Having suffered abuse and misfortune for much of her life, a young child searches for a better life and finally gets a break in the home of a loving woman with several foster children.

"When Dahlia decided to become a foster mother, she had a few caveats: no howling newborns, no delinquents, and above all, no girls. A harrowing incident years before left her a virtual prisoner in her own home, forever wary of the heartbreak and limitation of a girl's life. Eleven years after they began fostering, Dahlia and Louie consider their family complete, but when the social worker begs them to take a young girl who has been horrifically abused...

Young Alfred is a ten year old African-American boy from Burlington whose life to date has been a trial. Shuttled from foster family to group home, the boy is on the verge of being lost to the kind of despair that can envelop unwanted children. He cautiously enters the Sheldon family circle, barely willing to hope that he can find a permanent place for himself among these kind people, who are still distracted by grief following the disappearance of...

"Miss Janie is at the end of a long and full life, but she has no intention of crossing that finish line until she's found her girls . . . It's been ten years since Teresa and Kayla shook off the dust of Birthright, Texas, went their separate ways, and never looked back. Apart from their foster mom, Miss Janie, they don't have many fond memories of their hometown. Or of each other. Still, neither can forget the kind woman who opened her home and heart...

After a string of foster homes and the death of her heroin-addict mother, Lexi Baill is taken in by a newly discovered great-aunt who lives a spartan life near Seattle. Lexi soon meets Mia and her loving twin brother, Zach. The friendship flourishes, and Mia's mother draws Lexi into the family circle. A slowly growing attraction between Zach and Lexi begins, but then Lexi, Mia, and Zach collectively make a bad decision that results in a tragedy with...

"While living with her latest set of foster parents, Ashley Rayburn mistakenly applies some found body paints which give her a wide range of special powers, but soon the military discovers what happened to their secret weapon and this puts Ashley and her newfound family and friends in danger."--Provided by publisher.

"Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation's annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that's come through the rescue-and their families-are invited to celebrate. This year's party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin the evening. Derek Moore, one of the...

A graphic novel adaptation of the book, in which twelve-year-old Sophie discovers the abilities that have always caused her to stand out are because she is actually an elf and, after she is brought to Eternalia where she can hone her skills, Sophie learns she harbors certain secrets that others would kill to learn.

Gilly Hopkins has seen more than her share of foster homes and has outwitted every family she has lived with. In an effort to escape her new foster mother Maime Trotter's endless loving care, Gilly concocts a plan that she believes will bring her mother running to her rescue. But when the ploy blows up in Gilly's face it threatens to ruin the only chance she's ever had to be part of a real family.