Synopsis:

A unique collection. The only anthology of short-short stories to focus on youth.

In these stories of no more than 1000 words, well-known and emerging American authors spotlight crucial moments of change during coming-of-age. Their young protagonists face matters of great consequence, such as the death of a parent, unwanted pregnancy, and bullying, as well as lighter, if perplexing circumstances: how to hold a prom when being home-schooled; what to do when the babysitter suddenly sees the Rapture. The stories are of this moment--a girl who falls in love and then is pressured to lose her virginity in a cyberspace world--and they also remember the past: the Nixon era, the Vietnam War, slavery. Here is a glimpse into the way we live now from the point of view of those who will determine the future. Among the contributors are Steve Almond, Peter Bacho, Richard Bausch, Gayle Brandeis, Richard Brautigan, Ron Carlson, Kelly Cherry, Dave Eggers, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Jim Heynen, Victor Lavalle, Meg Kearney, Naomi Shihab Nye, Maryann O'Hara, Sonia Pilcer, Pamela Painter, Bruce Holland Rogers, Robert Shapard, and Alice Walker.

Synopsis: Newbery Honor Award—winning author Mavis Jukes is back with a lovable new character named Carson. His father moves him to a new town in Northern California, where he'll be the new kid in class—friendless and alone, except for his beloved stuffed moose (named Moose, of course). As Carson settles into his new surroundings, a series of delightful mishaps start to occur: the class pet, a rat named Mr. Nibblenose, gets lost to surprising results; the culprit of a mysterious lunch theft might actually be something that's not human at all; and when his beloved Moose goes missing, Carson makes his first new non-stuffed animal friend. Told with childlike charm and wit, The New Kid is perfect for newly independent readers.

Synopsis: Abducted...to an Alien World! Logan and Mindy Oakes wake up to discover everything has changed. Wrong beds, wrong clothes, wrong house. And, worst of all, their parents are missing. When they go outside, they run into a friend whose parents are also gone. In fact, all the grownups in town have inexplicably vanished. Then along comes a spider a giant, monstrous, mechanical horror. And that s the least of the nightmares that will befall the brother and sister in Shadowind, a dangerous, otherworldly dimension inhabited by ghostly creatures, cyborg animals and virtual humans a land where anything is possible, including being downloaded into a cryptic, evil role-playing game. In order to survive, Logan and Mindy band together with other kids determined to find a way back to the life they knew and loved. Ultimately they must battle the sinister cyber-lord for the Staff of the Sky Shifter, a powerful weapon that could destroy the universe...but might also be the key to getting back home.

Synopsis: High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war?

Synopsis: Sci-fi action meets steamy paranormal in Gini Koch’s Alien novels, as Katherine “Kitty” Katt faces off against aliens, conspiracies, and deadly secrets. • “Futuristic high-jinks and gripping adventure.” —RT Reviews 

After the wildest wedding ever, Katherine "Kitty" Katt-Martini and her Alpha Centaurion husband Jeff are hoping life will settle down. But alien attacks are on the increase, and someone is testing a  dangerous new drug on unwilling subjects within their group. As if that's not enough, they discover that their newborn's talents are off the charts—and the bad guys want their baby.

The last thing anyone in Centaurion Division needs after that is a conspiracy to kill the heads of the C.I.A.'s Extra-Terrestrial Division and the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit, otherwise known as Charles Reynolds and Kitty's mother, Angela Katt. Then, suddenly, key members of Alpha and Airborne start vanishing.

Can Kitty, her remaining team members, friends old and new, and a totally unexpected new partner rescue everyone and figure out why Kitty's become a superhuman? Most importantly, can they pull it all off before the event Kitty dreads most—her Alpha Centaurion baby shower?

Alien Proliferation is the fourth installment of the thrilling Alien novels.

Synopsis: Here's an anthology that examines what it means to be human in all its positive and negative aspects. If you were an intelligent robot, would the opportunity to become human for a day be worth the risks? If a magic spell switched the bodies of a vampire and a teenage girl, would both savor the experience or search for a way to undo the enchantment? What tests would an angel face if transformed into a mortal for a day? These are just a few of the inventive stories-some humorous, some sad, many thought-provoking, and all unique-to be found in Human for a Day.

Synopsis: Justin Taggart doesn’t know anything (about being a loser). He likes girls and plays sports and has some friends. Unfortunately his fear of rejection outweighs his ability to deal with these well. Mostly there’s Sterling, the girl of his dreams who knows how to stop his heart by not knowing he likes her. Another thing is trying to get money with Adam, who’s rich anyway so it’s more about hanging out. As for Justin, he makes ends meet by mowing people’s yards with Adam, and sometimes by breaking into vending machines and selling late-night cable programming to peers (also with Adam). But it’s not like he doesn’t feel bad about it, since Jesus died for his sins. School is pretty terrible with all the work and practice, but there are a few people there worth mentioning. Anyone who picks up his journal will be in for something, if they feel like getting through a lot of grammar and spelling problems. They’ll probably end up seeing that they shouldn’t have looked at it anyway, because this is someone’s private anthem of girls, grass, and loserdom.