Fiction

On the surface, the only thing Hercules Beal seems to have in common with the mythical Ancient Greek hero is his name. That is until his new Language Arts teacher, Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer, assigns him to complete the twelve Labors of the mythical Hercules.

On the eve of Solimar’s quinceañera and coronation, she ventures to the oyamel fir forest to glimpse the arrival of the majestic monarch butterflies. She is awestruck with the butterflies’ presence when a strange event bestows her a gift, the ability to see the near future.

Maggie’s stutter is debilitating. She does whatever she can to avoid speaking in public. At school, after even more drastic actions, her father threatens to send her to an institution for “treatment,” the medical intervention of the 1960s. Instead, Maggie’s sympathetic mother arranges for her to spend several weeks in Cornwall with her grandfather.

Odder is different from her other otter friends. She’s at times too curious, too fearless, and too playful. One day, when she is out searching for food with her friend, a great white shark changes the course of her life. The shark attacks, and the attack changes the way she views the world, the creatures in it, and her very own sense of self.

Melody’s story continues in Out of My Heart, the sequel to Sharon M. Draper’s wildly popular Out of My Mind. As Melody continues navigating life with cerebral palsy, she takes a bold, brave step to have a new adventure – go to a sleep away camp for a week.

One morning Brother Edik, a monk in the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing, is tending to his chores when he discovers a young girl taking refuge in a barn stall. He decides to care for Beatryce and help her overcome a terrible fever.