Books in Young Adult series

17-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends most of her time tucked safely in the shadow of her outgoing sister, Bailey. Their mother left when Lennie was one, and their sisterhood - and the support of their wacky and loving Gran and perfectly Northern Californian hippie uncle - has pulled them through. So when Bailey suddenly dies, Lennie crumples. At first, it seems the only person who truly understands the depth of her loss is Bailey's ex-boyfriend, Toby. Their mutual grief turns into something that seems confusingly like romance. Then there's the nearly magical allure of Joe Fontaine, new boy in town and thrillingly talented musician, who is falling for Lennie as fast as she's falling for him. One boy is like the sun, the other the moon; one takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But Joe's been hurt before, and when he walks in on Lennie and Toby, Lennie is forced to take responsibility for her actions. What she discovers is not just love, but the strength to admit to her dreams of Julliard, confront her anger towards her mother, and ultimately, claim her rightful position as first clarinet - not just in the band, but in the crazy cacophony of her life.

Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting. Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn't take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can't seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they allbreathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever -- but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

Considered by many to be Charles Dickens's finest novel, Great Expectations traces the growth of the book's narrator, the orphan Philip Pirrip (Pip), from a boy of shallow dreams to a man with depth of character. From its famous dramatic opening on the bleak Kentish marshes, the story abounds with some of Dickens's most memorable characters. Among them are the kindly blacksmith Joe Gargery, the mysterious convict Abel Magwitch, the eccentric Miss Havisham and her beautiful ward Estella, Pip's good-hearted roommate Herbert Pocket, and the pompous Pumblechook. As Pip unravels the truth behind his own "great expectations" in his quest to become a gentleman, the mysteries of the past and the convolutions of fate through a series of thrilling adventures serve to steer him toward maturity and his most important discovery of all---the truth about himself.

In 1960, at age 58, John Steinbeck set out with his French poodle, Charley, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years. Together they crossed America from the northernmost tip of Maine to California's Monterey peninsula, stopping to smell the grass, to see the lights, and to hear the speech of the real America. Steinbeck dined with truckers, encountered bears at Yellowstone, and reflected on the American character, racial hostility, and the unexpected kindness of strangers.

When Jemmie and her family move into the house next door, Cass's father quickly erects a fence to keep the families separate. But the two girls do not share their parents' prejudices, and soon they form a secret bond, based on their shared love of running, and an unexpected appreciation of Jane Eyre. This wise and touching novel has become a classroom favorite.

Click. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. Click. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. Click. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome-anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy. ” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers, show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever. Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Delia Ephron crafts a powerful novel of truth, beauty, and the secrets about family and friends that lie beneath perfection.