Feeling as though he does not belong there, Tink leaves Crow Cove, only to return with the drunken Burd, who teaches Tink to fish and to have confidence in himself and his place in the community.
When his strange family moves into her quiet southern Indiana town, sixth-grader Lydia Carson initially despises her new neighbor and classmate, who seems as wild as the raccoon that is his closest companion.
When Maggie's father's drinking becomes out of hand, it affects the entire family, especially Maggie, in a book that discusses the family problems alcoholism can cause and the ways children can cope with an alcoholic family member.
Minnesota seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister has devoted years to helping her out-of-control, alcoholic mother but joining her brother in chasing tornadoes for a summer gives her a fresh perspective, new options, and her first real romance.
Unable to cope with her father's alcoholism, thirteen-year-old Sam corresponds with an older student, sharing her family problems and asking for advice.
Relates the angst-ridden life of fourteen-year-old Libby Madrigal as she tries to deal with her unhappily married alcoholic father and overeating mother, moving to a new town, and finding the perfect boy to "seriously" kiss.
