In The Story that Cannot Be Told, main character Ilena collects stories of all kinds and revises the endings to her liking. She writes down all of the stories in a book she calls The Great Tome. Ilena and her family try to have a good life, despite Romania's corrupt leader. When Ilena's uncle writes a story criticizing the communist government, the secret police come after Ilena and her family. Ilena's parents make the difficult decision to send Ilena to stay with her grandparents. Ilena doesn't want to go live with the grandparents she has never met.
Set in New Jersey, Drawing with Whitman is about a girl named Catalynd—“Cat”—who breaks both legs in a car accident. The car accident occurs during a storm, when her mom loses control of the car and hits a tree. Her mom feels very depressed after the car accident, and Cat tries to help her and understand her depression. While all of this is happening, Cat's oldest brother, Buddy, is leaving for college in Florida. Cat is not excited to see him go, because the two have a very close relationship.
Jillian Dangerous and the Peculiar Adventure is about a girl who goes to a brand-new school. Jillian gets bullied by a girl named Maddie, and she has the choice to either do cyberschool or go to Crest International, her mom's alma mater. Jillian picks Crest International. When she arrives, Jillian meets new friends Sadie, Samantha, and Megan. They have a good time together, but then Maddie shows up! Jillian doesn't know how, but Maddie keeps coming back into her life. A storm comes, and Jillian begs her friends to stay out with her.
Governcorp is a collection of businesses that took over when the world was falling apart. Governcorp suppresses freedom of speech and uses the Comfort Center to drug people into becoming non-argumentative citizens. Jenny is the perfect citizen, who wants to work as a Safety Officer for Governcorp. Hannah is a new citizen formerly from the Homesteads, slums hidden behind a veneer of pretty fences. Hannah struggles with reconciling her conscience between helping her dad fit in with their new life and trying to figure out if Governcorp should be revolted against.
Tanya Kofsky has just moved to a new town so her mom can take care of her grandpa. But Tanya finds that, except for a new candidate for class president, the student body largely ignores her. Tanya struggles to navigate the hardheadedness of not only her peers but also her grandpa. To "speak out" against the school principal and his policies, she turns to her favorite (although illegal) art medium—powerful and symbolic graffiti. It turns out that a good majority of the student body agree with her views and want change as well, yet the principal controls everything.
Can you imagine switching schools all of the time and trying to figure out how to fit in? Fourteen-year-old Tanya Kofsky is certain no one listens to her at home or school. She feels she's not seen or heard. So she finds a way to get her thoughts out without anyone knowing she is behind the messages—graffiti! As she helps her friend who is campaigning for class president, she also works on voicing her opinion through her artwork.
Anna lives in a meticulously clean apartment, which she rarely ever leaves. She is full of fear, compulsions, and disdain for most people she meets. So when she gets a wedding invitation in the mail, it remains unopened until her nosy neighbor brings it to her attention.
In 1986, Freja O’Connell moves home to Denver from Las Vegas after her current relationship ends—the latest in a long line of drunken, cheating men. Determined to start over, Freja buys from her father a rundown home in a bad neighborhood and decides to fix it up on her own using money earned as a waitress at Shotgun Willie’s Gentleman’s Cabaret. Aside from meeting a crowd of colorful characters at work, she also befriends (and lusts after) the cashier at the local home improvement store, which she frequents as part of her home remodeling project.
It’s 1986, and Freja O’Connell has moved to Denver from Las Vegas. She’s rid herself of unwanted baggage and is looking to start life anew. Part of her rebuilding involves reconnecting with her family, some new love interests, and an old Victorian home given to her by her father. Although it’s not in an excellent living area, Freja is immediately captivated by this home and decides to restore it as best she can to showcase all the beauty and immaculate curb appeal it has to offer.
