Books in Signature Lives series

To begin with he couldn't make out anything in the shadows thrown by the trees, but then he saw a black shape take form in the grey... It was Michael's idea. Excluded from school and reckless since the death of his father, he has refused to listen to Tony's protest. 'Time to pick up the past.' he said. They cycled to the heath on a Friday. Tony played truant, lying to his parents - trying not to think of their faces already stretched taut by threatening financial disaster. Michael drew it from the water - a long-buried treasure dripping slime and algae. And with it came new conflict and new hope...

Eighteen-year-old Matilda longs for freedom, to escape from her over-protective parents and the pain of her brother's death. Working on a farm in the idyllic countryside seems to offer the perfect opportunity. Paradise, in fact. But is it too perfect? Perhaps she should be suspicious of the nicer-than-nice people who run the farm, but Matilda doesn't care. She willingly lets herself be drawn in by the warmth they seem to offer, longing to be loved and understood. She doesn't want to question, or think, or worry. But these people have a shocking plan. By the time Matilda realizes it, will it be too late? A dramatic new novel of faith, forgiveness, and retribution by the author of Fleshmarket—a 2004 American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.

Best-selling author Richard Peck has created his richest work yet in this powerful story of a young girl starting over in a new place. After a lifetime of following her mother through one faceless city after another, Molly finds herself dumped on her great-aunt Fay. Though unwilling to believe her new home is anything more than a temporary stop, Molly is reluctantly drawn into a friendship with her next-door neighbor Will, a stray like herself. As the school year unfolds, Molly discovers the secrets behind the doors of the quiet town and comes to learn something important: The world is full of strays. Some just end up where they belong sooner than others. The author of more than twenty acclaimed novels for young people, Richard Peck will once again touch readers with his humor and compassion in a story that speaks to the stray in all of us. Richard Peck has received several awards for the body of his work, including the 1997 Empire State Award.