 books

The Story: Soraya dreams of the life she once knew: a loving mother, school, hope for the future. But now that her mother has died, her father has re-married, and her step-mother treats her as a slave, she feels alone and invisible. Until one day when she meets a little girl named Anita, who courage...

The Story: Jenika's life changed in an instant. One day she lived in the countryside with her mother and ten siblings, and the next she moved with her aunt to the city, where she was promised an education but was instead forced into a life of cooking, cleaning, and despair. The only thing that kept...

Lately, Deena has been getting angry. A lot. She acts out in school and keeps getting in trouble. Everyone is surprised because she used to be very calm, but that was before her mother went to jail. Her dad, her grandma, and her best friend Josey all do their best to help her out, but Deena doesn’t...

Meet Princess McKenzie as she shows you around her castle, the Fort Hill Homeless Shelter. McKenzie shows the power of imagination in overcoming difficult circumstances. Missing her mom, Princess McKenzie leaves the shelter in search of the queen and finds something far more important. The...

Da'Monte walks home deflated after watching a friend get bullied. Afraid, he did nothing. Wishing he was braver, he confided in his grandmother, who provided a powerful surprise. With a magical hoodie provided by the family matriarch, Da'Monte becomes brave and bold. The bullies better watch out. The...

A young boy struggles with the effects of cancer and dreams of a more normal life. These are the simple components of the emotional story written by teen authors Marc, Sasha, Angelo, and Sean. Experienced in working with young people, these teens uncovered the most important aspect of childhood: play....

Khalil is tired of hearing his parents fight. As they scream, he retreats to his closet and writes a letter to himself, dreaming of escape. To his surprise, his future self - called Bruh - shows up to provide support. Together, they visit a fantastical place called Swagtown and learn how families...

Jasmine wants to make a difference in her community, but sometimes she feels like a little girl in a big, big world. She feels helpless in the face of the problems she sees around her, like homelessness and kids skipping school. But when she begins taking small steps to solve these problems, and recognizes...

Ernie and Sal are best friends. Ernie is a multi-lingual llama, and Sal, a color-changing frog. When aliens kidnap Ernie to help them fly their spaceship–they need a translator!–what will Sal do? Join teen authors Joshua, Za’Metria, Dana, and Kyare on this fantastical voyage through the jungle...

Jealousy. Envy. Loneliness. We’ve all felt these emotions. In this story of frustration and friendship, teen authors Jordan, Rico, and Brandon share the silly things we do when feeling bad about ourselves. Bobby, the editor of the school newspaper at REACH Middle School, is jealous of a popular...

Cabbage and Spice are two caterpillars who become friends but are forced into different schools and lifestyles when one grows up to be a moth and the other a butterfly. In their insect world, butterflies and moths are taught to hate each other-- butterflies are “spectacular” and loved by humans,...

How often do our stories for children explore sadness, loneliness, and disruption? While these children’s books are rare, the reality is all too present for many of our young people. Teen authors Rashaan, Sejal, DaQuan, and Zorita took on this challenging topic through the eyes of Larry, the lonely...

"Your Story Is Your Strength." This is the mantra that emerged from a six-month writing project at Ballou High School in Washington, DC, in which eleven dedicated freshmen and six determined seniors told their stories of ambition and struggle in what came to be known as The Ballou Story...

In Trinitoga: Stories of Life in a Roughed-Up, Tough-Love, No-Good Hood, a novel-in-stories by middle school authors in Washington, DC, the fictionalized neighborhood of Trinitoga is populated with an endearing and heartbreaking cast of characters, not unlike the people these authors have encountered...