A lonely boy learns to come to terms with the challenges in his life Eleven-year-old Paul tells himself that it doesn’t matter that the kids call him Rabbit, or that he doesn’t have any real friends. He’s been living with his grandmother, but one day soon, he knows his mother will call and tell him to come live with her, and then his life can really begin. But somehow it looks more and more like that call may never come. When the opportunity arises to make some friends, Paul is thrilled—unless it means he’ll have to do something he knows is wrong. But when the unexpected happens, Paul decides it’s time for him to takes charge of his life, no matter what the cost.

The Unmaking of a Dancer sheds a blistering light on the raw, fiercely competitive and often vicious world of ballet: the truth behind the fiction of Black Swan. It's the story of Joan Brady's life in her own words. Ballet was the first thing Brady was good at; she really was good, too, performing professionally with the San Francisco Ballet at the tender age of fourteen. A bonus was that lessons and performances kept her away from her unpredictable father and formidable mother. But nobody can stay away for good, and when she finally made it into the New York City Ballet, her mother delivered a career-destroying blow. And yet with the help of the love of her life, Dexter Masters, she found another way of living and the chance for a family of her own.

Can the ghost of Nora’s mother help her stop her dad from getting remarried? It’s been three years since Nora’s mother died, and while she and her sister, Patsy, want her father to be happy again, they’re not ready for him to remarry. They especially don’t want him to marry “the Tooth”—the woman with the overbite who could soon be their stepmother. While the girls try to upend their dad’s relationship, they soon find themselves competing for the new guy at school. As Nora begins to feel more and more alone, she senses something strange . . . a laugh, a touch, even a kiss. And she knows exactly who they are coming from—her mother.

The tale of a boy, his ears, and one little change that makes a world of difference Louis is a talented kid with many great qualities. He plays a mean hand of poker and can crack his knuckles louder than any other kid in his class. He’s even trusted to walk his kid brother home from school. But looking at Louis, most people don’t notice these excellent qualities. They don’t see his kind eyes or his strong legs. Instead, all they see is two big ears. Louis has been called every insulting name in the book: Dumbo, Elephant Ears, even just plain Ears. He is the target of the school’s worst bullies, especially skinny Ernie. It seems as if every day, Louis flees from one antagonist to another. Then one day, Louis’s poker partner and good friend, Mrs. Beeble, gives him a good-luck charm—and Louis starts to believe it might actually be working. All of a sudden, he doesn’t mind the bullies so much. Could Louis’s transformation be real? Are his ears somehow shrinking? Or is his newfound swagger helping him grow? Constance C. Greene’s heartwarming tale tells the story of one boy’s quest for self-discovery, courage, and happiness—and the ears that make his journey possible.

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Mark only has one emotion: anger Fourteen-year-old Mark feels betrayed by his father, who has recently remarried. He spends his time feeling resentful and angry, especially after a humiliating experience with a girl. Mark’s mood only worsens until even his best friends have had enough. When he recklessly decides to take his stepmother’s car for a spin, he meets with near-tragic consequences. Can he learn to let go of his anger before things get out of control?

One boy figures out how to survive New York City, his parents’ divorce, and a new sister named Sproggy Adam is a real New Yorker. He may only be a preteen, but he’s Manhattan through and through, from his boys-only club to his friendship with Charlie, the building’s doorman. And like all real New Yorkers, Adam takes bad news in stride. The night his parents walk into his bedroom to tell him they’re getting a divorce and his father is moving to England for two years is no exception. Adam knows he’ll be OK. After all, he’s got his mother, good friends, and nice teachers. But when his dad returns from Great Britain with a strange wife and a new sister for Adam, he isn’t exactly tap dancing for joy. Especially since his new sister’s name is Sproggy. Even worse, Dad expects Adam to show Sproggy around school. It seems like things couldn’t get any worse. But somehow they do. His friends? They actually like her! His teachers? They think she’s adorable! She’s taking over his comfortable Manhattan life, and everyone expects him to be happy about it. With absolutely no way out of this, it’s up to Adam to make things better. After all, everyone has to grow up eventually.