Satchel O'Rye, devoted son of an impoverished couple in a dying rural town, must weigh in balance the life of his most cherished dog and the freedom of a mysterious rare animal.

While the residents of his town concern themselves with the disappearance of three children, a lonely, rejected nine-year-old boy worries that he may inherit his mother's insanity.

From the moment Fred (never Winifred!) spots a scruffy little mutt with sad eyes, she knows she's in big trouble. Toby's in bad shape, and Fred longs to rescue him from the old man with the mile-long mean streak who lives next door. But Margery -- the straight-talking woman who is fostering Fred -- says going over to their house is against the rules. And since Fred will only be around until her mother comes to grips with her dependence, Fred can't...

Later, I would think of it as crossing over. From a known territory into an unknown. From a place where people know you to a place where people only think they know you. It began with me a year ago this past July. A few weeks after my fourteenth birthday. When Freaky Green Eyes came into my heart. When her parents separate, Franky Pierson has no trouble deciding whose side she's on. After all, her mother is the one who chose to leave. And when...

Delsie loves tracking the weather--lately, though, it seems the squalls are in her own life. She's always lived with her kindhearted Grammy, but now she's looking at their life with new eyes and wishing she could have a "regular family." Delsie observes other changes in the air, too--the most painful being a friend who's outgrown her. Luckily, she has neighbours with strong shoulders to support her, and Ronan, a new friend who is caring and courageous...

When Mari and her stepsister Sierra share a ride to a music festival with two brothers, T.J. and Tyler, Mari and T.J. are instantly attracted to each other, but Mari is only in Chicago for a weekend with her father's new family, and eventually she will have to return to her increasingly abusive mother--unless she can overcome her reservations about dating and maybe arrange to stay in Chicago permanently. Mari doesn't believe in dating-- it can only...

This isn't a home--it's a house with four wall and no heart. From the outside, Tyler's life seems pretty good. His dad is a doctor and his parents are well-respected members of the community. They live in a nice house and Tyler has enough spending money. But behind closed doors his dad's drinking problem and verbal abuse towards Tyler have gotten worse as his mom's mental health has decline. Soon, Tyler starts going home only for meals and to sleep,...

Sixteen-year-old Carlos Duarte is on the verge of realizing his dream of becoming a famous make-up artist, but first he must face his jealous boss at a Macy's cosmetics counter, his sister's abusive boyfriend, and his crush on a punk-rocker classmate.

Caz thinks she has a pretty good reason when she punches her boyfriend in the face, but she gets expelled anyway. Moving to a new school, she is told she is dyslexic and sent to special education classes. Caz tries to fit in and get by while suffering the taunts and abuse that others throw at the students in her class. Her friendship with Amanda leads her into new territory-- shop-lifting and skipping school. Coupled with her parents' impending separation,...

Struggling with painful memories of her parents' fatal car accident and abuse at the hands of her violent twin brother, orphan Leia hides in the elephant habitat at the zoo.