Difficult Students

This revelatory and gripping nonfiction middle grade book explores a deeply troubling chapter in American history that is still playing out today: the strange case of Prince Edward County, Virginia, the only place in the United States to ever formally deny its citizens a public education, and the students who pushed back.

Seventeen-year-old Nicole dreams of spending the rest of her life with her boyfriend, Nate. So when she finds herself on her way to Paris to study abroad without him, she’s less than thrilled. Paris is filled with cars that move at the speed of light, edible snails, and a language Nicole can’t speak or read. Worst of all, Nicole feels lost without Nate. She’s not sure she’s capable of finding joie de vivre on her own, but with the help of some new friends - and a certain handsome Frenchman - Nicole might find Paris as sweet as a café au lait after all.

With her martyr-doctor mother gone to save lives in some South American country, Poe Holly suddenly finds herself on the suburban doorstep of the father she never knew, who also happens to be a counselor at her new high school. She misses Los Angeles. She misses the guys in her punk band. Weirdly, she even misses the shouting matches she used to have with her mom.

Marina has been waiting her whole life to get out on the open sea. And now she's studying abroad in the Caribbean. She loves the feel of the sun on her face, the sand between her toes, and the island music swaying over her. And even better, she's getting hands-on marine biology experience. But while her experiences tell her she's in exactly the right place, her boyfriend wants her home in Vermont. And her distractingly cute Aussie boatmate couldn't disagree more. As the island heat rises, Marina must decide once and for all where her heart is - on land or at sea.

It’s the early 1960s, and Anna has never seen a person with dark skin before. At first, she is afraid of her new second-grade teacher. But Anna quickly finds there’s no reason to be scared. Sister Anne is wonderful. She likes jokes, and she makes math and reading fun. But then someone sails a paper airplane to her, with a cruel message written on its wings. Sister Anne’s wise way of turning a painful incident into a powerful learning experience has a profound impact on Anna and her classmates.