Friendship Fiction

Felix Allsey is a travel writer with a keen eye for the paranormal, and he's carved out a unique, if only slightly lucrative, niche for himself in nonfiction; he writes travelogues of the country's most haunted places, after haunting them himself. When he convinces the owner of the infamous Rotterdam Mansion to let him stay on the premises for two weeks, he believes he's finally found the location that will bring him a best seller. Then things start going wrong: screams from upstairs, figures in the thresholds, and more than what should be in any basement.

Age has done everything except mellow the characters in Kingsley Amis’s The Old Devils, which turns its humane and ironic gaze on a group of Welsh married couples who have been spending their golden years—when “all of a sudden the evening starts starting after breakfast”—nattering, complaining, reminiscing, and, above all, drinking. This more or less orderly social world is thrown off-kilter, however, when two old friends unexpectedly return from England: Alun Weaver, now a celebrated man of Welsh letters, and his entrancing wife, Rhiannon.

Twelve-year-old Marvel is afraid of absolutely everything - amusement-park rides, food poisoning, earthquakes, and that big island of plastic floating through the ocean. She also obsesses about smaller worries like making friends, getting called on by the teacher, and walking home alone. But when Marvel stumbles on a group of older kids teasing a baby goat that has mysteriously shown up on the soccer field, she momentarily forgets to be afraid and rescues the frightened animal.

Wanda Petronski is different from all the other girls in Room 13. Every day she wears the same faded blue dress to school, and every day she tells about her hundred dresses at home. Her classmates joke about her imaginary clothes - until they learn the wonderful secret of the dresses.

When Henry's parents choose Mudge, the wriggling puppy has floppy ears and straight, soft fur. Mudge is tiny. But Henry knows he'll grow. Now Mudge is three feet tall, and he's the best friend Henry has ever had. Mudge trots to school with Henry, and he sleeps on Henry's bed. But one day the big dog goes for a walk by himself and gets lost. When Henry comes home from school, he is alone. Where's Mudge?

What will Gameknight999 do when his own friend is infected with the evil Herobrine virus? With the destruction of the infected Ender Dragon, the monster kings were forced to retreat. Herobrine's poisonous XP has been captured in an obsidian box and sealed tightly. Gameknight999 and his friends know that the obsidian box will have to be destroyed to eliminate the evil virus once and for all. But how? And who will be brave enough to do it?

When two childhood best friends blow up their respective romantic relationships, they make a time-sensitive pact: serial-cheater Chuck cannot sleep with anyone as she attends a three-month-long recovery group for cheaters, while sex-deprived Sofia vows to hook up with as many people as possible before recommitting to monogamy and tying the knot with her long-time fiancé. To keep things interesting, Chuck and Sofia decide to revive a past tradition from their summer camp days—also known as the dawning of sluthood.

Katie's Cupcake Club friends all have other activities besides making cupcakes. Mia and Alexis are on the soccer team; Emma plays the flute. Katie sets out to find her extracurricular niche and soon she's dribbling, passing, and catching in an effort to find the right sport for her. Sure Katie can whip up a great cupcake but can she cook on the field too? When Katie tries out and makes the softball team it's batter up, but instead of swinging away she gets nervous during games. What if she makes a mistake? What if they lose? Is this the kind of batter she really wants to deal with?

The two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at 13, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he's placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets 12-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.

The audio edition of the best-selling middle grade novel about a spunky girl born without arms and a boy with Tourette syndrome navigating the challenges of middle school, disability, and friendship - all while solving a mystery in a western theme park. Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is that she was born without them.

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have been brought to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding. There, Miri also has a chance to attend school - at the Queen's Castle. But as Miri befriends students who seem sophisticated and exciting she also learns that they have some frightening plans.

New York Times best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima is well known for her Seven Realms fantasy series. When commoner Han Alister finds his friend Rebecca on the edge of death, saving her life becomes his number one priority. Then he learns that Rebecca is really Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells, and he’s devastated - for more than one reason. But he’ll have to ignore his personal feelings to fulfill a promise he made long ago.

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal. Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects. On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog.

A perfect next listen for fans of Abbi Waxman and Katherine Center, Can't Take It Back is a fast-paced and relatable debut telling the interconnected stories of four women over the course of a kindergarten school year. Huddled on their favorite park bench in a quiet Seattle suburb, Holly, Avery, Zoe, and Sasha might look like they've got it all figured out - but there’s more to their stories than meets the eye.

When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family's cottage and yard. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.

Dan Gutman, the prolific author of over 60 popular books for children and young adults, vividly imagines what is surely every put-upon school kid's dream: a machine that does homework for them - error free!

Nora Reid believes scientific laws control everything, even love. With her grandparents' epic first kiss story cemented in her brain, Nora develops a hypothesis she's determined to prove: for each person in the world, there is exactly one other person, and at first kiss, they'll experience an immediate and intense reaction. But after four years of zero-reaction kisses, she comes up with a new theory: maybe that pesky crush on her stunningly hot best friend Eli Costas is skewing her results.

The sun beats down on seventh-grader Joel and his best friend as they pedal up and down the hills outside of town. Before leaving home, Joel had solemnly promised his father - on his honor - they would only go to the state park. He didn't explain they were planning a daring climb on the sheer river bluffs there.

Join the gang as they start a new life in Los Angeles! Willow is working on the screenplay for Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of famed writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. While she's working on it, she finds herself getting closer and closer to Jackson Flynn, Ava's son. Then fate steps in and bonds the two in a way that Willow never imagined or wanted. Ava has finally met her stepbrother, Elijah, who she finds uncomfortably attractive. She also finds a new opening to religion, something that has always been missing in her life, as she learns a bit about Judaism when she accompanies Sarah to some Jewish...

Hallie faces the greatest challenge of her life... Hallie, Ava's best friend, has gone through drastic changes and has come to a happy point in her life. Now, she wants to branch out into being a life coach. However, a routine checkup brings dark news. Suddenly, she's in the fight of her life, but she has her best friends by her side the entire time. Charlotte, Ava's daughter, is facing a crisis of her own. She has a newborn, and her husband wants a divorce. She needs to learn to stand on her own two feet, and she does. However, a medical emergency regarding Siobhan brings everything into ...