Orphans Home

Life is hard for 12-year-old Lucas. First Uncle Asa dies of consumption, then Lizy and Pa. Now Mama is sick. And Lucas is the only one left to take care of her and their Connecticut farm. By the time his neighbor tells him of a strange, new cure, it is too late - Mama has just died. Reeling with sorrow, Lucas wanders until he sees a "help wanted" sign for a doctor's apprentice. He feels better while he is helping to pull teeth, visit the sick, and bury the dead.

Linda Delgado has the best nose in all of Arizona - for cooking, that is. She may be only 14, but Linda loves making fresh Mexican food with her aunt Elba and blogging about food with her best friend, Julia. But after Aunt Elba suffers a ministroke, Linda is catapulted across the country and into a whole new life. In Pittsburgh, living with bossy Aunt Pat and her seven kids, Linda feels completely out of place. Aunt Pat wants Linda’s help with Angel, a young foster child in the family who speaks only Spanish, but he seems impossible. And Linda’s cousin Chloe treats her like a total intruder.

It’s 1895 in New York City. Hard times have hit, and life isn’t going to get noticeably better any time soon. Almost-13-year-old Chipper Carey is running with the Midnight Rats kid gang just to survive. Ma died of consumption when he was six. He knows Ma wouldn’t have approved. But what ultimately has to matter is reality, and without the Midnight Rats, Chipper would have nothing. He’d starve. Fortunately for Chipper, fate takes over and introduces him to the wealthy Miss Sibley.

Life at Deacon Smith’s Home for Waifs would be completely dreary if it weren’t for Possum’s best friend, Billy, who “thinks up lies faster than he can talk” and provides plenty of excitement for the other boys. When Billy hears that gold is hidden in the mountains - “Great big chunks of it, some of ’em big as your fist” - he plans to escape, taking Possum with him. The two runaways embark on a journey in search of their dream - the gold that will lead to a better life.

Josie McCray was eight years old when her mother left. Now a young teacher, she guards her heart carefully but finds herself pulled to mentor a child in need. Payton Runnells was 12 when his mother left. Now in foster care, he's slow to trust anyone but senses that Josie might somehow understand the grief that grips him.

Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion.

In 1881, 12-year-old Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski wishes she didn't have to board the orphan train in Chicago. But she has no home, no family, and no choice. Rodzina doesn't believe the orphans are on their way out West to be adopted by good families. She's sure they will become slaves to strangers. Anyway, who would ever adopt a large, tough, stubborn girl of Polish origin? As the train heads west, all Rodzina has is a small suitcase and her family memories from the past.

Bei Mr. Deere wohnen und für ihn arbeiten - etwas Schlimmeres kann sich Josch gar nicht vorstellen. Denn Mr. Deere ist kein bisschen nett, sondern hart und unfreundlich. Da bleibt Josch nur eins: Er reißt aus dem Waisenhaus aus. Die Geschichte ist so liebevoll und anschaulich erzählt, dass man bis zum Ende mitfiebert.

You have heard, no doubt, the tale of Master Oliver Twist - that rags-to-riches boy; the parish orphan who became heir to the Brownlow fortune. But what few know is that there was a second Twist - a girl, brought into this world moments ahead of her brother. This is the story of Twill Twist - and her journey through the gambling dens and workhouses of London, as she attempts to make a life for herself, rescue her friends and uncover the mystery of her past - while meeting some familiar faces along the way....

Can you hear the distant howling of hounds and the thunder of ghostly hooves? It's All Souls' Eve, and Zamiel the Demon Huntsman has come to claim his prey! He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, where the evil count has hatched an evil plan; he'll sacrifice his two young nieces to save himself. Can Lucy and Charlotte outwit their uncle and his oily henchmen to escape their dreadful fate? From the award-winning author of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife comes a spooky, funny thriller just right for those middle-grade listeners looking for horror - and humor.

Inspired by the much-loved classic Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, Into the Spotlight is a magical new story from best-selling author and acclaimed performer Carrie Hope Fletcher. Brilliant Aunt Maude visits seasides the world over and has become quite the pebble collector. Pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours and even one that looked a bit like Elvis Presley if you squinted a bit. Her favourite pebbles, however, are Marigold, Mabel and Morris.

Based on a true story originally written by one of the survivors, Neta Lohnes Frazier's account of seven children traveling westward still has the power to astonish. In the 1840s, the Sager family set off on the Oregon Trail, a dangerous and adventure-filled journey. Tragedy struck when both the mother and father succumbed to fever, orphaning the youngsters - one just a newborn. The entire wagon train adopted them, until they arrived at the Whitman Mission in Oregon.

Twelve-year-old Jasmine adores her photographer father and wants to be an artist just like him. But when Dad abandons the family, Jasmine is sent to spend the summer with her uncle on a Pacific Northwest Island. Soon, Jasmine is learning stained glass from island glass artist Opal, and thinking she might just be developing a crush on island boy Cole. But, it's not until Jasmine finds herself mentoring another young artist that she can truly let go of her father and call herself an artist on her own terms.

In this third book in the exceptional Curiosity House mystery series by best-selling author Lauren Oliver and mysterious recluse H. C. Chester, four children must uncover the evil Nicholas Rattigan's newest dastardly scheme, wage war with a rival freak show, and deal with a spy who may have infiltrated their happy home.

Pippa, Sam, Thomas, and Max are happy to be out of harm's way now that the notorious villain Nicholas Rattigan is halfway across the country in Chicago. But unfortunately their home, Dumfreys' Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, is in danger of closing its doors forever. But their troubles only get worse. The four friends are shocked when their beloved friend, famous sculptor Siegfried Eckleberger, is murdered.

When they discover their younger sister is missing, their home burned, and their parents murdered, they seek revenge on their goblin enemies... Their father's last words lead them to Eirian, a powerful sword that will take them to their missing sister, if they can keep it out of the hands of their enemies.

Take one part Roald Dahl, a pinch of Mysterious Benedict Society, and a dash of Lemony Snicket, then add a league of adventurous children, a little magic, and a centuries-old feud with witches, and you get this quirky and hilarious middle-grade series! After their narrow escape from a nefarious kidnapping ring, Anastasia, Ollie, and Quentin (a.k.a. the League of Beastly Dreadfuls!) are looking forward to a relaxing vacation from danger! Intrigue! Catastrophe! Sadly, they’re not going to get one.

Double Luck is filled with examples of how the human spirit can triumph over adversity. In the Chinese language, the word crisis is written with two symbols: one meaning "danger" and the other meaning "opportunity". Although Chi Fa's childhood was filled with crisis, he always looked for opportunity. His successful triumph over crisis after crisis is an inspiration for all who seek hope in the face of great challenges.

Gruhit Brown’s life is a whirlwind of events. He and his two older siblings don’t currently live with their mom and have just moved into their eighth foster home. As if there wasn’t enough on his plate with getting used to the routine in his new foster parents’ big blue house, Gruhit also has to navigate a new school complete with a class bully and other children who don’t have the same color of skin as him.

In this eagerly awaited sequel to A House Called Awful End, Eddie Dickens narrowly avoids being blown up, trampled by horses, hit by a hot-air balloon, and arrested...only to find himself falling head over heels for a girl with a face like a camel's and into the hands of a murderous gang of escaped convicts, up on the misty moors, who have a "little job" for him to do.