Lucky Dogs, Lost Hats, and Dating Don'ts, is a collection of 14 illustrated hi-lo (high interest-low reading level) short stories written especially for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and other learning challenges. Middle schoolers through adults will identify with these true-to-life stories. Some characters have a disability and some don't, but all of them want to be as independent as possible. And just like real life, there are episodes of hilarity, poignancy, messiness, responsibility, longing, fulfillment, and adventure. Whether it's about roommate troubles, wanting a pet, getting a girlfriend, or going camping with friends, these appealing short stories engage readers and get them thinking about subtle life lessons. A set of questions at the end of each story encourage discussion and self-reflection. Stories included are: A Day of Kindness A Very Lucky Dog Adventures in Camping Bad Hair Day Dear Diary Dirty Dishes Doctor Visit Evening Walks How to Find a Girlfriend Road Trip Slugger Sneezes The Kissing Scene Tornado at Big Burger Written by literacy experts who work with people with developmental disabilities, the stories range in reading grade level from 1.7 to 3.4 (Flesch–Kincaid scale) and are illustrated with large format photos. Large, sans serif type, wide margins, and extra space between paragraphs, makes for easy reading. If you're a parent, teacher, reading specialist, book club coordinator, librarian, or counselor who has been searching for hi-lo stories to use with your students with ID or learning challenges, look no further! Gr 8 Up-This anthology, written at a second- or third-grade reading level, is aimed at "developmentally disabled populations." It focuses on "relationships-romantic and platonic, personal and professional." In "Dirty Dishes," a woman struggles with her roommate, who is messy. While cleaning up the kitchen, she is shocked to find a bug in the sink. The protagonist must figure out a way to approach her roommate about the situation. Other highlights include stories about a camping trip gone awry and a bad-hair day. Older readers will definitely relate to stories about a man who is afraid to go to a new doctor and a lucky hat that goes missing. In addition to the 12 short stories, the book includes two plays that can be used for reader's theater. With a large typeface and black-and-white photos, this collection is definitely less intimidating for struggling readers. That said, the photographs are a bit amateurish. Questions at the end of each story are loosely based on the text and are written for book-club discussion prompts. High school special education teachers interested in using this book for literacy units aligned to the Common Core State Standards will have to create their own text-dependent questions.-Lindsay Klemas, JM Rapport School for Career Development, Bronx, NYα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Whether the reader is an adult who struggles to read, or a teen with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), Lucky Dogs is an enjoyable, non-threatening series of stories that will captivate, provoke thought, and enable discussion. -- ForeWord Reviews Tom Fish is the founder of NCBC and the Director of Family and Employment Services at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center on Disabilities.Jillian Ober is a Program Manager for the Nisonger Center and conducts NCBC training workshops around the country.