65 books like Assessing Student Threats

By John Van Dreal (editor),

Here are 65 books that Assessing Student Threats fans have personally recommended if you like Assessing Student Threats. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines: Intervention and Support to Prevent Violence

Peter Langman Author Of Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike

From my list on how we can prevent school shootings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never wanted to study mass murder or violence of any kind. I was doing my internship for my Ph.D. in counseling psychology at a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents when the attack at Columbine High School occurred. Within ten days of that attack, a 16-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because he was viewed as a Columbine-type risk. I was assigned to conduct a psychological evaluation of him. Then another potential school shooter was admitted. And another. Seeking insight into this population and learning how to recognize the warning signs and prevent impending attacks has become my life’s work.

Peter's book list on how we can prevent school shootings

Peter Langman Why did Peter love this book?

Dr. Dewey Cornell is the foremost research of threat assessment in K-12 schools.

This book provides step-by-step guidelines on creating and running threat assessment teams. Dr. Cornell provides multiple sample documents and allows them to be copied, making this a very user-friendly text.

He also explains his research demonstrating the effectiveness and benefits of utilizing threat assessment teams. 

By Dewey Cornell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Presenting the only K-12 school threat assessment model supported by controlled studies, this new manual is a sequel to the author's original manual, Guidelines for Responding to Student Threats of Violence. The new manual retains the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines (VSTAG), but adds new research, improved forms, and more comprehensive coverage of student and non-student threats. Used nationwide. Training available from the author at www.schoolta.com.


Book cover of 15-Minute Focus: Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management for K-12 Schools

Peter Langman Author Of Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike

From my list on how we can prevent school shootings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never wanted to study mass murder or violence of any kind. I was doing my internship for my Ph.D. in counseling psychology at a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents when the attack at Columbine High School occurred. Within ten days of that attack, a 16-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because he was viewed as a Columbine-type risk. I was assigned to conduct a psychological evaluation of him. Then another potential school shooter was admitted. And another. Seeking insight into this population and learning how to recognize the warning signs and prevent impending attacks has become my life’s work.

Peter's book list on how we can prevent school shootings

Peter Langman Why did Peter love this book?

This is another excellent guide to establishing and running threat assessment teams in K-12 schools.

A particular strength, however, is the focus on not only detecting threats, but managing them. The discussion of safety plans and how to work with students who are at risk for violence, as well as the case histories illustrating this process, add significantly to the value of this book.

By Melissa A Louvar Reeves,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 15-Minute Focus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 15-Minute Focus: Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management for K-12 Schools, Dr. Melissa A. Louvar Reeves explains the interrelated factors that play a role in a person’s decision to plan and carry out an act of violence.

Every year, stories about violence in schools make headlines around the world. And every year, questions surface: How could this have been prevented? What were the warning signs? What changes do we need to make in our schools and communities to prevent this from happening yet again?

This book will help answer those questions, as you learn about the factors that affect decision-making,…


Book cover of Harm to Others: The Assessment and Treatment of Dangerousness

Peter Langman Author Of Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike

From my list on how we can prevent school shootings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never wanted to study mass murder or violence of any kind. I was doing my internship for my Ph.D. in counseling psychology at a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents when the attack at Columbine High School occurred. Within ten days of that attack, a 16-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because he was viewed as a Columbine-type risk. I was assigned to conduct a psychological evaluation of him. Then another potential school shooter was admitted. And another. Seeking insight into this population and learning how to recognize the warning signs and prevent impending attacks has become my life’s work.

Peter's book list on how we can prevent school shootings

Peter Langman Why did Peter love this book?

This book is an excellent guide to threat assessment and violence prevention in higher education.

It includes material on threats posed by students as well as employees. What I particularly appreciate about this work is that it includes numerous case examples of therapeutic work with people who presented a risk of violence.

This clinical focus is rare in works on this topic and makes this book especially important. 

By Brian Van Brunt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Harm to Others as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Harm to Others offers students and clinicians an effective way to increase their knowledge of and training in violence risk and threat assessment, while providing a comprehensive examination of current treatment approaches. In an easy-to-understand, jargon-free manner, Dr. Van Brunt shares his observations, extensive clinical expertise, and the latest research on what clinicians should be aware of when performing risk and threat assessments.

Features
Numerous examples from recent mass shootings and rampage violence to help explain the motivations and risk factors of those who make threats
Two unique, detailed case transcripts to demonstrate how to conduct a threat assessment
Treatment…


Book cover of Saving Sycamore: The School Shooting That Never Happened

Peter Langman Author Of Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike

From my list on how we can prevent school shootings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never wanted to study mass murder or violence of any kind. I was doing my internship for my Ph.D. in counseling psychology at a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents when the attack at Columbine High School occurred. Within ten days of that attack, a 16-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because he was viewed as a Columbine-type risk. I was assigned to conduct a psychological evaluation of him. Then another potential school shooter was admitted. And another. Seeking insight into this population and learning how to recognize the warning signs and prevent impending attacks has become my life’s work.

Peter's book list on how we can prevent school shootings

Peter Langman Why did Peter love this book?

This book is the remarkable story of a remarkable woman whose compassion for her students preventing a school massacre.

Unlike the other texts I’m recommending, this book will not tell you how to conduct threat assessments. It is an inspirational story that demonstrates the power of love and interpersonal connections to make our schools safer.

The bottom line is that the more that our schools are places where children feel that at least one adult cares about them, the safer they will be. This book portrays the kind of compassion that can save lives. 

By Molly Bradley Hudgens,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Saving Sycamore as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Power of Faith, Hope, and Relationships

On September 28, 2016, school counselor Molly Hudgens was in her office at Sycamore Middle School when a fourteen-year-old armed with a semiautomatic handgun and an additional magazine of ammunition came to her in the counseling department. His plan was to kill people on campus. He told Hudgens she was the only person who could talk him out of it. After ninety minutes of talking with the young man, and ultimately praying on her knees with him, he relinquished the gun with no shots fired and no lives lost.

In this memoir, Hudgens…


Book cover of Into the Labyrinth

Shami Stovall Author Of Knightmare Arcanist

From my list on progression fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I was young, I’ve loved fantasy novels, movies, and video games. When I got to high school, I finally met people who played Dungeons and Dragons, and it was all downhill from there! I started Dungeon Mastering at a young age, but everyone said I had a real talent for it. The stories I created always caught the imagination of the players, and more than once, people told me I should write books. Well, here I am. I love escapist fantasy, epic adventures, wonderful characters, and terrible villains. I can’t get enough of them, and every day I immerse myself in the fantastical, whether it be reading another book, writing another story, or booting up another Final Fantasy game.

Shami's book list on progression fantasy

Shami Stovall Why did Shami love this book?

Into the Labyrinth by John Bierce is another academy-fantasy tale where the main character, Hugh, studies magic alongside others. This is a great story for emotional development and plot twists! At first, things seem like they don’t add up, but by the end, you get a satisfying sense of “ah-ha!” as most of your questions are answered (not all, though!).

This is a great coming-of-age story where Hugh finds great mentors, deals with his first love, and struggles with magic where others excel. It’s a great entry point for younger readers, too. Just well worth the read.

By John Bierce,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Into the Labyrinth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hugh of Emblin is, so far as he's concerned, the worst student that the Academy at Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells at all, and those he does cast tend to fail explosively. If that wasn't bad enough, he's also managed to attract the ire of the most promising student of his year- who also happens to be the nephew of a king. Hugh has no friends, no talent, and definitely doesn't expect a mage to choose him as an apprentice at all during the upcoming Choosing. When a very unexpected mage does choose him as…


Book cover of My Life as a Gamer

Sylv Chiang Author Of Tournament Trouble

From my list on middle grade for kids who love video games.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a middle grade teacher who loves to read. Many of my students prefer to play video games. In fact, some of them have a real aversion to reading. Since I know reading ability is a huge factor in a student’s academic success, I’m always looking for great books to get students to put down their controllers and read. When I couldn’t find many, I was inspired to write the CROSS UPS TRILOGY. I’m confident that the books on this list will lure young gamers into their covers with gaming themes, humor, and relatable characters. 

Sylv's book list on middle grade for kids who love video games

Sylv Chiang Why did Sylv love this book?

It’s always great when middle-graders find a series they like. The books in the My Life as… series are fast-paced, full of laughs, and not overwhelming. The text is large and the chapters are short, with little illustrations along the sides of the pages to explain vocabulary. The main character, Derek, doesn’t like to read, which makes him very relatable for reluctant readers. 

In My Life as a Gamer, Derek gets the chance to participate in a gaming company’s focus group and test new video games – a dream for any gamer.

By Janet Tashjian, Jake Tashjian (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Life as a Gamer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Derek Fallon gets the chance of a lifetime - to participate in a gaming company focus group and to test out a new video game called "Arctic Ninja." Together with his friends Carly, Matt, and Umberto, Derek thinks his gaming talents will be showcased. But he soon realises that everyone has got him beat, including whiz kid El Cid. On top of that, school reading tests have begun and Derek feels doubly off his game. Isn't there anything he's good at?

Here's another funny and heartfelt book about the irrepressible Derek Fallon as he tries to navigate life in middle…


Book cover of Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Travis Nichols Author Of A Witch's Last Resort

From my list on friendly freaks, monsters, and cryptids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a lifelong monster fiend. I love horror and sci-fi, and I especially love stories that really dig into characters and how they smash into each other. My favorite scary books (and movies, etc.) are funny, and my favorite funny books are kinda scary. It can be super healing and empowering to read books about terrible things that are handled with a heaping scoop of empathy and humor and absurdity.

Travis' book list on friendly freaks, monsters, and cryptids

Travis Nichols Why did Travis love this book?

What can I say? It’s the goated friendly freaks book.

This collection of super short connected stories stars one kid per tale. The kids are weird and wild, and something that has really stuck with me my whole life is that some of the kids are rotten and stay rotten. Not everyone needs to grow and change in 120 pages.

Let a character stink. Let a kid be a wet rat. Let a nasty teacher be eaten. Anyway, there’s this incredible way that the author employs a third-person limited POV that gets me every time, even on the hundredth read.

A few illustrators have graced the pages of this all-time favorite. I grew up reading an edition illustrated by the amazing Julie Brinkloe. I also have a copy illustrated by Adam McCauley, which I also really love.

By Louis Sachar, Tim Heitz (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Sideways Stories from Wayside School as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

There has been a terrible mistake. Instead of having thirty classrooms side by side, Wayside School is thirty storeys high! (The builder said he was sorry.) Perhaps that's why all sorts of strange and unusual things keep happening - especially in Mrs Jewls's classroom on the very top floor.

There's the terrifying Mrs Gorf, who gets an unusually fruity comeuppance; Terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early; and Mauricia, who has a strange ice-cream addiction. Meanwhile, John can only read upside down, and Leslie is determined to sell her own toes.

From top to bottom, Wayside is packed with…


Book cover of Mangaman

J.M. Frey Author Of The Untold Tale

From my list on meta-fiction about books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an actor as well as a writer. I’ve spent more hours than can be counted dissecting stories and characters in order to better understand and transmit them to an audience. While standing on a stage, an actor is never unaware that they are performing for others. We may lose ourselves in a moment, in a character, in emotion, but the applause and the gasps, and the laughter always bring us back. As a writer, I spend a lot of time tapping into that feeling of ignoring-while-being-totally-aware of the fourth wall. I love books that wink at readers the way actors can at audiences.

J.M.'s book list on meta-fiction about books

J.M. Frey Why did J.M. love this book?

I wrote my undergrad thesis on the migration of visual tropes from traditional Japanese theatre (Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki) into modern art forms (Manga, Anime, Supakabuki/Anime Musicals), which was a rigorous exercise because I couldn’t just compare the tropes—I had to spend hours explaining them to my advisor. It was a fascinating (sometimes exasperating) lesson in learning to read one visual vocabulary, only to have to explain it to someone else in terms that they understood using another.

This blurred-xerox-translation-of-a-translation exercise is the central theme of Mangaman, where a Shojou-esque protagonist falls from a fantastical manga world into a comic. Visual conventions clash, where he walks the wrong way across panels, and where his speed lines accidentally stab people in the school hallway.

By Barry Lyga, Colleen Doran (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mangaman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

East meets West in this innovative and very smart graphic novel by Barry Lyga, illustrated by Colleen Doran.Sci-fi adventure meets love story—and East meets West—in Mangaman, an original
graphic novel for teens.
Ryoko, a manga character from a manga world, falls through the Rip into the “real” world—the western world—and tries to survive as the ultimate outsider at a typical American high school.
When Ryoko falls in love with Marissa Montaigne, the most beautiful girl in the school, his eyes turn to hearts and comic tension tightens as his way of being drawn and expressing himself clashes with this different…


Book cover of Those Kids from Fawn Creek

Jasmine Warga Author Of The Shape of Thunder

From my list on middle grade with heart and honesty.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a middle grade author, and I believe so much in the power of books to help broker conversations between kids and the adults in their lives, especially if those conversations are about things that are often tricky and tough to talk about. I love how middle grade fiction will fearlessly tackle these difficult topics, but does so well with heart and humor. 

Jasmine's book list on middle grade with heart and honesty

Jasmine Warga Why did Jasmine love this book?

I love this book so much! It is about a small town in Louisiana, Fawn Creek (known as Yawn Creek to the residents) where the same 12 kids have been going to school forever until one day a new girl, Orchid Mason shows up and begins to mix things up. It’s about friendship, family, self-deception, and following your dreams. I absolutely loved it. Erin Entrada Kelly is such a master at showing the reader multiple perspectives, which greatly enhances the reading experience. 

By Erin Entrada Kelly,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Those Kids from Fawn Creek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

“A powerful and thought-provoking story.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“An emotionally resonant story about authenticity and belonging.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A raw, real exploration of belonging that’s also sweetly hopeful.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Every day in Fawn Creek, Louisiana, is exactly the same—until Orchid Mason arrives. From Erin Entrada Kelly, the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this contemporary school story set in small-town Louisiana is about friendship, family, deception, and being true to yourself and your dreams.

There are twelve kids in the seventh grade at Fawn Creek Middle…


Book cover of The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts

Nicole Audet Author Of Are You Eating My Lunch?

From my list on bedtime stories turning kids into book lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

My journey as a writer began in correlation with my career as a family doctor. After reading Dr. Jacques Ferron’s, books, I knew I wanted to be an author as well as a doctor. While pursuing my medical career, I wrote medical articles and books. My husband and I have also been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul of Quebecers with the story Witness of the Last Breath. This is the story of the last night of my daughter-in-law dying of lung cancer. Before she died, I promised Marie-Noëlle that I would pursue my writing career to change the world one young reader at a time. And I did.

Nicole's book list on bedtime stories turning kids into book lovers

Nicole Audet Why did Nicole love this book?

In this picture book, the author and illustrator explain to children how empathy and compassion make a difference in relationships.

This book will console children and give them the hope and confidence to move forward in life, despite the pitfalls and challenges they face. Read it to any child facing problems to help them solve them. At the end, the author lists recommended books and websites on the same topics. A reference book on empathy.

By Trudy Ludwig, Mike Curato,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Power of One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


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