Tricia Springstubb

Twelve-year-old Nella Sabatini's life is changing too soon, too fast. Her best friend, Clem, doesn't seem concerned; she's busy figuring out the best way to spend the "leap second"-- an extra second about to be added to the world's official clock. The only person who might understand how Nella feels is Angela, but the two of them have gone from being "secret sisters" to not talking at all. Then Angela's idolized big brother makes a terrible, fatal...

"In Cody's experience, some people keep you on your toes--just like Mother Nature, who is warm one day and snowy the next. Cody's brother, Wyatt, is wearing collared shirts because his girlfriend likes them. Pearl has joined the soccer team, and it's all she can talk about. Spencer is creating a mysterious museum under GG's porch and is never around to play. And Spencer's mom is going to have a baby! Everything around Cody--from seasons to friendships--is...

Khalil lives in the upstairs apartment with his family, which is big and busy and noisy. Downstairs lives Mr. Hagerty, who is quiet. Khalil and Mr. Hagerty don't appear to have a lot in common, but hot summer days have a way of bringing people together. As Khalil looks for buried treasure in the yard, Mr. Hagerty tends to his garden. Both help each other navigate language--whether it be learning new words or remembering those seemingly forgotten....

Unlike her adventurous ornithologist mother, shy eleven-year-old Loah prefers a quiet life at home with no surprises until her mother's expedition to the Arctic tundra to study birds turns dangerous and Loah, alone at home, discovers her own courage.

"Jude and Gladys join forces to try and rescue a dog they think has been abandoned"--