Joyride

Who says opposites don't attract? It's been several years since Carly Vega's parents were deported. Carly lives with her older brother, studies hard, and works the graveyard shift at a convenience store to earn enough to bring her parents back from Mexico. Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He used to date popular blondes and have fun pranking with his older sister. But now all that's changed, and Arden needs a new accomplice. Especially one his father, the town sheriff, will disapprove. All Carly wants, at first, is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to not do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they've been living according to the wishes of others. Carly and Arden's journey toward their true hearts - and one another-- is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh. Just like real life.

When a girl and her grandfather put their hearts into sprucing up an old bike by hand, neighborhood kids are less than kind in this tender story about bullying, peer pressure, and feeling the freedom to express yourself. Needing something to fill up her summer days, Joy seeks out her granddad, who also likes to tinker, for something to do. Together they find the perfect project: sprucing up an old bike for Joy. From hardware stores to garage sales, the two find everything they need to transform this bike, little by little, into something that’s truly one of a kind. Ornamented with sparkles, a basket, and a brand-new bell, the bike is finally ready for Joy to ride it all over the neighborhood, filling the air with her own kind of music that exudes JOY. But when a few kids take notice of Joy’s bike, and not in a good way, Joy makes an impulsive decision that ruins the dazzling bike she and Granddad worked so hard on. Joy realizes quickly, however, that trying to fit in can be boring, and it doesn’t make her feel JOY. Just maybe, with a heartfelt apology and Granddad’s help, she can get back on track to being true to herself. This touching story, told by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Ana Ramírez González, addresses the moments of uncertainty when trying to fit in with the crowd, and exclaims the joyful exuberance of self-expression.

Originally published: Portland: Cadence Press, 2010.

Having all her life unquestioningly abided by her mother's decisions to move frequently and remain aloof from outsiders, fourteen-year-old Nina Lewis begins to wonder about the reasons for their way of life. Reprint.

Shy twelve-year-old bookworm Lindsay, future superhero, spends a summer with her cousin/nemesis Phoebe learning BMX tricks, making new friends, and showing boys that girls can compete, too.

A wild car ride on a summer night changes Jeff's young life.

One of three thrilling companion novels, set in the universe of the new Doctor Who spin-off show, Class, created by #1 New York Times bestselling novelist Patrick Ness, author of The Rest of Us Just Live Here and the Carnegie Medal-winning A Monster Calls. Young people across the city are acting crazy. But they aren’t the ones in control… Poppy is a quiet girl, right up until she steals a car and drives it through a shop window. Max is a nice guy, but then he kills his whole family. Just for fun. Amar always seems so happy, so why is he trying to jump to his death from the school roof? No one can figure out why teenagers are behaving so strangely—and dangerously. Stories of impossible car accidents, random attacks, even cold blooded murder make Miss Quill’s class sit up and take notice. Kids are going berserk, and some of them are even dying. Then Ram wakes up in a body he doesn’t recognize, and if he doesn’t figure out why, he may well be next.