Showing results by publisher "-emdashery books-" in Coming of Age

Music is the love of Jordan’s life. At 13, he meets a teacher who not only shares that love and gives him private lessons, but introduces him to one of the greatest pianists in the world. Jordan soon forms a band, which performs anywhere there is an audience and gets its first break when hired by Mystic Gardens, an amusement park in Indiana.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: to find her late father's most prized invention, the Illuminator. It's been missing since the day a mysterious flash wiped the sun from the sky. Living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She's hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. Orphaned when her mother is executed for a crime she did not commit, Eyelet sets out to track down the machine—her one and only chance at a cure.

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school.

First-time novelist Jenny Han has penned a realistic story that all middle-graders will surely be able to relate to. Meet 12-year-old Annemarie “Shug” Wilcox. What’s not to like about her? She’s smart, she’s tall, and she has lots of freckles. She lives in a small Georgia town with her popular, gorgeous older sister and intellectual mother. Shug is excited about starting the seventh-grade, but she’s not prepared for all the vicious teasing that comes with the new school year.

Willow Covington has conquered every obstacle thrown at her to become one of the best figure skaters in the nation until a devastating injury shatters her Olympic dreams. She’ll do anything to get back on the ice, though, and if that means rehabbing while blocking shots and slapping a puck around, so be it. Coach says no dating, but that’s A-Okay with her anyway - she’s singularly focused on her goal. If only the team captain, Brodie Windom, wasn’t so infuriatingly hot as he shows her the ropes.

The final Judgement is here.... My sisters hate their gifts, but they don’t know how lucky they are. They have a home and family. I have nothing. But, I am Courage, and I know my purpose. I exist for one reason only: To complete the Judgement. Olivia is blind, yet sees. And what she sees, she keeps to herself. Her father conspires for control while Olivia does her own plotting with forces that only she understands. Now, time is running out, and choices that will impact the world must be made.

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie - a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by US immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins - Chantal, Donna, and Princess - the grittiness of Detroit's west side, a new school, and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Some rivers should not be swum in. Some rivers hold secrets that can never be told. Te Arepa is an adventurous Maori boy, bound to the history, customs and rituals of his people. When he comes upon a giant eel while fishing, he is convinced the creature is a taniwha, or water demon, and follows it. Yet what Te Arepa finds in the river is far different, far more sinister. And it will change his life forever.

Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change. When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac.

Norris is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Texas. Plunked into a new high school, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs. Yet those labels soon become actual people to Norris....

I'm your average girl at your average high school, trying to figure out my place in life. After catching my now ex-boyfriend messing around with my now ex-best friend, I've made some big changes. No more band, no more backstabbing friends and no more boring old life. Now I have new friends, a new job and new interests. But there's a certain someone who's interested in me, and I don't get it. Jordan Tuttle could have anyone he wants. He's the most popular boy in school.

Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there's her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out—like it did once before.

With Liam off on a dangerous mission, all Sid can do is wait for news. When the news comes, it has devastating repercussions not only for Sid, but for Liam as well. Liam has to decide if he should go home or stay on the island and finish what he and Felix started. But first he has to manage not to freeze to death. Meanwhile, inside the castle, Isa learns that there is a new danger and she wonders if she will ever get to go outside again.

Eva and Rafe's story continues in this emotional, angsty, rockstar romance from the best-selling author of The Rixon Raiders series. Eighteen-year-old Eva Walker knew going on tour with Black Hearts Still Beat would be complicated. She didn’t expect to find herself torn between two brothers. One wants her but he walked away before. The other needs her but she doesn’t understand why. It’s only time before the truth comes out, and when it does, nothing will be the same for Country’s newest sweetheart and the black-hearted boys of Rock.

Adrian's worked hard to get where he is. He knew once he aged out of the foster system, it was either college or the military. Fortunately, he managed to snag an academic scholarship to USC. Lately, his interests lie elsewhere. A particular distraction that plays on the football team. Beck's had a great life so far. He's got a loving family, friends, and popularity. However, something is missing from his seemingly perfect existence...someone to share it with. The problem is, he's got a secret crush. A beautiful blond boy that he sees from time to time around campus.

Assassins aren't often framed for murder. But when ex-assassin Semra is falsely accused of murdering a king, she is forced to go on the run—only to discover an underground network of old enemies bent on her destruction and a mysterious ailment keeping her from working her best. As tensions rise, Semra must gather evidence to clear her name, find a remedy for her ailment, and stop rogue assassins from interfering with the war.

Martin and Dwain are best friends. Their lives revolve around a mystical lake nestled deep within the Appalachian Mountains of southeastern Kentucky. Martin is being raised by a single mom, while Dwain lives with foster parents who could care less that he's alive. Their mutual support and the sanctuary of their hidden oasis are pivotal to their well-being. However, the arrival of Dwain's unconventional Aunt Mazie for her annual visit has the potential to alter the boys' lives indefinitely.

The boys at school think James is a freak, and he isn’t sure they’re wrong. He’s 15 and possesses a genius level IQ. He has no friends, and his grandmother thinks it’s the 1960s, but none of these are his biggest problem. James is gay and totally incompetent with social interaction. He’s also attracted to a man old enough to be his father. His situation seems hopeless, until he meets Lincoln and Taylor, two boys who begin to teach him how to interact with others and deal with being different.

Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder. Full of heartache yet humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can - in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich, and begins her tale of love and betrayal.

Zhilan was assigned female at birth. Despite a gift for illusions, they know they are destined to live out their life within the confines of the women’s quarter. But when civil war sets the empire aflame, Zhilan is determined save their disabled father from the battlefield. By taking his place. Surviving brutal army training as a boy - Zhi - is only the first challenge. In the glittering court of the Land of Dragons, love and betrayal are two sides of the same smile, and soon the fate of a nation rests on Zhi’s shoulders.