In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.

"A poignant and powerful new memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope"--

In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.

On a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too.

Great Expectations is at once a superbly constructed novel of spellbinding mastery and a profound examination of moral values. Here, some of Dickens's most memorable characters come to play their part in a story whose title itself reflects the deep irony that shaped Dickens's searching reappraisal of the Victorian middle class.

Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it is like when she, too, becomes a target.

"The latest illustrated novel from Lincoln Peirce is a laugh-out-loud must-read starring the one and only cartooning genius, king of detention, and Cheez Doodle connoisseur, Nate Wright. Nate's not having the best of luck . . . in fact; he's not having ANY luck. But with a little boost thanks to Chad's lucky foot, suddenly good luck is everywhere Nate turns! Nate's in the zone! But how long will it last?" --

The story of a high-born woman and the tragic fate that befalls her when she allows her passion for a handsome officer, Count Vronsky, to dominate her life. Anna's tempestuous story is contrasted with that of Konstantin Levin, who also demands something more of life than his position allows. Tolstoy uses the stories of these two characters and their different worlds to explore social, moral, and philosophical issues. He exposes the Russian aristocracy's...

Whether at home getting ready for the day, enjoying the beach, or at bedtime, Olivia is a feisty pig who has too much energy for her own good.

Now that he is in the fourth grade, Suds learns that a fear of spiders or a babyish lunchbox will never get him into the coveted group, the Fourth Grade Rats.