A young girl draws a family portrait, then makes it more accurate by adding common objects to show aspects of each member's personality, such as her father's playfulness, her mother's sweetness, and her brother's strength.

While a year passes waiting for Aunt Becky to name the heir of a legendary heirloom jug, a number of changes occur among the members of the clan made up of members of both the Dark family and the Penhallows.

Nancy wants to adopt a special puppy so that she is no longer the only fancy member of her family, but after a day of puppy sitting a papillon, she realizes that being fancy is not always the most important thing.

Sweetgrass is a historical tract of land in South Carolina that has been home to the Blakely family for eight generations. But Sweetgrass--named for the indigenous grass that grows in the area--is in trouble. Bulldozers are leveling surrounding properties. And the Blakelys could be forced to sell the one thing that continues to hold their disintegrating family together. For some of the Blakeys, the prospect of selling Sweetgrass is bittersweet--for...

When Abby's first letter arrives at a small school in Afghanistan, Sadeed Bayat is chosen to be her pen pal ... well, kind of. He is the best writer, but he is also a boy, and in his village it is not appropriate for a boy to correspond with a girl. So his younger sister dictates and signs the letter, until Sadeed decides what his sister is telling Abby isn't what he'd like Abby to know. As letters go back and forth between Illinois and Afghanistan,...

Sixth-grader Marty and his family try to help their rough neighbor, Judd Travers, change his mean ways, even though their West Virginia community continues to expect the worst of him.

A little bunny delights in all the familiar things in his daily life.

This novel in verse tells Kevin's journey from bully to being bullied, and how he learns about friendship, family and his talent for poetry.

Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

Red-haired Marvin is convinced that the reason he looks different from the rest of his family is that he is really the lost prince of Shampoon. Marvin Redpost has finally figured out why he doesn't look like anyone in his family. He's not really Marvin Redpost--he's Robert, the lost prince of Shampoon! The story is wonderfully logical and absurd, with a wit and attention to detail rare in an easy reader.