Summary: Benny is 15; that means it’s time to get a job if he wants to receive food rations.  His older brother works as a bounty hunter in the zombie-filled Rot & Ruin.  Benny thinks Tom is a coward and doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps.  But when he exhausts all other options, Benny is forced to …

Summary:  Taylor’s family is stunned when her father is diagnosed with cancer and given only months to live.  Her father decides he would like them to spend one last summer together at their old lake house.  Taylor, who has a habit of running away from challenges, mistakes, and pain, is now forced to deal with …

Summary: Lizzie’s mother “Mutti” works at the zoo in Dresden, Germany.  She becomes attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene (after the actress Marlene Dietrich).  Fearing for the young elephant’s life during the war, Mutti persuades the zoo director to allow Marlene to stay in the family’s garden.  The bombing of Dresden in 1945 then forces …

Summary:  Solveig, her little brother, and her beautiful older sister are forced to live in a hidden fortress with a band of warriors while their father, the king, is away at war.  As winter drags on and supplies dwindle, it becomes clear that there is a traitor among them.  Solveig is determined to discover the …

Summary:   Tori has always had a fascination and fear of dragons.  When she learns about a dragon camp, she decides to give it a try.  Maybe she’ll find some others who share this strange obsession.  But, the discoveries she makes are beyond her wildest imagination. Thoughts:  This book was a huge surprise to me!  I …

Summary: The country of Carthya is on the brink of a dangerous civil war.  A man named Connor has a plan to save the country.  To do so, he must find someone to impersonate the long-lost prince.  Sage is one of the orphan boys chosen to compete in a lethal battle to earn the place …