Orphan Boy

Elias Hartman is an unusual sort of man. The only son of one of the wealthiest ranchers in Wyoming, his interests tend toward books and poetry rather than cattle and poker. His oddness prevents him from finding a suitable wife—that, and the fact that young unmarried women are few and far between in Miles Gulch. He writes to a matrimonial agency and is introduced to his perfect match: Cora Bennett is bookish, quiet, shy, and loves poetry. Their correspondence carries the spark of love both have been looking for—until, that is, they finally meet in person. Suddenly, the connection ...

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy Austrian household. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. Pierrot is quickly taken under Hitler's wing and thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets, and betrayal from which he may never be able to escape.

With feudal wars raging through the Japanese countryside, it is no place for children, particularly homeless orphans like six-year-old Saru, who grow up fast and hard in the cold city. When begging does not fill his stomach, stealing and cunning do the trick. The only warmth Saru knows is from a kindly priest who allows him to sleep under his little Shinto shrine in the winter, and Neko, his adopted kitten. Living day-by-day, Saru gives little thought to the future or the course his life might take.

Seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Lafayette, this is the story of three brothers, each locked in their own grief and guilt after the sudden death of their mother. Deep feelings and family secrets are revealed as, despite the odds against them, the brothers learn to pull together.

Juan DeLuna lives under a pier at Boa Viagem beach in Recife, Brazil. He is orphaned at 13. As DeLuna grows, he harbors a haunting secret. A strong young woman tries to help and curb his criminal instincts. Eventually, she must make a decision about her own self-worth. With the Olympics approaching, the orphan has grown his gang of thieves into a large criminal enterprise; he sees the perfect opportunity for expansion.

Between 1854 and 1930, more than 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children were sent west on orphan trains to find new homes. Some were adopted by loving families; others were not as fortunate. In recent years, some of the riders have begun to share their stories. Andrea Warren alternates chapters about the history of the orphan trains with the story of Lee Nailling, who in 1926 rode an orphan train to Texas.

Tom Falconer is in trouble. Pursued by the notorious criminal Ratsey, Tom soon finds himself alone and hungry on the streets of London. Luckily enough, the mysterious Dr Mobius soon recruits Tom to play an important role in a play to be performed in front of Queen Elizabeth. Tom knows there’s something not right about Mobius, but he’s willing to take a risk in order to keep his neck out of Ratsey’s murderous hands.

Five teens connected by fate. An age-old battle between good and evil. A war that only the Orphans can end. It was an accident. That was what the authorities said killed Charlie Kim's parents. And in Charlie's mind, that was how it had to be. An accident meant closure. It meant that the driven fifteen-year-old could move on, reassemble his life, and return to pursuing the carefully planned future that he had mapped out for himself. However, when memories of his parents begin to vanish and suspicions arise, calling the accidental nature of their deaths into question, Charlie can't help but ...

Instead of succumbing to life on the streets, Kimbrough sought the one thing that would redeem him from that dismal, expected fate—education. This is the story of a young man who, despite all the forces that worked against him, fiercely determined to make a better life for himself, and is resolute about showing others the way.

In the dead of night, a truck arrives in Slaughterville, a small town curiously named after its windowless slaughterhouse. Seven mysterious kids with suitcases step out of the vehicle and into an abandoned home on a dead-end street, looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren't noticed. But Ravani Foster covertly witnesses their arrival from his bedroom window. Timid and lonely, Ravani is eager to learn everything he can about his new neighbors: What secrets are they hiding? And most mysterious of all...where are the adults?

In a world where dark faeries have stepped in to save the planet from humanity's mistakes, 17-year-old December Thorne is nothing but a shadow. Shunned by her peers, bullied at school, and paid a little too much attention by her sleazy foster father, she lives in constant fear and perpetual solitude. Until the day everything changes. Offered a scholarship to the prestigious Oberon Academy, December finds herself living in a whole new world.

The epic series continues with shocking revelations, chilling prophecies, and ancient magic for ages 13 to 100+. The companions traverse the Great Plains on their journey to the Wizard’s Guild. Out of food and water, they have no choice but to resupply in the Witch Town of Banfar, known as a haven for the fringes of society. Rife with orphans, outcasts, charlatans, and derelicts. Worse still, underground cults have flourished, awaiting the Unnamed One’s return. As they enter the infamous Lower District, they make a stark realization. The enemy is already there. With Princess Eleanor at ...

A Chance in the World is the unbelievably true story of a wounded and broken boy destined to become a man of resilience, determination, and vision. Through it all, Steve's story teaches us that no matter how broken our past, no matter how great our misfortunes, we have it in us to create a new beginning and to build a place where love awaits.

The civil-war-ravaged streets of Terra Primus are a hazardous place for a sixteen-year-old, but Joel is determined to make it to Arcadia to reconnect with his father’s legacy. Starving, injured, and hunted by his father’s nemesis—a striker scout—Joel makes an unlikely friend in a magnificent Canine Maximus. Learning to trust and rely on each other’s loyalty and strength, they must navigate a world of ruin and treachery where every turn could mean capture by the Union police. What follows is an epic journey of survival, betrayal, mateship, and love.

Taken from his mother at age three, Steve Klakowicz lives in the clutches of a cruel foster family. He finds his only refuge in a box of books given to him by a kind stranger, books that take him to new worlds he can only imagine. He begins to hope that one day he might have a different life. As he grows, Steve is determined to unravel the mystery of his origins and find his birth family. A light-skinned boy with blue eyes, a curly Afro, and a Polish last name, he embarks on an extraordinary quest for his identity, armed with only one clue. Yet nothing is as it appears.

Josiah Howard lost his parents to the Spanish flu and became an orphan at age five. After five turbulent years in foster care, the desperate ten-year-old Josiah ran away. During the Great Depression, he finds himself alone on the streets begging for food. So desperately hungry that first week, he takes off again, this time to the woods to survive on his own. He thinks that if Tarzan could survive in the forest, so can he. Using his wits and ingenuity, he’s able to survive in the woods for five weeks.One night as Josiah is exploring by a creek looking for shelter, the old button maker ...

Step into an alpine adventure set in the harsh world of snow, ice, and rock. Follow Blue Sky, a girl raised by ibex, as she explores questions of identity, belonging, and self-reliance. Perfect for fans of classic children's literature and timeless fantasy fables. Like any normal girl, Blue Sky just wants to fit in. But there's a lot about her life that's not normal. Like how she's the only human living in the high Alps with a herd of ibex. Or like how she might only be a dream. (How else can she explain her unusual life?) Tor, the ibex leader, claims the girl has no place with the herd, ...

The year is 1926. Dave's beloved father is dead and his stepmother doesn't want him. Only the HHB will take him in. "Hebrew Home for Boys" better known as the "Hell Hold for Brats". But Dave is tough and a troublemaker. He can take care of himself. If he doesn't like the Home, he'll run away and find a better place. Only it's not that simple.

A boy survives an attack by a robot-zombie and is smuggled away to a secret island full of aliens, super heroes - and the answers to his mysterious past. Matt Myklusch's Jack Blank and the Imagination Nation combines action, humor, adventue, heroes, villains, and superpowers for a knockout epic story.

1719. Great Britain is at war with Spain. When his mother dies, fourteen year old Dan Leake finds himself alone on the mean streets of Bristol. Faced with starvation or the workhouse, he stows away on a British man-o-war, hoping to find his father who had been pressed into the Royal Navy years before. Falsely accused of theft, Dan is shunned by his shipmates and bullied by the sadistic bosun, as he endures the brutal life aboard an eighteenth century warship. He finally discovers the real thief, and his courage, at the bloody Battle of Cape St. Vincent. At his moment of triumph, he realises...