As students at a special high school that trains them to be secret agents, six teenagers struggle to complete the training exercises as a team before being sent out into the field to sink or swim.

Since his childhood in the DeepWoods, young Twig has always longed to soar above the forest canopy and explore the sky. Now a crew member on his father’s sky pirate ship, the Stormchaser, his dream seems fulfilled. But a much higher destiny awaits Twig. The lofty city of Sanctaphrax—built on a giant rock, floating high in the sky—is at the point of disaster. The city’s future is dependent on stormphrax—a valuable substance available only from the heart of a Great Storm. And only the Stormchaser, with Twig onboard, could risk entering a storm. . . .

Private William Mandella is a hero in spite of himself -- a reluctant conscript drafted into an elite military unit, and propelled through space and time to fight in a distant thousand-year conflict. He never wanted to go to war, but the leaders on Earth have drawn a line in the interstellar sand -- despite the fact that their fierce alien enemy is unknowable, unconquerable, and very far away. So Mandella will perform his duties without rancor and even rise up through the military's ranks . . . if he survives. But the true test of his mettle will come when he returns to Earth. Because of the time dilation caused by space travel the loyal soldier is aging months, while his home planet is aging centuries -- and the difference will prove the saying: you never can go home. . .

Part My Side of the Mountain and part The Red Badge of Courage, a gripping journey of survival across a country at warFrom Arthur Dorros, author of many highly-acclaimed picture books, comes this thrilling first novel. Thirteen-year-old Ehmet, separated from his parents by the violence in his native Bosnia, travels alone across the country to a place he's heard rumors of, a village of children living in peace. Along the way, Ehmet uses all his skills, remembered and read, to find food, shelter, direction, and a new life for himself. This important and timely book, based on extensive travel and research, shows readers the cost of war and the importance of young people in building peace. Praise for Under the Sun"With vivid description and telling detail that speaks of the extensive research, Dorros pulls the reader into a fictional story that has the chilling ring of truth."--The Oregonian"A story that transcends setting to chronicle the adaptability and creativity of young adults everywhere."--Pages Magazine"The facts are astonishing, and the contemporary war docunovel will grab readers."--Booklist