Jerry Renault is forced into a psychological showdown with Trinity School's gang leader, Archie Costello, for refusing to be bullied into selling chocolates for the annual fund raising.

"Philomena needs new glasses. Her sister Audrey wants some, too. Pretty soon, Nora Jane is feeling the pressure to get a pair of specs, as well. The one-upmanship escalates from there with the three sisters learning that not everyone needs the same things"--

Eighth-graders Ryan and Taylor are twins, but that's where the similarities end. But they share at least one thing in common: nothing is turning out as they planned.

Amelia Louise McBride's eleventh birthday party is fabulous, but soon her friends are fighting all the time, she gets a terrible report card, and when she summons the courage to tell a boy how she feels about him, she learns why it is called a "crush."

Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the death of her beloved cat, Mango.

Johanna, having finally gotten her wish to be part of Dennis Arthur's rich, popular crowd, has to decide how much she wants to keep Dennis as her boyfriend when he dares her to kill their teacher.

Growing up in a close-knit Amish family, Reuben struggles with peer pressure and his desire to own a horse.

Love brings together what peer pressure and lifestyles seek to keep apart. Jamie is a straight-laced preacher's daughter and Landon is an unmotivated delinquent. When events thrust him into her world, he begins an unexpected journey he'll never forget.

"A former paramedic's visceral, poignant, and mordantly funny account of a decade spent on Atlanta's mean streets saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe. In the aftermath of 9/11 Kevin Hazzard felt that something was missing from his life--his days were too safe, too routine. A failed salesman turned local reporter, he wanted to test himself, see how he might respond to pressure and danger. He...

Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.