southern california

Single mother Christine Scavello turns to private detective Charlie Harrison for help when her young son Joey becomes the target of a fanatical religious group that believes the child to be the Antichrist.

Thirteen-year-old, Southern California surfer Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch is a unique mix of Jewish, Japanese, and Cuban heritage; and when her grandfather, Saul, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she asks him to tell her his life story in order to better understand her own history.

"A . . . look at growing up on one of the most secretive weapons installations on earth, by a young woman who came of age with missiles. The China Lake missile range is located in a huge stretch of the Mojave Desert, about the size of the state of Delaware. It was created during the Second World War, and has always been shrouded in secrecy. But people who make missiles and other weapons are regular working people, with domestic routines and everyday dilemmas, and four of them were Karen Piper's parents, her sister, and--when she needed summer jobs--herself . . . Piper sketches in the belief systems--from Amway's get-rich schemes to propaganda in The Rocketeer to evangelism, along with fears of a Lemurian takeover and Charles Manson--that governed their lives. Her memoir is also a search for the truth of the past and what really brought her parents to China Lake with two young daughters . . ."--Provided by publisher.

Recent immigrants from China and desperate for work and money, ten-year-old Mia Tang's parents take a job managing a rundown motel in Southern California, even though the owner, Mr. Yao is a nasty skinflint who exploits them; while her mother (who was an engineer in China) does the cleaning, Mia works the front desk and tries to cope with demanding customers and other recent immigrants--not to mention being only one of two Chinese in her fifth grade class, the other being Mr. Yao's son, Jason.

As Bobby Framingham, quarterback of his high school football team, finally acknowledges to himself that he is gay, events start to spin out of control when his sexual orientation is revealed in the student newspaper and then in the local press, and he learns that his father has cancer.

Border patrolman James Reese is haunted by memories of his first family, despite the love of his adopted parents, and when he learns his birth mother has died, he feels compelled to learn about her life and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Brandon Webb discusses his life with a focus on his training to become a Navy SEAL.

Thirteen-year-old, clarinet-playing, Southern California surfer, Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch, comes from a complex family--her father is Jewish-Japanese, her mother is Cuban, and her parents are divorced--and when her grandfather Saul is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Yumi asks him to tell her his life story, which helps her to understand her own history and identity.

When Giselle's nine-year-old son Teddy accidentally shoots and kills his baby sister, Giselle must learn to forgive herself and her son and move on with her life.

Four diverse junior high school students face adversity in the form of budding romantic relationships, gangs demanding proof of loyalty, feelings of insecurity, the quest for popularity in a new school, and more.