Books in Laurel-Leaf Books series

Natalie Armstrong has all a girl could want: beauty and intelligence, a loving family and a great boyfriend. But something is missing; the answer to a most important question: "Who is my mother?"To find that answer seventeen-year-old Natalie begins a journey that she hopes will lead to the identity of her biological mother. And what if Natalie finds her? What will happen when they meet face-to-face?

When Bambi Babcock's TV-producer father bankrupt, the Babcocks have to get out of Los Angeles ... fast. Dad heads for his hometown of Hickory Fork, which he remembers as a wholesome place for kids to grow up.But Bambi, her sister Buffie, and their little brother Brick come up against the Mall Rats, a down-home teenage gang run by scary Tanya and beef Jeeter. When the Mall Rats walk into school dives for cover. They've already trashed the mall.Bambi knows that if her show-biz family is going to get stuck here, they must turn the school around and save the town.The Mall Rats will never know what hit them.

Adam Brody a lucky kid -- he can sing and play the guitar; he's bright, popular, and good-looking. But none of these things can help Adam read. He's severely dyslexic. When he looks at a page, letters and numbers zigzag all over the place.This has been going on ever since he started school, but now that he's a teenager, he's getting desperate. So is his family. What will happen to him if he never learns to read?

That bright afternoon stretched before 15-year-old Webber, free and clear like the empty country road where Grandpa let Webb practice driving. Webb wakes up in the hospital, his leg shattered and his future as a runner in doubt. He can't remember anything about that day, but he learns: Grandpa was driving. The car hit a little girl. She's in a coma, and she might never walk again.Weeks later, Webber remembers: He was driving."You're fifteen," Grandpa says. "You have your whole life ahead of you. Let me take care of everything. I'm to blame. I'm the one to go to jail. Webber," he begs, "forget it." But how can Webber forget? He was driving.

Helen is renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world. Her divine beauty will lead her to a lifetime of adventure--from her kidnapping at age 12, through an arranged marriage, to a passionate affair that will ultimately bring about the Trojan War. Cassandra, the sister of Helen's true love, has the gift, or curse, to predict the future. When she foresees the ruin of her family and city, caused by Helen's arrival in Troy, she is outraged. Yet Cassandra cannot help being drawn to Helen, and as the war rages around them, the two young women develop a deep friendship. Through their eyes, the classic tale of the Trojan War is retold in an immediate and fascinating way.

Judith is a battered 12-year-old who blames herself rather than her mother for her mother's constant and increasing physical abuse. Michael, one of her classmates, recently suffered from the emotional abuse of his severely critical father. When Michael befriends Judith, he is able to slowly, cautiously lead her toward self-confidence while he takes his own tentative steps toward forgiving his newly repentant father. With compelling drama and authenticity, Michael's and Judith's stories unfold toward hope-filled yet realistic resolutions. Anke de Vries's portrayal of an all-too-common family horror is loving, honest, and piercingly insightful.

After their mother dies, her father packs up Deirdre and her brother and moves them from New York City to Charmette, a bayou town in Louisiana. At home, Deirdre is one of three strangers trying to recreate a family. At Charmette High, she's a Yankee who'll never fit in. She's alone in a way she'd never known before. . . until she meets Johnny. He's so mysterious and so beautiful. People say he's dangerous, and that he's got special powers. All Deirdre knows is that when she and Johnny look at each other, they're so close, they're like one person. Johnny makes her feel like her true self. And he teaches Deirdre what true love is, and how long it can last.

Told from the compelling point of view of Psyche herself, here is the intensely romantic story of a mortal princess, Psyche, and the god who loves her. Psyche is so beautiful that Cupid's mother, Venus, becomes jealous. She commands her son to inflame Psyche with love for a monster. Instead, Cupid falls instantly in love with Psyche, and he spirits her away to a magical fortress. But Psyche and Cupid will be tested further. Their love will take them to the underworld and back before the reader reaches the satisfyingly triumphant conclusion.

Fourteen-year-old Carolina has been through a terrible loss. As she struggles to speak openly to her new boyfriend and to relate to her distant, sad mother, the reader slowly realizes the nature of their shared tragedy. Through letters to her sister and by using her father's camera, Carolina tries to see the past clearly and find a path to an uncharted future. Though she feels she cannot bear any more pain, her strong character sees her through the wrenching changes in her life. Carolina's clear vision and sense of humor help her to find her way and connect to her boyfriend, her mother, and a life with new purpose and hope. "Williams’s story of family, friendship, and romance is heartfelt and sympathetic. . . . Illustrates the complexities of relationships, especially how appearance and reality can differ." — Booklist"This is a finely crafted novel in which Williams’s spare, lyrical prose depicts an adolescent blossoming into a thoughtful, caring young woman." — School Library Journal

Stepping out of her car in the driveway, Christina sees a figure in a mask. Too late to fight. She is grabbed and drugged. When she wakes up she is on a narrow cot in a chilly basement.Her kidnappers are holding her for ransom. But will her family pay? Christina soon discovers they are convinced that she is an accomplice in her own kidnapping! Christina is on her own to prove her innocence. But what if she can't?