Difficult Times

Fran Singer is a regular eighth grader relishing her role in the school play, enjoying hanging out with her best friend, and thinking of ways to steer clear of her annoying little brother...when suddenly, in a matter of seconds, everything changes. An unintentional tragic accident with major consequences shoots her out of her ordinary world into one racked with guilt, shame, and complete alienation. Starting over after all that is not easy...but is it possible? Will her life be better, the second time around?

All Dylan wants is mojo. What is mojo? It's power. The ability to command respect. It's everything Dylan doesn't have. He gets no respect at school, and when he finds the dead body of a classmate, even the police push him around. All the thanks he gets for trying to help the investigation with his crime-drama skills is a new nickname at school: Body Bag. So when Dylan hears about a missing rich girl from the other side of town, he jumps at the chance to dive into this mystery. Surely if he cracks a case involving a girl this beautiful and this rich, he'll get the mojo he's looking for.

Ollie Buckmeyer is funny, popular, and lives an idyllic life with his family on one of the last cattle ranches in Southern California. But when he suffers a devastating brain injury, his wonderful world is shattered. Even though he still looks like the same old Ollie, his family mourns as if he had died, his friends don't know him, and the girl he loves is gone. Everything that matters is taken from him...but something is also given: Ollie has an amazing new talent that might be powerful enough to rebuild his life.

Ten teens are left alone in the wilderness during a three-day survival test in this multi-authored novel edited by award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson. At Zeppelin Bend, an outdoor-education program designed to teach troubled youth the value of hard work, cooperation, and compassion, 10 teens are left alone in the wild. The teens are a diverse group who come from all walks of life and were all sent to Zeppelin Bend as a last chance to get them to turn their lives around.

Grandpa is dying. He can barely move his hands any more but, stubborn as ever, refuses to stay in hospital. He's determined to finish his last painting, 'River Boy', before he goes. At first Jess can't understand his refusal to let go, but then she too becomes involved in the mysterious painting. And when she meets the river boy himself, she finds she is suddenly caught up in a challenge of her own that she must complete - before it's too late...

Jess and her parents have brought Grandpa back to his boyhood home by the river. Although the old man has recently suffered a heart attack, he insists on this journey. He wants to finish one last painting before he dies. Jess is training to be a long-distance swimmer, so when Grandpa is napping, she practices in the river. But soon she starts seeing a presence there - one that is also affecting Grandpa's painting. Who is the boyish figure Jess sees in the river? What does he want her to do?

Dilly's mom, Elspeth Dillon Howell, died when Dilly was just six. She left her daughter an Adirondack farmhouse and a letter for when Dilly was "older". Now that Dilly's old enough, the letter's missing. As Dilly searches for it in the house's many hiding places, she makes a few discoveries about the mom she never really knew. Surprisingly, Elspeth's long-ago life looks a lot like Dilly's today.

One of the worst acts of racial violence in American history took place in 1921, when a White mob numbering in the thousands decimated the thriving Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Burning recreates Greenwood at the height of its prosperity, explores the currents of hatred, racism, and mistrust between its Black residents and Tulsa's White population, narrates events leading up to and including Greenwood's devastation, and documents the subsequent silence that surrounded this tragedy.

The Bed and Biscuit animal boardinghouse has gone wild! Grampa Bender is temporarily caring for a wounded Canada goose, a cranky old muskrat, and two starving fox kits. Luckily Ernest, Grampa’s capable mini-pig, is there to encourage the other animals to be good hosts. But the visiting creatures are wild, not tame, and they all just want to go home! Despite the chaos, Ernest also takes on the training of Sir Walter the Scottie, the newest addition to Grampa’s blended animal family.

Kay hat eine große Wut im Bauch. Seitdem sein Vater seine Arbeit verloren hat, lässt dieser den Kummer an seiner Familie aus. Dies lässt Kay auch Dinge machen, die er eigentlich gar nicht will. Mit Sven aus der Parallelklasse tyrannisiert er Erstklässler. Schließlich droht er, von der Schule zu fliegen. Doch er bekommt eine letzte Chance. Er soll sich um die neue Mitschülerin Greta kümmern, die ein ganz besonderes Mädchen ist. Sie hat das Down-Syndrom. Mit ihrer ehrlichen, direkten und emotionalen Art stellt Greta Kay vor eine echte Herausforderung.

In any conflict, the 1st Alternative is my way and the 2nd Alternative is your way. The fight usually boils down to a question of whose way is better. There are many methods of “conflict resolution,” but most involve compromise, a low-level accommodation that stops the fight without breaking through to amazing new results. The 3rd Alternative is about more than just an armistice - it’s about creating a new and improved reality. The 3rd Alternative transcends traditional solutions to conflict by forging a path toward a third option....

A Word from God for anyone going through tough times. Every season has a beginning and an ending. Trusting God and learning to sow the right seeds is key to getting through seasons in hard times.

Lilly and Lolly find hope through grief and loss.

Millie thought the whole world was unfair. Even though she had a nice house and a loving family, she was always miserable. Whenever things didn't go her way, Millie constantly complained. Millie became so miserable that she decided to run away so she could do whatever she wanted. She takes a bus to the big city, but instead of having fun, she encounters one disaster after another. Millie is alone and scared and ends up with no money, no food to eat, and nowhere to sleep. After getting caught stealing candy, the police call her parents.

Undocumented is the story of immigrant workers who have come to the United States without papers. Everyday these men and women join the workforce and contribute positively to society. Juan grew up in Mexico working in the fields to help provide for his family. Struggling for money, he crosses over into the United States and becomes an undocumented worker, living in a poor neighborhood and working hard to survive. Although he is able to get a job as a busboy at a restaurant, he is severely undercompensated - he receives less than half of the minimum wage!