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Brandon is the biggest and toughest kid in his small-town school. He is feared as a bully, but he only pretends to be "dumb as a bag of hammers," so he can learn as much as possible about the people around him. Especially when he has been sent to the office. You can’t imagine the stories he hears there. When Leon, his sister Winnie, and their lively little brother Sam, arrive in Kingsville, they are the only black people in town. Everyone is curious about them-where they came from, what their parents do-but when Brandon discovers the truth about their situation, he decides to do what he can to protect them from harm.

How do families cope in the aftermath of a tragic shooting? Follow Kate and Sam to see how families on both side of violence are impacted.

1847 – Ireland. The potato famine enters its second year, as British landlords raise rents and tumble cottages, leaving Irish families homeless and overcome by hunger and disease. Kit Byrne, a young girl of fourteen, will do everything she can to save her family. But will it cost her soul?

Like the title suggests, Lunch with Lenin, is an anthology of ten short stories connected by how the lives of teens are affected directory or indirectly by drugs. It’s a worldwide problem and as such Ellis takes us from the Philippines, where young Ramon is just trying to take care of his mother and siblings, to Afghanistan, where for Tahmina, harvesting opium is their families only livelihood, to the United States where a babysitter must protect the children from their with out of control alcoholic parents. The stories are engaging and thought provoking but not preachy. Ellis just presents the facts as they are and leaves us to ponder upon the choices that each character has made.

Captured from their Ugandan school by the Lord’s Resistance Army, five boys and a girl rely on themselves for survival. In Uganda, many children are abducted from their villages and homes for use as soldiers and slaves. This is a stunning depiction of the human cost of wars fought by children.

Fourteen year old Al changes his destiny by following his dream to become an explorer. Al’s journey begins off the rugged coast of Newfoundland in his handmade submarine. As he travels through east coast waters he rescues a family of four, finds a lost treasure, eludes the coast guard and the navy, befriends a seagull and an abandoned dog, meets a “queen” of the sea, and saves a lost boy. Al’s nautical adventures make him a celebrity but his ability to evade the police makes him an outlaw.

Orphaned Zach lives in the hospital, a friend (Charlie) and an allergy he never questioned...until a stranger broke in and told him to run. Here is what the ‘Shelf Elf ‘ had to say about Night Runner: These days, it would seem that if you’re not writing a book about a vampire, you’re not a writer. They’re everywhere. Heartthrob vampires. Socialite vampires. Gritty urban vampires. It’s enough to make a reader want to start wearing a garlic garland into the bookstore. Most of said vampire stories are written for a particular teen girl readership. So fellas, if you were feeling left out, I have something to recommend in the pointy-teeth category. Canadian author Max Turner’s debut novel, Night Runner proves that vampire stories aren’t just for the ladies anymore.

Amani was born to be a shepherd. She refuses to go to school and only wants to follow her grandfather and learn to tend sheep. When Amani is finally granted the right to become the next shepherd, she spends all of her time on Seedo’s peak with her grandfather and the sheep, until the Israeli’s begin to build a settlement … on her land. Amani slowly loses more and more as the Israeli’s occupy Palestinian land. It is fascinating to experience the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the eyes of a child. Amani’s innocence, and inability to understand why is mixed with her fear and impotent rage at the situation. The Shepherd’s Granddaughter makes the heart feel for a situation the brain has taken for granted exists. The characters are well developed and the plot progresses to enlighten the readers about the struggles, thoughts and fears of the average Palestinian. Highly recommended for everyone.

From the very beginning, with a deadly attack by the Babelites over Paris, Starclimber (the third book in the Airborn trilogy) is full of action, suspense, and intrigue. Matt Cruse is a member of an elite crew aboard a Canadian spacecraft attempting to be the first to reach outer space via an astral cable. Kate de Vries, Matt’s girlfriend is also aboard the ship as an expert in aerial zoology. Matt and Kate are older now and their romance is intense and still difficult. Matt proves to be a courageous and skillful astronaut in this action packed story.

"Friendless Nerd" Ambrose and his mother are moving again - but this time he has a plan. Can he find acceptance and love through Scrabble?