fiction Archives - Page 631 of 718

thehomecoming

The Homecoming
by Stacie Ramey (Author)

Booktalk: John’s mother kicked him out of the house when she couldn’t handle his anger, and John’s spent the last few years bouncing between relatives. But after his last scrape with the law, there’s nowhere for him to go but home.

Starting senior year at a new high school and fitting into the family that shut him out is a challenge. And it’s all that John can do to keep from turning back to bad habits. Lacrosse training helps him focus. As does Emily, the girl next door. She’s sweet and smart, and makes him think his heart may finally be healing. Maybe he’s ready to trust again. But tragedy has a way of finding John, and he must decide between saving his family or saving himself.

Snippet: “Stop it. Stop. You can’t hit Livy. You can’t hit my sister. Or my mother. You can’t.” I shake him once, hard.

Ryan’s eyes go wide.

I let go of his shoulders. Back away. I’m shaking. My mind is screaming at me to get out of there. To run.

childrenofexile

Children of Exile
by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Author)

Booktalk: For the past twelve years, adults called “Freds” have raised Rosi, her younger brother Bobo, and the other children of their town, saying it is too dangerous for them to stay with their parents, but now they are all being sent back. Since Rosi is the oldest, all the younger kids are looking to her with questions she doesn’t have the answers to. She’d always trusted the Freds completely, but now she’s not so sure.

Snippet: “Have you seen any kids older than us here?” he asked.

I thought about the people I’d seen on my long walk from the plane to the parents’ house. I thought about the people I’d seen at the cinder-block church that morning.

“No,” I said. “I haven’t.”

Edway turned to face me directly.

“It wouldn’t just be a coincidence for no babies to be born in my ginormous family for thirteen years,” he said. “Or in this entire town. Something happened. What was it? What happened to all the kids who were little kids when we were born?”