Difficult Adult Children

Life is looking up for Xavier. Things are good with Jennie, his baseball coach believes in him, he's earned the role of closer, and his dad's coming home after serving 10 years. But making up for lost time with his dad doesn't go as Xavier had hoped. It seems his dad's always angry with him. Or drinking. Or out. Or lecturing Xavier on what it means to be a man. When the tension at home builds, Xavier's own hot temper flares, threatening to send him down the same path as his father.

The prize: $10 million. The rules: Be the first to complete 10 tasks assigned by the Benefactor. Do not ask questions. Do not tell anyone what you're doing. Do not fail. The consequences: Unknown. Colin wants out of the Contest. Each task he's assigned by the Benefactor leaves him more convinced that he's part of something shady. Not to mention his every move is being tracked. But the prize money would help Colin's transgender sister, Danni, afford surgery. Can Colin find out what the Benefactor is really up to without ruining his chances to win the Contest?

Deja's mom has never been there when Deja needed her. She's lied, run off, and gotten into trouble with the law more times than anyone can count. She always promises to change - and always breaks those promises. Now - 17 years after Deja was born in prison - her mom is back behind bars and having another baby. Deja agrees to raise baby Heaven until her mother returns home. She's determined to give Heaven the loving family life Deja never had. But being a substitute parent is harder than Deja expected.

The prize: $10 million. The rules: Be the first to complete ten tasks assigned by the Benefactor. Do not ask questions. Do not tell anyone what you're doing. Do not fail. The consequences: Unknown. James, Ana, Colin, and Maiv are all competing in the Contest. Or at least they were, until they discovered the real reasons the Benefactor contacted them. Now they're on the run, trying to keep their families - and each other - safe. Together, they may stand a chance of stopping the Benefactor's evil plot. But it's a race against the clock, and they have everything to lose.

The prize: $10 million. The rules: Be the first to complete ten tasks assigned by the Benefactor. Do not ask questions. Do not tell anyone what you're doing. Do not fail. The consequences: Unknown. Maiv is a model daughter, a caring older sister, a top student - the responsible one. She's not someone who'd get mixed up in something as risky as the Contest. But the huge prize would help her afford college and help her family make ends meet. The problem? The Contest is not what it seems. On the other hand, neither is Maiv. She's determined to uncover the Benefactor's secrets.

The prize: $10 million. The rules: Be the first to complete 10 tasks assigned by the Benefactor. Do not ask questions. Do not tell anyone what you're doing. Do not fail. The consequences: Unknown. James' grandpa is dying. An experimental treatment has a chance of saving him, but James' family can't afford it. Not unless James competes in the Contest. The rules are sketchy, and the tasks seem dangerous...and definitely wrong. James has the feeling this contest is about a lot more than the prize money. But he can't back out now - can he?

Martin Rising is a stunning, poetic presentation of the final months of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life - told in a rich embroidery of visions, color, musical cadence, deep emotion, and multiple layers of meaning. Against a backdrop of the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, the book builds to its rousing crescendo as King delivers his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech - where his life’s commitment to peaceful activism and his dream of equality ascend to their highest peak.

In the early 1960s, tired of reprisals for attempting to register to vote, Selma's black community began to protest. The struggle received nationwide attention when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a voting rights march in January 1965 and was attacked by a segregationist. In February, the shooting of an unarmed demonstrator by an Alabama state trooper inspired a march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery.

For 16-year-old Sahara, life and death and everything in between depends on the color of a little stick. She waits three long minutes, praying to Jesus, Mary, and all the saints that the stick will turn blue, meaning she isn't pregnant. Instead the stick turns pink, and Sahara's life is changed in a heartbeat.

More than 2,000 years ago, Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang Di was laid to rest in a tomb guarded by thousands of life-size clay statues of warriors and horse-drawn chariots. Some 1,000 years earlier, the tombs of Chinese emperors were not guarded by clay figures, but by the dead bodies of humans and animals sacrificed for the cause. All over the world, different cultures have conducted an amazing array of intriguing burial practices.

On the outside, Libby Brin is the most popular girl in school. But on the inside, Libby is dying - of boredom. In a moment of desperation, Libby signs up for an internship at the Los Angeles Zoo, much to the dismay of her friends, who'd prefer she spend her time with them, shopping, partying, and making fun of everyone else. Oddly, Libby realizes that she actually enjoys her new job and that she may even like the two nerds she works with. Will the Queen of Cool be forced to give up her crown?

Swordsman, soldier, poet...and possessor of the biggest nose in all of France! Cyrano de Bergerac was all this and more, for behind his grotesque face beat the heart of a lover. And, being Cyrano, who could he fall in love with but the most beautiful woman in Paris?From this conflict of nose versus heart springs one of the most uproarious, tender, funny, painful, and action-packed stories of all time - a tale that has its roots in truth, for Cyrano de Bergerac really existed.

In books like Buried Onions and Boys at Work, Gary Soto displays a gift for revealing the tough, heart-breaking life of contemporary urban kids. In Petty Crimes, Soto offers 10 stories about the risky situations and dangerous little scams faced by young people growing up on the harsh streets of the city.

Florence, Italy, 1944: The city is under heavy Nazi occupation, but for 13-year-old Paolo, war is a long and boring wait. Too young to fight for the resistance, yet desperate for action and adventure, he sneaks out each night to ride his bicycle along the darkened city streets. For Paolo, the risk is thrilling. But when he is accosted by Partisans - covert members of the anti-Nazi movement - thrilling quickly becomes dangerous as Paolo and his family are thrust into a terrifying and impossible situation.

Joseph’s sophomore year is about to begin, but his new start is a false one. At his father’s request, Joseph has moved in with his aunt and uncle to avoid the toxic environment surrounding his drug-addicted mother. But efforts to keep Joseph safe have tragic results for the family. When their community is shattered, Joseph must contend with his own grief, his mother’s persistent pleas for money, and the distance between himself and his father, stationed in Iraq - not to mention schoolwork, making the tennis team, and a new relationship.

"Was he...you know?" Bella doesn't know if Dominic was gay or not, but she knows he was bullied. And she knows the adults who could have helped didn't because of some stupid policy. Now Dominic's dead. It's never been Bella's thing to stand up for a cause, but for some reason, this fight has become her fight.

"One down...you're next." Or so said the note Carmen Mendoza found in her locker. Carmen is out, loud, and proud, so the threat doesn't faze her...much. Jamie was Scott King's best friend. Jamie was also gay. Scott never imagined Jamie would kill himself. If Carmen and Scott can figure out how to get along, they'll be an unstoppable alliance.

Christmas is coming and everyone around 16-year-old Liz Kitchell is busy with preparations. The big houses in her neighborhood are shimmering inside and out with luxurious decorations. And her parents are trying to impress all their friends with extravagant parties and expensive gifts. But Liz feels empty inside. In her English class, her group has to write a composition: How do you get what you want for Christmas?

Norval and Arnie are two of the stars on the Southside High football team. They're best friends off the field, too, and they're both hoping to play college ball someday. When Coach Green asks Norval to watch Arnie for signs of a concussion, it sounds like spying. But is betraying Arnie the best way for Norval to help his friend?

The wonderful grandmother whom listeners saw through the eyes of a young boy in The Cookcamp reaches out to him when he is fourteen, offering him a haven from his harsh and painful family life. She arranges a summer job for him on the farm where she is a cook for bachelor brothers Gunnar and Olaf. Farm life offers the camaraderie and the routine of hard work, as well as good food, peaceful evenings spent making music together, and even dancing lessons. Life with Alida gives the boy strength and faith in himself, drawing him away from the edge and into the center of life.