The War Among the Paines is a riveting life story of a family that is historically affected by war. Treat Paine narrates this story and explains the history of his family to his wife on the way to his mother’s funeral. He takes us back through WWI, WWII, and both the Korean and Vietnam wars. Throughout the story, Treat attends Cornell University, falls in love with many women, and experiences war for himself. Through each recount of the past, readers learn more about the Paine family complexities and how war has infiltrated everyone’s lives.
This story takes place near Summerset in England. At first, the landscape is described as dark and inhospitable, but as the main character, seventeen-year-old Liam explores the countryside, he begins to see its beauty.
Can You Hear Me? is a story detailing the father of the main character's journey through pancreatic cancer. It is not an easy story to tell, as every day presents new challenges and obstacles, but Renee keeps her head held high. This book takes place over a period of several months and covers both the good and bad parts of this family's life.
The Starlight Bar and Grill begins with two brothers, Scottie and Carl, recently reunited following the death of their father. He established a welcoming eatery and filled it with a cast of vibrant characters, but it closed down when the boys were younger. The brothers are back in town and ready to fire up the grill once more. The story unfolds as the brothers learn to live alongside each other and each of their baggage. Along the way, the brothers reestablish this magnificent place where people from all backgrounds gather to celebrate life and all of its facets.
What I Tell Myself About Talent begins with a young boy searching himself to determine what he is good at or what he describes as talent. The story soon flows into a collection of multiple children searching in the world around them to discover their true callings. Along the way, the kids learn the benefits of hard work in jobs like shoveling snow or mowing grass, and they see the beauty in the world through painting and making music. They also discover through the various vocations in the world that the people around them mold how they see themselves.
Dragon Stewart, the main character in My Storied Year, by Katie Proctor, got his unique name because of his mom’s obsession with Harry Potter. As the book begins, Dragon, a 7th grader at Piney Woods Middle School, has too many problems to count. His mom is trying to take care of Dragon, his younger step-sister and his toddler cousin all on her own. This is difficult for her to do because she has diabetes and smokes and can hardly get out of bed some days. In school, Dragon struggles with dyslexia and gets teased by the school bully, Travis, about how he smells.
Carrie’s Cupcake Success By Michelle Parmigaini is a book about a girl named Carrie who loves baking but dislikes math. At school she is assigned a math project to bring in something they love, but it must have something to do with math. Another student in the class tells Carrie that girls can’t be as good at math as boys. Carrie thinks about what her classmate told her and talks to her mom. She wants to use cupcakes in her project, but Carrie can’t figure out how math relates to baking. How will she solve this problem and finish her assignment?
“Our Wayward Fate,” written by Gloria Chao, is a story about diversity through the eyes of a sixteen year old girl. Ali Chu and her family are a single Asian family who reside in a small town in Indiana.
A Young Girl has just found out that her father has gotten cancer. Pancreatic cancer to be exact. She doesn't know what to do. Is it her fault? Why is this happening to her family? Her father? Is God punishing her for forgetting to pray? These are all questions that she has been asking herself over and over and has been writing in her diary after her father got diagnosed. Why won't God make him better? She's been praying and praying, but her dad is still sick. Why isn't God listening? Can he even hear her? Will her dad be there to walk her down the aisle?
Mac, the macadamia nut, is different from most of his friends. He is different in the way he dresses, eats, sleeps, and plays. But when it counts, Mac is exactly the kind of friend everyone wants and needs.
