Traveling from California to Chicago after her mother dies of a drug overdose and her grandmother of lung cancer, thirteen-year-old Rydr meets other passengers on the train and attempts to accept her own situation.

"When six students are chosen to participate in a weekly talk with no adults allowed, they discover that when they're together, it's safe to share the hopes and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world"--

"While learning about September 11th, fifth grader Dèja (born after the attacks) realizes how much the events still color her world"--

"The family routine is upset during Ramona's year in second grade when her father unexpectedly loses his job."--

"When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can't get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn't just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest. Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare's outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where...

During a rough year in which she was placed in the care of her prickly grandfather after her father suffered a stroke, Rosie embarks on a search for her missing dog after he is given away by her estranged mother.

Opin, his brother Emjay, and their mother live in a car and are trying to get to Los Angeles where they hope an uncle and a new life are waiting, but even after finding a stray dog, Opin's longing for a stable home intensifies as his brother's reckless ways hit a new high.

"Since her father's death, Cat has taken care of her brother, Chicken, for their hardworking mother but while spending time with grandparents they never knew, Cat has the chance to be a child again." --

Forbidden from practicing magic and burdened by her responsibilities, Jin Zhara's life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes involved with the Guardians of Dawn, a group dedicated to fighting a demonic plague that is corrupting magicians.

Eighteen-year-old Libby Stowe navigates the fallout of a drunken hookup with a coworker, a myriad of family issues, and a powerful man in her town sexually harassing her at work. Libby's older brother absconded with his college money and is bartending on a Greek island. Her dad just told her she's got to pay for college herself, and he's evicting her when she graduates so he can Airbnb her room. A drunken hook-up with her coworker Kyle has left her...