The Student is a portrait of a life in two snapshots. It's 1957 and Miriam Moscowitz is starting her final year of university with unwavering ambition. She is a serious and passionate student of literature who studies hard, dates a young Jewish man with a good job, and is the apple of her father's eye and the worry of her mother's. But then, in a single moment, her dreams crumble around her. Unsure of how to break a path for herself, she begins a reckless affair with an American student obsessed with the civil rights clashes in the south. When the young man abandons her to join the movement back home, Miriam gets on a bus to follow him, no longer sure of anything in her life. Forty-eight years later, Miriam is the about to witness her son's wedding (a newly-legal, same-sex marriage). She climbs the stairs to her study to look at a book she had carried with her on a bus to Detroit. She reads the marginalia written in her young, minuscule handwriting. It is...

Sullivan is still trapped with the Melville’s Medicine Show, along with Frederick, Esmeralda and Clarence, travelling around the country. But his family has not given up hope. His parents got in touch with the parents of the other children, and his sister, Jinny, is determined to get back on the road with Manny in order to pick up the trail of the mysterious medicine show. And they are helped by a very real clue: a decades-old newspaper article about a travelling medicine show that mysteriously bears the same name … Back at the show, the Melvilles are becoming unhappy with the children’s performances. Sullivan drops some eggs, and worse, Clarence is finding it a tighter and tighter squeeze inside the “automaton,” the chess-playing Napoleon. They are soon going to need a new child to join the show, and the Melvilles know just the right one. Despite the children’s best efforts to prevent another child from being kidnapped, a new girl joins the...

Twelve-year-old Sullivan Mintz helps his family run the Stardust Home for Old People. While his father worries about finances and his mother is distracted by her poetry (rather embarrassingly, she's known as the Bard of Beanfield), Sullivan deals with his little sister, who can be a bit of a brat, and gets taunted at school for being short and clumsy. As a result, Sullivan's best (and only) friend is 81, which is pathetic, but at least Manny introduced Sullivan to his #1 obsession—juggling. One night, Sullivan glimpses Master Melville's Medicine Show, a travelling caravan. Enchanted by its mysterious and magical allure, he has to visit it again. But thrill turns quickly to dread when he steps onstage for the magic show ... only to wake up trapped inside the caravan! Sullivan's chances for escape are dashed by the Melvilles, but he's comforted by the other children in the show. Clarence, the small boy who trains dogs, becomes Sullivan's first friend his own age—and...

This isn't a fairy tale. Valentine Schwartz had it all: his raven-haired girlfriend was the most beautiful girl in school, he came from a rich family, and his best friend, Huddie Rosen, all but worshipped him. But he wasn't the brightest and was known for making mistakes. And no one could have foreseen him falling off the roof of his high school, in a suit of medieval armour, ending his life at the tender age of seventeen. Huddie Rosen moved on. He went to the University of Tennessee and fell in love with bluegrass music. It leads him to a new life in Europe where he starts a family. But when his family life goes sour, Huddie decides to go back to Toronto for his first visit in twenty-five years. As he begins to reconnect with his old friends, he soon finds himself wrapped up in their lives. It's a wonder anyone was able to live without him. And as his old and new lives begin to clash, he finds himself wondering which life is better. Valentine's Fall is a fast-paced,...

Who is Gretchen Oyster? The discovery of a series of mysterious handmade postcards distracts Hartley from trouble at home. A poignant novel for fans of Rebecca Stead and Holly Goldberg Sloan.Hartley Staples, near-graduate of middle school, is grappling with the fact that his older brother has run away from home, when he finds a handmade postcard that fascinates him. And soon he spots another. Despite his losing interest in pretty much everything since Jackson ran away, Hartley finds himself searching for cards in his small town at every opportunity, ignoring other responsibilities, namely choosing a topic for his final project. Who is G.O. and why are they scattering cards about the town?

One morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. An unforgettable middle-grade novel with elements of James and the Giant Peach meets Waterworld and The Road.One morning Rafe wakes up to discover his bedroom is floating in a vast sea of water. Alone with only his dog for company, Rafe adapts to this strange new world by fishing cans of food out of the water and keeping watch. Boxes float by, as does a woman, playing her cello. Then, one day, Rafe fishes out a young girl, who joins him in his room — they don't speak the same language, but together they will face this uncertain future together.  

The arrival of a mysterious new neighbor inspires a kid to write her own poetry in this humorous and unforgettable new middle-grade novel by award-winning author Cary Fagan.Andie Gladman is your typical kid — she lives in a small town, doesn't have many friends and quietly puts up with taunts from the school bully, Myrtle Klinghoffer. But one day, a new neighbor moves into the house next to Andie's family . . . and he looks awfully familiar. Could he be famous author Hans Christian Andersen? Andie sure thinks so, and the arrival of this well-known writer inspires Andie to write her own poems (with a feminist twist) based on his classic fairy tales. Her newfound hobby leads her to make a friend and finally feel some excitement about her previously quiet life . . . but will a shocking revelation change everything for Andie?

Masterful, hopeful stories about ordinary people taking small, bold steps into the unknownThese ten compelling and delightful stories highlight ordinary people, introverts, mostly living quiet lives — until they take the chance to leap toward small, meaningful adventure. A young woman is given a painting by Picasso by her stepfather, and she must acquire a wall to hang it on. A hippie family picks up a cello-playing hitchhiker who convinces them to get a television. And a man winds up taking his girlfriend's son on a road trip — an unexpected expedition for them both. Filled with a sense of hope, these stories explore the tangled bonds of family and the complex web that holds them together. Cary Fagan is an undisputed master of the short story, and Great Adventures for the Faint of Heart is a brilliant and warm collection that expands our acceptance of human frailty and our unpredictable capacity for change.

In a quaint tourist village, Dorn makes miniature scale models displayed in the local shops. Yet life is far from idyllic; he suffers under the thumb of a rich, philandering younger brother and an unloving father, and cannot find the courage to admit his love to Ravenna, the ungainly schoolteacher.Life takes a strange turn when the government-sponsored "Wild Home Project" is introduced and wolves, rats, minks, otters, and bears move into villagers' homes. Soon, Dorn receives a mysterious commission, finds a body in a park, and has several run-ins with a former classmate-turned police officer. When fi re breaks out, Dorn takes on the unlikely role of hero in the hope of changing the course of his life.A realist novel with the air of a fairy tale, The Animals is a surprising, funny, and thought-provoking story that explores the nature of relationships faunal and human, and reminds us of the challenges of finding one's place in society . . . and that living...

A classic story of imagination, friendship, adventure and speeding through the ocean in a cardboard box. For fans of Ivy & Bean, Judy Moody or Nate the Great.Wolfie and Fly is an early chapter book at its simplest and best. Our heroine, Renata Wolfman (Wolfie) does everything by herself. Friends just get in the way, and she only has time for facts and reading. But friendship finds her in the form of Livingston Flott (Fly), the slightly weird and wordy boy from next door. Before she knows it, Wolfie is motoring through deep water with Fly as her second in command in a submarine made from a cardboard box. Out on a solo swim to retrieve a baseball vital to the mission, Wolfie is finally by herself again, but for the first time, she finds it a little lonely. Maybe there is something to this friend thing...

A classic story of imagination, friendship, rock bands and high-speed helicopter chases. For fans of Ivy & Bean, Judy Moody or Nate the Great.Everyone's favorite odd couple is back. Our heroine, Renata Wolfman (Wolfie) does everything by herself. Friends just get in the way, and she only has time for facts and reading. But friendship finds her in the form of Livingston Flott (Fly), the slightly weird and wordy boy from next door. This time, Fly has convinced Wolfie to join him in his one-man band. Before they know it, they're playing live onstage in front of a stadium of screaming fans. But these fans are about to get out of control—and Wolfie and Fly have to make a daring escape!Even though Wolfie thinks she'd rather be at home reading by herself, playing the drums in a rock band is actually pretty fun. Maybe there is something to this friend thing...

He's back! The late Mordecai Richler had planned more adventures for his small hero and now, with the full support of the Richler family, award-winning author Cary Fagan carries on the tradition in a hilarious story for a whole new generation of Jacob fans. After Jacob Two-Two's father writes a very important novel, the family makes plans to move to Canada.They board the SS Spring-a-Leak for a journey across the ocean. Jacob Two-Two makes some new acquaintances -- the unbelievably handsome Captain Sparkletooth, the acrobatic Bubov Brothers, the failed toy inventor Mr. Peabody, and the giant but gentle Morgenbesser. Most important, he makes friends with young Cindy Snootcastle, who keeps a secret treasure in her pocket.But something is wrong on the SS Spring-a-Leak. A series of clues -- a black eye patch; a parrot who squawks "Apple sauce in your underpants!"; and a sailing ship flying the Jolly Roger -- can only mean trouble. Will the...

When a circus train derails in Toronto in 1925, a lion escapes and finds shelter in High Park, a four-hundred-acre park in the west end of the city. No one knows about the creature except for Sadie Menken, the feisty daughter of a pie-maker. As various squirrels, dogs and an expensive peacock meet unfortunate ends, and the park "beast" is spotted by visitors, the lion's presence draws the attention of the authorities.Can Sadie save the lion? Can she resist the temptation to try to make a pet of a creature that is wild at heart?That will take the help of some unlikely allies, including her busy pie-making father, Miss Clemons the retired librarian, and a polite but lonely rich boy named Theodore, as Sadie discovers that an "all-right" ending can sometimes be just happy enough.A story about a child who follows her heart, set at a time when kids were not always under a grownup's watchful eye, when wild and urban spaces intertwined, and adventure could be found in a city's...

When Ethan arrives at summer camp for the first time, he has just three modest goals. First, to survive. Second, not to be hated. Third, not to be the worst at anything. But these goals turn out to be relatively easy to achieve. Instead, his real challenge comes in the form of a new cabin mate. Zachary arrives at camp late, surrounded by a cloud of rumors, and Ethan finds himself intrigued and somehow envious of the new arrival. Zach doesn't seem to care what anybody thinks of him. He doesn't even seem upset when he is forced to miss the Big Swim, the legendary camp event where a select few try to swim across the lake and back.Then Zach attracts the attention of Amber Levine — the girl with an easy smile and a freckle on one knee — at the same time that Amber attracts the attention of Ethan. And life gets even more complicated when Zach decides to try the Big Swim on his own, and he manages to convince Amber and Ethan to help him. Original and smartly observed,...

Stirred by a series of found photographs, critically acclaimed author Cary Fagan brilliantly imagines the lost stories behind them.