Lincoln Hoppe

As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends, an abusive father, and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him until he finds an ally in Lil Spicer--a fiery young lady. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon's birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage.

Delilah Rose is a Georgia prostitute familiar with pregnant FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy ("beautiful, brainy, and pedigreed") through Kimberly's well-publicized nabbing of the Eco-Killer in The Killing Hour(2003). Delilah asks the detective to investigate her friend Ginny Jones's possible abduction by a creepy-crawly john who calls himself Dinchara, an anagram of "arachnid." (from Publishers Weekly)

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

When his family moves to Marysville, New York, Doug couldn't be less impressed. The library is the only place to go in town, and it's only open on Saturdays. There, however, he meets his first friend and takes an interest in fine art. Unfortunately, school offers no nourishment to his fascinated mind, and poor performance in gym class earns him several detentions. "Starred Review: ...excellent..."--School Library Journal "Starred Review: This grand-slam...