Sioux Smith is sharp, funny, and wry, and is pretty certain that she sees the world of high school differently from everyone else - a belief that is cemented when she makes an uneasy discovery about one of her school's "popular" teachers. And while she feels alone at her high school and in her unique slant on small-town life, Sioux finds a kindred spirit in the most unlikely of people: an elderly stranger, a woman who has more insight, despite her progressing dementia, than anyone else in Sioux's life. What Sioux and "Miss Marple" discover about each other over tea, illicitly secreted wine, and Coronation Street, makes for a novel with heart and grit in equal measure.

Boney, Itchy and Squeak are the Odd Fellows, just a bit different from everybody else, and the best of friends. They hang out in their tree house in Boney's backyard, where five lookout posts and three escape hatches allow them to keep an eye on (and get away from) their mortal enemy: bully Larry Harry. But after getting pelted with eggs, pummeled in gym class and sabotaged every year at their school's Invention Convention, the Odds have had enough. They're going to put an end to Larry's reign of terror, and they're going to use their knowledge of science and the local legend of a haunted mill to do so-if, that is, they don't get tangled up in their own schemes first.

Nat's mom has sold the family house so they will have enough money to board Smokey, their pony, at a nearby stable. Although Nat's overjoyed about keeping Smokey, he's not too sure if the new apartment is going to be like a real home.

The move has brought a lot of changes, with Nat's big sister, Cid, smoking and hanging out with tough new kids. Smokey's new stable is great, and Queenie, Nat's little sister, has fallen under the spell of English riding.

But not even Smokey can take away the pain Nat feels knowing his father won't be coming back, as he secretly plays with his dad's old rifle, which he found before the move. It's when Nat's mother becomes sick, and he and his sisters find they may be removed by the social services agency, that Nat take things into his own hands. With Smokey's help, Nat sets off to find his father.

SARAH WAGNER can tell her brother is there before she even sees him. There is the lingering odour of earth and rain, and then he appears, sitting at the foot of her bed, as if everything was perfectly normal. Except John is dead.

Sarah is grievin-and scared. Desperately seeking help, she turns to her best friend, Donna, an angry girl on the fringe of society, and Michael, the dark and mysterious boy in her class, and is thrust on a journey into the mystical realm of the occult. But plagued by headaches and falling into a deepening chasm of drugs and alcohol, Sarah no longer knows what is real and what isn't. In a climax that is both shocking and satisfying, The Book of Living and Dying proves to be an astonishing YA novel.

Author Natale Ghent creates a gritty teen reality with both sensitivity and unflinching honesty-a multi-layered and mature exploration of life and death, loss and salvation.

Sometimes, something as small as an ad in the daily newspaper can change your whole life.

When twelve-year-old Nathaniel and his two sisters, Cid and Queenie, discover an ad for a free pony in the paper, they can hardly believe their luck. The pony is theirs, as long as they can afford to take care of it. But what will their mother say?

Nat knows things are hard for his mom; his dad walked out on them four years ago and his mom has been struggling to work and raise three children. But having a pony would help Nat and Cid stop bickering and it would mean so much to Queenie. Although initially unwilling, Nat's mother eventually lets them keep the pony.

And so begins a year of self-discovery for Nat, who is trying to deal with his father's absence and to look out for his younger sister, who is "different." He's also trying to sort out his emotions for the rich, pretty girl in his class. And while life may not always be easy, Nat knows that his very own pony is waiting for him at the end of every day. Until a fire destroys the barn...

Poignant yet often humorous, No Small Thing is inspired by events in the author's life. It is not just a horse story, but a story about the search for love and identity in the face of longing, abandonment and uncertainty.

When eleven-year-old Wesley's father dies, she and her mother must move in with Aunt Cindy on a working farm. Watching the birth of a litter of Australian shepherd puppies, Wesley pleads with her aunt to save the life of a runt. The puppy, an undersized red merle named Piper, is a challenge from the start, with a natural talent for trouble as well as for herding sheep.

Through hard work and long hours, the dog and girl become inseparable and even stand a chance at the herding championship. But when Piper and Wesley are set upon by marauding coyotes, it is Piper who must protect Wesley. Will the dog save the girl who gave her a second chance? Will they still have a shot at the big title?

Piper tells the timeless story of a girl and her dog, and the ties that bind them together. Natale Ghent has crafted a tale that speaks to anyone who has struggled from something they truly believe in, and for a place to call home.