A "mesmerizing, poetic exploration of family, friendship, love and loss" from the acclaimed author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. (New York Times Book Review) Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it's senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal's not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph.

When a girl with a troubled history of finding dead bodies investigates the murder of her ex, she uncovers a plot to put herself---and everyone she loves---on the list of who's next. Flora Calhoun has a reputation for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. After stumbling upon a classmate's body years ago, the trauma of that discovery and the police's failure to find the killer has haunted her ever since. One night, she gets a midnight text from Ava McQueen, the beautiful girl who had ignited Flora's heart last summer, then never spoke to her again. Just in time to witness Ava's death from a gunshot wound, Flora is set on a path of rage and vengeance for all the dead girls whose killer is never found. Her tunnel-visioned sleuthing leads to valuable clues about a shocking conspiracy involving her school and beyond, but also earns her sinister threats from the murderer. She has a choice---to give up the hunt for answers, or keep digging and risk her loved ones' lives. Either way, Flora will regret the consequences. Who's next on the killer's list?

Children ask A LOT of questions when it comes to heaven, particularly when they've experienced the loss of a loved one. In this uplifting, imaginative picture book, How High Is Heaven? inspires hope and comfort in readers young and old, that heaven can be experienced here and now and is open for us all. Bestselling author and ABC News anchor Linsey Davis invites children to explore age-appropriate questions about heaven. Kids and their parents can celebrate that heaven is a place we can look forward to, by God's grace and goodness, while finding moments of heaven here on earth. How High Is Heaven? is the perfect book for parents and grandparents to read aloud and provides an uplifting message for kids ages 4-8, featuring: Read-aloud, lyrical rhymes Whimsical, engaging illustrations by Lucy Fleming Answers to children's questions about heaven... and a safe place to ask them Comfort to those who have lost a loved one? Look for additional inspirational children's picture books and audio products from award-winning author Linsey Davis: The World Is Awake, A Celebration of Everyday Blessings One Big Heart, A Celebration of Being More Alike Than Different Stay This Way Forever The Linsey Davis Children's Audio Collection The Smallest Spot of a Dot

Iris tries to act normal at school, going through the motions and joking around with her friends. But nothing is normal, and sometimes it feels like she'll never laugh again. How can she, when her dad is dying of a virus that's off-limits to talk about? When she knows that soon all she'll have left of her kind, loving dad are memories, photos, and a binder full of the poems they used to exchange? In a sea of rage and grief, Iris resolves to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding AIDS-and find the pieces of Dad that she never knew before. Along the way, Iris might just find new sides to herself. Award-winning author Ami Polonsky has crafted a lyrical, tender, earth-shattering novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

This picture book from a child psychologist and counselor uses a touching and relatable story about a young boy's grief to help children 4-8 understand what it means to lose a loved one and how to process their own emotions of fear, grief, and joyful remembrance. When Grandma tells Lee she will soon be "going home," Lee is confused. Isn't Grandma already home? But as Grandma's health gets worse and her death approaches, Lee learns what it means to "walk Grandma home" to heaven, while also reflecting on his good memories and dealing with his grief alongside his extended family. Walking Grandma Home: Presents a child's perspective on losing a loved one that young readers can relate to Is ideal for kids who have recently experienced a loved one's death or are learning about grief for the first time, as well as for children with aging grandparents and family and friends experiencing loss Equips parents and caregivers to process a child's emotions in a healthy and loving way Has a page of questions and activities to help children process their own grief and allow caregivers to personalize the story to the child's experience Features text from counselor and author Nancy Bo Flood and beautiful illustrations by Ellen Shi

Twelve-year-old Lowen Grover, a budding comic-book artist, is still reeling from the shooting death of his friend Abe when he stumbles across an article about a former mill town giving away homes for just one dollar. It not only seems like the perfect escape from the city and all of the awful memories associated with it, but an opportunity for his mum to run her very own business. But is the Dollar Program too good to be true? The homes are in horrible shape, and the locals are less than welcoming. Will the Grovers find they've traded one set of problems for another? From the author of Small as an Elephant and Paper Things comes a heart-tugging novel about guilt and grief, family and friendship, and, above all, community.

In a magical underwater forest lived a colourful and loveable Octopus called Ollie, who loved swimming with his friends and spending time with his mum and dad, Orla and Orson the Octopuses. Until one day, when Orla started to get very sick. The doctors did everything they could to help her, but very sadly, Orla died. Ollie had so many thoughts and feelings spinning around in his head, and his heart was hurting -- what can Orson and Ollie's friends do to help? This story will help children aged 5-10 to understand big feelings relating to grief and bereavement and explores ways to stay connected to your loved one and to keep them in your heart and in your head. About this series: Dr. Treisman's Big Feelings Stories are written for adults to read with kids aged 5-10 to help children to understand their feelings. If you enjoy this book, why not check out Dr. Treisman's Activity Books series; Ollie the Octopus Loss and Bereavement Activity Book, which features the same story, comes with an abundance of extra guidance for adults and a wealth of creative expansion activities and photocopiable worksheets for children.

‘Hoop kings SOAR

in kicks with wings.

Game so sweet

it’s like bee stings.’

It's 1988. Charlie Bell is still mourning his father, and struggling to figure out how he feels for his best (girl) friend, CJ. When he gets into trouble one too many times, he's packed off like the Fresh Prince to stay with his grandparents for the summer. There his cousin Roxie introduces him to a whole new world: basketball. A legend on the courts is born. But can Charlie resist when trouble comes knocking once again?

From the New York Times-bestselling author Kwame Alexander, Rebound is a stunning coming-of-age novel in verse about basketball, family and staying true to yourself. A prequel to The Crossover, winner of the Newbery Medal, and follow-up to Booked, highly commended for the CLiPPA prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

With comic-book illustrations from award-winning graphic novel artist Dawud Anyabwile.

What Does Dead Mean? is a beautifully illustrated book that guides children gently through 17 of the 'big' questions they often ask about death and dying. Questions such as 'Is being dead like sleeping?', 'Why do people have to die?' and 'Where do dead people go?' are answered simply, truthfully and clearly to help adults explain to children what happens when someone dies. Prompts encourage children to explore the concepts by talking about, drawing or painting what they think or feel about the questions and answers. Suitable for children aged 4+, this is an ideal book for parents and carers to read with their children, as well as teachers, therapists and counsellors working with young children.

This acclaimed graphic memoir that Kirkus calls "cathartic and uplifting" is the tale of losing a parent and what it feels like to grieve and to move forward. "I can't recommend this kind, funny, and poignant memoir enough. It's an intimate, life-affirming story of resilience that feels like a good friend." -Mari Andrew, author of Am I There Yet? Tyler Feder had just white-knuckled her way through her first year of college when her super cool mom was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Now, with a decade of grief and nervous laughter under her belt, Tyler shares the story of that gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, extremely awkward time in her life-from her mom's first oncology appointment to her funeral through the beginning of facing reality as a motherless daughter. She shares the sting of loss that never goes away, the uncomfortable post-death firsts, and the deep-down, hard-to-talk-about feelings of the grieving process. Dancing at the Pity Party is a frank and refreshingly funny look at what it's like to grieve-for anyone struggling with loss who just wants someone to get it.

From Sara Cassidy, acclaimed author of A Boy Named Queen, comes a stunning wordless graphic novel about friendship, loss and hope. For as long as Saanvi can remember, she has been friends with her elderly neighbor Helen. They play cards and garden together and, especially, care for the wild birds that visit Helen's yard. When Helen dies suddenly, a "For Sale" sign goes up, and movers arrive, emptying the house of its furniture and stripping the yard of its birdfeeders. The sparrows and hummingbirds disappear. Soon a bulldozer tears down Helen's house. All winter, Saanvi walks numbly past the property as developers begin to build condos. Then one spring day, amid the dust and turmoil of construction, she finds a weathered playing card wedged between two rocks. She holds it to her chest, and finally sobs. After a tearful night, Saanvi wakes inspired. She slathers peanut butter on pinecones to hang from tree branches, hammers together a birdhouse from scrap wood and drags a kitchen stool outside to hold a bowl of water. Finally, she retrieves a nest that has been unraveling on Helen's old property and places it in a tree in her own yard. Saanvi's yard soon fills with Helen's birds. They have a home again. This beautifully illustrated, wordless graphic novel shows Saanvi's journey through close friendship, then hollowing loss and change, until she finally finds hope. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

My daddy died when I was (one...two...) three years old. Today we are out in the garden. It always makes me think about my daddy because he LOVED his garden. Sometimes, I wonder what happened to my daddy's body... This picture book aims to help children aged 3+ to understand what happens to the body after someone has died. Through telling the true story of what happened to his daddy's body, we follow Alex as he learns about cremation, burial and spreading ashes. Full of questions written in Alex's own words, and with the gentle, sensitive and honest answers of his mother, this story will reassure any young child who might be confused about death and what happens afterwards. It also reiterates the message that when you have experienced the loss of a loved one, it is okay to be sad, but it is okay to be happy, too.

It started out as an ordinary summer. But the minute thirteen-year-old Zinny covered the old, overgrown trail that ran through the woods behind her family's house, she realized that things were about to change.

Right from the start, Zinny knew that uncovering the trail would be more than just a summer project. It was her chance to finally make people notice her, and to have a place she could call her very own. But more than that, Zinny knew that the trail somehow held the key to all kinds of questions. And that- the only way to understand her family, her Aunt Jessie's death, and herself, was to find out where it went.

From the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Walk Two Moons, here is an intricately woven tale of a young girl who sets out in search of her place in the world -- and discovers it in her own backyard.