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This middle-grade chapter book is about bugs, bullying, and basketball.
When a fumigation fog ravages a thriving basement bug-utopia, a family of ten newly-hatched bugs must survive overwhelming social and emotional challenges to become basketball superstars.
Koko and his cousins are the Long Shots, the girls and boys basketball teams. They are not superheroes with superpowers. They’re underdogs experiencing the everyday ups and downs of typical school-age children in the bug world.
Koko is an acronym for “Keep on Keepin’ On!” Koko and his cousins represent perseverance-Never, ever, give up! These lovable characters will become—“The Only Bugs You’ll Wanna’ Hug!!!”
Author, Dr. Clara Denise West, birthed this project as a result of her then eight-year-old daughter attempting suicide due to peer bullying. Her goal is to use CASEL’s social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies to end bullying and save lives.
Bugs. Bullying. Basketball.
“Don’t Bug Me!” teaches children who are being bullied, or witness others being being bullied, how to use the power of their voice when someone has said or done hurtful things to them.
“The Gift of Respect” is one of the most important social skills a child will ever learn. Respect revolves around “treat others the way you want to be treated.” Respect is the Gift you give others that almost always comes back to you!
Undefeated is… a heart-pounding middle grade story about family, resilience, and believing in yourself when no one else does. After a tragic loss ends Grandpa Jack’s dream of coaching his daughters to victory, his grandkids step onto the court to carry the legacy forward. Raised in the close-knit Water Heater Community by Grandpa Jack and Aunt Coach Lovelady, Koko and his cousins train for an impossible showdown against the unbeatable Earwigs. Undefeated! is more than a basketball story—it’s about healing, hope, and discovering the strength you never knew you had.
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