As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

Having told off all of her old friends at her eleventh birthday party, Rissa starts middle school determined to make new friends while being herself, not simply being part of a "herd."

Told from two viewpoints, Derek Fitzpatrick, kicked out of boarding school, must move with his stepmother to her childhood home in Illinois, where he meets Ashtyn Parker, who may be able to achieve her dream of a football scholarship with bad boy Derek'shelp.

Eighteen-year-old Rani, a budding photographer, grapples with first love, family boundaries, and the complications of a cross-cultural relationship. Rani Kelkar never lied to her parents-- until she meets Oliver. The same qualities that draw her in-- his tattoos, his charisma, his passion for art-- make him her mother's worst nightmare. When Oliver's troubled home life unravels, he starts to ask more of Rani than she knows how to give. When a twist...

Sixth-grader Amalia learns many important life-lessons while spending Friday afternoons with her beloved grandmother, and the teaching goes on even after Abuelita's sudden death as Amalia finds a way to connect with relatives and a friend who has moved away.

"When nerdy 12-year-old Charlie Drinkwater spontaneously morphs into a giant sea creature, the big question is: could this be his ticket to popularity at last?"-- Provided by publisher.

"Shortly after spontaneously morphing into a giant mutant dinosaur, 12-year-old Charlie Drinkwater discovers he's not the only creature in town"-- Provided by publisher.