When a family buys a house in a struggling town for just one dollar, they’re hoping to start over — but have they traded one set of problems for another? Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about … Continue reading THE DOLLAR KIDS, By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Ryan Andrews, Candlewick Press
family drama
ACTS OF INFIDELITY, by Lena Anderson, Pan Macmillan
A new novel from August-Prize winning Lena Andersson, author of Wilful Disregard. When Ester Nillson meets actor Olof Sten, she quickly recognises that they have an extraordinary connection, and falls madly in love. Olof makes no secret of being married, but he and Ester nevertheless start to meet regularly and begin to conduct a strange … Continue reading ACTS OF INFIDELITY, by Lena Anderson, Pan Macmillan
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24 HOURS IN NOWHERE, by Dusti Bowling, Sterling Publishing
Welcome to Nowhere, Arizona, the least livable town in the United States. For Gus, a bright 13-year-old with dreams of getting out and going to college, life there is made even worse by Bo Taylor, Nowhere’s biggest, baddest bully. When Bo tries to force Gus to eat a dangerously spiny cactus, Rossi Scott, one of … Continue reading 24 HOURS IN NOWHERE, by Dusti Bowling, Sterling Publishing
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THE MELODY, by Jim Crace, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Canada
From a generational talent and two-time Booker nominee, a tension-filled story about unacknowledged fears and looming inevitability Alfred Busi, famed and beloved in his town for his music and songs, is now in his sixties, mourning the recent death of his wife and quietly living out his days alone in the large villa he has … Continue reading THE MELODY, by Jim Crace, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Canada
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STORM-WAKE, by Lucy Christopher, Scholastic/Chicken House
Moss has grown up on the strangest and most magical of islands. Her father has a plan to control the tempestuous weather that wracks the shores. But the island seems to have a plan of its own once Callan -- a wild boy her age -- appears on its beaches. Her complex feelings for Callan … Continue reading STORM-WAKE, by Lucy Christopher, Scholastic/Chicken House
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THE ROAD HOME, By Beverly Lewis, Bethany House Publishers
Lena Rose Schwartz hadn't planned to leave her Old Order community in Centerville, Michigan. But then, she could not have foreseen the accident that made her and her siblings orphans. After her parents' funeral, her younger brothers and sisters are farmed out to various nearby relatives. But when the deacon in charge of the arrangements … Continue reading THE ROAD HOME, By Beverly Lewis, Bethany House Publishers
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THE HOUSE SWAP, by Rebecca Fleet, Doubleday Canada, PenguinRandomHouse, ARC
DESCRIPTION: When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap--from their city flat to a townhouse in a leafy, upscale London suburb--they jump at the chance for a week away from home, their son, and the tensions that have pushed their marriage to the brink. As the couple settles in, the old problems that … Continue reading THE HOUSE SWAP, by Rebecca Fleet, Doubleday Canada, PenguinRandomHouse, ARC
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JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS, by Melissa Sarino, Alfred A. Knopf
Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? Always think in threes and you'll never fall, Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot. That was all Cora needed to know to climb the trees of Brooklyn. But now Cora is … Continue reading JUST UNDER THE CLOUDS, by Melissa Sarino, Alfred A. Knopf
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SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE, by Jo Watson Hackl, Random House
A Mississippi ghost town and an art mystery combine in this gorgeously written debut just right for fans of Three Times Lucky and A Snicker of Magic! How far would you go to find something that might not even exist? All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by … Continue reading SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE, by Jo Watson Hackl, Random House
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EVERY SHINY THING, by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison, Amulet Books/Abrams RE-READ
In this beautifully constructed middle-grade novel, told half in prose and half in verse, Lauren prides herself on being a good sister, and Sierra is used to taking care of her mom. When Lauren’s parents send her brother to a therapeutic boarding school for teens on the autism spectrum and Sierra moves to a foster … Continue reading EVERY SHINY THING, by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison, Amulet Books/Abrams RE-READ
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