Teen Edition (Grades 6-12)

Cover illustration for a book titled "Ready or Not?" featuring a young woman with blonde hair sitting on the ground, writing in a notebook, surrounded by images of people, houses, and playing cards, with a background of street scenes and illustrations. The cover also credits the writer, Marcy Bursac, and the artist, Tina Ritchie.

A ready-to-use reading experience that helps students explore identity, belonging, and resilience through story.

Designed for middle and high school students.

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Bring This to Your Classroom

Built around the graphic novel “Ready or Not?”

Teaching elementary (K–5)? Explore the Junior Edition →

Bring This Story Into Your Classroom

A ready-to-use 2-week classroom unit with full teacher resources.
eBook available now. Paperback coming in June.

A person sitting on a bed, looking out the window with their knees pulled up, appearing sad. There is a book open on the bed and a clock on the wall. The person has shoulder-length hair and is wearing a hoodie. A speech bubble says, 'I don't need more foster care. I just need to make it to 18.'

What This Is

A Story That Opens Real Conversations

This is a 2-week classroom unit built around a graphic novel your students will actually want to read.

Students follow Olena, a teen navigating foster care, identity, and belonging. As they read, they engage in guided discussions, writing, and reflection that connect the story to real-life experiences.

This is not a lecture or a one-time lesson.

It is a structured way to help students think more deeply, listen more carefully, and understand one another.

Behind the Story

Ready or Not? was inspired by real conversations and lived experiences connected to foster care, adoption, identity, and belonging.

Listen to the stories that helped shape the book.

Explore the Real Stories →

A comic strip with two panels showing two women in a car. The woman with light brown hair on the right is talking to the woman with blonde hair on the left. The woman on the right says, 'Olena, I know you were hoping things would work out with your mom, but the court decided this is the best option for now.' The woman on the left looks sad and asks, 'Why can't I go back to my mom now?'.

How It Works

Flexible. Classroom-Ready. Built for Real Schedules.

This unit is designed to be taught over approximately two weeks, with 45-minute sessions each day. It is flexible and can be adapted to fit your classroom schedule, pacing, and student needs.

What the Unit Includes

structured daily lesson plans for a two-week unit
pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities
guided discussion questions for meaningful conversations
student reflection prompts and writing activities
visual quick-write prompts to support engagement
a sample lesson plan to help you get started

Bring This to Your Classroom

Not Ready to Teach the Full Unit? Start Here

If you’re looking for a simple way to introduce this topic, the Student Contest is an easy place to begin.

Students can respond through art or writing while exploring themes of identity, belonging, and foster care.

Start the Student Contest

Open to middle and high school students

Have feedback from your classroom?
Share what connected, what sparked conversation, and what could improve future versions.

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