Catherine Ryan Hyde

In the summer of 1969, fourteen-year-old Lucas Painter carries a huge weight on his shoulders. His brother is fighting in Vietnam. His embattled parents are locked in a never-ending war. And his best friend, Connor, is struggling with his own family issues. To find relief from the chaos, Lucas takes long, meandering walks, and one day he veers into the woods. There he discovers an isolated cabin and two huge dogs. Frightened, he runs. And the dogs...

1941. Steven Katz is the son of prosperous landowners. Although his parents don't approve, he's found true friends in Nick, Suki, and Ollie, sons of field workers. But Steven is in turmoil as he begins to acknowledge feelings for Nick amount to more than friendship. When the bombing of Pearl Harbor draws the US into World War II, bonds deepen and the fear of being different falls away. But after Nick unexpectedly disappears one day, Steven's life...

"It's 1965, and life has taken a turn for eighteen-year-old Anton Addison-Rice a year after his brother died in a tragic accident, Anton is still wounded - physically and emotionally. Alone for the holidays, he catches a glimpse of his neighbor Edith across the street one evening and realizes that she's in danger. Anton is determined to help Edith leave her abusive marriage. Frightened and fifteen years Anton's senior, Edith is slow to trust. But...

"Abby Hubble lives in an unhappy home in the Sierra Nevada foothills where her father makes life miserable for her and her mother ... One day Abby witnesses a man dump a litter of puppies into the nearby river. Diving in to rescue all seven ... she takes them to an abandoned cabin ... Grieving widower Elliot Colvin, ... looking for solace, retreats to the hunting cabin ... What he discovers is not at all what he expected: seven puppies and one determined...

"Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke's life is shattered when she's carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night. Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness...

A woman navigating a difficult separation accompanies a traumatized teen along the horse-show circuit to help the latter reconnect with a beloved mare and come to terms with violent memories.

Virginia finally had the chance to explore a relationship with Aaron when he asked her on a date. She had been waiting, hoping that the widower and his young son, Buddy, would welcome her into their lives. But a terrible tragedy strikes on the night of their first kiss, crushing their hopes for a future together. Nineteen years later, Virginia is engaged, though she has not forgotten Aaron or Buddy. When her dog goes missing and it comes to light...

Bea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer. With only two-thirds of a tank in her old van, she heads toward the Pacific Ocean with her caton a mission to reclaim whats rightfully hers, even if it means making others pay for what she lost. When fifteen-year-old Allies parents are jailed for tax fraud, she's sent to a group home. But when her life...

"Freakishly smart. That's the unwelcome box Ru Evans is put into for life. After all, she taught herself euclidean geometry at age seven, has an eidetic memory, and is about to enter college at thirteen years old. Boarding at a house near campus 150 miles from home, Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends -- until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world...