Books with author susan beth pfeffer

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy... Louisa May Alcott's beloved March sisters from her classic novel Little Women. Read all about these unforgettable heroines in Portraits of Little Women, new stories that capture each girl at age ten. Join the March sisters as they experience the joys and sorrows of sisterhood, family life and a changing America. Beautiful and artistic Amy March wants her photograph taken more than anything... until she decides to spend her savings on someone else. Includes a craft project and recipe: make a wallpaper box and raisin scones.

Young Margaret Winslow had beauty and a family name, but inside she felt empty . . . until Nick Sebastian gave her his heart and the strength to stand up for herself The Sebastian women grew up on the story of their parents’ great love—how their mother had been an orphan, raised by a forbidding aunt, and then, contrary to all expectations, danced with the love of her life at her sixteenth birthday party. Her aunt Grace called her Margaret, and her daughters would call her Megs, but to her loving parents and her cherished Nicky, she would always be Daisy. Nicky and Meg’s love never faltered—in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, through dingy apartments that Meg always made beautiful, joined by family, stricken by tragedy, through it all: Nicky and Meg had each other, and that was more than enough. This is their love story.

When Paula falls for the bad boy down the street, what she thought would be a silly summer romance becomes anything but It’s Paula’s last summer at home, and in need of an affectionate distraction, she decides now is the perfect time to get involved with one of the two brothers from down the road, Jonny and Jordon. But which one? Likable, well-mannered Jonny? Or Jordon, who’s been kicked out of every school that would take him and who tells her up front that he wants her to have to choose—and wants her to choose him? Who can say no to a bad boy? Underneath it all, Paula knows Jordon is the kind and gentle person she’s falling in love with—something his parents can’t, or won’t, see. And better yet, Jordon says he loves her back and promises to always be honest with her. But sometimes the truth isn’t what we want to hear . . .

Tomboy Jo March would rather die than spend time with wealthy, proper Aunt March. She’d much rather race against the boys at school or star in all the swashbuckling plays she writes. But when Aunt March offers to adopt one of the March sisters to help ease the family money problems, Jo decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. She’ll tear herself away from her beloved sisters and parents–if it means they’ll have a better life. She’s determined to become the perfect lady. Now Jo has to convince her family that she’s sincere about her decision by taking on a role that may be too difficult to act.

Leigh trades in her acting career to play a starring role in her own life Most people don’t get to retire at age sixteen, but that’s what Leigh is planning to do when she moves to Long Island to live with her mom and her new stepfather. Leigh has been acting all her life, most recently on a successful TV show, and she can’t wait to be the kind of normal high school student she’s only ever played on screen. For advice on playing the role of a normal teenager, Leigh turns to her new stepbrother, Peter. Peter has hemophilia, a medical condition that has kept him out of school for a while—but missing out on high school life has given him a good eye for what normal looks like. Together, they figure two outsiders can create one socially successful high school student. They might even be right. Peter is smart, wryly funny, and a good friend when he’s not being a bad invalid. And Leigh knows she can do it—after all, acting is what she’s good at. But the thing about acting is that at the end of the day you get to go back to being yourself, a luxury Leigh starts to think she might not have appreciated enough when she had it.

Meg March is the perfect young lady. Her gracious manners and sweet personality make her very popular at school. And when she is invited to Mary Howe's fancy picnic, she wants to go badly. Nothing her tomboy sister, Jo, says against snobby Mary Howe changes Meg's mind. Meg claims Jo is just jealous that she wasn't invited too. But on the big day, the March parents are visiting friends, and the housekeeper is called away on an emergency. Meg knows she should stay home to watch over her younger sisters--even if it means not going to the picnic. Still...she doesn't want to miss the fun. And forgetting her manners, Meg does something that turns the picnic into an unforgettable afternoon.

To save her business, a young entrepreneur dreams bigger than ever before When she wanted a new bike, Janie started doing odd jobs around the neighborhood for a dollar an hour. She promised her clients that no job was too big or too small—and Kid Power was born. By the end of the summer, she had regular clients, employees, and a steady stream of income—all the makings of a tiny business empire. But after Labor Day, summer work vanished, and Kid Power was no more. Janie is about to give up on the business when she realizes that there will be snow on the ground soon—snow that needs shoveling. She reinvents Kid Power as a cold-weather company, doing all the winter chores that people will pay her to do. But when the money starts rolling in, so does trouble. Kid Power may be headed for the deep freeze.

Sometimes you just have to pack a suitcase and walk out the door Marly knows her older sister, Kit, is tall, beautiful, and outspoken—everything Marly isn’t. But does everyone have to remind her of it all the time? Since her parents’ divorce, her mom hasn’t had a single nice thing to say—and even if she did, she’s always working. So Marly packs her bags and catches the bus to stay with her dad. She knows he’ll want her, and hopefully his new wife will too. Ed and Sally are surprised to find Marly on their doorstep but excited to take her in and become a family. They cook together and laugh together, and no one ever shouts at anyone else, a big difference from Marly’s life with her mom. Marly has kept quiet up until now, which has given her a reputation for being well behaved. But once she starts getting used to being treated like an actual person, she begins talking about what’s important to her. She may not be able to stop—and she may not want to.

Six teenagers have been cast in prime time’s hottest new TV series—can they take their shot at the spotlight without sacrificing the things that matter most? A starring role on the prime-time show Hard Time High could give Molly O’Malley the fame and fortune she craves. But the real payoff, besides a steady income, is something the on-the-road actress has wanted for years: the chance to put down roots and live a normal life. And she’d get to celebrate her real birthday and stop pretending she’s almost fifteen when she’s barely fourteen, a fact she only recently discovered. But even fame has its price; Molly’s mother wants a job on the show. And Molly has to keep up with her schooling. The show is giving Rafe Marquez his first taste of stardom. Maybe one day he’ll be able to buy a mansion with a pool for his folks. But he’s never going to abandon his dream of being lead guitarist in a famous band. Things are changing faster than Molly, Rafe, TJ, Miranda, Alison, and Bill ever imagined. Will this mark the beginning of new friendships and maybe even love?

Tomboy Jo March would rather die than spend time with wealthy, proper Aunt March. She'd much rather race against the boys at school or star in all the swashbuckling plays she writes. But when Aunt March offers to adopt one of the March sisters to help ease the family money problems, Jo decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. She'll tear herself away from her sisters and parents--the family she dearly loves--if it means they'll have a better life. She's determined to become the perfect lady. Now Jo has to convince her family that she's sincere about her decision by taking on a role that may be too difficult to act.

After saving a young boy’s life, a girl finds that fame can be a real headache On the last warm day of autumn, Dana and her best friend eat ice cream, gossip, and complain about school. It’s just like any other afternoon until Dana walks home and sees a toddler break away from his mother and sprint into the street. Without thinking, she chases after him, pushing him onto the sidewalk just before a giant blue car would have run them both down. She didn’t mean to do it, but Dana has become a heroine—and her life will never be the same. Saving the boy makes her the darling of the entire town. She gets a story written about her in the paper, praise from strangers—even a beautiful Persian kitten as a gift from the boy’s mother. At first she loves the attention, but she soon learns that being a celebrity brings hardship, too—and a challenge that will require her to show courage in a whole new way.