Young Realistic Fiction

Nothing ever happens in Toby's small Texas town. Nothing much until this summer that's full of big changes. It's tough for Toby when his mother leaves home to become a country singer. And Toby takes it hard when his best friend Cal's older brother goes off to fight in Vietnam. But now their sleepy town is about to get an even bigger jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver, billed as the fattest boy in the world. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other, a summer sure to change his life.

It’s the holy month of Ramadan, and twin sisters Amira and Lina are about to graduate high school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. On the precipice of adulthood, they plan to embark on a summer of teenage revelry, trying on new identities and testing the limits of what they can get away with while still under their parents’ roof. But the twins' expectations of a summer of freedom collide with their older brother's return from prison, whose mysterious behavior threatens to undo the delicate family balance.

Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs - but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her. But 18 years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.

Charlotte Kraus would follow Angelika Haas anywhere. Which is how she finds herself in an underground club one Friday night the summer before World War II, dancing to contraband American jazz and swing music, suddenly feeling that anything might be possible. Unable to resist the allure of sharing this secret with Geli, Charlie returns to the club again and again, despite the dangers of breaking the Nazi Party’s rules. Soon, terrified by the tightening vise of Hitler’s power, Charlie and the other Swingjugend are drawn to larger and larger acts of rebellion.

A fatherless life. A family secret. The summer that will change everything. Oliver’s plan for the summer is simple: hang out with friends, avoid emotional drama, and finally tell his mum he's leaving town for university. But then it rains. And in the middle of it—Lucy appears. She’s unpredictable, a little wild, and smells like chocolate. A flat tire and a Ferris wheel ride later, Oliver’s carefully protected world starts to unravel. He’s falling—hard—and it’s not just for her. Back home, his sister Harriet is determined to uncover the truth about the father they never knew....

A deeply moving story about heartbreak, betrayal, restored friendship, and young love. Where does the illusion end and reality begin? Laine always has everything under control: her grades, her boyfriend, her job. But she can’t control her dad’s health and when it deteriorates to the point he’s hospitalized in a coma, everything else falls apart too. By the time she meets Jax in the hospital waiting room, she thinks she has little left to lose. Except her dad. Together they fear their dads’ deaths. Together they take a chance on life. Alone, Laine realizes she never really had any ...

For a short time after his divorce, Donald Burlington was not only the President of the United States, but also the most eligible bachelor in the world, not a title he wanted to keep. At a much-needed weekend retreat at Camp David, things heat up between him and his trusted assistant, Nicole, even though they both know their relationship is a potential weakness and political nightmare for the administration. They hope to be able to hide their budding relationship from the White House staff, the media, and the American public—but will they be exposed and eaten alive? Back in DC, President ...

Fonda thought she was on the same page as her classmates, but after hearing their anonymous questions about kissing, it appears Fonda is not only behind on getting her period—she’s behind in everything!

President Burlington is starting to make some real progress both at home and abroad. But while attending an international conference in Istanbul, a terrorist attack hampers his efforts for a Mideast peace. However, the worst threat may lie back in Washington, where a disenfranchised member of his Administration seeks to undermine President Burlington. In addition, a former First Lady and Secretary of State, accompanied by her minions, resort to extreme efforts to dig up dirt on the President, his family, and the new First Lady. Amid all of the turmoil, the president hopes to sign into law a...

On wealthy Commodore Island, Fern is watching and waiting - for summer, for college, for her childhood best friend to decide he loves her. Then Ivy Avila lands on the island like a falling star. When Ivy shines on her, Fern feels seen. When they're together, Fern has purpose. She glimpses the secrets Ivy hides behind her fame, her fortune, the lavish parties she throws at her great glass house, and understands that Ivy hurts in ways Fern can't fathom. And soon, it's clear Ivy wants someone Fern can help her get. But as the two pull closer, Fern's cozy life on Commodore unravels.

With 128 athletes competing in dozens of matches for millions in prize money, you expect drama. You expect blistering serves, smashed returns, and sliced shots that kiss the line. You do not expect kidnapping.

Centuries ago Thomas Dyersen left behind the information needed to find Sanctuary…the safe refuge where he once took his family…Now hundreds of years later another Dyersen is in great need of the information that Thomas Dyersen left behind. In the twentieth century the danger is not from someone close as what his ancestor faced…but an unknown threat…still unnamed but dangerous to all he loves. Fury of the Storm continues the ongoing story of family, friends, and strangers who come together at a time when the unknown is their greatest enemy…and their hidden sanctuary is their ...

Seventeen-year-old Maisie Rojas has spent her entire life in the Q—a post-pandemic quarantine zone that was once Austin, Texas. Born and raised behind the high security walls that sealed their fate, she's now a trusted lieutenant for one of the territory's controlling families.

Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it - the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream. This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country "sparrow" - as Samantha Jones dubs her - to the person she always wanted to be.

Amidst the rubble of war, a boy searches for hope. When thirteen-year-old Zaid is forced to flee his home during the Siege of Aleppo in 2012, he’s thrust into a nightmare no child should ever face. Bombs rain from the sky. Streets once filled with laughter are now cloaked in fear. Families are torn apart. But in the midst of chaos, Zaid must find the courage to survive—and lead others to safety. The Heart of Aleppo is an emotionally powerful, fast-paced young adult novel based on real events from the Syrian Civil War. Through Zaid’s journey, readers are taken on a heart-wrenching ...

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David's blunt honesty - in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit's attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad's tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they'll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

Dream Country author Shannon Gibney returns with The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, a book woven from her true story of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee and fictional story of Erin Powers, the name Shannon was given at birth, a child raised by a white, closeted lesbian.

Dark and hazy nights were both their sword and shield... Liz Danger surrounded her. Escape seemed impossible. Hope came from the last place she expected. She knew his name...everyone did. But she knew nothing about the man he really was. Or if he had any chance at saving her. Sam The plan was a good one. If it worked. He had the perfect cover story. He’d be the one asking all the questions. Looking for answers was the story of his life and everyone knew it...expected it. This time though...the stories could turn out differently than expected. Sam and Liz knew the trip wouldn’t be easy ...

Luna, Rory and Jodie are strangers in the need of a getaway... Luna has unexpectedly broken up with her boyfriend. Rory has to come up with a creative way to break it to her family she wants to pursue her art passion. And as for Jodie, she feels lost in both life and love. But these three strangers have one other thing in common: they are on their way to the same resort. As their lives collide under the sun, will they have a summer they'll never forget?

Sydney Wells should have died. She was supposed to die. She never expected, after years of waiting, to receive a heart transplant. Now, seventeen-year-old Sydney doesn’t know what to do with her life. Her daily routine consisted of staying indoors, eating heart-healthy foods, and posting about her transplant list experiences on TheWaitingList with her long-distance BFF (and heart failure buddy) Chloe. Now, Sydney latches onto the one thing that gives her meaning: learning as much as she can about the person whose heart she inherited.