orphans

Thirteen-year-old Emily Starr, desperate to join her friends at high school in nearby Shrewsbury, agrees to Aunt Elizabeth's requirement that she stay in town with her Aunt Ruth, despite Ruth's refusal to allow Emily to follow her dream of becoming a writer.

"In medieval Hagenheim, Germany, Aladdin, a poor orphan from the Holy Land, tries to rescue and win the heart of Kirstyn, the Duke of Hagenheim's daughter, his friend since childhood who is now pursued by greedy men seeking her father's fortune"--Provided by publisher.

Forced by a storm to spend the night at the home of the somber Heathcliff, Mr. Lockwood uncovers a tale of terror and hatred on the Yorkshire moors.

In nineteenth-century England, a young orphan boy lives in the squalid surroundings of a workhouse until he becomes involved with a gang of thieves.

Natalie is shocked when she turns sixteen and finds she can run faster than humanly possible. As she moves up in the school track team, Natalie's new cocky attitude takes a toll on her relationships. She must decide if the super speed is worth it.

In her diary, thirteen-year-old Abigail Thaddeus intersperses revelations from her secret quest to unearth the mysteries of mythological beasts with reports of the everyday strangeness of her own dysfunctional life.

"Eleven-year-old Mor was used to hearing his father's voice, even if no one else could since his father's death. It was comforting. It was also a reminder that Mor had made a promise to his father before he passed: keep your sisters safe. Keep the family together. But almost as soon as they are orphaned, that promise seems impossible to keep. With an aunt from the big city ready to separate him and his sisters as soon as she arrives, and a gang of boys from a nearby village wanting everything he has--including his spirit--Mor is tested in ways he never imagined. With only the hot summer months to prove himself, Mor must face a choice. Does he listen to his father and keep his heart true, but risk breaking his promise through failure? Or is it easier to just join the Danka Boys, whom in all their maliciousness are at least loyal to their own?"--Amazon.com.

Benny anticipates making friends with the new kid down the street, but when he finds out that she's a girl, he is very disappointed.

Thirteen-year-old Nikki Demere is an orphan and a kleptomaniac, making her the perfect girl to portray the Trevors' daughter in witness protection, but she soon learns that the biggest threat to her new family's security comes from her own past.

Abandoned and set adrift on a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow's only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor.