Books published by publisher Milkweed Editions, 2012

Trudy's having a hard time at school: math class isn't going well, and her best friend, the one she pinky-swore she would always be friends with, has found a new group to hang out with. To top things off, her parents are old — really old — and while she loves them with all her heart, she dislikes it when other people mistake them for her grandparents. When Trudy's father starts acting strangely, Trudy and her mother can't figure out what the problem is. But when he forgets to pick Trudy up from school and starts to put groceries away in the wrong place, they decide to take him to the doctor. Once Trudy's father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Trudy and her mother are faced with some tough decisions.This is a touching, beautifully told story that young people relate to, particularly those who have parents or grandparents dealing with an illness. Trudy’s challenges and her strength in dealing with them make her a heroine with whom young readers identify.

Set in New England just as troops are returning from World War I, this is a classic American coming-of-age story. Curious and impulsive, 12-year-old Jeremy is always getting into trouble. This time, after an argument with his father, Jeremy decides to run away to Boston to meet his older brother's troop ship. Jeremy's adventures — and misadventures — provide plenty of opportunities for him to use his common sense and determination, from his train trip through rural New Hampshire to his wide-eyed explorations of Boston upon his arrival there.Showing the world through the eyes of a young boy, George Harrar's moving, suspenseful story casts Jeremy's personal struggles and successes against the backdrop of the events unfolding on the world stage. The Trouble with Jeremy Chance is a tale of heroism in unlikely places.

Born into a family with artistry in their fingers, Lyza laments that her only talent is carving letters into wood. That is until her life is turned upside down when her mother succumbs to the influenza pandemic of 1918, which is devastating their small coastal town in Maine. With her mother gone, Lyza must protect her eccentric father, who runs the risk of being committed, especially now that he claims he’s waiting for the return of his dead wife. Can Lyza save her father and find her own path in the process?

The death of he mother has left thirteen-year-old Anna Kallio responsible for running the house. She has no time anymore for going to school or playing with friends. She and her nine-year-old brother, Matti, worry about their father, who is a blacksmith for the iron mines. When they realize how lonely he his, they plot to find him a new wife, even trying to arrange a match with one of the "mail order" brides arriving from Finland. The results of their efforts are different from anything Anna expected. She finds herself torn by her own emotions as she realizes another woman will fill her mother's place.

Trudy's having a hard time at school: math class isn't going well, and her best friend, the one she pinky-swore she would always be friends with, has found a new group to hang out with. To top things off, her parents are old — really old — and while she loves them with all her heart, she dislikes it when other people mistake them for her grandparents. When Trudy's father starts acting strangely, Trudy and her mother can't figure out what the problem is. But when he forgets to pick Trudy up from school and starts to put groceries away in the wrong place, they decide to take him to the doctor. Once Trudy's father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Trudy and her mother are faced with some tough decisions.This is a touching, beautifully told story that young people relate to, particularly those who have parents or grandparents dealing with an illness. Trudy’s challenges and her strength in dealing with them make her a heroine with whom young readers identify.

The mixed-race son of apple pickers, Manz lives with his hard-drinking mother and her truck-driver boyfriend in the hardscrabble world of dusty Rockhill, Texas. Forced to take a summer job rebuilding fence of a cattle ranch, Manz works alongside his friend Jed and meets a girl named Vanessa — but even among his friends, Manz suffers from an uncontrollable paranoia. As the summer wears on, Manz becomes convinced that "Operation Wetback," a brutal postwar relocation program, is being put back into effect. As the voices in his head grow louder and more insistent, Manz struggles to negotiate the difficulties of adolescence, the perils of an oppressed environment, and the terror of losing his grip on reality.

Eleven-year-old Nissa’s life has never been perfect. Living in the small town of Harper, Louisiana, with a mama like hers, circa 1933, has led to lots of mean rumors. But now Mama is gone, and all the townsfolk talk about is who she might have run off with. Nissa’s memories of the Sundays her mama would come home smelling of sawdust lead her to suspect the rumors could be true. Did her mama go away with the Sawdust Man? And if so, does it mean she’s never coming back? A. LaFaye’s powerful first novel beautifully explicates the world of a child in distress and how she copes with something beyond her understanding.