“Rosie, don’t forget we’re going to visit Great-Grandma Amaryllis after school today,” Mom called as Rosie grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. “Okay, Mom!” Rosie said as she closed the front door, but as soon as it was closed, she groaned. Great-Grandma Amaryllis was dad’s grandmother, and she had Alzheimer’s. Most of the …
Thirty days of non-stop bombing, and then silence. The buildings were gone, more than half the villagers were dead. The enemy had taken over the island, and Cory was alone. His parents and friends had died in the first bombing, several months ago. In spite of his best efforts, his little brother Talon did not …
Daisuke wasn’t quite sure how he had gotten to this point. Perhaps it was after his last colleagues sneered at him for the umpteenth time, or when his cousins snubbed him at the last family gathering. Perhaps it was the hopelessness he felt, watching his father waste away in the hospital–his father, who had never …
“Please, please help me write a love letter!” Ada begged me, her giant puppy eyes shining against her dark curls. How could I refuse my younger cousin? Ada was the pampered and petted only daughter of her parents, my aunt and uncle. Whereas I was the overlooked and left-to-her-own-devices middle child of twelve with parents …
Bernie woke up, as it were, on the wrong side of bed. Mrs. Sand’s dog, Rommel, was barking furiously outside. He didn’t usually bark, but when he did, he had the most irritating bark of any dog in the history of the world, and Bernie groaned. No way she could catch an extra few winks …
