Laurie Halse Anderson

"'Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say.' From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her...

Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

After finally getting noticed by someone other than school bullies and his ever-angry father, seventeen-year-old Tyler enjoys his tough new reputation and the attentions of a popular girl, but when life starts to go bad again, he must choose between transforming himself or giving in to his destructive thoughts.

Eighteen-year-old Kate, who sometimes chafes at being a preacher's daughter, finds herself losing control in her senior year as she faces difficult neighbors, the possibility that she may not be accepted by the college of her choice, and an unexpected death.

With the help of her veterinarian grandmother and the other volunteers at the Wild at Heart Animal Clinic, eleven-year-old Maggie rescues sick puppies from an illegal puppy mill.

When he and the other volunteers at Dr. Mac's veterinary clinic go to help out at Quinn's Stables, David makes several serious mistakes and must prove he can be trusted before Mr. Quinn will let him even be around the spirited horse that David wants to ride.

Brenna, Maggie, and Zoe go to Florida to visit a manatee rescue center, where they learn about these endangered marine mammals.

Adjusting to middle school becomes easier for twelve-year-old Maggie when she finds that her biology teacher, who is blind, can learn a few things from her about working with his guide dog.

When Sunita joins Dr. Gabe on a house call at a local horse farm, she finds a lonely lamb in one of the stalls, reminding her of her own loneliness as her friends seem to be moving on without her.

Twelve-year-old David has conflicting feelings when his father, who taught him to ride the horses he loves so much, returns to spend Thanksgiving Day with the family after being gone for a year.