mothers and sons

"An untidy kid sets off a pest invasion like no other in this ... book about the perils of messy habits"--OCLC.

As a budding scientist Marco tries different ways of sorting his collection of stuffed animal toys before bedtime, but the animals have their own ideas.

"Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe"--OCLC.

Eleven-year-old Rupert cannot resist applying to an advertisement to be a witch's apprentice, but quickly finds himself over his head with the young witch-in-training who desperately needs his help.

"Valerie has been forgetting things. Her daughter worries about her being on her own in her big Victorian house--one rumoured to be haunted after a tragedy decades earlier--and truth be told, she is a little lonely. With few options, she asks her adult son to move home, but it's not quite the reunion she hoped for. Hudson is taciturn, moody and frequently gone. The neighbours already hold a grudge against Hudson, and they aren't happy about his return. When a young woman is found murdered a block away, suspicion falls on him immediately, without a shred of evidence. While Valerie fights to defend her son, she begins to wonder who she really invited into her home. It's a horrible thing for a mother to even think...but is it possible she's enabled a monster? A monster she is living with, alone?"--Provided by publisher.

A young kangaroo called Alexander lives in his mom Nancy's pocket. Alexander loves his mom, but there's one thing she does that really drives him nuts. She is always putting stuff in her pocket. Alexander tries to keep things neat, but the more he tidies, the more stuff she shoves in there. When he complains, his sister calls him a baby--it's time to leave the pouch anyway. But Alexander loves it in there--it's warm and cozy and smells of mom. Then one day, it gets really bad. Twelve bobby pins, a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of water, a packet of chewing gum, two bus tickets, some keys, a toy car and a cookbook all find their way into Nancy's pouch. And that's just for starters. Finally Alexander's had enough. 'I can't take it any more!' he shouts. 'I'm moving out!' So Alexander moves into the room next to his sister's. They make it all cozy, with a furry blanket and shelves for all his stuff. So it's just like his mom's pouch. Almost.

"There's always been a hole in Gio's life. Not because he's into both guys and girls. Not because his father has some drinking issues. Not because his friends are always bringing him their drama. No, the hole in Gio's life takes the shape of his birth mom, who left Gio, his brother, and his father when Gio was nine years old. For eight years, he never heard a word from her . . . and now, just as he's started to get his life together, she's back"--Back cover.

"The trailer Ronny grew up in was never a home; at least not in the sense of a haven. He shared it with his mother and a succession of husbands, learning to keep to himself, get good grades, work toward a scholarship (since no one was going to pay for college other than him). At the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Ronny's made some friends, kept his secrets, survived dorm life, and protected his heart. Until he can't. Ben is in some ways Ronny's opposite; he's big and solid where Ronny is small and slight. Ben's at UNC on a football scholarship. Confident, with that easy jock swagger, and an explosive temper always simmering. Straight. He's aware of the overwhelming effect he has on Ronny. It's like a sensation of power. So easy to tease Ronny, throw playful insults, but it all feels somehow...loaded. Meanwhile Ronny's mother has moved to Vegas with her latest husband. And Ben's mother is fighting advanced cancer. A bubble forms around the two, as surprising to Ronny as it is to Ben. Within it their connection ignites physically and emotionally. But what will happen when the tensile strength of a bubble is tested? When the rest of life intervenes?"--Provided by publisher.

Jack Sawyer, a twelve-year-old boy, begins a terrifying quest for the Talisman--for only the Talisman can save his dying mother and defeat their enemy.

"Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters is a contemporary fantasy debut. It's a story of motherhood, sacrifice, and hope; of queer identity and learning to accept who you are; of gilded lies and the danger of believing the narratives others create for you. Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries. Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon--like all other book eater women--is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories. But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger--not for books, but for human minds"--Provided by the publisher.