OK Lee's father has died,so he starts a hair braiding business to help his mother pay the bills.

Aru accepts a dare and accidentally unleashes an ancient demon. Can she travel to the Kingdom of Death and save the world?

Will's brother is murdered in a gang shooting, and Will must decide whether to seek revenge. As he rides the elevator seven floors down, "ghosts" or people from his past visit him to give him advice. This book, written in free verse, made me think from Will's perspective about what it is like to for young men who live in nieghborhoods that experience gang violence. A fantastic read from a fantastic author!

Molly, a foster child, must complete community service, so she volunteers to help Vivian, an elderly woman, clean out her attic. While going through boxes of memorabilia, Vivian tells the story of being an Irish orphan sent out west in the ealry 1900s. I aboslutely loved how this book alternated between the two stories - Molly's in the present and Vivian's in the past - and yet both orphans have a similar experience of searching for a family that will love them.

The Earth is controlled by invading aliens. In order to force them to leave the planet, rebels kidnap Donovan, the son of the Prime Liason who works with the aliens. Can Donovan's exocel protect him from the terrorists? Or maybe the real enemy is one that he hasn't yet considered. This book reads like a sci fi movie - lots of action and futuristic technology. The ending is a great set up for the sequel, "Cross Fire."

March follows the clues left by his dead father, a high-end thief, to find the missing "jewels" and finds that he has a twin sister named Jules. Together they set out to find the missing jewels and uncover secrets about their past. This book does a great job revealing clues a bit at a time to keep the reader guessing!

Rather than relaxing and enjoying his summer, Arturo must fight to save his family business begun by his grandmother who is experiencing health problems. His friend, and maybe more than a friend, Carmen helps him by introducing him to the poetry of Jose Marti. I found myself cheering on Arturo and his querky family as they take on a rich Miami land developer who ignores their neighborhood's Cuban culture.