Books with author Laura McNeal

A National Book Award FinalistA Kirkus Reviews Best Books for TeensFifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.Then the wildfires strike.

From National Book Award nominee Laura McNeal comes a riveting, tautly-told novel that is at once hopeful and harrowing. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Bone Gap. When Thisbe Locke is last seen standing on the edge of the Coronado Bridge, it looks like there is only one thing to call it. But her sister Ted is not convinced. Despite the witnesses and the police reports and the divers and the fact that she was heartbroken about the way things ended with Clay and how she humiliated herself at that party, Thisbe isn't the type of person to end up just an "incident." While everyone in town prepares to mourn the loss (some more than others), Ted and Fen, the new kid in town, set out to put the pieces together and find her sister. But if Thisbe didn't jump, what happened up on that bridge?

From National Book Award nominee Laura McNeal comes a riveting, tautly-told novel that is at once hopeful and harrowing. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Bone Gap. When Thisbe Locke is last seen standing on the edge of the Coronado Bridge, it looks like there is only one thing to call it. But her sister Ted is not convinced. Despite the witnesses and the police reports and the divers and the fact that she was heartbroken about the way things ended with Clay and how she humiliated herself at that party, Thisbe isn't the type of person to end up just an "incident." While everyone in town prepares to mourn the loss (some more than others), Ted and Fen, the new kid in town, set out to put the pieces together and find her sister. But if Thisbe didn't jump, what happened up on that bridge?

A National Book Award FinalistA Kirkus Reviews Best Books for TeensFifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.Then the wildfires strike.

From National Book Award nominee Laura McNeal comes a gripping, tautly told novel that is at once hopeful and harrowing, and perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Bone Gap. When Thisbe Locke is last seen standing on the edge of the Coronado Bridge, it looks like there is only one thing to call it. But her sister, Ted, is not convinced. Despite the witnesses and the police reports and the divers and the fact that she was heartbroken about the way things ended with Clay and how she humiliated herself at that party, Thisbe isn’t the type of person to wind up just an “incident.” While everyone in town prepares to mourn the loss (some more than others), Ted—along with Fen, the new kid in town—sets out to put the pieces together and find her sister. But if Thisbe didn’t jump, what happened up on that bridge? "McNeal writes with a mature hand, expert pacing, and an immediacy that ensures readers will be engrossed.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “An evocative tale of regret and redemption.” —Booklist “Expert pacing will keep readers turning the pages until they know Thisbe’s fate.” —Kirkus

Clara Wilson has a lot on her mind. Her best friend, Gerri, has started moving in circles that will never in a million years include Clara and her crooked nose. Clara's parents are fighting again, and her mom keeps talking about teaching in France. At least Clara still has Hambone, her loyal dog. And her crush on Amos McKenzie, of course.Amos McKenzie doesn't much like home these days. His dad's corny questions are bugging him more than usual, and his mom's gone religious for no apparent reason. On top of that, he's starting to fall for a major dink, Clara Wilson. And as it turns out, he's not the only one...The Tripp Brothers are the biggest delinquents in town. They smash mailboxes, shoplift groceries, and cruise around in their Seduck (half sedan, half truck). They've just turned their sights on the school's newest, cutest couple. And that can only mean one thing for Clara and Amos: danger.Clara and Amos--their lives turned upside down by each other, their families, and the two meanest brothers in town--discover that honesty may be the answer...but it can be awfully hard to find. In this emotionally compelling and suspenseful young adult novel, Laura and Tom McNeal present a searingly accurate look at life in ninth grade--where thrills, heartbreak, and intimidation can take place at a locker, in the lunchroom, or in a bathroom stall.From the Hardcover edition.

A National Book Award FinalistA Kirkus Reviews Best Books for TeensFifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.Then the wildfires strike.

A National Book Award FinalistA Kirkus Reviews Best Books for TeensFifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt lives in Fallbrook, California, where it's sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn't pay much attention to them...until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk.Then the wildfires strike.From the Hardcover edition.

A New York Public Library Book for the Teen AgeA California Book Award Winner for Juvenile LiteratureAn ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young AdultsA Booklist Top Ten Youth RomanceClara Wilson and Amos MacKenzie are finding their lives turned upside down: by each other, by fickle friendships, by failing families, and by the two meanest brothers in town. As the pressures of high school and home life collide, Clara and Amos struggle to maintain their identities amid the chaos. Honesty may be the answer...but it can be awfully hard to find.

From National Book Award-nominated authors Laura and Tom McNealAudrey and her two best friends have just transferred to Jemison High from their tiny private school. They're a nerdy little trio, so everyone is shocked when the handsome new guy, Wickham Hill, asks Audrey out. Audrey is so smitten that she doesn't pay much attention to The Yellow Paper, a vicious underground school newspaper...until it threatens to tell a tale that could change everything.

Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Children's LiteratureA New York Public Library Book for the Teen AgeWinner of the 2004 Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading ListWhen fifteen-year-old Mick Nichols discovers a secret about his stepmother, he comes obsessed with uncovering the truth. But before he can get to the bottom of it, Mick is confronted by a series of strange robberies and a close friend with a dark secret of her own. As he seeks out answers, Mick realizes that all of his problems are zipped up together—and he may have to go to drastic lengths to untangle them. “The McNeals spin a wonderfully rich story.”—Kirkus Reviews “A well-honed novel. . . . Readers will be sucked in.”—Publishers Weekly

From National Book Award nominee Laura McNeal comes a riveting, tautly-told novel that is at once hopeful and harrowing. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars and Bone Gap. When Thisbe Locke is last seen standing on the edge of the Coronado Bridge, it looks like there is only one thing to call it. But her sister Ted is not convinced. Despite the witnesses and the police reports and the divers and the fact that she was heartbroken about the way things ended with Clay and how she humiliated herself at that party, Thisbe isn't the type of person to end up just an "incident." While everyone in town prepares to mourn the loss (some more than others), Ted and Fen, the new kid in town, set out to put the pieces together and find her sister. But if Thisbe didn't jump, what happened up on that bridge?