Gary D. Schmidt

With insight and a light touch, best-selling, Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt tells two poignant, linked stories: that of a grieving girl and a boy trying to escape his violent past. Following the death of her closest friend in summer 1968, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the venerable boarding school's traditions and a social structure heavily weighted toward students...

Ethan eagerly anticipates making maple syrup with his father, but it will not be time until the days are warmer, the nights shorter, and Ethan's loose tooth falls out.

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...