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Full Stop (Loretta Lawson Mystery)
by Joan SmithFrom the book jacket: "Joan Smith's Loretta Lawson mysteries have been praised by The Washington Post as a "charming combination of sophistication, wit and unpretentious learning," and by Elle magazine as "refreshing." A brilliant British feminist, Loretta Lawson has faced many a challenge in her amateur sleuthing career, but nothing could have prepared her for this surreal adventure on the other side of the Atlantic. Loretta Lawson is already a little apprehensive about spending a hot, muggy weekend alone in New York City at her friend Toni's apartment. And it seems her fears are confirmed when she receives a series of mysterious and threatening phone calls. What's more, as she explores the exciting, unfamiliar city, she has the uneasy impression that someone is watching her, perhaps even following her. As much as Loretta would like to enjoy a carefree holiday, there are other incidents she can't easily dismiss: unsettling encounters in museums and stores, and the frightening fact that someone has been trying to sneak upstairs to her apartment. Is Loretta the target of these unnerving attentions or are they aimed at Toni? Loretta begins to think that she cannot trust her own judgment; the one person who might lend a hand - her ex-husband, journalist John Tracey, also in New York on a story - has too many problems of his own to help. In the end, Loretta must face the terrifying events that unfold alone. Full Stop is a chilling story about pursuit, about being alone in a strange city where every news bulletin reports another violent crime, about the fine line between danger and paranoia. Challenging, witty, and disturbing, it is Joan Smith's most sophisticated and suspense-packed novel to date.
The Alfred Summer
by Jan Slepian<P>No one understands them- but they understand each other. <P>Lester's smart, handsome, and thoughtful-but he has cerebral palsy, and that's all anyone sees. It's the same for Alfred, Claire, and Myron. Alfred is incredibly honest and kind; Claire pulls no punches; Myron makes sure that everyone is taken care of. On the outside, though, Alfred is "slow," mentally challenged; Claire is a tomboy; and Myron is overweight and clumsy. <P>The four meet and quickly band together, and soon they're working on an amazing project: The Getaway, a full-size boat they're building" in Myron's basement. Can four misfits make something beautiful to show the world? Can they enjoy approval from their parents and kids their age, going out without being made fun of, freedom, laughs and accomplishments other kids seem to take for granted? <P>Alfred's summer is a summer of close calls, hard falls, good times and tough times and life getting more worthwhile and exciting.
Lester's Turn
by Jan SlepianIn the stunning sequel to Jan Slepian's critically acclaimed first novel, The Alfred Summer. Everything has changed and none of it good as far as 16-year-old Lester is concerned. Worst of all is watching his retarded friend Alfie waste away in the hospital. Lester, himself a cerebral palsy victim, is desperate to save Alfie, and from this desperation is born the daring-- but disastrous--kidnapping attempt. Still determined to rescue Alfie somehow, Lester enlists the aid of his old friend Claire who awakens his desire to love a girlfriend, Claire's new neighbors, Lena, who seems like a movie star, her musical prodigy son Alex; and a young hospital volunteer, generous, endearing, impossibly romantic Tillie-Rose. But even their combined efforts cannot save Alfie. In the ensuing tragedy, Lester is forced to examine the real motives behind "The Alfred Fund" and is finally able to turn to his own future with hope. With honesty and sensitivity, Jan Slepian confronts the problems of disabled youngsters in this witty, powerful coming-of-age novel that explores the many ways we need, use and love others. She shows how teens cling to unrealistic fantasies of their future and of how reality forces them to look at their lives differently. Bookshare has "The Alfred Summer," the tale of Alfie and Lester one happy, challenging, summer when they adventure together to build a boat. Check it out to read more of Lester's story.
Marco's Millions
by William Sleator[From the back cover:] A door to another world When Marco's fragile little sister, Lilly, tells him about the strange lights in the basement, he thinks she's imagining things. But Marco is curious, and it isn't long before he investigates and finds a passage into a strange world, the likes of which he's never seen. The insect-like inhabitants who live there know all about Lilly and believe she is special. They beg Marco to bring her to them so that she can save their world from ruin. Can Marco help the creatures and protect Lilly from harm?" Can he survive twisted time and gravity and deadly acrobatics? If he does, what will he find when he returns to his family. What will he do when he has the chance to make millions of journeys with all the time in the world? This is a science fiction story grounded in the world as we know it. Then using the laws of physics it extends beyond our imaginations. A challenging book for young readers and of interest to adult SF readers as well.
Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, Book #3)
by Nalini SinghAn ancient and malevolent female immortal is rising in Manhattan to reclaim her son, the archangel Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena Deveraux, a vampire-hunter and Raphael's lover.
Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, Book #2)
by Nalini SinghThe "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Angels' Blood" returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman who has been thrust into their darkly seductive world.
Blaze of Memory (Psy-Changelings #7)
by Nalini SinghDev Santos finds a woman with amnesia-- and all she can remember is that she's dangerous. Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to kill, Katya's only hope is Dev. But he could very well be her next target.
Bonds of Justice (Psy-Changelings #8)
by Nalini SinghMax Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned to is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor's closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of catastrophic mental fracture.
Play of Passion (Psy-Changelings #9)
by Nalini SinghPassion and reason collide with explosive force in the newest installment of Singh's "New York Times"-bestselling Psy/Changelings series. As a conflict with Pure Psy looms on the horizon, two powerful wolves fight a far more intimate war of their own.
The Jungle (Abridged)
by Upton Sinclair Janice GreeneIn this abridgement of Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle, younger readers are introduced to the history of immigrants employed in the meat packing industry in the early 1900's in Chicago. They get an idea of the struggles faced by folks new to America at that time.
Danny Is Dead Meat!
by Moya Simons[From the back cover:] "What do you do when everything you do gets you in to trouble? Ask Danny Thompson and he'll probably tell you to join the club. Even when he tries to stay out of trouble, it just follows him around. Like the time he loses his baby sister in the supermarket. Who would guess that a kid in a stroller could get away so fast? Or the time when the same baby sister decides to smear paint all over Danny's already completed art project--and it wins first prize! Will Danny ever find his kid sister?(Yes.) Will he have the guts to explain that he's not exactly an artistic genius? (Maybe.) Will the biggest (and meanest) kid in Danny's class let Danny live to see his next birthday? (Uh, probably.) Things look pretty bad, but Danny knows they can't possibly get any worse--or can they?"
Flashback
by Jenny SilerDiscovered in a ditch by the side of a country road in France, Eve has only good American dentistry and a ferry ticket scribbled with Arabic letters to suggest her identity. That, and a bullet wound in her brain that she miraculously survives, even as it destroys her memory. Only a few scattered violent images remain-or are they dreams?-along with one undeniable physical fact: she has had a child. When the nuns who have sheltered her for a year are brutally massacred, Eve realizes that whoever she was in her past life, she had powerful enemies. Just half a step ahead of her pursuers, she lights out for Morocco in an attempt to retrace her steps and discover her past. Away from the convent, she begins to discover things that startle her-among them, her capacity for violence and her facility with guns. Was she a spy? Who is the dying man in her nightmares? As she searches through spice-scented souks and glamorous nightclubs for clues to her past, she has to figure out who is after her, and why-before it's too late. Within scenes of heart-stopping terror, Jenny Siler's lyrical writing and memorable images stand out. As Marilyn Stasio said of Easy Money in The New York Times Book Review, Siler's is 'a voice that gets your attention like a rifle shot.'
Ah, Sweet Mystery
by Celestine SibleyKate Kincaid Mulcay has a tranquil life in her country log cabin and a pleasant routine of writing thrice-weekly columns for an Atlanta newspaper. All that is shattered when she discovers that Miss Willie Wilcox, a beloved eighty-five year-old neighbor, has calmly confessed to the brutal murder of her stepson, Garney. But Kate knows Miss Willie too well to believe she could kill anyone, and a little investigation shows that the facts don't add up. Soon she's off on the trail of the real murderer, a dangerous chase that leads her from the drug deals of downtown Atlanta to the wealthy new subdivisions of her own hometown. Kate finds herself attending three funerals related to the case and she and two little girls she is sheltering are threatened. Set in big city Atlanta and the remnants of rural Georgia, and featuring many colorful characters from disappearing and emerging cultures, this is an engrossing mystery with heart.
Just Who Will You Be? Big Question, Little Book, Answer Within
by Maria Shriver"I've learned that asking ourselves not just what we want to be, but who we want to be is important at every stage of our lives, not just when we're starting out in the world. That's because in a way, we're starting out fresh in the world every single day." Just Who Will You Be? is a candid, heartfelt, and inspirational book for seekers of all ages. Inspired by a speech she gave, Maria Shriver's message is that what you do in your life isn't what matters. It's who you are. It's an important lesson that will appeal to anyone of any age looking for a life of meaning. In her own life, Shriver always walked straight down her own distinctive path, achieving her childhood goal of becoming "award-winning network newswoman Maria Shriver". But when her husband was elected California's Governor and she suddenly had to leave her job at NBC News, Maria was thrown for a loop. Right about then, her nephew asked her to speak at his high school graduation. She resisted, wondering how she could possibly give advice to kids, when she was feeling so lost herself. But in the end she relented and decided to dig down and dig deep, and the result is this little jewel. Just Who Will You Be? reminds us that the answer to many of life's question lie within -- and that we're all works in progress. That means it's never too late to become the person you want to be. Now the question for you is this: Just who will you be?.
We Need to Talk about Kevin
by Lionel ShriverThe gripping international bestseller about motherhood gone awry. Eva never really wanted to be a mother-- and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklyn. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.
The Gift of the Girl Who Couldn't Hear
by Susan Richards ShreveLife can seem awfully confusing for a young girl turning 13. Suddenly the things young Eliza wants most, like a role in the school musical, seem hopelessly out of reach. Then Eliza starts teaching her friend Lucy--who has been deaf since birth--to sing, and her confusion begins to dissolve.
The Little Riders
by Margaretha Shemin"Take care of the little riders", says Johanna's father to the 11-year-old when he leaves her with his parents in their Dutch village. Johanna loves the 12 metal figures on horseback who ride forth when the clock in the church tower strikes each hour. And one night she risks her life to protect them. Set during WWII when the German army occupied Holland. "Heartily recommended".--School Library Journal, starred review.
The Girl in the Box
by Ouida SebestyenKidnapped and left in an underground room, Jackie explores her psychological strengths and limitations as she tries to make contact with the outside world by writing messages and sending them through a slit in the door.
Think Twice (Rosato and Associates #13)
by Lisa ScottolineFrom the blockbuster New York Times bestselling author of Look Again comes a novel that makes you question the nature of evil: is it born in us or is it bred? Bennie Rosato looks exactly like her identical twin, Alice Connolly, but the darkness in Alice's soul makes them two very different women. Or at least that's what Bennie believes, until she finds herself buried alive at the hands of her twin. Meanwhile, Alice takes over Bennie's life, impersonating her at work and even seducing her boyfriend in order to escape the deadly mess she has made of her own life. But Alice underestimates Bennie and the evil she has unleashed in her twin's psyche, as well as Bennie's determination to stay alive long enough to exact revenge. Bennie must face the twisted truth that she is more like her sister Alice than she could have ever imagined, and by the novel's shocking conclusion, Bennie finds herself engaged in a war she cannot win. . . with herself.
Bully: Does Anyone Deserve To Die? A True Story of High School Revenge
by Jim SchutzeAs harrowing as Lord of the Flies and as unsettling as Larry Clark's Kids, Bully is the true story of an unspeakable act of revenge committed by ordinary, middle-class teenagers. Unlike anything you have ever heard of - or even imagined - before, Bully reveals the virulent hatred and lust for control that lurked within one boy. At once startling and mesmerizing, Bully asks just what kind of vengeance is justified for society's cruelest people. Jim Schutze's trademark. precision and investigative savvy bring us into the confusing, duplicitous world of Bobby Kent and Marty Puccio, who grew up together in a peaceful beach community of Fort Lauderdale. Best buddies since boyhood, they shared a love for fast cars, fun-loving girls, and their weight-toned bodies. At their core, however, the boys couldn't have been more different. Marty was gentle and kind and would go to any length to please others. Bobby, meanwhile, was a bully. His spirit was mean, his will strong, and his modus operandi sadism. Bobby's ambition was to rule his pack and to dominate Marty and his girlfriend, Lisa. At the end of the eleventh grade, their psychological, physical, and sexual weaknesses were Bobby's prey. What these suburban teenagers did one night on the swampy edge of the Everglades is a harrowing commentary on our society and the intensity of adolescent rage. But just as startling are the lengths to which the kids' parents went to protect their young and what their actions reveal about the meaning of individual responsibility at the close of the century.
The Practically Popular Crowd: Wanting More
by Meg F. SchneiderMichelle could not take her eyes off Michael. He was the answer. She was sure of it. With him she could feel special. Beautiful. Interesting. If only her friends could understand. Trust her. Know she hadn't intended to steal him from anyone. Especially not them. Her crowd. Michelle could feel the ache begin to build. And if only her father understood how lonely his new family made her feel .... Yes, she loved them all. But it wasn't enough to stop her. Alexa stood to the side, watching them. Those eighth-grade girls. Those Practically Popular People, or whatever they called themselves. Not one of them was as gorgeous as she. Not one as spectacular. Michelle included. Alexa smiled. Did they really think she'd let Michael go? Read all four of THE PRACTICALLY POPULAR CROWD books: Wanting More Pretty Enough (coming in October 1992) Keeping Secrets (coming in January 1993) Getting Smart (coming in Summer 1993)
Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
by Eric Schlosser Charles WilsonKids love fast food. And the fast food industry definitely loves kids. It couldn't survive without them. Did you know that the biggest toy company in the world is McDonald's? It's true. In fact, one out of every three toys given to a child in the United States each year is from a fast food restaurant. Not only has fast food reached into the toy industry, it's moving into our schools. One out of every five public schools in the United States now serves brand name fast food. But do kids know what they're eating? Where do fast food hamburgers come from? And what makes those fries taste so good? When Eric Schlosser's best-selling book, Fast Food Nation, was published for adults in 2001, many called for his groundbreaking insight to be shared with young people. Now Schlosser, along with co-writer Charles Wilson, has investigated the subject further, uncovering new facts children need to know.In Chew On This, they share with kids the fascinating and sometimes frightening truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken "nugget" really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations.
Keeping Secrets, Keeping Friends (Forever Friends Club #3)
by Cindy SavageHi! I'm Aimee. Almost everything in my life has been going really great. Party Time, the business that my friends Linda Jean, Joy, and Krissy, and I started, is booming. School is fun. And I even help out after school at the TV station where my dad works. The best part, though, has been Graham. He works with me at the station. He has a great sense of humor and a contagious smile. I think he likes me, too. But lately Graham has been acting weird. He keeps pushing his cue card job off on me. I didn't mind doing it at first, but now he's become so demanding about it. Graham now insists that I help him with his algebra word problems and read him all our assignments at work. What's the matter with him? It's almost like Graham can't read or something! I mean, everyone can read. Can't they?
Big Sister Stephanie (Sleepover Friends #30)
by Susan SaundersStephanie has had it with her baby brother and sister. All they do is sleep, cry, and eat - but for some reason everyone thinks they're adorable. Kate knows exactly how she feels, since she has to put up with her own little sister, Melissa the Monster. But then the Sleepover Friends notice something strange is going on. Stephanie starts spending a lot of time with Melissa - styling her hair, taking her shopping for clothes, teaching her how to dance. And Kate wants to know why Stephanie is suddenly trying to be the perfect big sister - to her little sister!
The Great Kate (Sleepover Friends #19)
by Susan SaundersDo you believe in magic? Can people really bend spoons, beam messages from one place to another, and make plants grow faster just by thinking hard enough? Lauren, Stephanie, and even Patti believe it's possible. But super-sensible Kate laughs at the whole idea. So the Sleepover Friends decide to set up an experiment to trick Kate. But when things get out of hand, no one is really sure who's fooling whom!