"Embarking on an epic cross-country road trip to scatter her mom's ashes at her chosen resting place, Coyote and her dad have an unforgettable adventure, picking up some old friends and discovering some new ones along the way"--

"New to Cincinnati, where her father is now coach of the University basketball team, eighth-grader Aurora (called Rory) finds herself isolated by the heated team rivalries--especially when it turns out her new friend Abby's father has a mysterious feud with Rory's father that threatens her new friendship."--

Told in diary format, fourteen-year-old Franny journals about the year her father goes to Japan on a research trip, while she is sent away to live with family members she didn't know she had, a situation that leads her to investigate the mystery behind her mother's death and discover a terrible truth.

To help her fall asleep, the author tells his daughter a bedtime story from his mischievous childhood when he bought magic beans with his mother's grocery money.

"Rosie Vo is at odds with her dad. He pushes his racquetball hobby on to her to the point that she dreads ever spending time with him. Thankfully, new kid Blair moves to town and becomes fast friends with Rosie. She's cool, a great listener, and even better, the best distraction from the tension Rosie feels at home. Rosie's convinced Blair is the answer to all her dad-problems. If only Blair could be the racquetball genius Rosie's dad has always wanted!...

"Sparkella is excited for her first playdate with the super cool new kid at school, Wyatt. But she's worried that all of her toys and games at home are too old, too homemade, or too un-cool, so she decides to 'borrow' a shiny racecar from her best friend, Tam, without asking. When Tam is upset that her car is missing, Sparkella feels bad, but she can't seem to make herself tell the truth about taking the toy. To make things right with her friend,...