Ellen Foster -- Kaye Gibbons

At times witty, at times amusing, at times heart-breaking, ELLEN FOSTER is the story of a young girl grappling with an abusive father, a mother who dies while Ellen is asleep beside her, a loveless grandmother, and equally hateful aunts. Ellen's only real friend is Starletta, the "colored girl" who is her closest neighbor.

As Ellen strives to deal with abuse, confusion, hurt, and a desire for parents who love her, she realizes that true familial love and friendship extends beyond what society claims is acceptable and is not determined by race or birth.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -- John Berendt

In the heart of the Deep South, in Savannah, Georgia, a murder has occurred. A rich antiques dealer, Jim Williams, has just shot Danny Hansford, a young man with a deeply troubled and violent past. Jim Williams claims it was an act of self-defense, but the evidence leaves many questioning the truthfulness of his claim. Thus begins an almost decade-long investigation and mulitple trials as Jim Williams appeals his guilty verdict again and again.

Set amid the backdrop of Savannah -- a city where everyone knows everyone else, where gossip spreads wildly, and where superstitions fuel many fires -- this story unfolds with shocking detail, humorous characters, and witty stories of interesting Savannah.

The Dead and the Gone -- Susan Beth Pfeffer

In this second novel in the Last Survivors series, we experience New York City through the eyes of 17 year old Alex Morales during the aftermath of the moon being hit closer in orbit to the Earth. On the night of the occurrence, Alex does not witness the closeness of the moon, because the sky is overcast. The only thing out of the ordinary for Alex is that the power has gone out in his neighborhood. With is father gone to Puerto Rico for a funeral, his mother at work at the hospital in Queens, and his older brother stationed elsewhere with the Marines, Alex takes charge of his two younger sisters Bri and Julie, and they turn in for the evening, completely assured that power will be reinstated the following morning.

And Alex is right: power is back on the next day. And with the power come the startling reports about the moon and the tragedies it has caused world-wide. Fear immediately strikes the three siblings, but they feel confident their parents are fine, that their mother will return soon from work, and so they go about their regular routine and go to school. But things don't return to normal, and before long, his uncle recruits Alex and his youngest sister to help carry the merchandise out of the family's store and then his uncle and aunt leave with their family. Feeling their parents and brother won't be able to find them if they leave, Alex, Bri, and Julie remain in their basement apartment for as long as possible, and find various ways to survive and barter for food.

When Bri becomes sick, Alex moves himself and his siblings to another apartment in the building for a time, leaving a note for his parents in case they ever return, though the chances are slim they ever will... they are just gone. As the weather changes, as more people die, and most of his friends and their families leave New York City, Alex begins to realize the only way to survive is to take himself and his sisters to a refugee camp off the island. But with weakness, sickness, and other things beyond his control, will Alex and his sisters be able to stay alive until they can find a way out of New York City and find refuge?

An American Summer -- Frank Deford

It is the summer of 1954 and fourteen year old Christopher "Christy" Bannister has just moved from Indiana to Baltimore, Maryland where his father has just been made president of a porcelain company. While out trying to sell the "lower-class" newspaper on his second day in town (and his first day of the new job his dad got him), Christy happens to meet Kathryn Slade, a beautiful 23-year-old woman who had caught polio 6 years before and was now confined to an iron lung. Kathryn becomes Christy's first friend in Baltimore, and as the Summer progresses, they become the best of friends.

That summer marks a time of many changes in Christy's life. He comes of age quickly as he sees glimpses into the world of adulthood where promises are sometimes broken, where those who may be idolized fall from grace, and where sometimes principles collide. But amidst those hard-earned lessons of life come sweet lessons as well as Christy learns about love and the sacrifice some are willing to make because of it; and he learns just what it means to make another person happy.

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians -- Brian Sanderson

Alcatraz Smedry is a foster child with a knack for breaking things. And he has just turned 13. On his 13th birthday, he received a gift from the father he never knew: a bag of sand. With the bag of sand (though a day late...) comes Alcatraz's grandfather who reveals to Alcatraz that the bag of sand was no ordinary bag of sand, but was rather sands that could be turned into powerful Oculators' lenses. Unfortuneately, but the time this new reaches Alcatraz, the sands have already been stolen from him by the Evil Librarians. Now it is up to Alcatraz, his grandfather, two cousins Alcatraz just met, and a Knight of Crystallia to retrieve the sands and thwart the Librarians' plans to keep everyone from knowing the truth! And through this adventure, Alcatraz will realize that some of the very things he thought were weaknesses are actually strengths.

Thy Gold to Refine -- Gerald Lund

Volume four of The Work and the Glory series finds the Steed family almost completely reunited in Far West, Missouri. The prodigal son, Joshua, has returned with his new family: wife Caroline, son Will, and daughters Olivia and Savannah; and made ammends with his father and his family. Much joy and happiness fills the hearts of all the family members at this reunion, as well as at the family's growth as children marry and begin families of their own; and all seems well with the world. But only for a time.

Meanwhile, the anger of the Missourians toward the Mormons has festered to a point of breaking. Jealousy, fear, miscommunication, and rumors start a horrible ball rolling, and result in mobbings, rapings, and the eventual extermination order by Missouri Governor Boggs: all Mormons are to leave the state or be exterminated. The leaders of the Mormon church are arrested and held prisoner, the people of Far West are brutally attacked -- some losing their lives, and their homesteads are destroyed by mobs and militia alike. With little choice but to leave Far West in the dead of winter and head East to Illinois, many of the Saints find themselves trekking over miles of snow and ice, including the sometimes-frozen Missisippi River, with faith in their hearts that the Lord will see them through and that, when they emerge on the other side of the events, they will be as gold refined.

Dracula -- Bram Stoker

As part of his job, Jonathan Harker finds himself journeying into Transylvania in order to deliver paperwork to Count Dracula, who has recently purchased property in England through Jonathan's employer. As he travels, he notes strange behaviors among the locals who learn of his destination, and he begins to feel on edge himself. He arrives at the castle of Count Dracula and finds himself in the midst of bizarre and horrible things, and he becomes convinced the Count is not a normal human being. He even finds the Count's lair -- a place rank with death and coffins. But before Jonathan, who is by now a prisoner at the castle, can discover more, the Count leaves the castle and Transylvania, leaving Jonathan to fend for himself.

Meanwhile, Mina -- Jonathan's fiancee -- vacations with her friend Lucy at the ocean in England. One strange day, a ship without a crew arrives in the harbor where they are staying, and soon strange events begin occurring there. After a night of sleepwalking, Lucy begins to act strangely -- becoming more and more pale by the day. And on her neck appear two puncture wounds. In spite of multiple blood transfusions to try to save her, Lucy succumbs to death. And by this time, Dr. Seward -- Lucy's friend -- has brought Dr. Van Helsing to see about events surrounding Lucy, her illness, and her death. And together they learn that Lucy had in fact become a vampire!

Jonathan eventually returns home to England and helps the rest of the group, for he too has intimate knowledge of vampires and Count Dracular in particular. Together, they discover the whole story of Count Dracula and set out to destroy him so as not to lose another soul as they had lost their dear Lucy.