When ninth grade student Emmy discovers that she is pregnant, her boyfriend wants nothing to do with her, and her mother is furious. Facing tremendous pressure to quit school, she is determined to finish her education and achieve her dreams.

For ages 12+. Emmy, whose future had once looked so bright, struggles to overcome the isolation and depression brought about by being a teen mother who gets little support from her family or the father of her child.

Jeff is heading to college on a debating scholarship. Until his girlfriend tells him she is pregnant. He can't debate his way out of this dilemma.

An intensely honest book, brimming with ideas and emotion. How do you make the most difficult decision in life when your family, friends and lover are more distant than the nearest galaxy?

At 15, Lauren promised herself that she would not mess up her life and would stay away from drugs and sex. But two years later, her boyfriend Tyler is pressuring her to forget that promise. Will she lose Tyler for the sake of an old promise? Will she lose self-respect if she breaks what to her has been a sacred vow? Through her writing, Lauren tries to deal with her problems, learns to control her anger and discovers a deeper strength. Based on the reality of everyday high school life, and critiqued by high school students as it was written, this book accurately portrays and confronts issues of drugs, race, sex, first love, and finding self-expression.

When their mother is called to Iraq with her National Guard Unit, 17-year-old Mario Barajas and his 10-year-old brother, Eddie, are sent to live with their Aunt Carmen. Soon after the boys move in, their aunt's boyfriend, Denton, begins spending more and more time at Carmen's, particularly with Eddie. When Mario notices that his little brother is laughing less and behaving rather strangely, he soon discovers the sexual abuse that Eddie has been suffering at the hands of Denton. With their mother miles away, their aunt's boyfriend threatening to split the boys up into different foster homes, and his brother refusing to tell anyone else the truth, Mario must do whatever he can to keep his brother safe. This is a gripping and moralising tale of trust, betrayal, and secrets that should never be kept.

Censorship has been an ongoing phenomenon even in "the land of the free." This examination of banned books across U.S. history examines the motivations and effects of censorship, shows us how our view of right and wrong has evolved over the years, and helps readers to understand the tremendous importance of books and films in our society. Books ranging from classics such as A Farewell to Arms, Lord of the Rings, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Color Purple as well as best-selling books such as Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret, titles in the Harry Potter series, and various books by bestselling novelist Stephen King have all been on the banned books list. What was the content that got them banned, who wanted them banned, and did the ban have the desired effect of minimizing the number of people who read the title-or did it have the opposite effect, inadvertently creating an even larger readership for the book? Silenced in the Library: Banned Books in America provides a comprehensive examination of the challenges to major books as well as the final results of these selections being deemed "unfit for public consumption." Included in its discussion are explanations of the true nature of the objections along with the motives of the authors, publishers, and major proponents of the books. Content is organized based on why the books were banned, such as sexual content, drug use, or religious objections. This approach helps readers to see trends in how people have approached the challenge of evaluating what is "proper" and shows how our societal consensus of what is acceptable has evolved over the years. Readers will come away with a fuller appreciation of the immense power of words on a page-or an eReader device-to inflame and outrage, influence opinion, incite thought, and even change the course of history.