Books with author Colby Rodowsky

Elsie and her brother have been kidnapped -- by their motherEleven-year-old Elsie McPhee and her younger, autistic brother, Tommy, live discreetly with their mother; they are home-schooled and constantly cautioned not to converse with strangers. It's a lonely existence for Elsie, and right when she's finally decided to skirt her mother's rules and make a friend, Mom whisks the kids off to another nondescript furnished apartment in a different state. This latest sudden move spurs Elsie to remember the events of four years ago, when her mother abducted her and Tommy, who were in the sole custody of their father. Then Tommy becomes ill and Mom won't consult a doctor. Elsie must weigh the meaning of past wrongs and use all her courage to make a decision that could change things forever. Colby Rodowsky has written a novel that will bring readers to the edge of their seats.

Kiara Jones-Birkell knows a lot about the Birkell side of her family, and nothing about the Joneses. The one time she tried to ask about her mother's relatives, her mom turned a spooky greenish-white color and refused to talk to anyone. So it comes as quite a shock when Kiara learns that the grandmother she never knew she had is expected to die at any moment.Suddenly Kiara finds herself on a train heading for Baltimore - and her mother's secret past. There she meets Zenobia, the world's most stubborn grandmother, who is as eruptive as Mount Vesuvius. Kiara can't understand what Zenobia could possibly have against her - is it simply the fact that her skin is dark like mocha latte, while all her cousins are white? Or is there, as Kiara's mother keeps hinting, much more to the story?Told from the point of view of a teenager with spot-on observations and hilarious insights, this is the story of three generations of stubborn - and charmingly funny - women.

A girl discovers she has a half brotherCharlotte Flannigan (Tottie, for short) leads a conventional life in a conventional family. Her father is a well-respected pediatrician, her mother a popular newspaper columnist, and her younger brother a talkative but otherwise okay kid. But on an ordinary Saturday afternoon, Tottie's comfortable life is threatened when the doorbell rings. She answers it to find a teenage boy, who looks eerily like her father, standing there. A stranger, but not quite a stranger. His name is Zachary Pearce, and he is her father's - and not her mother's - son.Told through the alternating perspectives of Tottie and Zach, Colby Rodowsky's novel explores the ramifications of a sudden change in the makeup of a family. Fear, resentment, desperation, and potential for love all surface in this honest and heartfelt story.

"I'm Linda Clay McGee and I don't belong here." Elsie McPhee and her brother, Tommy, are hiding a terrible secret. They've been kidnapped -- not by a stranger, but by their mother. It is lonely and scary always hiding, moving, and not being allowed to make friends or to talk to people. Elsie even remembers the kidnapping, but she's so scared of her mother, she can't say or do anything. Then Tommy gets sick, and Elsie needs to get help -- fast. But that means she has to leave the apartment. What if she gets caught? Does Elsie have the courage to help her brother even if it means breaking her mother's rules?

A girl discovers she has a half brotherCharlotte Flannigan (Tottie, for short) leads a conventional life in a conventional family. Her father is a well-respected pediatrician, her mother a popular newspaper columnist, and her younger brother a talkative but otherwise okay kid. But on an ordinary Saturday afternoon, Tottie’s comfortable life is threatened when the doorbell rings. She answers it to find a teenage boy, who looks eerily like her father, standing there. A stranger, but not quite a stranger. His name is Zachary Pearce, and he is her father's – and not her mother's - son.Told through the alternating perspectives of Tottie and Zach, Colby Rodowsky's novel explores the ramifications of a sudden change in the makeup of a family. Fear, resentment, desperation, and potential for love all surface in this honest and heartfelt story.

Just two years ago, Annie's sister Mog was happily looking forward to graduation day, the excitement of college, and planning for the future.But all Mog's dreams ended on the eve of her graduation. She was murdered.Now Annie is about to finish high school. But how can she just go on, right at the point where her sister's life ended? Annie's not alone in her grief, but she finds little help from those who share her loss.Her mother, unable to accept the tragedy, never speaks of what happened. Mog's boyfriend Bobby has become a good friend to Annie, yet her attraction to him leaves her feeling guilty and confused.Can Annie ever begin to let go of the hurt, yet hold on to her happy memories of her sister?

After her free-spirited mother dies, Livvy is uprooted from her New York home and sent to Baltimore to live with her mother's old college friend, a woman Livvy has never heard of. Jessie is nothing like Livvy's mother: She's sensible, likes to weave, and doesn't even have pierced ears. What she does have is The Turnabout Shop, where she and her mother sell antiques, and a family larger than any Livvy has ever known. She also has a bunch of warm, quirky neighbors, including a girl Livvy's age. Set down to live among strangers, Livvy begins again from scratch, discovering that even without her mother, she can still learn and laugh and love, and take root in a whole different world. 00-01 Charlie May Simon Book Award Reading List

"Annie is about to graduate from high school, an event that intensifies all her memories of another graduation two years before, when her sister was murdered...Present-day events intermingle with Annie's recollections of the past. The shock, denial, and numbing grief are all realistically and starkly portrayed...This is an unsettling novel about an emotionally charged subject. It never falters. It will make an outstanding addition to any YA collection."-Starred/School Library Journal

After her free-spirited mother dies, Livvy is uprooted from her New York home and sent to Baltimore to live with her mother's old college friend, a woman Livvy has never heard of. Jessie is nothing like Livvy's mother: She's sensible, likes to weave, and doesn't even have pierced ears. What she does have is The Turnabout Shop, where she and her mother sell antiques, and a family larger than any Livvy has ever known. She also has a bunch of warm, quirky neighbors, including a girl Livvy's age. Set down to live among strangers, Livvy begins again from scratch, discovering that even without her mother, she can still learn and laugh and love, and take root in a whole different world.

Kiara Jones-Birkell knows a lot about the Birkell side of herfamily, and nothing about the Joneses. The one time she triedto ask about her mother’s relatives, her mom turned a spookygreenish-white color and refused to talk to anyone. So it comesas quite a shock when Kiara learns that the grandmother shenever knew she had is expected to die at any moment.Suddenly Kiara finds herself on a train heading for Baltimore– and her mother’s secret past. There she meets Zenobia, theworld’s most stubborn grandmother, who is as eruptive asMount Vesuvius. Kiara can’t understand what Zenobia couldpossibly have against her – is it simply the fact that her skin isdark like mocha latte, while all her cousins are white? Or isthere, as Kiara’s mother keeps hinting, much more to the story?Told from the point of view of a teenager with spot-onobservations and hilarious insights, this is the story of threegenerations of stubborn – and charmingly funny – women.