You think history is boring? Baltimore kid Daniel does -- until a chance encounter with a magical talking raven named Calvert sends him flying back to 1814, where he finds his home city under siege by a British army on the verge of defeating the United States.

When young Sam Webber's father disappears without a trace, Sam and his mother are forced to relocate to a tough neighbourhood closer to her job. Unfamiliar with his surroundings and intimidated by the students of his new school, Sam recounts details of his life with touching, humorous sincerity. Living in a tiny apartment, he is forced to deal with the legacy of depression that marked his father, and threatens to envelop him. The city remains a cold and unwelcoming place to Sam until he meets Greely, an elderly Black caretaker at his junior school. Through this unlikely friendship Sam begins to heal, as well as confront the racism that surrounds his community and his life. Afternoons of football in the park and greasy meals at the local Little Tavern lead Sam to discover that friendship and warmth can rise even in the saddest of times. This is masterfully written novel full of beautifully drawn unforgettable characters.

Puttnam Douglas Steward is not having an identity crisis -- he is one. To his father Carl, he's a disappointment, and has been since the day he came home from the hospital. To his mother, he is "Mama's Boy", and will forever be nothing less and nothing more. The Army thinks he is a hero, having single-handedly saved his troops from an ambush when they stumble upon a major, unknown supply line in Vietnam, then exposing a major Soviet espionage ring in the U.S. Only Milton, Putt's college friend and environmental activist, and Putt's sister Mary see that something is deeply confused about Puttnam Steward. Yet neither of them knows that the only time Putt ever truly feels happy is when he wears a woman's clothes and becomes, for a brief, fleeting moment, someone else. And they do not know how much that disgusts him. This is a brilliant drama, stirringly and sensitively told, about the elusiveness of identity. Another important novel from one of America's most praised and accomplished novelists, it's a masterpiece that will not soon be forgotten.

Caley s family is on the move again. His mother and stepfather have made another in a series of bad decisions, and once again, Caley, his older brother Fulton, and little sister Louise are pulling up stakes. With each move, Caley s mental state grows a little worse. This time they re living in Naples, Florida, where Caley s stepfather has finally found a job. Sad and confused, Caley attributes his problems to Star Trek, the glow from his clock radio, anything but the root cause: family dynamics, including his love/hate relationship with Fulton. Working together at a Pancake Palace, the simmering tension between the two boys finally explodes. The episode cracks the pall of sadness that has enveloped Caley for so long, enabling him to understand the journey, both literal and figurative, that the family has taken. Written from a survivor s standpoint, Gone and Back Again describes Caley s descent into severe depression with humor, hope, and poignancy."

You think history is boring? Baltimore kid Daniel does -- until a chance encounter with a magical talking raven named Calvert sends him flying back to 1814, where he finds his home city under siege by a British army on the verge of defeating the United States.