Showing results by author "Alison McGhee" in All Categories

Three lonely riverside dwellers - a boy, a firefly, and a cricket - are all trying to make sense of unexpected changes in their world. Each has a secret dream, but each finds himself trapped. Becoming friends brings them happiness and solidarity, but more changes are in store. Each character stands up to his greatest fear, and, in doing so, finds his greatest strength.

When Clara Winter left her rural Adirondack Mountain town for college, she never looked back. Her mother, Tamar, a fiercely independent but loving woman who raised Clara on her own, all but pushed her out the door, forcing Clara to build a new life for herself, far from her roots, far from her high-school boyfriend, and far from the life she had known. Now more than a decade has passed, and Clara, a successful writer, has been summoned home.

Sixteen-year-old Will spends most of his days the same way: Working at the Dollar Only store, trying to replicate his late father’s famous cornbread recipe, and walking the streets of Los Angeles. Will started walking after his father committed suicide, and three years later he hasn’t stopped. But there are some places Will can’t walk by: The blessings store with the chest of 100 Chinese blessings in the back, the bridge on Fourth Street where his father died, and his childhood friend Playa’s house.

Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. They each have their own special tree, and neighbors and family know that they are most likely to be found within the branches. But after an accident on their street, Kiri has gone somewhere so far away that Ayla can only wait and wait in her birch, longing to be able to talk with Kiri again. Then a mysterious, old-fashioned telephone appears one morning, nestled in the limbs of Ayla's birch tree.

Sylvie and Jules, Jules and Sylvie. Better than just sisters, better than best friends, they'd be identical twins if only they'd been born in the same year. And if only Sylvie wasn't such a fast - faster than fast - runner. But Sylvie is too fast, and when she runs to the river they're not supposed to go anywhere near to throw a wish rock just before the school bus comes on a snowy morning, she runs so fast that no one sees what happens...and no one ever sees her again.

The seaside town of Isla has many stories, the most notable being the legend of the Seafaring Parrot. Locals claim that the Seafarer remembers every sound, every whisper, cry, laugh, or snort ever uttered. But, though there have been rumored Seafarer sightings, no one has actually seen the bird before. Other stories surround a boy named Pablo, who had washed up on shore in a blow-up swimming pool as an infant with only a lavender parrot as a companion.

One Halloween, a little witch decides she'd finally like to see what this special night is about. As soon as she makes a new friend, she discovers how much fun trick-or-treating with humans can be.

These two girls are marvelous companions who often do not agree... on socks... or goldfish... or venturing to the Andes. This humorous story relates how compromise helps these two very different individuals remain the best of friends.

Edwina "Eddie" Beckey and Sally Hobart are best friends. They love to jump rope, camp, and eat chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. Eddie wears different colored rubber bands on her wrist. She nevers takes them off until the one day she finds an important reason to pass them on to Sally.

A mother's love leads to a mother's dream - every mother's dream - for her child to live life to its fullest. A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is a story that you'll want to share today.

Twenty-one-year-old Mallie Williams—scrappy, headstrong, and wise beyond her years—has just landed on her feet following a tumultuous youth when the unthinkable happens: She is violently assaulted. The crime leaves her comatose, surrounded by friends and family who are hoping against hopes for a full recovery. But soon Mallie's small community is divided. The rape has left Mallie pregnant, and while some friends are convinced that she would never keep the pregnancy, others are sure that a baby would be the only good thing to come out of all of this pain. Who gets to decide?

With a missing father, sister, and grandfather - and a mother who refuses to explain - 11-year-old Clara lives with many questions. When she begins interviewing an elderly immigrant for a school biography assignmnent, she learns he too has a shadowy past. Attempting to fill in gaps, Clara invents version upon version of stories for both her new friend and herself. As the tales evolve, she uncovers some unsettling family history, but most importantly, she begins to discover what matters most in life. Filled with small surprises, Shadow Baby is at turns funny, poignant, and heartwarming.

Micah and Sesame are true best friends. They safeguard each other’s secrets and entwine their dreams. Micah wants to save his parents from the cult leader who calls himself “the Prophet.” Sesame recently lost the last of her own family - her grandmother - and, to avoid foster care, plans to keep a low profile until she turns 18. Together, they never doubt they can build the futures they want. Until Micah disappears. The Prophet has taken Micah, his parents, and the rest of his followers underground.

All the apprehension about school "firsts" is playfully presented in these reassuring stories. In Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth, advice from a "knowledgeable" second grader has the first grade worry-wart convinced that her new teacher is really a 300-year old alien. In Countdown to Kindergaten, a five-year-old has 10 days until she starts kindergarten, and she's in trouble: she doesn't know how to tie her shoes.

The fair is in town and these two very different girls--but best friends extraordinaire--use teamwork to navigate its many wonders.

The angels are aflutter: a baby is soon to be born! One small angel can tell this baby is especially special. And holy moly, are their presents extraordinary. The little angel wants to give a present too, but, what could she possibly offer that is as worthy as the others’ gifts? At a loss for ideas, she peeks over the side of her platform and spies something going on in the desert - a caravan of kings on camels, lost in the dark.

Daisy has been working on invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies who are targeting her. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the Lunchroom of Terror and secretly counting whenever she’s anxious.But things are looking up. A new boy has befriended her and seems able to stand up to the bullies, and the stray cat she’s been feeding is starting to almost trust her.

Eine Geschichte vom Überleben... Sesame und Micah sind verliebt und die besten Freunde. Sie hüten ihre Geheimnisse und teilen ihre Träume. Nie zweifeln sie daran, sich die gemeinsame Zukunft aufbauen zu können, die sie sich wünschen. Bis Micah verschwindet. Verschleppt, zusammen mit seinen Eltern und weiteren Mitgliedern einer Gruppe um einen selbst ernannten Propheten. Sesame erspürt die Gefahr, in der Micah schwebt. Noch nie hat sie sich so verlassen gefühlt, noch nie hat Micah sie so sehr gebraucht wie jetzt.

Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it's rough out there, and we have to help each other through.

Will ist einer, der geht. Von zu Hause zur Schule zur Arbeit und wieder zurück. Tag für Tag. Er geht an diesem kleinen Kerl vorbei, der auf Schmetterlinge wartet. Vorbei an Superman, dem Obdachlosen in der First Street. Vorbei an dem wahnsinnigen Hund, der immer bellt. Aber es gibt auch Orte, an denen will er nicht - kann er nicht - vorübergehen: der Brücke über die Fourth Street, dem Laden mit den hundert chinesischen Segenssprüchen, dem Haus seiner Freundin Playa.