{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Executive Functioning, Parent Advocacy, and A Night of Madness","description":"In this episode of the Reading With Your Kids Podcast, we\u2019re celebrating two very different \u2013 but beautifully connected \u2013 books that can spark powerful family conversations. First, Jed welcomes Denise Abdale, author of the back\u2011to\u2011school picture book \u201cJacob Gets Organized.\u201d Drawing on over 40 years as an educator and special education advocate, Denise explains what executive functioning skills really are\u2014planning, organization, time management\u2014and why so many kids struggle with them. She shares practical, parent-friendly strategies: color\u2011coded notebooks and folders, labeled buckets, predictable routines, and breaking \u201cclean your room\u201d into tiny, concrete steps. Denise emphasizes that behavior is communication, not defiance, and urges parents to advocate for their kids at school while teaching independence at home. We also hear about her other books, including \u201cThe Adventures of Pickles and Rufus,\u201d many inspired by her students\u2019 real\u2011life challenges. Then we shift gears into spooky season with Ryan Douglass, author of the YA horror novel \u201cNight of Madness.\u201d Ryan introduces us to Mara Jacobs, an 18\u2011year\u2011old horror fan who enters an overnight movie competition that turns into a deadly, locked\u2011room challenge. The story blends \u201880s horror vibes with very modern themes: toxic social media competition, the pressure to be \u201cfamous,\u201d and the search for validation online. Ryan talks about collaborating with Temple Hill, crafting characters who surprise even him, and why he hopes families use this book to talk about what truly matters in life\u2014and to remind young people that they are enough, just as they are. ","author_name":"Reading With Your Kids Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com\/site","html":"