With his family still grieving over his sister's death in a terrorist bombing seven years earlier, twelve-year-old Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and keeping his new Muslim friend Sunya a secret from his father.

"More than anything, ten-year-old Weezie wants to please her momma. She babysits her spoiled half-sister, Ruth Ann, and little Jackson. She makes tea for Momma in Gramma Emmeline's beautiful teapot. She even tries to cook dinner. But nothing turns out quite right. And Momma is never pleased. Hard times and a daddy who ran off before she was born seem to have stolen all of Momma's love. If only Weezie could find her daddy, she's sure her life would...

A sad and silent nine-year-old boy finds his voice when he moves next to a family that rescues dogs.

Eleven-year-old Kate lives with her grandmother, who runs a junk shop in a big old house on the outskirts of town. It sometimes feels sad to be in the business of collecting other people's leftover stuff, but Kate knows sad. She's a bit lonely, and she doesn't remember her mother, who left long ago. Still, Kate dreams that one day her mother will return, and when she does, she'll need money. So Kate sets out to make some, just in case. At first she...

After surviving sixth grade, Rafe expects seventh grade to be a fun zone because he's been accepted to art school in the big city, but when he discovers it's more competitive than he expected, he sets out to turn his boring life into the inspiration for a work of art.

Ignored by her parents since her "perfect" older sister, Julia, had a baby, Cassie, twelve, foregoes her summer plans to join Julia and baby Addie on a road trip.

Twin brother and sister Benji and Kelly wander off at the local county fair after witnessing their parents argue. When Benji runs into a group of bullies, he escapes into a tent called The Memory Emporium, where he meets a strange old man inside named Louis. The old man shows him a magically vivid memory of a fighter pilot, in the hopes of getting Benji to pay to see other memories Louis has collected from people over the years. Benji quickly realizes...

For Georgia, this summer is shaping up to be a big disappointment. Mama is busy studying for her biology degree. Daddy is working nights, and often the man who comes home isn't Daddy: he's a man who looks like Daddy but walks a little wobbly, who sounds like Daddy but sings a little too loud. Georgia calls him the Shadow Man. So now, instead of riding horses with her friends at camp, Georgia is sent off to the country to stay with her mysterious great-aunt...

The family routine is upset during Ramona's year in second grade when her father unexpectedly loses his job. Ramona Quimby is a character intimately known by Beverly Cleary readers. In this story of Ramona's year in second grade they will come to know Mr. Quimby equally well. As it opens he loses his job without warning, and Ramona's seven-year-old view of this all-too-frequently family crisis rings every change of mood from tears to laughter. Not...

"For as long as he can remember, Malcolm has never felt like he was good enough ... That is, until Malcolm discovers miniature golf, the one sport he actually enjoys ... And best of all, its a sport his dad can't possibly obsess over. Or so Malcolm thinks. Soon he is signed up for lessons and entered in tournaments. And yet, even as he becomes a better golfer and finds unexpected friends at the local course, he wonders if he might not always be a...