Family Survival Fiction

It all started with a castle. Yes, the real kind, found in Missouri. On a bluff. Carved from the side of a cliff. With secret passageways, and locked doors and secret, concealed rooms and lots of false walls and panels and cubbyholes. When Jae visited the well-renowned Rothwell Lodge, known as Sedalia Missouri's Castle on the Hill, she was suspicious from the first. Why did Rothwell have so many secret things about the Castle? Why was his wife Hattie a recluse, who died two years after their marriage?

International human rights activist Lisa Shannon spent many afternoons at the kitchen table having tea with her friend Francisca Thelin, who often spoke of her childhood in Congo. Thelin would conjure vivid images of lush flower gardens, fish the size of small children, and of children running barefoot through her family's coffee plantation, gorging themselves on fruit from the robust and plentiful mango trees.

A unique collection of 41 groundbreaking essays, poems, and artwork by migrants, refugees and Dreamers—including award-winning writers, artists, and activists—that illuminate what it is like living undocumented today.

The Johnson family's excitement for their long-awaited vacation to Alaska was palpable. Jack and Sarah sat at the kitchen table, pouring over maps and brochures, discussing their plans for exploring the remote beauty of the Arctic landscape. They marveled at the opportunity this trip would provide for their children, Emma and Ethan, to learn and grow through firsthand experiences.

In a small hospital town, a trio of teens rebel against their fatal diagnosis of XP (an allergy to sunlight) with late night Parkour, an extreme sport of daredevil risks. On a random summer night, while scaling a building like any other, the three happen to peer into an empty apartment and glimpse an older man with what looks like a dead girl. A game of cat-and-mouse ensues that escalates through the underground world of hospital confinement, off-the-grid sports, and forbidden love. Allie, who can never see the light of day, discovers she's the lone key to stopping a human monster.

Caje Amis and his father are mountain folk, they live off the land and have few interactions with more sophisticated people. But at the onset of an especially harsh winter, the two take shelter with distant relatives. The adjustment to their new life is an easy one for Caje, but impossible for his father, and the elder Amis ends up abandoning his son and vanishing into the cold!

Adrienne Gomez and Louis Fontana are a young couple with a five-year-old daughter named Gina. Their lives are turned upside down by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Both Adrienne and Louis lose their jobs and struggle through unemployment, the stay-at-home order, relationship troubles, protests, and death in the family. When they reach their lowest point, they are lucky to have someone come to their aid.

Twelve-year-old Fernando “Fin” joins his grandfather on a secret quest to find a long-lost treasure swept to sea. But when their first mission takes a near-deadly turn, leaving his abuelo weak and unable to speak, Fin’s left to navigate the hunt alone. Well, not exactly alone—his boring, totally unadventurous dad agrees to help out. With danger lurking at every turn, Fin dives into the mission in order to save Abuelo's life.

When 10-year-old Stella wakes up to discover a world full of blank screens, her family, town and, in fact, the whole world seems to have been thrown into chaos. And what about poor Grandma who is stranded at the other end of the country? Cue a rollicking madcap road trip, full of driving disasters and family fallouts, as they set off on a rescue mission. And along the way Stella and her family discover that being away from screens might not be the worst thing ever, and even though they might not be able to rely on technology anymore, they can rely on each other instead.

They thought it couldn't get any worse. They were wrong.

Gafferty Sprout is a Smidgen. A Smidgen looks like a human, sounds like a human, and loves chips with curry sauce like a human, if humans were three inches tall. Generations ago there were lots of them, living in a maze of tunnels beneath the human village of Dundoodle. But then something happened and they just disappeared.

Newbery Medal winner Lynne Rae Perkins introduces Violet and Jobie, two house mice exiled to the wilderness, in an exceptional read-aloud and read-alone for fans of Skunk and Badger, Nuts to You, and classic animal stories such as Stuart Little. This thrilling—and funny!—animal adventure explores themes of friendship, family, bravery, and the meaning of home. Violet & Jobie in the Wild is illustrated in black-and-white throughout by the author.

War has forced Omar and his mother to leave their home in Afghanistan and venture across the sea to Europe. When their boat sinks, and Omar finds himself alone, with no hope of rescue, it seems as if his story has come to an end. But it is only just beginning. Because in the end, a little hope makes a big difference....

The vicious attack on their wagon train killed almost everyone - except David and his younger sister, whom he calls Queen of Sheba. The two are stranded on the deserted trail and have to live by their wits and whatever supplies they can scavenge. And although David is seriously hurt, he knows that frail Queen of Sheba is counting on him. He can only hope that their parents are somewhere up ahead - if he can find them.

Anna's father disappeared months ago. He had to flee the country because the cruel new Communist government wanted to arrest him. The Communists may have arrived like heroes at the end of World War II, saving Czechoslovakia from the Nazis - but since then, things have changed. Now Anna's whole family feels threatened and doesn't know whom to trust, so she and her mother and sister set out to escape, hoping to reunite with Papa.

The sun cast a golden glow over the Reynolds family as they sat together on their living room couch, excitement bubbling in the air. John and Laura Reynolds eagerly discussed their upcoming luxury cruise vacation, their voices filled with a mix of nervous excitement and eagerness. John, a resilient and resourceful man with short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes, spoke passionately about the adventure that awaited them.

Sarah Robinson and her family intended to have a vacation adventure aboard a boat but ended up stranded on a remote and mysterious island. Along with unusual, weird creatures, they met the "Curator", a strange boy who may be an...alien. And then they met Cash, a girl who may hold the key to why Shipwreck Island has been kept a secret for so long.

Fourteen-year-old Fayth is a champion! Along with her friends, she races animals known as orgo in order to survive the aftermath of a new ice age. But when Fayth’s friend is caught stealing, she has an awful choice to make...let her friend face a fate worse than death with his captors, or agree to make a dangerous journey delivering food supplies.

Sarah Robinson and her family are shipwrecked on a remote and mysterious island. Their food is scarce, and there's no sign of rescue. They have seen strange creatures, rescued a mysterious girl, and found the Curator, who has captured Sarah's father and stepbrother to use in a bizarre time-travel experiment. And then the only man who knows about the island comes back - he's looking for buried treasure and won't leave without it, even if it means leaving the Robinsons stranded.

The mystery of the island deepens as members of the Robinson family disappear, and strange animals are discovered. Sarah Robinson and her family are shipwrecked on a remote and mysterious island. Their food is running out, and their fear is escalating - there is no sign of rescue. The mysterious girl they found unconscious at the beach is healing, and what she tells them about the strange island and especially about someone called the Keeper has the family on edge.