Racially mixed seventeen-year-old Lauren, the daughter of drug users, is pressured to have sex with her boyfriend and questions her promise to herself to stay a virgin until she is married.
When their mother is sent to fight in Iraq, Mario Barajas and his younger brother, Eddie, are sent to live with their aunt, but the situation becomes intolerable when Mario discovers that their aunt's boyfriend is abusing Eddie.
Autumn, Danni, and Jason have been friends for years, but when Danni falls in love with Jason and asks Autumn to help her win Jason's heart, one act of betrayal threatens their friendship and forces Autumn to make a life-changing decision that will impact all of their lives.
High school senior Jeff Browning is upset when he learns that his girlfriend is pregnant, and determined not to let a baby ruin his plans to go to college on a debate scholarship, but his feelings change after the baby is born.
Emmy, whose future had once looked so bright, struggles to overcome the isolation and depression brought about by being a teen mother who gets little support from her family or the father of her child.
Marilyn Reynolds shares techniques she has used to turn unmotivated students into lifelong readers and offers teachers advice on how they can do the same for their students.
Erica has always been a serious student but when her boyfriend's life starts spinning out of control, she does not anticipate the tragic consequences his behavior could have on her future.
Presents six short stories that deal with crisis situations faced by teenagers, including racism, abuse, sense of failure, aging relatives, drunk driving, and abortion.
