Books published by Shout Mouse Press, Inc.

Through the course of a historic year of civil unrest and the emergence of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement, thirty teen writers from Frank W. Ballou High School in Washington, DC came together to take part in this national conversation about race, inequality, violence, and justice. Through their powerful, personal stories these writers intend to Change the Narrative about youth of color. We are not thugs, they say. We are not victims. We are big sisters and sports stars, academic strivers and everyday heroes. We speak out for justice. We dream big dreams. These writers want more for themselves, more for their community, more for their generation. And they are challenging their readers to listen, and to recognize in each story a common humanity worthy of dignity, support, and respect. This riot of voices must be heard.These books were created in collaboration between the students of Ballou High School and Shout Mouse Press. Learn more at www.shoutmousepress.org 

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 and sense of justice could change the course of Soraya's life. Through this story the authors issue a challenge: Could you have this courage to change a life?Story Behind the Story: Written by a team of young women served by the Restavek Freedom Foundation, Stand Up For Soraya aims to raise awareness about the inhumanity and injustice of child slavery in Haiti. At the same time, the books give these young women the opportunity to shape the stories of their own lives with power and possibility and hope.This project was a collaboration between Restavek Freedom Foundation and Shout Mouse Press.Restavek Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Cincinnati, Ohio with a mission to end child slavery in Haiti in our lifetime. Since its inception in 2007, Restavek Freedom has worked on behalf of the 300,000 children living as restavek in Haiti. We advocate for children by providing educational opportunities for those living in restavek, influencing communities to help change cultural norms regarding restavek, and mobilizing community leaders to stand up for freedom. To learn more, visit www.RestavekFreedom.org.Shout Mouse Press is a nonprofit writing program and publishing house for unheard voices. We were founded in Washington, DC in 2014. Shout Mouse partners with nonprofit organizations serving communities in need to design book projects that help further their mission. Our authors have produced original children's books, memoir collections and novels-in-stories. To learn more and to see a full catalog of Shout Mouse titles, visit www.ShoutMousePress.org.

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 her going was her singing. Read this inspiring tale of a girl who overcame the odds, written by girls who understand her struggle. Bilingual in Creole and English.The Story Behind the Story: Written by a team of young women served by the Restavek Freedom Foundation, Jenika Sings For Freedom aims to raise awareness about the inhumanity and injustice of child slavery in Haiti. At the same time, the books give these young women the opportunity to shape the stories of their own lives with power and possibility and hope.This project was a collaboration between Restavek Freedom Foundation and Shout Mouse Press.Restavek Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Cincinnati, Ohio with a mission to end child slavery in Haiti in our lifetime. To learn more, visit www.RestavekFreedom.org.Shout Mouse Press is a nonprofit writing program and publishing house for unheard voices. To learn more and to see a full catalog of Shout Mouse titles, visit www.ShoutMousePress.org.

Mariah really wants to take over her parents' fruit shop one day, but they don't think she can do it. Why? Because she's blind. When her parents leave on vacation, Mariah gets her hands on the keys to the store. With the help of her parrot sidekick, Blue, Mariah must find a way to get the job done.The authors of this story are part of an innovative program run by Reach Incorporated. Reach creates confident readers and capable leaders by training teens to teach, creating academic benefit for both tutors and students. Learn more at reachincorporated.org.Books were created in collaboration with Shout Mouse Press. Shout Mouse is a writing program and publishing house for unheard voices. Learn more at shoutmousepress.org

Madison is a first-grader who can't sit still. She wants to make her teacher like her, but she also wants to jump and scream and play tag with her imaginary best friend, Alex. When Madison accidentally lets her class pet bunny out of its cage during recess, she will have to get creative and form unlikely friendships - and not just imaginary ones - if she wants to prove to her class that a hyperactive little girl can still be responsible.The authors of this story are part of an innovative program run by Reach Incorporated. Reach develops grade-level readers and capable leaders by preparing teens to serve as tutors and role models for younger students, resulting in improved literacy outcomes for both. Learn more at reachincorporated.org. Books were created in collaboration with Shout Mouse Press. Shout Mouse is a nonprofit writing program and publishing house for unheard voices. Through writing workshops designed for all levels of literacy, Shout Mouse empowers writers from marginalized backgrounds to tell their own stories in their own voices and, as published authors, to act as agents of change. Learn more at shoutmousepress.org