Trinetta drops off her two young boys with her mother, Betty Jean - and then pulls a disappearing act. BJ is a sassy, pull-no-punches, trademark McMillan matriarch, and she already has her hands full picking up the slack for her other kids, coaching her best friend Tammy through her own tribulations and dealing with two feuding sisters, all while holding down a job as a hotel maid. Who Asked You? raises questions about how we care for one another and how we set limits for those we love when the demands are too great.

Nora's friend Charlie claims that everywhere he went in the universe they asked about her, from the players at a baseball game to the Empress of Jupiter out in space.

"Wise‚ romantic‚ and painfully relatable."—Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda From acclaimed author Laura Silverman comes a timely novel about a bisexual teen's struggle when academic success and romantic happiness pull him in opposite directions, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Tamara Ireland Stone. Ariel Stone has spent his life cultivating the perfect college résumé: first chair violinist, dedicated volunteer, active synagogue congregant, and expected valedictorian. He barely has time to think about a social life, let alone a relationship...until a failed calculus quiz puts his future on the line, forcing Ariel to enlist his classmate, Amir, as a tutor. As the two spend more time together, Ariel discovers he may not like calculus, but he does like Amir. When he's with Amir, the crushing academic pressure fades away on, and a fuller and brighter world comes into focus. But college deadlines are still looming. And adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push Ariel past his limit. In a time where academic pressure on stressed teens couldn't be higher, You Asked for Perfect is a story full of empathy, honesty and heart for anyone who has ever questioned the price of perfection. The perfect present for readers who want: Books featuring anxiety for teens Queer romance Gay young adult fiction Jewish representation Praise for You Asked for Perfect: An ALA Rainbow List Pick 2019 Books All Georgians Should Read List 2020 Georgia Author of the Year Awards Nominee Chicago Public Library's Best Fiction for Older Readers List "Who can resist a heartfelt romance?"—Booklist "Silverman's novel hit me straight in the heart... It was powerful enough to make me want to be a better—yet still imperfect—person."—Bill Konigsberg, author of The Music of What Happens "A coming-of-age novel that will charm readers with its relatable and diverse characters, quirky storyline, and interweaving of faith, queerness, and the everyday lives of seniors navigating the pressures of college applications, grades, and relationships. Heartwarming and engaging."—Kirkus

In (Not that You Asked), Steve Almond documents a life spent brawling with the idiot kings of modern culture. He squares off against Sean Hannity on national TV, takes on Oprah Winfrey, nearly gets kidnapped by a reality TV crew, and winds up in Boston, where he quickly enrages the entire population of Red Sox Nation. Amid the carnage, he finds time to celebrate his literary hero, the late Kurt Vonnegut. These are essays the Los Angeles Times has called “rich, fearless [and] cutting.” Praise for (Not that You Asked) “Refreshingly irreverent . . . absurdly funny.” –The Boston Globe “[Almond] scores big in every chapter of this must-have collection. Biting humor, honesty, smarts and heart: Vonnegut himself would have been proud.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Taunting, revealing, irreverent, and earnest.” –The New York Times “Steve Almond has created a distinctive voice and literary persona. Pleasure-obsessed, self-deprecating, horny, hilarious and always dedicated to parsing the messy terrain of the human heart.” –Forward.com

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district—and in their lives. WINNER OF THE CHRISTY AWARD® When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim, the copyeditor for her San Diego high school's newspaper, accidentally submits a piece ripping everyone to shreds and suddenly finds herself the center of unwanted attention--but when the teacher in charge of the paper asks her to write a regular column her troubles really start.

A cloth bag containing 10 paperback copies of the title, 1 large print edition, 1 audio book, that may also include a folder with sign out sheets.

“An intense snapshot of the chain reaction caused by pulling a trigger.” —Booklist (starred review) “Astonishing.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A tour de force.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Honor Book A Printz Honor Book A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner for Young Adult Literature Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award An Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2017 A Vulture Best YA Book of 2017 A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of 2017 An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds’s electrifying novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother. A cannon. A strap. A piece. A biscuit. A burner. A heater. A chopper. A gat. A hammer A tool for RULE Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if Will gets off that elevator. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

Hav you ever stopped to think about the role conversation plays in your life? Then human mind is the greatest circus on earth and with the right questions you get to swing from rafters, fight lions, and jump through rings of fire. And every circus is different, each with the potential to take you on an unexpected journey. Whether it is the police officer pulling you over, or a colleague in the next cubicle, every person you meet has a fascinating story to tell. This book helps you arrive at the next chapter and pushes you to read further into yourself. Ask the right question and you will attract your dream job, move deeper into your relationship and get across the border in a timely fashion. It was powerful conversations that put a man on the moon, pulled innocent women from behind bars, and placed your fork on the left side of your plate. The deliberate exchange of words can ignite our next adventure, help us understand our shortcomings and confirm our beliefs. We are the true conductors of our fate and the interpreters of our past. By committing ourselves to the art of powerful conversation, we become the leaders of the moment.

Andy Rooney's syndicated newspaper columns and cantankerous "60 Minutes" essays have made him one of the best known curmudgeons in America. Rooney writes about almost everything, boasting in the introduction to Not That You Asked . . . : "There's something in this book that will irritate almost everyone." Andy Rooney once again proves why he is one of America’s favorite curmudgeons. Writing at the top of his form, Rooney covers a plethora of subjects, from getting rid of leftovers to the worst job in the world, from travel tips for the travel industry to the best hotel room he ever had. Andy Rooney has an opinion on everything, and in his inimitably irreverent and crotchety style he voices here those things we’ve always wanted to say but never thought we could get away with. You’ll find yourself smiling and frowning and involuntarily bobbing your head in agreement. Praise for Not That You Asked . . . “As television watchers know, Andrew A. Rooney is a very funny fellow. He can be even funnier in print, as Not That You Asked . . . amply demonstrates.”—The Associated Press “The greatest thing about Andy is that he makes everyone uncomfortable—especially me.”—Don Hewitt, Executive Producer, 60 Minutes “The best of Rooney’s collections of columns so far . . . irreverent and warmhearted, thoughtful and provocative.”—The Orlando Sentinel