Three teens embark upon a cross-country journey in order to escape from a society that salvages body parts from children ages thirteen to eighteen.

Liz says:

“To say this book is thought-provoking, entertaining and amazing is to put it mildly. This is a page turner. The characters are so real and their stories so gripping, you cannot put it down!”

In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever.

Liz says:

“This reads like film noir from the 1940s. It is highly atmospheric and intriguing. 8th grade girls LOVE this book!”

Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Native American is the school mascot.

Liz says:

“This is a must read for 8th grade boys and older – 9th grade may even be more appropriate. Adults should read this too. Junior’s humorous, irreverent voice and drawings give a hard, honest look at life on a Reservation. This story is semi-autobiographical.”

Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen-year-old diagnosed with mad cow disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

Liz says:

“Holy Cow! It’s hard even to comprehend how to describe this masterpiece. Crazy, epic, fun, funny, tragic, ironic are just a few words that come to mind. This is for a reader who likes a long book that goes off in wild tangents. For those who decide to sink their teeth into this treasure, you will not be disappointed .”

When her sixteen-year-old sister is hospitalized for depression and her parents want to keep it a secret, fourteen-year-old Elena tries to cope with her own anxiety and feelings of guilt that she is determined to conceal from outsiders.

Liz says:

“Told with extraordinary directness, this is the story of the impact of Depression on an entire family. With a true economy of words, Schumacher deftly portrays each multi-dimensional character allowing for complicated emotions and relationships.”

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.

Liz says:

“Having attended a special school for his whole life, Marcelo’s father decides that Marcelo should go to public school for his senior year of high school. Marcelo loves his school and is especially attached to a program there that allows him to work with horses. He makes a “deal” with his mom that if he goes to work at his father’s law firm for the summer and gives an honest try at working in the “real world” he can then choose which school he will go to. Over the course of the summer, Marcelo experiences many challenges and encounters injustice and dishonesty. Marcelo’s unflinching goodness and unique sense of the world make this a powerful story with the lasting effect of new understanding and empathy.” (Received 5 starred reviews).

While traveling to each corner of the country to build a whirligig in memory of the girl whose death he caused, sixteen-year-old Brian finds forgiveness and atonement.

Liz says:

“This is an unforgettable book that will touch your heart and really make you think about the power of forgiveness and redemption even in the face of great tragedy.”

In 1990, thirteen-year-old John “Spud” Milton, a prepubescent choirboy, keeps a diary of his first year at an elite, boys-only boarding school in South Africa, as he deals with bizarre housemates, wild crushes, and embarrassing parents.

Liz says:

“This hilariously irreverent book offers an uproariously funny look at post-Apartheid South Africa through the eyes of one of the most lovable characters ever created.”