Fred Squire is not expecting anything special to happen to him during his vacation to the states. He is staying with his parents' old friends and their daughter, Brittany, who is about 14; Fred's age. His vacation soon grows more interesting as Fred and Brittany become fast friends and are inseparable. Fred soon encounters the problems of being a British boy in America. Struggling to tell the differences in the languages, he records each thing he learns for a school project.
Running away from her home in Virginia seemed like Mary Harolds only way of escaping the cruel people that surrounded her; so she did. The thirteen-year-old prone to panic attacks knows she belongs with her Grandma Ayma. She makes the 691 mile drive by borrowing her mothers old truck and driving it all the way to Wren, Alabama. The small town of Wren immediately welcomes her and she is put to work on her Grandmas farm. Bud, Aymas farm manager, teaches her all there is to know about running a farm.
When several aging courtesans are found strangled to death in Venice, Alchemist Nostradamus and his young apprentice Alfeo are hired to find the brutal murderer. As time passes, more women are found dead and the search for the killer becomes more desperate. Nostradamus is battling painful arthritis, though, so it is Alfeo who must travel through Venice to ask questions of suspicious characters and witnesses. They are soon hired by the Michiel's to find the killer of their father, who just happened to have been killed over eight years ago.
Rosie Caballero is your average 24 year old girl. She struggles through her job, cares for her dog Tootie, and oh yeah, she just won the 600 million dollar lottery! When Rosie enters her new life of fame and fortune, she is quckly hounded by paparazzi, old "friends", and lots of greedy con artists. Rosie soaks up the advantages of being rich and gladly shares her riches with the main family she has left: her cousin Cheeto and her grandmother Abuela. There seems to be nothing in the world Rosie can't buy.
Sam Davis only had one dream his whole life: to go to school like a normal boy. The only "friend" he has is Winston Churchill. He was told about Winston countless times by his attendant Miss Perkins, and Sam began hearing Winnie's voice in his head. Sam knew all about Stirling Junior High because every day, he watched from across the street. He has a window in his apartment that has a perfect view of the Stirling Junior High Tomcat's basketball court. He knew just what the team was missing.
