"A novel you won't want to put down until you get to the very last page." - Mary S. Schaeffer, Best-Selling Author "The writing lands somewhere between waking dream and polaroid glimpse into post-adolescence." - Jonas Ball, Writer, Director of "WALNUTS, the Movie." When Jeff Newcastle meets Dara, a beautiful Belarusian girl, on the first day of poetry class at UCLA, he imagines he's stumbled onto the perfect college romance. Unfortunately, his fixation on Dara's beauty prevents him from seeing the truth about her tragic life. Doubting a normal relationship could ever be possible, Dara pulls some mysterious strings to redirect Jeff's affection toward Carey, a sweet and kindhearted coed in Jeff's circle of friends. Jeff's romance with Carey blossoms steadily until he's awakened by a late-night phone call and summoned by a man's voice to a large estate in the Hollywood Hills. It is here where Jeff finds that a bruised and bloodied Dara has locked herself in an upstairs bathroom. Jeff does his best to pull Dara immediately out of danger, but he soon realizes it is only the beginning of his problems. Jeff must find a way to save Dara without falling deeper into her chaotic world or sacrificing his budding relationship with Carey.

"Dara's larger-than-life personality and true-to-life middle grade issues command center stage until the curtain falls."—School Library Journal, STARRED Review Dara Palmer is destined to be a star, and she's writing herself the role of a lifetime. In this book, Emma Shevah tells a heartwarming story of one girl's experience with transracial adoption and the drama of middle school. Dara longs for stardom—but when she isn't cast in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music, she gets suspicious. It can't be because she's not the best. She was born to be a famous movie star. It must be because she's adopted from Cambodia and doesn't look like a typical fraulein. (That's German for girl.) So irrepressible Dara comes up with a genius plan to shake up the school: write a play about her own life. Then she'll have to be the star. Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 to 7 Great for parents and educators looking for: A story told with doodles and illustrations, perfect for readers that love graphic novels and reluctant readers A great conversation starter for parents to talk to their kids about being unique and growing up with differences from their fellow classmates or community A story about a girl who takes the initiative and isn't afraid to forge her own path. Books for kids about transracial adoption Praise for Emma Shevah's Dream On, Amber: A Booklist 2015 Top 10 First Novels for Youth A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015 "[This] novel is a charmer...While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack."—Booklist STARRED review "A gutsy girl in a laugh-out-loud book that navigates tough issues with finesse."—Kirkus STARRED review "Amber's effervescent and opinionated narration captivates from the start."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review "By turns playful and poignant, in both style and substance, this coming-of-age novel will hook readers from the first page to the last."—School Library Journal STARRED review

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a raw and heart-pounding story, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars or Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now, Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late. In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

A haunting and beautiful YA novel that is perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Jessi Kirby, These Things I've Done is the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who accidentally caused her best friend’s death and, a year later, is still grappling with the consequences. “A beautiful, wrenching depiction of loss, the aftermath, and an unexpected ray of light in the darkness. These Things I've Done is equal parts heartfelt and heartbreaking, and absolutely unputdownable.” —Gina Ciocca, author of Last Year's Mistake “These Things I’ve Done is a raw and beautiful story about recovering and moving on in the aftermath of a tragedy, about the moments when self-forgiveness and peace feel unattainable. Dara’s journey through this struggle is compelling and deeply affecting. Her story will stay with readers long after the last page.” —Charlotte Huang, author of For the Record and Going Geek BEFORE: Dara and Aubrey have been inseparable since they became best friends in sixth grade. Dara is the fearless one, Aubrey the prodigy, yet despite their differences, they support each other unconditionally. However, as they begin their sophomore year of high school, cracks in their friendship begin to form, testing the bond they always thought was unbreakable. AFTER: It's been fifteen months since the accident that killed Aubrey, and not a day goes by that Dara isn't racked with guilt over her role in her best friend's death. Now, after spending a year away from home in order to escape the constant reminders of what happened, Dara is back at her old high school to start her senior year. Dara thought the worst thing about coming home would be confronting the memories of Aubrey that relentlessly haunt her, but she soon realizes it isn't half as difficult as seeing Ethan, Aubrey's brother, every day. Not just because he's a walking reminder of what she did, but because the more her feelings for him change, the more she knows she's betraying her best friend one final time.

Author's first novel takes place in a community in modern America --Back cover.

Winner of the 2021 National Jewish Book Award for Con­tem­po­rary Jew­ish Life and Prac­tice Finalist for the 2021 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction A New York Times Notable Book of the Year A Wall Street Journal, Chicago Public Library, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A startling and profound exploration of how Jewish history is exploited to comfort the living. Renowned and beloved as a prizewinning novelist, Dara Horn has also been publishing penetrating essays since she was a teenager. Often asked by major publications to write on subjects related to Jewish culture—and increasingly in response to a recent wave of deadly antisemitic attacks—Horn was troubled to realize what all of these assignments had in common: she was being asked to write about dead Jews, never about living ones. In these essays, Horn reflects on subjects as far-flung as the international veneration of Anne Frank, the mythology that Jewish family names were changed at Ellis Island, the blockbuster traveling exhibition Auschwitz, the marketing of the Jewish history of Harbin, China, and the little-known life of the "righteous Gentile" Varian Fry. Throughout, she challenges us to confront the reasons why there might be so much fascination with Jewish deaths, and so little respect for Jewish lives unfolding in the present. Horn draws upon her travels, her research, and also her own family life—trying to explain Shakespeare’s Shylock to a curious ten-year-old, her anger when swastikas are drawn on desks in her children’s school, the profound perspective offered by traditional religious practice and study—to assert the vitality, complexity, and depth of Jewish life against an antisemitism that, far from being disarmed by the mantra of "Never forget," is on the rise. As Horn explores the (not so) shocking attacks on the American Jewish community in recent years, she reveals the subtler dehumanization built into the public piety that surrounds the Jewish past—making the radical argument that the benign reverence we give to past horrors is itself a profound affront to human dignity. Now including a reading group guide.

Boris is a musician, playing the songs he learned growing up in Russia. Stella is a baker, baking cakes and pastries like her father used to back in Italy. Boris and Stella live in the city and are best friends. They like movies, hats, and each other. At holiday time, Stella wants to give Boris the perfect present for Hanukkah. She wants him to know how special he is. Boris wants to give Stella the perfect present for Christmas—she means so much to him. But perfect presents cost money and their savings banks contain very little. To make their dreams of perfect presents come true, Boris and Stella each sacrifice something very special. In a nod to O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi comes this tender story celebrating traditions, friendships, and gifts from the heart.