In the book Brutal, by Michael Harmon, Poe Holly is forced to go live with her Dad, whom she hasn't met in all her sixteen years. Poe claims her mother doesn't care about her when her mother goes on a trip to South America to perform free medical services. When Poe goes to live with her father, she meets Velveeta, a boy living next door with his Aunt Vicky. Poe is forced to go to a small public school, Benders High School, with only 600 people total. There she meets Theo, the mayor's son who's anything but normal.
In Pharaoh's Daughter, by Julius Lester, Almah is a Habiru girl living in a small city outside of Khemet. Her life is changed forever when she finds out that when the pharaoh Ramesses II declares that every newborn Habiru boy is to be killed-and Almah is terrified for her baby brother Yekutiel. Almah panics when the soldiers come and she approaches the hidden area of the Nile, where she sees the Khemetian princess faint at the sight of a crocodile killing one of the babies. She brings the princess into her house and her family is furious.
In the book, The Goldsmith' Daughter by Tanya Landman, fourteen year old Itacate lives in Tenochtitlan, at the heart of the Aztec Empire. Ruled my the emperor Montezuma and blessed by the gods, the city thrives, but Itacate lives in fear, for it has been predicated that she will bring ruin to those around her. When her father, a goldsmith, discovers Itacate's talent for crafting fine jewelry and statues, she becomes his apprentice, even though the profession is forbidden to women.
In the book, The Less-Dead, Noah Nordstrom hates being the son of the famous Bible Answer Guy, and constantly likes to rebel against his parents. Whether it's eating crackers topped with apricot-has jelly or coming home drunk from parties, Noah loves to test his father's patience and claim that he's spreading hate. When two gay teens are murdered, Noah is almost positive that it's been a frequent caller on his dad's show. Then Noah meets Will Reed, a cool guy that understands him.
In the series, The Circle of Friends: Book 2 Sarah, Sarah Martin attends Georgia Tech. College, where she is studying to become a microbiologist to follow in her family's footsteps. Her roommate Heather is constantly moody, and her best friend Lori is getting married to a guy named Jason. Sarah finds Jason's best friend, Matt Gardner, much like herself in that they share common interests. When they start dating, people question their relationship, due to the fact that Matt is a future NFL receiver and Sarah a closed off person.
