Tough-Luck Karen


Johanna Hurwitz - 1982
    Skilled in making everyday occurrences interesting, the author has written a pleasant story of a caring family.--Horn Book.

The Redhunter: A Novel Based on the Life of Senator Joe McCarthy


William F. Buckley Jr. - 2006
    From the celebrated conservative comes a rich and complex novel about one of the most conspicuous political figures in American history--Senator Joe McCarthy.

The Little Gymnast


Sheila Haigh - 1985
    With a lot of work and determination, Anda becomes the best gymnast in her class but family money is tight and she must win the regional championship and the accompanying scholarship or give up gymnastics completely.

The Cattle Killing


John Edgar Wideman - 1996
    His struggle to find her and save them both plummets them both into the nightmare of a society violently splitting itself into white and black. Spiraling outward from the core image of a cattle killing--the Xhosa people's ritual destruction of their herd in a vain attempt to resist European domination--the novel expands its narrator's search for meaning and love into the America, Europe and South Africa of yesterday and today.

The Curse


Lee Su Ann - 2007
    

No Coins, Please


Gordon Korman - 1984
    Dennis is in heaven - he thinks he and his friend Rob have scored the perfect summer jobs. But Rob quickly points out what Dennis never factored in - the group of boys they're now completely responsible for. That includes Artie Geller - Donald Trump in a 10-year-old's body. Artie gives his counsellors the slip whenever possible to set up new business opportunities. Dennis and Rob soon learn they can't control Artie, and that they have to hide every one of his schemes from the tour boss to protect their own skins.Visions of beautiful female counsellors are replaced by visions of bankruptcy... and the FBI.

A New Life


Bernard Malamud - 1961
    Although he had lived little in nature Levin had always loved it, and the sense of having done the right thing in leaving New York was renewed in him." Soon after his arrival at Cascadia College, however, Levin realizes he has been taken in by a mirage. The failures pile up anew, and Levin, fired from his post, finds himself back where he started and little the wiser for it.A New Life--as Jonathan Lethem's introduction makes clear--is Malamud at his best: with his belief in luck and new beginnings Sy Levin embodies the thwarted yearning for transcendence that is at the heart of all Malamud's work.

The Tide Washed Her Away (Jessica Carter Mysteries Book 1)


J. Moriarty - 2015
    Some remembered her as the innocent daughter of a local minister, while others whispered rumors about a recent lascivious turn. Was she really the 'other woman' who came between her friends' engagement? Is it true she convinced someone to give up a life of crime? Did she really spend time in jail for a DUI? After failing to maintain a blogging career, Jessica Carter must return to her home town of Hampton, New Hampshire. The place is nice enough: a beautiful summer destination with sandy beaches, a touristy boardwalk and a cozy, small-town atmosphere. But Jessica knows coming home means owning up to her mistakes and mending relationships with everyone she left behind. Corinne's death brings Jessica closer to her former friends, but as she digs into Corinne's life, she exposes dark secrets her friends wish would remain hidden. Caught between her investigation and her friends, Jessica seeks to answer the one question everyone else seems content to leave unresolved: who knew the real Corinne, and why would someone want her dead?

The Trouble with Thirteen


Betty Miles - 1979
    . . winner" (School Library Journal). An IRA/CBC Children's Choice.

Even in Darkness


Barbara Stark-Nemon - 2015
    As the world changes around her, Kläre is forced to make a number of seemingly impossible choices in order to protect the people she loves—and to save herself.Based on a true story, Even in Darkness highlights the intimate experience of Kläre’s reinvention as she faces the destruction of life as she knew it, and traces her path beyond survival to wisdom, meaning, and—most unexpectedly—love.

Sixth-Grade Sleepover


Eve Bunting - 1986
    Janey worries that the sixth grade Rabbit Reading Club's all-night sleepover will expose her fear of the dark, but it turns out that she is not the only member with a secret.

Love Is One of the Choices


Norma Klein - 1981
    Thinking about sex, wondering about college, planning for careers -- there are so many choices.Maggie is brilliant and very self-assured. She considers herself a feminist -- until she meets Todd Lamport who challenges everything she's ever believed in and draws her into a special love affair. Suddenly independence doesn't seem the only way of life...Caroline has never thought much of herself. She's shy, withdrawn -- and secretly in love with her chemistry teacher, Justin Prager. When he unexpectedly returns her feelings, she is thrown into emotional turmoil.Norma Klein's wonderful novel explores the lives of these very different women -- and proves that no matter what we think we want from life, love is always one of the choices....

The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping


Nasdijj - 2003
    But this beautiful, loving, and intelligent little boy also had enormous hope for his new life. In heartrending prose, Nasdijj writes about their tight-knit, untraditional family--and the precious time they spent together. This searing, poetic memoir will make you cry; yet it is ultimately triumphant, for Awee got what he wanted most in his short life: a real dad.""

Close to Home


Pamela Evans - 2001
    Ellie feels truly blessed and has faith in their future - a future which is cruelly snatched away when a terrible car accident leaves Tom brain-damaged and institutionalised. Months later, Ellie is slowly learning to live without him and focuses on her thriving knitwear business. Convicted for a murder he has always denied committing, when Ray Brent is released from prison he is ostracised by the community as he tries to rebuild his life. But he finds a loyal supporter in Ellie when she is witness to a vicious attack on him. Something about him makes her believe in his innocence and the two soon become friends. But it's only a matter of time before friendship becomes an impossible love...

The Broken Lawyer


Donald L'Abbate - 2016
    As he struggles to get his life back on track he must represent a succession of mostly hardened career criminals for whom he has little or no use. But two of his cases challenge his attitudes and test his skills. Convinced that a young Hispanic man accused of armed robbery is actually innocent he works to have the case dismissed before the young man’s life is ruined. Police procedure, a courtroom battle, a savvy expert and an incompetent ADA all play roles in the outcome of the case. A chance introduction brings a Chinese family that’s been dragged into cocaine smuggling and a diamond robbery by a notorious Triad to the lawyer. With the lives of an innocent woman and child hanging in the balance, he works closely with the NYPD and the FBI to free the family from the Triad’s grip. That well-laid plans sometimes go wrong is not surprising but why they go wrong can be surprising as he finds out. The lawyer’s battle with his alcoholism and his AA experiences are very much a part of his story. From his initial skepticism about AA through the various stages of his recovery he tells all with a blunt honesty, sometimes humorously but often painfully, as he is forced to examine his past life and himself.