There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac. It is 1965 when black field hand Isaac Reynolds goes missing from the tiny, unassuming town of Glory, Alabama. The townspeople's reactions range from concern to indifference, but one boy will stop at nothing to find out what happened to his unlikely friend. White, wealthy, and fatherless, young Pete McLean has nothing to gain and everything to lose in his relentless search for Isaac. In the process, he will discover much more than he bargained for. Before it's all over, Pete--and the people he loves most--will have to blur the hard lines of race, class, and religion. And what they discover about themselves may change some of them forever.

But her real journey took her deep into the memories of Singer's colleagues and co-workers, of Holocaust survivors and those who were merely witnesses.

“Carrie Fountain’s YA novel is part-plot-twisty thriller, part-sweet romance, and perfect for summer reading!” —Bustle, Best YA Book of July, on I'm Not Missing It’s senior year, and Miranda Black’s best friend, Syd, has run away—suddenly and inexplicably, leaving behind nothing but a pink leopard print cell phone with a text message from the mysterious HIM. Everyone wants to know why Syd left, but the truth is, Miranda has no idea. When Miranda’s mother abandoned her as a child, Miranda had found shelter in her friendship with Syd, who wore her own motherlessness like a badge of honor. Now Miranda’s been left behind again, left to untangle the questions of why Syd left, where she is—and if she’s even a friend worth saving, all while stumbling into first love with the most unlikely boy in school. How do you take on the future when it feels like so much of your past wasn’t even real?

George Sanford has a gift for guessing right the first time and very little else going for him. When Ahmed and his other friends graduate school and got jobs in The City, George finds himself left behind. He never wanted to sign his name, let alone fill out applications and reports. Then George bumps into the Rescue Squad and is swept up in the excitement of a hunt for a trapped girl. It is George who finds her with his special talent for guessing right ... and it is George who suddenly becomes the pride of the Rescue Squad. With a friend running interference for him with the bureaucracy, George lands a place for himself as a "consultant" - and the more he works, the more his strange talents grow. With each success George begins to change. Using his special talents to rescue a computer technician from a gang of revolutionaries, he finds he has become a pawn in a mad iconoclastic game. A game where his own talents pose the greatest threat to The City - and the world!

Once upon a time we were a family. In those days, all I remember was laughter and joy. I was their first-born, and I remember so clearly my parents’ pride as I held my little sister, Phoebe, for the first time, the joy shining out of their faces. But then one devastating day, everything changed, when Phoebe died. And it tore us all apart. Then the third daughter – baby Bea – was born. It was meant to be the start of us healing. Becoming a family again. But the truth was, nothing would ever be the same again. Now Bea is all grown up. And she’s called me to say she’s pregnant. She says she wants to come home. Because she has some questions. After all these years, I know it’s time for our family secrets to come to the surface. The secrets we’ve been trying to pretend never happened. About the missing pieces in our family... And about the very worst day of my life... A powerful, heartbreaking story about family, sisterhood, and the ties that bind us. A perfect read for fans of Susan Lewis, Sally Page and Amanda Prowse, from No.1 bestselling author, Laura Pearson. Readers love Missing Pieces: ‘Even when I couldn’t see properly as the tears streamed down my face rivalling the force of the Niagara Falls, I couldn’t put this novel down. It is raw, it is devastating (yes, I’m aware I’ve used that word before but it is!) and yet, it’s wonderful and I absolutely loved it!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow!!!! Missing Pieces is gripping, heartbreaking, and I didn’t want to put it down. Laura Pearson’s writing is phenomenal!!... This book grabbed me from page 1. It is gripping throughout and the ending had me crying! And I’ve only cried twice reading books.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘If you want to have a rollercoaster of a ride, read this. If you want to use up a box of tissues, read this.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow ... amazing... straight away it captures your heart, it is so beautifully written and impossible to put down... have the tissues ready... it feels so real... it stays with you.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A rollercoaster of emotions... The story will stay with me a long time... A book that I couldn’t put down... Deserves far more than five stars.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I am lost for words to describe this book which drew me in, enveloped me to the point where I was constantly thinking about the characters, worrying about them like they were my own. I fell in love.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I had tissues near me each time I picked this book up to read, and the first time it made me cry I was in the bath, and my special pack of tissues were the other side of the bathroom door, argh! I cried with sadness and I cried with relief.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I’m quite an emotional reader and felt an almost physical ache in my heart as I read. I fully expected I’d cry but I didn’t. Not because Missing Pieces isn’t emotional, but because I had the feeling that if I let myself give in to the emotions it was engendering in me, I might never recover... Outstanding’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

He's a rescue, a mutt. Maybe there's a little golden retriever in him, although he's not exactly pretty. He's had a run-in with coyotes and he's missing an eye. But Mike is eleven-year-old Cara Donovan's dog, and they love each other absolutely. Usually her pet follows Cara everywhere, but on the day the family first smells smoke in the air, Mike becomes anxious. Pine Grove is in the path of a wildfire, and the family is ordered to evacuate. In the ensuing chaos, Mike runs off. And then the unthinkable happens; there is no time to search for Mike. They are forced to leave him behind. Shocked and devastated, Cara watches helplessly as the family drives through a nightmare, with burning debris falling from the sky and wild animals fleeing for their lives. Once in the city far from the burn zone, the Donovans are housed with a volunteer host family. Jewel, the hosts' daughter, is nice, but Cara can only think about what she may have lost. What will happen if nothing is left? But as she reflects on what "home" means to her, Cara knows only one thing. She is not going to lose Mike. She will do what it takes to find him, even if it means going back to Pine Grove on her own. With her signature style combining simplicity and lyricism, the author of Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles and Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess tells an uplifting story of love and loss. And she shows how one girl’s stressful journey eventually leads her to an unexpected place, and a new definition of home.

Restless with the familiarity of her Alabama home, Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country. Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their culture, most of the people in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher as a boon to the town. She's soon teaching just about everyone--and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Acclimating to a whole new world, Ellie meets a lonely but intriguing Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong. A master of the Southern novel, Valerie Fraser Luesse invites you to enter the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle for the heart and soul of the bayou.