The Hart family of Portland, Oregon, faces many setbacks after Ryan's father loses his job, but no matter what, Ryan tries to bring sunshine to her loved ones.

If I had a horse, he might be shy, like me. But if I stayed quiet, he'd learn to be my friend. I would have to tame him. I would have to be strong, like him. And he would have to be gentle, like me. And together, we could do anything.

"Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly...

Colette's increasingly outlandish description of her imaginary lost parakeet leads her to many friends in her new neighborhood.

"Ari and Kaylan aren't sure how they're going to survive their first summer apart. No pool. No sleepovers. No emergency late night chats on the porch. So as Ari returns to Camp Silver and Kaylan heads off to comedy camp, they come up with a new list of 13 and 3/4 ways to keep their friendship strong as they tackle everything from bias to batik and moping to matchmaking"-- Provided by publisher

When eleven-year-old Langston's father moves them from their home in Alabama to Chicago's Bronzeville district, it feels like he's giving up everything he loves. It's 1946. Langston's mother has just died, and now they're leaving the rest of his family and friends. He misses everything -- Grandma's Sunday suppers, the red dirt roads, and the magnolia trees his mother loved. In the city, they live in a small apartment surrounded by noise and chaos....