california

Thirteen-year-old Drew starts the summer of 1986 helping in her mother's cheese shop and dreaming about co-worker Nick, but when her widowed mother begins dating, Drew's father's book of lists, her pet rat, and Emmett--a boy who is on a quest of his own--help her cope.

Recounts the story of the murder of seven people in Los Angeles in 1969 and the trial and conviction of the Manson "family" for the murders.

In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.

Through a series of letters, Sophie Brown, age twelve, tells of her family's move to her Great Uncle Jim's farm, where she begins taking care of some unusual chickens with help from neighbors and friends.

When Margie's cousin Lupe comes from Mexico to live in California with Margie's family, Lupe must adapt to America, while Margie, who thought it would be fun to have her cousin there, finds that she is embarrassed by her in school and jealous of her at home.

A pariah in his town and home for the results of his risk-taking behavior, eighteen-year-old Jake seeks adrenaline rushes to clear his dark thoughts, but when Salome, the girl he loves, gets caught up in taking chances, too, the consequences are devastating.

American soldier Jay Kopelman tells his story about saving an abandoned dog named Lava in Iraq that he had shipped back to America after his discharge. Chronicles the difficulties he experienced in life after combat and depicts his and Lava's recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder. Includes black and white photos, information and statistics about dealing with PTSD, and resources for veterans and their families.

In 1960s California, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt has trouble with True Blue, the newest horse on her family's ranch, a beautiful dappled gray who is so often spooked, Abby wonders if he is haunted by the ghost of his deceased former owner.

Upon her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Delaney Collins must move to California to live with a father she barely knows, and discovers not only that he is a fairy "godmother", but she may be one, as well.

When Aki's family is sent to a Japanese internment camp at the beginning of World War II, Sylvia's family leases their farm. But Sylvia also faces discrimination, as a Mexican American. Includes black-and-white photographs of the real Sylvia and Aki.