Fogelin, Adrian

Middle schooler Justin Riggs struggles to cope with major family problems, including a brother who might be heading for the Persian Gulf, but finds an escape in piano lessons and the dream of a romance with a popular girl.

Thirteen-year-old Socko and his mother move from their cramped, unsafe inner city apartment to a house in the suburbs, where they plan to care for Socko's crotchety great-grandfather, but they soon discover that leaving the problems of the city behind is not as easy as it seems.

Anna, a twelve year old girl with strong survival instincts, tries to adjust to life in a Florida foster home in a strange neighborhood with an overly tidy single woman and Eb, another foster child who is not at all sure he wants to stay there.

Twelve-year-old Rox and her grandmother Mimi sell at a flea market every weekend to supplement the family's only income, that of construction worker and college student, cousin John Martin.

Four high school friends--Cass, Jemmie, Ben, and Justin--and Ben's younger brother Cody explore an abandoned building with a tragic past in the woods, where they each discover something relevant to their lives and their futures.

Thirteen-year-old Ben is annoyed by an eleven-year-old, know-it-all girl who threatens the fun of his family's vacation in the Florida Keys, but he has other worries, especially anxiety about his friend's reaction when she opens the necklace he gave her for Christmas.

Thirteen-year-old Socko and his mother leave their cramped, unsafe inner city apartment and move to a house in a new suburban development where they plan to care for Socko's crotchety great-grandfather, but when they arrive they discover that the rest of the homes are unfinished, they are the only residents of Moon Ridge Estates, and that trouble has followed them.

Twelve-year-old Cass meets her new African-American neighbor, Jemmie, and despite their families' prejudices, they build a strong friendship around their mutual talent for running and a pact to read Jane Eyre.

In Florida, Anna Casey lives with what she hopes is the last in a long line of foster mothers, and Mica Delano lives with her father on their small boat, and when the two of them begin corresponding, they discover they have a lot in common.

Middle schooler Justin Riggs struggles to cope with major family problems, including a brother who might be heading for the Persian Gulf, but finds an escape in piano lessons and the dream of a romance with a popular girl.