The city was still dark and deep in a fitful sleep when Anthony and Carl trudged down the steps of their tenement. They hoped the breadline would not be too long, but they assumed they’d be waiting for hours. They had no choice. After the stock market crashed and the nation plunged into an economic depression, the only way their families could eat was if the boys made it to the line early enough to get some of the food the city was distributing to the poorest residents. Carl joked darkly, “1930 is certainly a bad year to bring an appetite to.”

The children lined up outside the school house waiting for their teacher, Ms. Maple, to arrive. They ranged in age from seven to seventeen, and while there were only ten of them, they were the largest student-body ever to attend the Darlington School. Erick hoped he’d be able to stay for the entire term this year. Last year, he’d had to leave before the end to help his father on the farm. But, this year, his father had hired someone to help. Erick hoped he’d finish this year, and by 1900, be in Chicago attending medical school. 

Sonya hobbled down the school hallway to look out the window at the field hockey field. All of her friends were out there, and she was stuck inside. She tapped absently on her cast. The doctor said it would be at least six weeks before the cast came off, and another two or three after that before she could play sports again. She sighed. “I’m going to miss the whole season.”

The family filed into the theater and took their seats. Rebecca spoke up, “Why is that white sheet hanging there? Where will the actors stand?” Her father shushed her. “There won’t be any actors, at least not in front of us.” The theater grew dark, and suddenly, a loud clicking sound came from behind them. Rebecca turned to see a man operating a large machine that seemed to shoot out a beam of light. Her father tapped her shoulder and pointed. “Look!” Rebecca looked at the sheet where suddenly there appeared pictures of people. Moving pictures of people. She gasped. “What is this called?” she asked. Her dad chuckled. “It’s a movie, and someday you’ll be able to see one in any town in the country.” 

The supply ship was scheduled to arrive within the hour, and it would be just in time. The Mars colony was successful, but the farmers had still not mastered the art of teasing crops from the iron-rich, red soil. Most of the settlers relied on the dried food brought by the supply ship. It had been so long that most families had been subsisting on rice and the few skinny ears of corn they had managed to grow. 

In this novel, Brian struggles with living at his Aunt's house and sharing a room with his cousin while dealing with the grief of having lost both of his parents in a tragic car accident. Basketball is his only escape, but after getting benched for low progress report grades, Brian' world shatters. Does he have it in him to turn around his grades? Will Brian come to peace with his emotions? Can anyone help him?

World War II has been hard for Mama Conner. Her husband and three sons have been away at war and Mama Conner was left to keep the house together, raise money, and provide for Baby Maple. The mood in the town darkens suddenly when her neighbor Betsy loses one of her loved ones in battle. At Mama Conner's ladies club, several upstanding ladies of the town are on edge after hearing a garbled news report announcing that a man from their town was lost in battle, but as the man's name went unheard, the women are left to speculate as to whom will be the most affected. This novel ends in a surprising twist.  

High school student Darren Banks is sick of being a viewed as a nerd. Darren enlists the help of his older cousin Tyrone to help him learn to dress, walk, and talk. With Tyrone's help, Darren soon climbs to the peak of high school popularity, but in his quest to become someone else, will Darren forget who he was? Find out in this exciting novel.

When John Carter finds gold in Arizona, he makes enemies with some Apache warriors. While attempting to escape from these warriors, Carter hides in one of their sacred caves and is mysteriously transported to Mars. He finds that he has great strength and superhuman agility in this new environment as a result of its lesser gravity. He soon falls in with a nomadic tribe of Green Martians and thanks to his strength, speed, and fighting skills, Carter rises to a high position in the tribe. When the Green Martians capture Dejah Thoris, princess of the humanoid Red Martians, Carter can't help but to be taken with her beauty. He will have to make some tough decisions in the exciting novel.

Timmy woke up with a start. He looked around the classroom. Where was everyone? He wandered out of the room and down the deserted hall, peering into every classroom. Empty, all empty. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses galloping. He ran to a window and peered out. The street outside the school was crowded with what could only be ...giant rabbits? Suddenly, the front doors of the school opened and hundreds of rabbits streamed out. Timmy watched in horror as he realized the rabbits had once been his classmates. Scott was now a rabbit with a blue Mohawk. Terri was a small white rabbit wearing a Harvard sweatshirt. What happened? 

Tink was not all bad: or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time. They are, however, allowed to change, only it must be a complete change.

At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. A blinding sheet of white flame sprang up. The bridge cracked. Right at the Balrog’s feet it broke, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, while the rest remained, poised, quivering like a tongue of rock thrust out into emptiness.
With a terrible cry the Balrog fell forward, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip, and the thongs lashed and curled about the wizard’s knees, dragging him to the brink. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. ‘Fly, you fools! ‘ he cried, and was gone.

The tethered dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flame flew over the goblins; The wizards fled, doubled-up, back the way they had come, and inspiration, or madness, came to Harry. Pointing his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the beast to the floor, he yelled, Relashio!