Showing results by author "Suzanne LaFleur" in All Categories

Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise's parents died when she was too young to remember them. There's always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the bar...

My name is Suzanne Lafleur, and I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 23 years old. At 33, I went through 4 major surgeries to remove my large intestine, and now I live my life with a JPouch. If you don’t know what I am talking about, I invite you to follow me to learn and understand. Living with these autoimmune diseases is not easy. Together, let's change that. Let’s build a community of support instead. To my fellow JPouchers or ostomates, join me in spreading knowledge through open conversation. Please email me at suzannellafleur@gmail.com to share your story.

A war took Mathilde away from her family when she was chosen to serve her country, Sofarende, with other children working on a secret military project. But now the other children - including her best friend, Megs - have fled to safety, and Mathilde is all alone, determined to complete her mission. In this powerful and deeply moving sequel to the acclaimed Beautiful Blue World, Mathilde must make her way through a new stage of the war.

Sofarende is at war. For 12-year-old Mathilde, it means food shortages, feuding neighbors, and bombings. Even so, as long as she and her best friend, Megs, are together, they'll be all right. But the army is recruiting children, and paying families well for their service. If Megs takes the test, Mathilde knows she will pass. Megs hopes the army is the way to save her family. Mathilde fears it might separate them forever.

Siena's obsession began a year and a half ago, around the time her two-year-old brother Lucca stopped talking. She soon realizes that their wonderful old house on the beach holds secrets. When Siena writes in her diary with an old pen she found in her closet, the pen writes its own story, of Sarah and Joshua, a brother and sister who lived in the same house during World War II. As the two stories unfold, amazing parallels begin to appear, and Siena senses that Sarah and Joshua's story might contain the key to unlocking Lucca's voice.

"I had everything I needed to run a household: A house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy - the two of us, and no one else". A tragic accident has turned 11-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them. With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone.

Julia used to be the perfect big sister: She played great games and took good care of Cassie. Now, life at home revolves around Julia and her daughter, Addie. No one pays much attention to Cassie: not to her competitive swim meets and not to what's gone wrong with her friends. When Julia confides in Cassie that she'll be leaving with Addie - without telling their parents - Cassie jumps in the car, too. As the travels add up, Cassie has to wonder: Could the sister who seems to be the source of all her problems also be the friend she's missed the most?